website/content/museum/gemini-challenger.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Gemini Challenger	Computers	Professional Computer	United Kingdom	1985	Motorola 68000	name image company company_name specs tabs photos comments oc_id source Challenger /media/museum/photos/gemini_challenger_system_1.jpg /companies/gemini Gemini label value NAME Challenger label value MANUFACTURER Gemini label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR 1985 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1987 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None label value KEYBOARD Full stroke 101-key with numeric keypad and 16 function keys label value CPU Motorola 68000 label value SPEED 12 MHz label value RAM 512 KB label value ROM 16 KB label value TEXT MODES 80 or 132 chars. x 25 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 768 x 576 - 16 to 16 million col. / 1024 x 1024 - 64 col. with optional video card label value COLORS 16 up to 16 million label value SOUND Unknown label value SIZE / WEIGHT 19.25 (W) x 16 (D) x 5.75 (H) ins label value I/O PORTS SCSI, Parallel, 2 x Serial RS232, 4 x 68K expansion slots label value BUILT IN MEDIA 1 x 5.25'' 1.2 MB floppy disc drive, Hard disks from 20 to 70 MB label value OS MBOS, Mirage, TDI P-system, CP/M 68k label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in 100Watt switching power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS SCSI peripherals, 68K bus cards label value PRICE From £4750 to £9500 photos title subtitle text image BACK SIDE **(1)** SCSI 50-pin connector\ **(2)** 2 x Serial RS232 DIN plugs\ **(3)** Power switch, mains plugs and fan\ **(4)** Configuration switches\ **(5)** Parallel printer connector\ **(6)** Reset switch\ **(7)** Housing for 4 x 64K bus cards /media/museum/photos/gemini_challenger_back_1.jpg title subtitle text image PRICE LIST, NOV. 1985 Thanks to **Henk Bekkers** /media/museum/photos/gemini_challenger_price%20list_s1.jpg author date text John B Hanson (UK/West Sussex) Monday 7th May 2012 I wrote a system for VETS on this system under Mirage. A also wrote a virtual terminal system which allowed multiple sessions on each terminal (Much like ALT+Fn keys in linux). It worked well, but operating system support was a bit of a problem sometimes. I also wrote SCSI drivers for Mirage to allow for an external SCSI drive. author date text Andy Allen (Greece) Tuesday 27th December 2011 I worked at T.D.I in Bristol in the early 80''s and ported the UCSD p-system to this machine. It was my favorite machine at the time, beautiful spec, construction, but sadly we never made a multi-user version. The graphics chip was great fun to program for (did the Turtle Graphics for UCSD as well). Always sad that this one wasn''t a success ...\ (but it couldn''t compete with the Stride/Pinnacle machines) author date text Pete Fenelon (UK) Thursday 24th April 2003 I remember the Mirage OS slightly. It had a very VAX/VMS-like user interface, not sure about the internals - and was used quite a bit for soft-realtime in process control industries in the UK. It also appeared on a number of other 68k-based machines. 874 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230603012929/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=874 2023-06-03

Before the Challenger came out, Gemini products were based around the Z80 processor and the company's 80-bus architecture. They did well in applications where costumers wanted a highly-specialized product.

At first sight, the Challenger looked like an ordinary PC-compatible computer. The monitor was a Wyse WY-50 remote terminal finished as the same colours as the main box. However, the Challenger's main processor was a 12 MHz Motorola 68000 linked with 512 KB of RAM. This configuration made the Challenger a very high speed 16-bit system for the time.

While designing the Challenger, Gemini designers also created a new 68000 proprietary bus called 68K, which was originally a 16-bit bus but was later extended to 32-bit when the 68020 became available. Four 68K slots were available on the Challenger mainboard. They also designed an impressive graphic card based on the Hitachi HD63484 graphic processor and consisting in two piggy-back full length cards plugged into a 68K slot. Maximum resolution was 1024 x 1024 pixels with 16 million available colours.

The Challenger was delivered with a wide range of operating systems:
- MBOS a business-based multi-user O.S.,
- Mirage Another multi-user O.S. but more esoteric,
- TDI p-System, the British version of UCSD p-System well known for its UCSD Pascal language,
- CP/M 68k, the 68000 version of the 8-bit O.S. which was never very popular.
Each of these O.S. could cohabit into several partitions of a same hard disk.

Despite it's advanced features, the Challenger never met success, neither as a businness machine as very few software were developped for it, nor as a development system as the 68K bus never was carried by other manufacturers.

The last machine made by Gemini was a beautifully built IBM clone using a motherboard designed by British Aerospace. But it was too expensive and couldn't compete against far east production. Gemini finally disappeared about one year after the Challenger was launched.

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.