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---
title: OHIO Scientific Challenger 1P
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1979'
cpus:
- '6502'
params:
name: Challenger 1P
company: /companies/ohio-scientific
company_name: OHIO Scientific
specs:
- label: NAME
value: Challenger 1P
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: OHIO Scientific
- label: TYPE
value: Home Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: U.S.A.
- label: YEAR
value: '1979'
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: Microsoft BASIC
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Full stroke 53 keys
- label: CPU
value: '6502'
- label: SPEED
value: 1 MHz.
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: None
- label: RAM
value: 4 KB (static) expandable to 8 KB on board
- label: VRAM
value: 1 KB
- label: ROM
value: 8 KB
- label: TEXT MODES
value: 24 chars. x 24 lines
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: Only built-in graphic characters
- label: COLORS
value: Monochrome
- label: SOUND
value: No sound
- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
value: Unknown
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Tape recorder (input/output jacks for 300 baud Kansas City Standard tape storage), Composite video
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: Built-in 5V power supply unit
- label: PERIPHERALS
value: 24 KB memory board, floppy discs
- label: PRICE
value: About $350
tabs:
- photos
- links
- docs
photos:
- title: BACK SIDE
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
links:
- title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
text: ''
docs:
- title: SUPERBOARD II / CHALLENGER 1P - USERS MANUAL
url: null
cover: null
text: |-
**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: THE 8K BASIC-IN-ROM - REFERENCE MANUAL
url: null
cover: null
text: |-
**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: CHALLENGER 1P - TECHNICAL REPORT
url: null
cover: null
text: |-
**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: THE CHALLENGER CHARACTER GRAPHICS REFERENCE MANUAL
url: null
cover: null
text: |-
**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
comments:
- author: Mike (Lovettsville, VA)
date: Sunday 3rd April 2016
text: I have a OSI C1P II with the 610 and floppy. I also have all of the manuals and software for it. I am going to be selling and wanted to see if there was any interest in it before I put it on Ebay.
- author: harmon (Kent, Ohio USA)
date: Wednesday 8th July 2015
text: |-
I bought a superboard in 1979, my first computer. I learned software and hardware from it.\
I upgraded to 32K and a floppy.\
I designed and built an interface to a 3 voice sound chip and a TI "sprite" color graphics chip.\
I showed my color c1p to the OSI club in Cleveland, a group of business users, and they wondered why anyone would need colors!
- author: Dave Smith (USA)
date: Thursday 18th December 2014
text: HI, I was a technician back then and worked for OSI. I repaired many of these units. I am interested in purchasing some of the older units C1P, C2P, etc.
- author: Chris
date: Sunday 22nd April 2012
text: |-
My school (TSS, QLD) had a stack of these. Some had 1K, others had 4K, and we had one giant 8P machine with 2x 8" floppies.
I acquired them all when they were decommissioned. I''ve still got them.
- author: Peter R Jensen (Sydney Australia)
date: Saturday 28th May 2005
text: |-
I purchased a Superboard in 1979 and over the succeeding 4 years enhanced the machine until it ran two Fujitsu 8 inch drives each having a 1.2 megabyte capacity. The controller was built for me by Nigel Bisset who was a member of the Sydney user group for Ohio Scientific machines. In addition to this change, the Melbourne users produced a memory expansion board and video upgrade which I also used. An aluminium case was bent up and all the hardware went inside and an black text on green background sat on the case. It did not look so very different to the setup that I am now using for Internet communications except that of course it is colour and XVGA.
The end result was a machine that was able to do wordprocessing using the Ohio Scientific programme and I started writing my first book that has still not been published. Later books were more successful.
However, I found the wordprocessor was pretty flakey and I lost a number of important files. This persuaded me to switch to an Osborne 01 Greycase on which I could run Wordstar which was a quantum leap. About this time, Nigel Bisset went to a Macintosh and at this stage our computer paths diverged. He went on to use Apple products whereas I went progressively via CPM to MSDOS and ultimately Windows XP. What a change in 25 yea rs - absolutely incredible.
related:
- /museum/ohio-scientific-challenger-4p
- /museum/ohio-scientific-challenger-ii
- /museum/ohio-scientific-challenger-iii
- /museum/ohio-scientific-superboard-ii
oc_id: 813
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230206200042/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=813
date: '2023-02-06'
---
Ohio Scientific, based in Ohio, USA, were the makers of the Superboard II. The Challenger 1P and Challenger **IIP-MF** were essentially cased versions of this single board system with integrated keyboard, a single 5Volt power supply and the first 6502 version of Microsoft BASIC interpreter.
An optional floppy disk controller and a extra 24K of ram for this unit was available using a 610 expansion board.
The **C1P-MF** was an upgraded version of the C1P having 20 KB of RAM and one 90 KB floppy disc drive. Memory could be upgraded up to 32 KB.
The Superboard and its derivatives had good user support and many programs were available.
---
Some additional information from **Mark Alsing**:\
It had basic keyclick sound capability that could be added by popultaing components (resitors and caps) on the main board.An RS-232 interface could also be added this way and there was a cut-out on the back to mount a DB-25 connector for it. Video output was composite and required an RF modulator to display output on a regular TV. I had a MicroVerter box that put the output on ch. 13 or 14.
**Ken Jordan**, a game developer who got his start on the OSI-C1P, reports :\
The text mode was really 32 x 32, but because of TV overscan only 24 x 24 was used.\
As was common, I soldered Atari joysticks to the numeric keys to allow gaming (there was a standard for this mod).