website/content/museum/intellec-series.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Intellec Series	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1973	Intel 8080	name image company company_name specs tabs photos adverts comments oc_id source Intellec Series /media/museum/photos/intel_intellec4_system_1.jpg /companies/intel Intel label value NAME Intellec Series label value MANUFACTURER Intel label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1973 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE ROM monitor label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke 62 keys managed by an Intel 8741 processor (II) (III) label value CPU Intel 8080 (I) - 8085 (II) - 8086 (III) label value SPEED 2 MHz (I) - 4 MHz (II) - 5 MHz (III) label value CO-PROCESSOR Intel 8080 I/O dedicated (II) (III) label value RAM Up to 64 KB (I) (II) - 128 KB (III) label value ROM 2 KB Boot ROM + 2 KB Monitor (II) - 16 KB (III) label value TEXT MODES 80 columns x 25 rows (video terminal) label value GRAPHIC MODES Text only label value COLORS Monochrome label value I/O PORTS Multibus expansion slot, Serial port, 24-bit Parallel port label value BUILT IN MEDIA 8'' floppy drive, 80 or 160 KB each (II) (III) label value OS ISIS operating system label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS EPROM programmer; In-Circuit Emulator label value PRICE Expensive! photos adverts title subtitle text image 4/40 BACK SIDE /media/museum/photos/intel_intellec4_back_1.jpg title subtitle text image INTELLEC MDS Probably the first 8080 based computer. /media/museum/photos/intel_intellec2_mainframe_1.jpg title subtitle text image IN USE Several Intellec system in use, probably in an university, somewhere in the U.S.A. /media/museum/photos/intel_intellec3_students_1.jpg title subtitle text image ROM MONITOR LISTING First page of a rare copy of the Intellec ROM monitor assembly source code listing. Courtesy of **Gottfried Silberhorn** /media/museum/photos/intel_intellec2_monitorlist_1.jpg title subtitle text image 8086 BOARD Adding this 8086 board to a Series-2 system turned it into a Series-3 /media/museum/photos/intel_intellec3_mainboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image USER MANUAL'S COVER /media/museum/pubs/intel_intellec3_manualcover_1.jpg author date text Callum (Edinburgh / UK) Wednesday 31st January 2007 I have one of these 8080 systems, working when last powered up (maybe 10 years now), missing EPROM programmer board, converted from 20mA to RS232, 110VAC, all manuals.\ As I have lost my workshop (turned into nursary) I need to get rid of this and some others, free to a good home, heavy so postage maybe costly.\ Drop me an email if u want it. 754 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230603203827/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=754 2023-06-03

The Intellec Microcomputer Development Systems (MDS) were complete computers intended for the development of Intel microcomputer based products. They included a main unit with CPU, RAM, ROM, I/O and interrupt circuitry, as well as all necessary software: Assembler, linker, debugger.

Optional EPROM programmer and In-Circuit Emulator (ICE) allowed real-time emulation and diagnostics into user configured system before saving final program into an EPROM.

Intellec 4 and 8

The 4 was first Intellec Model, introduced in 1973. It was intended for software development for the 4004, first Intel 4-bit processor. We have few information about it, apart from an user memories:
This helped but it didn't really cut down that much on development time.
Loading the assembler took *only* about 30 minutes. While for the program I was working on took almost an hour for each pass and the assembler was three passes (generate symbol table, punch machine code onto teletype paper tape punch, print assembler listing on teletype).

The same year, Intel also lauched the Intellec 8 for the 8008, first Intel 8-bit processor.

Intellec MDS

The Intellec MDS was launched in (about) 1975. It featured an 8080 processor and could implement MCS-80 (8080) based computers and Intel Series 3000 systems.

The main unit needed a Serial video terminal or an ASR-33 Teletype to be connected, as well as a paper tape puncher/reader and/or floppy drive unit.

Siemens sold in Germany a local version of the first Intellec called SME-800.

Series II

The Intellec series II Model 230 included a 2000 character CRT, a detachable full ASCII keyboard and dual double-density 8" diskette drives providing over 1 MB of data storage.

ISIS-II Diskette Operating Software allowed the Model 230 to be used for assembly and/or compilation and debugging of programs for Intel's MSC-80 (8080), MCS-85 (8085) or MCS-48 (8048) microprocessor families. ISIS also supported FORTRAN and PL/M languages.

For further information, you can refer to the Siemens SME system which was the German version of the Intellec Series 2

Series III

As Intel's customers upgraded their designs from the 8085 to the 8086, Intel upgraded its 'Intellec' development system from Series-2 to Series-3 by plugging in a new 16 bit board called "RPA-86" (Resident Processor Assembly) with 8086 CPU and 16 bit wide RAM and ROM.

The Series-3 boots up in 8 bit mode with the 8085 running under ISIS-2 like before, but when 16 bit software has to be executed, then the 8085 hands over the control to this new board which becomes bus master, and the rest of the Intellec MDS just serves as an I/O subsystem.

Thanks to Gottfried Silberhorn for information and pictures.

---

Further information from Colin Douglas Howell:
By mid-1974, Intel had renamed the Intellec 8 to the Intellec 8/Mod 8. The 8080 had just been introduced, and it seems the system was renamed to distinguish it from the Intellec 8/Mod 80, which was for 8080 development. (This second system is sometimes called the Intellec 8/80, following the logo on the front panel. I suppose the original system might also be called the Intellec 8/08 or 8/8, but the only pictures I've seen all show the same "Intellec 8" logo.)
The 4040, an improved successor to the 4004, was also introduced in 1974. The Intellec 4/Mod 40 (Intellec 4/40), which was 4040-based, was probably introduced around this time. I would assume that Intel renamed the Intellec 4 to the Intellec 4/Mod 4, just as they had done to the Intellec 8.