website/content/museum/ohio-scientific-superboard-ii.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
OHIO Scientific Superboard II	Computers	Home Computer	U.S.A.	1978	6502	name company company_name specs tabs photos adverts links docs comments related oc_id source Superboard II /companies/ohio-scientific OHIO Scientific label value NAME Superboard II label value MANUFACTURER OHIO Scientific label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1978 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE OSI BASIC interpreter label value KEYBOARD Full stroke 50 keys label value CPU 6502 label value SPEED 1 MHz (could be overclocked to 2 MHz) label value CO-PROCESSOR None label value RAM 4 KB expandable to 8 KB on board label value VRAM 1 KB label value ROM 8 KB (OSI BASIC + Monitor) label value TEXT MODES 16 to 48 chars. x 16 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES None, but 128 graphic characters label value COLORS Monochrome label value SIZE / WEIGHT unknown label value I/O PORTS Tape recorder and printer ports label value BUILT IN MEDIA None label value POWER SUPPLY External 5V power supply unit label value PRICE $200 assembled photos adverts links docs title subtitle text image SYSTEM **(1)** 4 KB RAM expansion area. All of the board RAM chips are 2114 (1K * 4 bits static RAM)\ **(2)** 4 KB main memory area\ **(3)** 6502 processor\ **(4)** Expansion connector (40 pin socket)\ **(5)** ACIA 6850 chip (Asynchronous Communication Interface Adapter)\ **(6)** Monitor ROM chip\ **(7)** BASIC ROM chips\ **(8)** Video RAM chips (2x2114 not installed)\ **(9)** Characters generator ROM chip\ **(10)** Cassette interface connector and circuitry null title subtitle text image CLOSE UP null title subtitle text image FRENCH AD (JAN. 1980) "Right now, your computer for today" null title subtitle text image US ADVERT (SEPT. 1979) null title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com title url cover text SUPERBOARD II / CHALLENGER 1P - USERS MANUAL null null **SUPERBOARD II / CHALLENGER 1P - USERS MANUAL**\ written by Ohio Scientific  compiled/archived by David Wilson\  type of document : PDF\  size : 2,7 MB\  source : www.old-computers.com title url cover text THE 8K BASIC-IN-ROM - REFERENCE MANUAL null null **THE 8K BASIC-IN-ROM - REFERENCE MANUAL**\ written by Ohio Scientific  compiled/archived by David Wilson\  type of document : PDF\  size : 576 KB\  source : www.old-computers.com title url cover text CHALLENGER 1P - TECHNICAL REPORT null null **CHALLENGER 1P - TECHNICAL REPORT**\ written by Ohio Scientific  compiled/archived by David Wilson\  type of document : PDF\  size : 1,4 MB\  source : www.old-computers.com title url cover text THE CHALLENGER CHARACTER GRAPHICS REFERENCE MANUAL null null **THE CHALLENGER CHARACTER GRAPHICS REFERENCE MANUAL**\ written by Ohio Scientific  compiled/archived by David Wilson\  type of document : PDF\  size : 1,3 MB\  source : www.old-computers.com author date text Terry Shingara (Harrisburg, PA, USA) Thursday 26th March 2020 Does anyone know where I can get the pin headers to plug into the superboard II author date text Myk Dormer (United Kingdom) Monday 25th June 2018 Also a Superboard II owner, a machine I fondly remember.\ After a couple of years the masked roms developed a thermal fault (only worked when cold) but the documentation was so good that (even as a teenager) I was able to clone the whole machine onto a home made card-frame of veroboards (with the errant ROMs copied onto an eprom).\ That machine probably taught me more than the engineering degree I later took :) author date text Russ Sunday 20th May 2018 I still have mine, I got it when I was in college but I don''t remember what year, maybe 77 or 1978? author date text jeff (Australia) Wednesday 17th May 2017 I have my original Superboard II on the wall in the shed. It no longer works due to Mr Rat releaving him self on the pcb. I had the hand soldered 64x40 character, 512x320 pixel graphics option. i have the work notes to go the mod somewhere. i will have a mint condition C1P and Orange ''green screen'' CRT $-) author date text Andy B (Australia) Wednesday 12th April 2017 My first computer. Learned to code in BASIC and 6502 machine code. Wrote a ''snake'' type game and high-speed machine-code line drawing routines so that I could animate a rotating cube in real time. I expanded the memory to 12K by piggy-backing 2114 chips on top of the ones on the board and wiring up the chip $ pin to the address decoder chip. Good Times. Best story though is the night I brought it home from the store. It had been wrapped in tin foil - protection from static shock - so I though I''d just leave it sitting on the foil when I switched it on. Not a great idea. Fortunately, just blew the on-board fuse so I was back up and running in a few minutes. author date text Ben Grimer Thursday 9th March 2017 I used to play games on this with my brother and write rudimentary basic programs. I played hectic and new York taxi (and became one of the elite !). author date text Peter Ledger (Oldham England) Wednesday 23rd January 2013 I have just dragged my superboard II out of storage and intend getting it up and running again. I spent many happy hours programming ms basic with this dinosaur and hope to do so again author date text Richard Scales (England) Tuesday 6th November 2012 I got one of these in 1979 and spent many many hours doing all kinds of things with it, programming basic and 6502 assembler as well as building memory boards and a disk controller. It has not been switched on for decades but it is still kept safe for a really rainy day! author date text Paul (Canada) Monday 3rd January 2011 I bought a Supper Board II in 1979 and built a power supply and TV interface for it. I programmed it in Basic and Assembly Language for several years..learned a lot from that Computer. I also used a Compac 386 for a few years traveling with it. author date text Andy Pagin (London UK) Monday 22nd March 2010 I wrote my first ever program on one of these in about 1982. print "Hello World" Been a pro-developer ever since. author date text Andy (England) Wednesday 6th December 2006 I worked on these in the early 80s. I threw mine out about 10 years ago and now regret it. Does anyone have one they'd like to give me? I'm suffering from severe nostalgia. /museum/ohio-scientific-challenger-1p /museum/ohio-scientific-challenger-4p /museum/ohio-scientific-challenger-ii /museum/ohio-scientific-challenger-iii 860 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230331055939/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=860 2023-03-31

The Superboard II, also called Model 600, was quite the same board as the british clone Compukit UK-101.

It came in only ready built version and did not featured neither power regulation on board - User had to build or buy a 5V external power supply - nor RF modulator to display on a standard TV, but only a composite video output.

A 40 pin IC socket allowed an expansion board and OSI bus to be connected, giving access to memory expansion (up to 64 KB) and floppy drive controller.

See in the 'Read more' section a very interesting information about Mike Cheiky, the founder of OSI.