website/content/museum/nbi-hantu.md at c6c5bd85634476b519265536921db5ab4f90b8d4

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yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 b274874139 All machines linked to their forum thread (full comment import)

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

2026-10-13 17:26:43 +02:00

2.3 KiB

Raw Blame History

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

title

categories

types

origins

years

cpus

params

NBI Hantu

Computers

Professional Computer

U.S.A.

1975

Intel 8008

name

image

company

company_name

specs

forum_thread

oc_id

source

Hantu

/media/museum/photos/nbi_hantu.jpg

/companies/nbi

NBI

label	value
NAME	Hantu

label	value
MANUFACTURER	NBI

label	value
TYPE	Professional Computer

label	value
ORIGIN	U.S.A.

label	value
YEAR	1975

label	value
KEYBOARD	Full-stroke professional keyboard with two keypads (numeric and editing ?)

label	value
CPU	Intel 8008

label	value
RAM	up to 16k

label	value
SIZE / WEIGHT	Indecent...

label	value
BUILT IN MEDIA	2 x 8'' floppies, (250k each)

label	value
POWER SUPPLY	PSU built-in

517

523

url	date
https://web.archive.org/web/20230604041644/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=523	2023-06-04

All the information we have come from a copy of a 1975 brochure of an NBI Hantu (later renamed to the System II).

It boasted an Intel 8008 processor up to 16K of RAM and two 8" 250K floppies.

NBI was the first software based wordprocessing system on the market. At that time, the competition had to change firmware each time the program was changed.

NBI officially stood for "Nothing But Intials", however the real origin of the name NBI was "Necton Bilinium Incorporated" a name chosen by one of the company founders - Binx Selsby.

Thanks to Kenny Stamm for all this information.

Larry Schear memories:
While working at Western Electric's Engineering Research Center in suburban Princeton, NJ, I had ordered a printer interface from NBI and Binx. We received an apparently handwrought circuit board, notable for two features.
First was the layout of the individual components on the circuit board. Nothing was rectilinear or orthogonal, but parts were placed apparently haphazardly (possibly to minimize inter-electrode coupling (as in a 6AK5)?), or just for satisfying 'style'.
The other was a strain relief 'system' for the ribbon cable - a massive, twisted tapered blacksmith-fabricated wrought-iron piece was affixed to the circuit board with a hand-hammered copper rivet! Most striking!
We all surmised that NBI was run out of a commune's tent! It DID work as advertised! Haven't seen it since the late 'seventies.

2.3 KiB Raw Blame History

2.3 KiB

Raw Blame History