website/content/museum/national-semiconductor-introkit.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
National Semiconductor Introkit	Computers	Home Computer	U.S.A.	1976	SC	name image company company_name specs tabs photos comments oc_id source Introkit /media/museum/photos/ns_introkit_system_s1.jpg /companies/national-semiconductor National Semiconductor label value NAME Introkit label value MANUFACTURER National Semiconductor label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1976 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Hexadecimal monitor label value KEYBOARD 20 keys, 16 Hexadecimal key and 4 command keys label value CPU SC/MP (ISP-8A/500D) label value SPEED 1 MHz label value RAM 256 bytes label value ROM 512 bytes label value TEXT MODES 6-digit 7-segment LED calculator display label value SIZE / WEIGHT 10 (W) x 16 (H) cm (CPU card) label value I/O PORTS 64-pin connector label value BUILT IN MEDIA None label value POWER SUPPLY +5V -12V PSU An built-in regulator provides -7V label value PERIPHERALS Serial Teletype label value PRICE Unknown photos title subtitle text image INTROKIT **(1)** 1 MHz quartz oscillator\ **(2)** This regulator provides the -7V voltage needed by the CPU, from the -12V\ **(3)** SC/MP microprocessor\ **(4)** 256 bytes RAM chips (2x2101)\ **(5)** 512 bytes ROM chip\ **(6)** TTL chips used for the serial communication\ **(7)** Display driver chips\ **(8)** Keyboard/display connector\ **(9)** 64-pin connector. In this version, only three power supply pins are connected. /media/museum/photos/ns_introkit_system_s2.jpg title subtitle text image RUNNING /media/museum/photos/ns_introkit_running_s1.jpg title subtitle text image CPU CLOSE-UP /media/museum/photos/ns_introkit_scmpcpu_s1.jpg title subtitle text image SOLDER SIDE Note the wire-wrapped connections between the keyboard/display interface and the CPU pins. /media/museum/photos/ns_introkit_solderside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image TELETYPE Thanks to Claude Paillard for this picture /media/museum/photos/introkit_teletype_1.jpg title subtitle text image TELETYPE DETAIL Thanks to Claude Paillard for this picture /media/museum/photos/introkit_teletype_detail.jpg author date text Achim Sunday 12th September 2021 Hi, I am a vintage computer collector. Please contact me (Contact via my website) if you have an IntroKit to offer. author date text Dave Roberts (UK) Friday 4th March 2016 I used to have a Sinclair MK14 - and I have acquired all the bits to make another SC/MP micro of some description for ''old times sake''. I would certainly be interested in anything SC/MP related for the Introkit (especially the keyboard interface and monitor ROM listings). The question is - how to get it posted? author date text Wim-Jan van Rooijen (Germany) Wednesday 4th February 2015 hi, I have a big stack of documents, incl. code and Assembler for this Computer.\ Somedocs are in Dutch, but the stuff from NS is in English.\ Also I still have the complete hardware of a µC based on SC/MP II, in a medium state, sertainly partly working, but the powersupply is missing. Little damaged during Transportation.\ let me know what you Need. author date text Darron Fick (USA) Friday 11th June 2010 The SC/MP was the first microprocessor I laid my hands on, sometime around 1976. The National guys were at one of the West Coast Computer Faires in San Francisco, and they were GIVING away the MCU - you then paid a small amount for the eval kit. I turned it into a simple music sequencer, and learned a lot in the process! I''ve always felt that National invented the eval kit culture with this product. author date text Roderick Wall Sunday 7th September 2008 Hi, I have an old SC/MP (Simple Cost-effective MicroProcessor) National Semiconductor Corp computer that I purchased in 1977. I have all the manuals etc that came with the kit. As you know it interfaced to a ASR33 Teletypewriter. I''ve just got it out from under the house where it had been for many years. I even have a copy of my 1st program that I did it was a random morse code practice progran that I wrote to fit in the 256 bytes of RAM. author date text Frank Boehm (Germany) Sunday 11th February 2007 Just received a "Telekit" - made by National Semiconductor, datecode 7618. This is pretty much the same electronics, but built into one of their larger pocket calculator cases (looks like the Mathematician PR 4640 with different key mappings). It has an external cable probably to attach it to a tty terminal. author date text David Boccabella (Australia) Monday 4th September 2006 When I was just 17 I had a passion for computers and was desperate to learn. In Adelaide, South Australia the Kilkenny technical college had just started a Microprocessing Programming course. I was fortunate to get onto one of the first courses and this plus the inhouse designed computer was what we used. I still have the SC/MP ROM chip but sadly moving has lost the actual CPU. The very first microprocessor that I ever saw and used. 1147 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230515211644/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1147 2023-05-15

Launched in 1976, the Introkit appeared to be very popular. It was the first affordable all-in-one computer everyone could acquire to know a bit about computers.

The basic version was really minimalist: one SC/MP (or "Scamp") microprocessor, one 512-byte ROM containing a monitor program and 256 bytes of RAM for user's programs.

The system was designed to connect to a Teletype - the CPU had serial In and Out pins, but very few hobbyist could afford this massive and expensive equipment. N.S. thus released an optional display kit which was comprised of an add-on card that fitted onto the main board, and a modified calculator for keyboard and display. The machine also needed a dual voltage PSU

Once everything soldered and wire-wrapped, the Introkit was a complete computer and an efficient learning tool. The novice programmer could enter, modify and run programs and thus learn all hardware and software basic concepts of any computing system.

Several of these kits - and other SC/MP machines, were connected to larger computers thanks to the unique and advanced ability of the SC/MP CPU to completely share its system bus with other processors, and thus run smoothly in a multiprocessor environment.

Chris Curry took the Introkit as a starting point to design the MK-14 training board, first Sinclair computer.

Ben Mullett recalls:
I joined NSC Bedford in '77 when the SC/MP was the latest in micros, my first task was to get an Introkit working, with help from Dave Brown. I can still recall some of the Hex opcodes for this machine.... C4 was LDI or 'Load immediate'...

The Introkit was indeed a TTY machine, with a modified NSC calculator case and keys forming the (extra cost) KBDkit and a patched ROM to scan the keys.

The Introkit/KBDkit to MK14 development liaison to Science of Cambridge was Tony Amendt, another National Semiconductor Field Applications Engineer.

He helped me get an MK14 running - allegedly the first kit made - since I was fortunate to be given the task of checking out the kit and instructions. All that was missing were some pullup resistors on the bus. Ran well, but what a weird keyboard! Very Sinclair.....

The SC/MP LCDS was the official development tool - 'Low Cost Development System' and there was a multiprocessing card demo for it that was quite impressive. Might even have that in my attic somewhere!

The multiprocessing architecture reappeared on the Series 32000 (aka NS16000) micros that were used in the Sequent 'Balance' series of Unix machines a decade later.

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.