website/content/museum/microcomputer-associates-inc-jolt.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
MICROCOMPUTER ASSOCIATES INC. Jolt	Computers	Home Computer	U.S.A.	1975	Mos Technology 6502	name company company_name specs comments oc_id source Jolt /companies/microcomputer-associates-inc MICROCOMPUTER ASSOCIATES INC. label value NAME Jolt label value MANUFACTURER Microcomputer Associates Inc. label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR November 1975 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1978 label value KEYBOARD none (V.24, teletype connection) label value CPU Mos Technology 6502 label value SPEED 1 MHz label value RAM 512 bytes (expandable up to 4 KB) label value VRAM None label value ROM 1 KB label value SOUND None label value I/O PORTS Terminal Interface (TTY or EIA) label value OS DEMON(TM) machine language monitor/debugger label value POWER SUPPLY Power supply. +5, +12 or -10(?) volts (sold seperately) label value PRICE $249 (1975, U.S.A.) author date text Ray Holt (USA) Wednesday 17th August 2016 Hi to all that have commented. I am very sorry I missed some required responses. Please go to my website and you can send a contact message to me from there. Thanks for remembering the JOLT. It was a great little workhorse. Ray author date text Ray Holt (USA) Monday 29th April 2013 If anyone has questions about the F-14 CADC, Jolt, Super Jolt or SYM early computers just let me know. Ray Holt\ Designer author date text Achim (Germany/USA) Thursday 24th June 2021 For a long time I have been looking for the JOLT. I already had it in my hands, but the owner sold his whole collection to someone else. If anyone has a JOLT to offer, please contact me through my website. author date text Jim GIlmore (USA) Monday 7th March 2016 I still have the Jolt system I purchased in 1977. I have the CPU, 2k EPRom board, Power supply and all the original documentation. It used a machine language program blown into 1702A EPROMs It was used to control audio sources (reel to reel, carts stuido and network ) for a radio station. It was used very successfully for many years before the advent of the modern hard disc based play out systems. Always reliable, it still functions (at least the last time I tried it about a year ago). A truly great little computer! author date text Achim Thursday 3rd March 2016 Hi,\ In 2015 I had the chance to get hands on the JOLT. Unfortunately it was not for sale. I would love to get this early computer. Any offer welcome.\ Achim author date text john erling grande (norwey) Thursday 18th September 2014 hi Ray holt , i wonder if i can be abel to recreat your 20 -bit procsesor for the f-16 tom cat , i am intrested in it becuse i have class in computer and electronics . and i belive you mad the first ever microprossesor unit with working cpu ram,rom etc pleas answer if you can it will be a great help to our class :) thanks before hand author date text Tim Kowalski (Illinois USA) Wednesday 16th July 2014 Microcomputer Associates was one of my first employers. I worked with Manny and Ray packing the kits and soldering the assembled boards. I was one of the first 5 employees - Ray, Manny, Frank, Darrel and myself.\ I would love to get in touch with these guys again. Ray, Manny and Frank were my mentors. author date text Tom Anderson (USA) Sunday 20th March 2011 The JOLT was my first computer. It was a great little machine. I did a number of interesting projects in the physics lab, connecting it geiger tubes and the like for counting decays per unit time, etc. Anyway, I still have it, as well is some of the literature. I could post some photos, if I could figure out how to do it. This form does not seem to allow it. 875 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230607064545/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=875 2023-06-07

On December 1975, the coveted inside-front-cover of Byte magazine contained a two-page advertisement for "the world's lowest cost computer system". This was perhaps the first non-MOS Technology 6502 based computer system to come to market, behind only the TIM and possibly KIM-1. The computer was named Jolt, and it was marketed by Microcomputer Associates Inc. as both a kit for $249, or fully assembled and tested for $348 (Dec. 1975 Byte).

Microcomputer Associates also sold add-ons for the basic system. They included 4 kilobytes for $265, an I/O card for $96, and a power supply for $145.

The Jolt is somewhat famous for the part it played in the development of the prototype Atari 2600 VCS, which was assembled using the Jolt computer board.

Jolt was designed and developed by Raymond M. Holt, Founder and Executive Vice-President of Microcomputer Associates. Holt went on to design the SYM-1 single-board computer, a KIM-1 clone. In the late 1990's Holt was finally given government permission to discuss his role in the development of the F-14 Tomcat. Holt claims he designed and developed the worlds first microprocessor one year before Intel.

Manny Lemas was the co-founder of Microcomputer Associates, Inc. Ray Holt was the hardware side and he was the software side of the business. He wrote the DEMON (Debugger/Monitor) software for the JOLT.
This software was actually developed for MOS Technology for use in the TIM chip and the KIM-1 single board computer. M.A. was granted rights to its own version of the software for use in the JOLT.

Part of text and picture provided by Brian Bagnall.

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.