yann64andClaude Opus 5.5
b274874139
1,289 discussions, 9,527 archived comments; pages no longer carry the comments themselves. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
107 lines
5.0 KiB
Markdown
107 lines
5.0 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: OHIO Scientific C2
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categories:
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- Computers
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types:
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- Professional Computer
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origins:
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- U.S.A.
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cpus:
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- '6502'
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params:
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name: C2
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image: /media/museum/photos/ohioscient_c2_system_1.jpg
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company: /companies/ohio-scientific
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company_name: OHIO Scientific
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specs:
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- label: NAME
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value: C2
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- label: MANUFACTURER
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value: OHIO Scientific
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- label: TYPE
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value: Professional Computer
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- label: ORIGIN
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value: U.S.A.
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- label: YEAR
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value: Unknown
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- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
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value: None
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- label: KEYBOARD
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value: Depending on the video terminal used
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- label: CPU
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value: '6502'
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- label: SPEED
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value: 1 MHz.
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- label: RAM
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value: 48 KB (Depends on the configuration)
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- label: ROM
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value: Unknown
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- label: TEXT MODES
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value: 80 chars x 25 lines (Standard video terminal)
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- label: SOUND
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value: No sound
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- label: I/O PORTS
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value: Serial
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- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
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value: 2 x 8'' 275 KB floppy drives
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- label: OS
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value: OS-65U
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- label: POWER SUPPLY
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value: Built-in power supply unit
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- label: PERIPHERALS
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value: Various OSI cards
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- label: PRICE
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value: Unknown
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tabs:
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- photos
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forum_thread: 820
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photos:
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- title: KEYBOARD
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: /media/museum/photos/osi-c2_keyboard.jpg
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- title: INSIDE
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subtitle: ''
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text: |-
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**(1)** 6002 CPU board. Also features a floppy disc controller and serial port\
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**(2)** 16 KB RAM boards\
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**(3)** D&N Micro Products IO-1600 board that, when fully populated, had 8 KB of additional RAM, a Parallel Centronics printer port, a Diablo parallel printer port, four RS-232 serial I/O ports and one RS-232 serial printer port with handshaking
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image: /media/museum/photos/ohioscient_c2_inside_1.jpg
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- title: FD UNIT
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: /media/museum/photos/ohioscient_c2_fdunit_1.jpg
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- title: DEMO DISK
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subtitle: ''
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text: General menu of the demonstration disk delivered with the operating system.
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image: /media/museum/photos/ohioscient_c2_samplescreen_1.jpg
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oc_id: 839
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source:
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url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230601180919/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=839
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date: '2023-06-01'
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---
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Little information about this C2 system composed of a computer case and a separate floppy drives case.
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The system pictured is a C2-OEM-4. \[OEM\] means it could be bought by other computer companies that could put their own brand label on the case. \[4\] means dual case version.
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The main system was based on an 8 slot backplane (ref. 580), a 6502 processor board, along with a floppy disc controller and a serial port for the video terminal (ref. 505), and 3 x 16 KB static RAM boards (ref. 520). Ohio Scientific and various third companies provided several additional Memory and I/O boards for this system.
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The floppy case had two Siemens single sided 8" 275 KB drives. With single sided drives user could copy to both sides of the floppy by removing the disk, turning it over and use the back side.
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OSI delivered a specific operating system called OS-65U along with Business BASIC, a powerful BASIC interpreter, and various demonstration programs.
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---
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Thanks to **Dan Schwartz** for this additional information:\
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There were a variety of C2-series computers: The **C2-4P** and **C2-4P MF** (mini-floppy), the **C2-8P** and **C2-8P DF** (dual floppy), and the **C2-OEM**, which usually came in a single, longer case containing both 8" floppy disks and the CPU and backplane.\
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The C2-4P was renamed **C4P** when they added wooden sides to the case. The computer shown looks like the C2-8P DF, but the stated C2-OEM-4 designation could easily be correct. C2-OEM computers were set up to use a serial terminal, rather than an internal video board (producing a rough approximation of NTSC video) and "polled"(software-scanned) keyboard.
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OSI was said to be the first company to offer microcomputers with hard drives, starting in 1977. Those drives were huge 14" monsters that took two men to lift!\
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OSI's two operating systems - OS-65D and OS-65U - both used heavily modified versions of what was originally the same version of Microsoft BASIC. In 65U, the business OS, there was no clear separation between the BASIC and the OS kernel; in 65D, the home-oriented system, there was.\
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OSI's floppy disk system was unique in that it used a serial port (ACIA) chip to read and write data to the disk. Every byte of data on the floppy actually had a start bit, a stop bit, and (under 65D) a parity bit. 65U programmed the hardware differently than 65D, so the two operating systems could not read each others' diskettes, although 65U included a limited utility to read raw sectors from 65D diskettes.
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While I no longer have my OSI computers, I do still have a 12" black-and-white TV that was modified by OSI to work as a monitor, by adding A/V inputs, which normal TVs of the era did not have.
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<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>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.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>
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