website/content/museum/processor-technology-corp-sol-10-20.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Processor Technology Corp SOL - 10 / 20	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1976	Intel 8080A	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware emulators links docs oc_id source SOL - 10 / 20 /media/museum/photos/processor-tech_sol20_1.jpg /companies/processor-technology-corp Processor Technology Corp label value NAME SOL - 10 / 20 label value MANUFACTURER Processor Technology Corp label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR End of 1976 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Unknown label value KEYBOARD QWERTY full-stroke keyboard label value CPU Intel 8080A label value RAM 8k, 16k or 32k (up to 48 KB) label value VRAM 1 KB label value ROM 1 KB label value TEXT MODES 64 x 16 label value GRAPHIC MODES None label value COLORS Unknown label value SOUND Unknown label value I/O PORTS RS 232, cassette, S100 Bus label value OS CONSOL OS label value POWER SUPPLY Unknown label value PRICE Unknown photos adverts hardware emulators links docs 348 title subtitle text image SOL 10 MAINBOARD /media/museum/photos/sol4.jpg title subtitle text image SOL-20 MAINBOARD /media/museum/photos/sol3.jpg title subtitle text image LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES /media/museum/photos/processortech_sol_bothsides_s1.jpg title subtitle text image FRONT /media/museum/photos/sol20_opened_1.jpg title subtitle text image SOL-20 OPENED This is where the expansion boards are mounted. Here are three 16k RAM expansion boards and one disk-controller board. Notice the big power-supply on the left. /media/museum/photos/processor-technology_sol20_inside_1.jpg title subtitle text image SOL-20 OPENED #2 Different combination of expansion cards : There are a Processor Tech 64K memory board, a Northstar Dual Density disk controller board and a Software Technology sound card (wow). /media/museum/photos/sol20_opened_2.jpg title subtitle text image SOL-20 REAR /media/museum/photos/processor-technology_sol20_rear_2.jpg title subtitle text image SOL STAR 'Sol Star' name probably came from the dual floppy drive unit and controller card made by NorthStar. Each unit was equipped with a 179 KB Shugart SA-400 floppy drive. /media/museum/photos/proctech_sol_solstar_1.jpg title subtitle text image REAL COOL PICTURE It is a memory dump done on a 1977 Sony TV Set !! ;-) /media/museum/photos/sol5.jpg title subtitle text image 1977 ADVERT /media/museum/pubs/processortech_sol_pub_1.jpg title subtitle text image SOL PRICE LIST **Sol Systems price list (january 1977)** (K) = Kit (A) = Assembled **Sol Terminal Computers**\ SOL-PC Single board (K) **$475**\ SOL-10 (K) **$795**\ SOL-20 (K) **$995** **Memory Modules**\ PROM Resident Assembly Language (A) **$425**\ Interpretive Simulator (PROM option) (A) **$95**\ Text Editing (PROM option) (A) **$95**\ Erasable PROM module (K) **$65** (A) **$89**\ 4 Kb. low power static Ram (K) **$159** (A) **$195**\ 8 Kb. low power static Ram (K) **$295** (A) **$375**\ 16 Kb. Dynamic Ram (A) **$529** **Interface Modules**\ Parallel / Serial I/O Module (K) **$149** (A) **$199**\ System cassette interface (K) **$87** (A) **$119**\ Video Display Module (K) **$199** (A) **$295** **Mass Storage System**\ Helios II Disk system (K) **$1895** (A) **$2295** **Software**\ (C) = Cassette (P) = Paper tape\ Basic 5 (P) **$19.95**\ 8K Basic (C) **$29** (P) **$37**\ New 8080 Focal (C) **$14.50**\ Trek 80 Video game (C) **$9.50** (P) **$14.50**\ GamePack 1 (C) **$9.50** (P) **$14.50**\ MathPack Video calculator (C) **$14.50** (P) **$19.50**\ Assembler (C) **$14.50** (P) **$19.50**\ ALS 8 (C) **$35** (P) **$45** /media/museum/pubs/processortech_sol_system_1.jpg title subtitle text image HELIOS II DISK MEMORY SYSTEM Dual 8'' floppy drive unit /media/museum/hardware/processor_technology_sol20_helios2-disk.jpg title subtitle text image HELIOS #2 /media/museum/hardware/proctech_sol_helios_2.jpg title subtitle text image HOME-MADE DISK-DRIVES These are two dual density floppy drives (Shugart SA400) in a home made wooden case. /media/museum/hardware/sol20_drives.jpg title url platform text SOLACE http://www.sol20.org/solace.html Windows Emulates a SOL-20 title url text A Sol-20 Web Page http://www.thebattles.net/sol20/sol.html Full of info !!! title url cover text SOL SYSTEMS MANUAL http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/sol_systems_manual.jpg [**SOL SYSTEMS MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by Roger Lewis ?\  type of document : PDF\  size : 8,3 MB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) title url cover text SOLOS/CUTER USER'S MANUAL http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/sol20_solos-manual.jpg [**SOLOS/CUTER USER'S MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by sol20.org\  type of document : PDF\  size : 99 KB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) title url cover text BASIC/5 USER'S MANUAL http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/sol20_basic5.jpg [**BASIC/5 USER'S MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by sol20.org\  type of document : Unknown\  size : 91 KB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) title url cover text 16KRA - USER'S MANUAL http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/16kra_user_manual.jpg [**16KRA - USER'S MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by sol20.org\  type of document : PDF\  size : 1,2 MB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) title url cover text 48KRA-1 - DYNAMIC READ/WRITE MEMORY MODULE USER'S MANUAL http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/48kr-1_user_manual.jpg [**48KRA-1 - DYNAMIC READ/WRITE MEMORY MODULE USER'S MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by Processor Technology Corporation  compiled/archived by Steve Maguire\  type of document : PDF\  size : 1 MB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) title url cover text MICRO-DISK SYSTEM MDS-A-D DOUBLE DENSITY - MANUAL http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html /media/museum/docs/couvs/sol20_microdisk.jpg [**MICRO-DISK SYSTEM MDS-A-D DOUBLE DENSITY - MANUAL**](http://www.sol20.org/manuals.html)written by North Star Computers  compiled/archived by Doug Coward\  type of document : PDF\  size : 235 KB\  source : [www.sol20.org](http://www.sol20.org) 344 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230604041241/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=344 2023-06-04

The Sol Computer was developed by Bob Marsh, Lee Felsenstein and Gordon French. Bob founded his company, Processor Technology, in April 1975 making 4K RAM memory boards for the Altair (cause MITS couldn't make a working memory board)

In June 1975, Bob and Les Solomon (technical editor of Popular Electronics) dreamed up the Sol-20 computer, Bob had a bunch of cheap walnut that he originally intented to use in a digital clock, he didn't want it to go to waste and used it in the Sol-20 (see picture).

About 10,000 of them were produced, some as kits, some as pre-builts. Based on the Intel 8080 microprocessor, this machine occupies a special niche in computer history for technical and esthetic reasons. It was one of the earliest to include a keyboard interface and support circuitry for full implementation of every 8080 function. It was a pioneer towards modern video output boards by having a design that actually put up alphanumeric characters on the screen, using a form of distributed processing that didn't lean on the CPU for all processing.

There were several models of the SOL-20 system :

- The SOL System I ($1649 in kit or $2129 assembled), with SOL Operating System, 8 KB RAM, a 12" TV/Monitor, and a cassette recorder with BASIC software tape.

- The SOL System II ($1883 in kit or $2283 assembled), is a SOL System I with 16 KB.

- The SOL System III ($4750 in kit or $5450 assembled), is a system II with 32 KB RAM, a video monitor, the HELIOS II Disk Memory System and a DISK BASIC floppy.