Computers & Business Machines

Apple II Personal Computer

Imagine the loss, 100 years from now, if museums hadn't begun preserving the artifacts of the computer age. The last few decades offer proof positive of why museums must collect continuously—to document technological and social transformations already underway.

The museum's collections contain mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and handheld devices. Computers range from the pioneering ENIAC to microcomputers like the Altair and the Apple I. A Cray2 supercomputer is part of the collections, along with one of the towers of IBM's Deep Blue, the computer that defeated reigning champion Garry Kasparov in a chess match in 1997. Computer components and peripherals, games, software, manuals, and other documents are part of the collections. Some of the instruments of business include adding machines, calculators, typewriters, dictating machines, fax machines, cash registers, and photocopiers

Date: 1970s

Texas Instruments Ac9131 Adapter

This is the power adapter received with a Texas Instruments programmable handheld electronic calculator. For the calculator, see 1990.0609.01.Currently not on view
Description
This is the power adapter received with a Texas Instruments programmable handheld electronic calculator. For the calculator, see 1990.0609.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1990.0609.01.2
catalog number
1990.0609.01.2
accession number
1990.0609

Texas Instruments 1250 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and a metal keyboard. It has an array of twenty-four rectangular black plastic keys. The meaning of the keys is indicated on the keyboard.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and a metal keyboard. It has an array of twenty-four rectangular black plastic keys. The meaning of the keys is indicated on the keyboard. There are ten digit keys a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a clear key, a clear entry key, a change sign key, and a percentage key. Above these is a row of four memory keys. The on/off switch is on the left edge. A mark above the keyboard on the left reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit LED display. A mark below the keys reads: TI-1250.
A jack for a power outlet is along the back edge. A sticker on the back reads: US PAT 3819921 AND OTHER PATS PENDING (/) TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) Serial No. A 2197367. The sticker indicates that the calculator should be recharged using an AC9180 adapter/charger. It also reads in part: ASSEMBLED IN USA. Below the sticker is a compartment for a nine-volt battery. A mark below it reads: 0777 LTA.
Compare this calculator to the TI-1400 (1986.0988.195). The latter lacks memory keys. Also compare the TI-1265 (1986.0988.193). It has the same keys, but different coloring of the keyboard and a different type of display.
Ball & Flamm give a 1975 price of $19.95.
Reference:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 156.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.053
catalog number
1986.0988.053
accession number
1986.0988

Altair 8800 Microcomputer Plug-In Card

A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well a
Description
A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well as technical requirements for a small personal computer. MITS succeeded where other, more established firms had failed, and it was their machine that inaugurated the personal computer age. MITS got its start in computing in 1971, when it introduced an electronic calculator kit. Several thousand sold before 1974, when the sharp reduction in calculator prices drove the company out of that market.
H. Edward Roberts, the Florida-born former U.S. Air Force officer who headed MITS, decided to design a small, affordable computer around the Intel 8080. His daughter named the new machine after the star Altair. It was the first microcomputer to sell in large numbers. In January 1975, a photograph of the Altair appeared on the cover of the magazine Popular Electronics. The caption read “World's First Minicomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models.” According to the magazine, the machine sold as a kit for $395, and assembled for $498. Roberts had hoped to break even by selling 200 Altairs. Within three months he had a backlog of 4,000 orders.
Enthusiasm for the Altair and other personal computers spawned computer hobbyist clubs, computer stores, newsletters, magazines, and conventions. By 1977, a host of companies, large and small, were producing microcomputers for a mass market. This phenomenon was abetted by a design decision to make the Altair an "open" machine. In other words, it passed data along a channel called a bus, whose specifications were not kept a secret. That way both MITS and other companies could add memory cards, cards to control a printer or other devices as long as they adhered to the published standards.
This particular Altair was collected by the Smithsonian because it documents how hobbyists would outfit the machine with additional parts and components. The user added his own keyboard, monitor, disk drive, and 17 plug-in boards to expand the computer’s capability. Unfortunately, the original owner of the kit is unknown. The computer was donated to the Smithsonian by a second owner, Mark Sienkiewicz, who purchased it as a collectable item and never used it.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
2007.0032.05.10
catalog number
2007.0032.05.10
accession number
2007.0032

Engineering Drawing, Actuator-Switch

This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Shugart Associates
ID Number
1982.0385.08
catalog number
1982.0385.08
accession number
1982.0385

Book, The Great International Math on Keys Book

This paperback volume, developed by the Texas Instruments Learning Center, is an introduction to using a handheld electronic calculator (particularly a TI-30 or SR-40) to do mathematics.Currently not on view
Description
This paperback volume, developed by the Texas Instruments Learning Center, is an introduction to using a handheld electronic calculator (particularly a TI-30 or SR-40) to do mathematics.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1976
publisher
Texas Instruments Incorporated
author
Texas Instruments Learning Center
ID Number
1982.3001.16
catalog number
1982.3001.16
nonaccession number
1982.3001

Software, Debug

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
ID Number
2012.3098.083
catalog number
2012.3098.083
nonaccession number
2012.3098

National Semiconductor Novus 650 Mathbox Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and fifteen rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a clear entry/clear key, and four arithmetic function keys. The + key also serves as an enter key. Behind the keys is an on/off switch.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and fifteen rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a clear entry/clear key, and four arithmetic function keys. The + key also serves as an enter key. Behind the keys is an on/off switch. Text next to it reads: Mathbox. Behind this is a red LED display. Advertisements indicate this showed up to six-digit results. A mark near the back of the calculator reads: NOVUS (/) 650. A jack for a power adapter is on the left side.
The back of the calculator has a compartment for a nine volt battery. The cover of the battery compartment in this example is tan, not matching the rest of the case.
A sticker on the back gives operating instructions. It reads at the top: NOVUS 650. It reads near the bottom: NOVUS – Consumer Products from (/) National Semiconductor Corporation (/) Made in U.S.A. The sticker also reads: Serial No. (/) 1366399.
The Novus Mathbox 650 is unusual among non-HP calculators in using reverse Polish notation. Prices found range from $15.00 in 1974 down to $4.88 in 1976.
References:
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, December 8, 1974, p. E30. Advertises the Mathbox as on sale for $15.00.
[Advertisement], Washington Post , February 16, 1975, p. 18. Sale price for Novus 650 given as $14.88, a $5 savings.
[Advertisement], Washington Post, March 12, 1975, p. A9. Novus 650 advertised on sale for $12.99, originally $19.99.
[Advertisement], Washington Post, April 11, 1975, p. A24. Novus 650 on sale for $10.98.
[Advertisement], Washington Post, February 4, 1976, p. B15. Sale price for Novus 650 was $7.99.
[Advertisement], Washington Post, November 2, 1976, p. A15. Sale price for Novus 650 was $4.88, regularly $6.99.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1974-1976
maker
National Semiconductor Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.304
catalog number
1986.0988.304
accession number
1986.0988

Adler EC 60 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This relatively large handheld electronic calculator has an array of ten digit keys on the front, and four colored keys for division, multiplication, subtraction and addition along the right front. To the left of the zero key is a clear key, to the right a decimal point key.
Description
This relatively large handheld electronic calculator has an array of ten digit keys on the front, and four colored keys for division, multiplication, subtraction and addition along the right front. To the left of the zero key is a clear key, to the right a decimal point key. Behind the keys is a six-digit blue-green fluorescent display. Behind this is space for four 1.5 volt batteries. There also is a plug for a power adapter.
A mark on the front behind the display reads: ADLER 60. Stamped on the bottom of the plastic case are instructions for a typical calculation. A tag attached there reads: T-A Vertriebs-GMBH. 85 Nürnberg (/) Type EC 60 (4x1.5V-Dry Batteries or (/) AC Adapter AD 10.11.12.13.14.15.16 (/) Made in Japan No. 65053135.
Adler calculators were made in Japan for the German firm of T-A Vertriebs-GmbH. According to online sources, the calculator dates from about 1973 and used an Omron chip.
Reference:
John Wolff's Web Museum, http://www.johnwolff.id.au/calculators/electronic/Portable.htm#Adler108T.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1973
distributor
T-A Vertriebs-GmbH
ID Number
1986.0988.151
catalog number
1986.0988.151
accession number
1986.0988

National Semiconductor 750 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a brown plastic case with a two-tone keyboard and seventeen rectangular plastic keys. In addition to ten digit keys and a decimal point key, it has a clear entry/clear key, four arithmetic function keys, and a total key.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a brown plastic case with a two-tone keyboard and seventeen rectangular plastic keys. In addition to ten digit keys and a decimal point key, it has a clear entry/clear key, four arithmetic function keys, and a total key. On the left on the brown and off-white keyboard is an on/off switch. Text above it reads: 750 National (/) Semiconductor. Behind the keyboard is a six-digit LED display.
A compartment for a battery is at the top of the back. A sticker near the bottom of the back reads: Made in Hong Kong.
A jack for a power adapter is on the left side.
Problems are entered using algebraic rather than reverse Polish notation.
The calculator has a black plastic carrying case.
Compare to the earlier Novus 650 (1986.988.260 – no floating decimal point, reverse Polish notation) and to the contemporary Novus 850 (1986.0988.306 – eight-digit display). Also compare to the Novus 750 (1986.0988.224).
References:
[Advertisement], Hamilton, Ohio, Journal News, October 24, 1976, p. 102. Lists National Semiconductor 750 as on sale for $5.90
[Advertisement], Grand Prairie Daily News, November 27, 1977, p. 18. National Semiconductor 750 calculator on sale for $4.99
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, March 2, 1978, p. H3. National Semiconductor 750 selling for $4.99, regularly $6.99.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976-1978
maker
National Semiconductor Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.231
catalog number
1986.0988.231
accession number
1986.0988

Ultima Eletac 10 Desktop Electronic Calculator

This lightweight, non-printing electronic calculator has an array of nine digit keys with a slightly larger 0 key and a decimal point key below these. On the right are keys for arithmetic operations. On the left are K, clear, and clear entry keys.
Description
This lightweight, non-printing electronic calculator has an array of nine digit keys with a slightly larger 0 key and a decimal point key below these. On the right are keys for arithmetic operations. On the left are K, clear, and clear entry keys. The tubes above the keyboard show results up to ten digits in length.
A mark above the display on the right reads: ELETAC10. A sticker attached above the display on the left reads: Ultima. Letters attached to the front left read: MUDEN. A tag attached to the bottom reads: ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) ELETAC 10. It also reads: SERIAL NO. 320636 (/) Ultima Electronics, Ltd. (/) Made in Japan.
Removing four screws from the bottom of the machine releases the cover. One circuit board is at the base, one holds the tubes that make up the display, and one lies under the keyboard. The calculator chip on the base has a Texas Instruments logo and reads: TMS0118NC (/) C7339. The "7339" is date code that refers to the 39th week of 1973, which is when the chip was manufactured.
A February 13, 1973, article in the New York Times lists Muden as one of several companies that sold electronic calculators. On August 17, 1976, Ultima Electronics, Ltd., in Melville, N.Y., filed trademarks for MUDEN (first used in commerce in the United States in June of 1976) and ULTIMA (first used in commerce in the United States in October of 1975). These trademarks were registered in 1978. By 1989 Ultima Electronics was in Taiwan. As the Eletac 10 never gained wide sales, it seems likely that this example was sold about 1976.
References:
R.Metz, “Market Place,” New York Times, February 9, 1973, p. 46.
Images of another example of this machine, with detailed photographs, are at http://www.devidts.com/be-calc/, accessed April 2, 2013.
Yet another example of this machine, with a related Japanese advertisement, is in the Japanese virtual calculator museum at http://www.dentaku-museum.com/, accessed April 2, 2013.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1976
maker
Ultima Electronics, Ltd.
ID Number
1986.0988.001
catalog number
1986.0988.001
accession number
1986.0988

Summit SM20 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case with twenty-one rounded rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a constant key, two memory keys, four arithmetic function keys, a total key, a % key, and a clear key.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case with twenty-one rounded rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a constant key, two memory keys, four arithmetic function keys, a total key, a % key, and a clear key. The on/off switch is on the left of the top row of the keyboard. A tag in this row reads: SM20. A tag along the front edge reads: Summit. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit red LED display.
The back of the calculator has a silver-colored tag on the battery compartment that reads in part: Summit Sm20. It also reads: MODEL SM20 (/) SERIAL NO. 24272 (/) Tm SUMMIT INTERNATIONAL CORP. (/) SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH. The battery compartment would hold a nine-volt battery. Above the tag is a jack for a power supply.
Compare 1986.0988.281.
Reference:
[Advertisement], Carol (Iowa) Daily Times Herald, September 10, 1975, p. 39. Summit SM20 advertised as on sale for $16.97, regular price $18.97. Calculator shown is not this model.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1974
maker
Summit International Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.019
catalog number
1986.0988.019
accession number
1986.0988

Software with Documentation, DEBBI Disc Extended Basic by ICOM

This blue spring binder contains an eight-inch disk with a copy of version 1.0 of DEBBI (Disk Extended Basic By ICOM) for the IMSAI 8080 microcomputer. There also is a set of sheets documenting the program. These appear to be a photocopy.
Description
This blue spring binder contains an eight-inch disk with a copy of version 1.0 of DEBBI (Disk Extended Basic By ICOM) for the IMSAI 8080 microcomputer. There also is a set of sheets documenting the program. These appear to be a photocopy. Donor and user Barry Berg commented about this program that IMSAI "came out with their own disk BASIC. It was kind of a lame BASIC. It was very flexible and it was
kind of buggy. But it was one first disk-based BASICs and back then there wasn't too many disk systems around. So you ran with it."
For Berg's IMSAI microcomputer, see 2010.0239.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
ID Number
2012.3060.21
nonaccession number
2012.3060
catalog number
2012.3060.21

Shugart 5.25-Inch Disk Drive

In the course of the 1960s and 1970s, computer manufacturers developed diverse ways of storing data and programs on magnetic media. Expertise developed at large manufacturers like IBM found its way into more specialized firms. One such company was Shugart Associates.
Description
In the course of the 1960s and 1970s, computer manufacturers developed diverse ways of storing data and programs on magnetic media. Expertise developed at large manufacturers like IBM found its way into more specialized firms. One such company was Shugart Associates. In 1976, the California-based company introduced the SA400 disk drive for reading and storing information from 5 ¼” floppy disks.
A mark on a tag on the bottom front of the drive reads: SHUGART ASSOCIATES (/) MODEL NO. 400 MINIFLOPPY (/) VOLT NA FREQ NA Hz (/) SERIAL NO. 000004 (/) MADE IN U.S.A. This example has no case.
This is the fourth SA400 that the firm produced. The drive sold both as a standalone unit and as part of microcomputers offered by other companies. By 1982 Shugart had shipped over a million units.
For related materials see 1980.0612.01.3 (a press release on Shugart Associates) and drawings 1982.0385.02 through 1982.0385.10. For another Shugart SA400 disk drive received at the same time, see 1982.3017.
References:
Accession file.
"Background: Shugart Associates," September 1979, 1980.0612.01.3.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Shugart Associates
ID Number
1982.0385.01
catalog number
1982.0385.01
accession number
1982.0385

Litronix 2260 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This Litronix 2260 handheld electronic calculator has a light tan plastic case and twenty-five rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a pi key, four arithmetic function keys, and a total key.
Description
This Litronix 2260 handheld electronic calculator has a light tan plastic case and twenty-five rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a pi key, four arithmetic function keys, and a total key. The top row of the keyboard also has a clear/on key, an off key, and two parentheses keys. The leftmost column of keys includes exponential, square, square root and change sign keys. The display cover is missing from above the eight-digit display, and there is no mark behind this. A socket for the power adapter is along the right edge.
A battery compartment for three batteries is on the back. A large sticker below it reads in part: Litronix 2260 (/) 4 VDC 300MW Serial No. 49160. It also reads in part: Litronix, Inc., Cupertino, CA. Assembled in Malaysia. The right edge of this sticker reads: Property of D. Matteo.
The calculator has a brown leather or imitation leather case with a metal snap.
Advertisements give prices for the calculator ranging from $69.95 initially down to $39.95 in 1976.
For further information about Litronix, see 1986.0988.253. Compare 1986.0988.067.
References:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, December 7, 1974, p. C4. New Litronix 2260 available for $69.95.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, January 4, 1976, p. OC_B9. Litronix 1101P selling for $19.95. Litronix 2260 offered for $39.95.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1974-1976
maker
Litronix
ID Number
1986.0988.302
catalog number
1986.0988.302
accession number
1986.0988

IBM Israel Punch Cards (Hebrew)

These two cream-colored eighty-column cards have rounded corners and are truncated in the upper left corner. A mark near the bottom edge reads: 7561239. A mark across the front is in Hebrew.
Description
These two cream-colored eighty-column cards have rounded corners and are truncated in the upper left corner. A mark near the bottom edge reads: 7561239. A mark across the front is in Hebrew. The donor reported that the cards were from IBM Israel.
Reference:
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1960s-1970s
maker
IBM
ID Number
1996.0142.35
catalog number
1996.0142.35
accession number
1996.0142

Enterprex Model 100M Desktop Electronic Calculator

This compact desktop electronic calculator has an ivory-colored plastic case, a brown plastic keyboard, twenty-two square plastic keys, and three rectangular plastic bars.
Description
This compact desktop electronic calculator has an ivory-colored plastic case, a brown plastic keyboard, twenty-two square plastic keys, and three rectangular plastic bars. In addition to nine digit keys, a zero bar and a decimal point key, there are bars for addition/sum and subtraction/total, keys for multiplication and division, and keys for exchange and clear/clear entry. To the left of the digit keys are six memory keys, a percentage key, and a Δ% key. Behind the keyboard are three switches and a ten-digit vacuum fluorescent display. A mark in front of the keyboard reads: ENTERPREX 100M.
The back of the calculator has a compartment for two large batteries. Below this is an indentation for a sticker, but the sticker has come loose. It reads in part: 10-DIGIT DESK-TOP (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) POWER SOURCE: TWO "D" CELL (/) BATTERIES. DC 3VOLT. It also reads in part: SERIAL NO. 64597 (/) PN 943014 MADE IN TAIWAN.
References:
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, November 5, 1978, p. M7. Enterprex 100M advertised as on sale for $20.00.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, February 24, 1979, p. C2. Enterprex 100M advertised as on sale for $29.95, with a list price of $40.00
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 70.
BE CALC Vintage Electronic Calculators website (now www.calcuseum.com). This shows an example of the calculator, with a sticker indicating that it was made in Hong Kong.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1978
distributor
Enterprex
ID Number
1986.0988.201
catalog number
1986.0988.201
accession number
1986.0988

Altair 8800 Microcomputer Plug-In Card

A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well a
Description
A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well as technical requirements for a small personal computer. MITS succeeded where other, more established firms had failed, and it was their machine that inaugurated the personal computer age. MITS got its start in computing in 1971, when it introduced an electronic calculator kit. Several thousand sold before 1974, when the sharp reduction in calculator prices drove the company out of that market.
H. Edward Roberts, the Florida-born former U.S. Air Force officer who headed MITS, decided to design a small, affordable computer around the Intel 8080. His daughter named the new machine after the star Altair. It was the first microcomputer to sell in large numbers. In January 1975, a photograph of the Altair appeared on the cover of the magazine Popular Electronics. The caption read “World's First Minicomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models.” According to the magazine, the machine sold as a kit for $395, and assembled for $498. Roberts had hoped to break even by selling 200 Altairs. Within three months he had a backlog of 4,000 orders.
Enthusiasm for the Altair and other personal computers spawned computer hobbyist clubs, computer stores, newsletters, magazines, and conventions. By 1977, a host of companies, large and small, were producing microcomputers for a mass market. This phenomenon was abetted by a design decision to make the Altair an "open" machine. In other words, it passed data along a channel called a bus, whose specifications were not kept a secret. That way both MITS and other companies could add memory cards, cards to control a printer or other devices as long as they adhered to the published standards.
This particular Altair was collected by the Smithsonian because it documents how hobbyists would outfit the machine with additional parts and components. The user added his own keyboard, monitor, disk drive, and 17 plug-in boards to expand the computer’s capability. Unfortunately, the original owner of the kit is unknown. The computer was donated to the Smithsonian by a second owner, Mark Sienkiewicz, who purchased it as a collectable item and never used it.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
2007.0032.05.16
catalog number
2007.0032.05.16
accession number
2007.0032

Hewlett-Packard HP-45 Handheld Electronic Calculator, Power Adapter

This battery charger / AC adapter for the HP-45 calculator has a black plastic case and a black cord. It is marked in part: HEWLETT-PACKARD (/) 82002A BATTERY CHARGER-ADAPTER (/) MADE IN SINGAPORE.
Description
This battery charger / AC adapter for the HP-45 calculator has a black plastic case and a black cord. It is marked in part: HEWLETT-PACKARD (/) 82002A BATTERY CHARGER-ADAPTER (/) MADE IN SINGAPORE. A tag on the side opposite the plug reads: hp.
For the calculator, see 2004.3053.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
2004.3053.02
catalog number
2004.3053.02
nonaccession number
2004.3053

Altair 8800 Microcomputer Plug-In Card

A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well a
Description
A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well as technical requirements for a small personal computer. MITS succeeded where other, more established firms had failed, and it was their machine that inaugurated the personal computer age. MITS got its start in computing in 1971, when it introduced an electronic calculator kit. Several thousand sold before 1974, when the sharp reduction in calculator prices drove the company out of that market.
H. Edward Roberts, the Florida-born former U.S. Air Force officer who headed MITS, decided to design a small, affordable computer around the Intel 8080. His daughter named the new machine after the star Altair. It was the first microcomputer to sell in large numbers. In January 1975, a photograph of the Altair appeared on the cover of the magazine Popular Electronics. The caption read “World's First Minicomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models.” According to the magazine, the machine sold as a kit for $395, and assembled for $498. Roberts had hoped to break even by selling 200 Altairs. Within three months he had a backlog of 4,000 orders.
Enthusiasm for the Altair and other personal computers spawned computer hobbyist clubs, computer stores, newsletters, magazines, and conventions. By 1977, a host of companies, large and small, were producing microcomputers for a mass market. This phenomenon was abetted by a design decision to make the Altair an "open" machine. In other words, it passed data along a channel called a bus, whose specifications were not kept a secret. That way both MITS and other companies could add memory cards, cards to control a printer or other devices as long as they adhered to the published standards.
This particular Altair was collected by the Smithsonian because it documents how hobbyists would outfit the machine with additional parts and components. The user added his own keyboard, monitor, disk drive, and 17 plug-in boards to expand the computer’s capability. Unfortunately, the original owner of the kit is unknown. The computer was donated to the Smithsonian by a second owner, Mark Sienkiewicz, who purchased it as a collectable item and never used it.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
2007.0032.05.08
catalog number
2007.0032.05.08
accession number
2007.0032

Sheet, SA800/801 SA800R/SA801R Diskette Storage Drives

This illustrated sheet gives specifications for the disk drives mentioned in the title.Currently not on view
Description
This illustrated sheet gives specifications for the disk drives mentioned in the title.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978
maker
Shugart Associates
ID Number
1980.0612.01.2
catalog number
1980.0612.01.2
accession number
1980.0612

Lloyd's E805 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a tan plastic case, twenty roughly rectangular plastic buttons, and a plastic display cover.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a tan plastic case, twenty roughly rectangular plastic buttons, and a plastic display cover. In addition to ten digit keys, a clear key, a decimal point key, two memory keys, and four arithmetic function keys, it has (although the labels are missing on this example) a percentage key and a total key. The on/off switch is behind the keys. Next to it a label reads: LLOYD’S (/) ACCUMATIC 40. Behind this is an eight-digit LCD display, with a window behind this to admit light. An owner's mark above the display reads: $5.00.
At the base of the back is a battery compartment that would hold two batteries. A worn sticker above it reads: LLOYD’S ELECTRONICS, INC. (/) COMPTON, CALIF., U.S.A. (/) MODEL E805 CALCULATOR (/) SE. . . NO. 103220 (/) Assembled in MEXICO (/) Primarily UNITED STATES parts.
For further information about Lloyd’s Electronics, Inc., see 1986.0988.218.
Reference:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, November 16, 1974, p. 9. Calculator introduced for $59.95. Now selling for $29.99. Offered in Business Week and, under a different name, in The Wall Street Journal and in Forbes.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1974
maker
Lloyd's Electronics
ID Number
1986.0988.123
accession number
1986.0988
catalog number
1986.0988.123

Altair 8800 Microcomputer Plug-In Card

A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well a
Description
A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well as technical requirements for a small personal computer. MITS succeeded where other, more established firms had failed, and it was their machine that inaugurated the personal computer age. MITS got its start in computing in 1971, when it introduced an electronic calculator kit. Several thousand sold before 1974, when the sharp reduction in calculator prices drove the company out of that market.
H. Edward Roberts, the Florida-born former U.S. Air Force officer who headed MITS, decided to design a small, affordable computer around the Intel 8080. His daughter named the new machine after the star Altair. It was the first microcomputer to sell in large numbers. In January 1975, a photograph of the Altair appeared on the cover of the magazine Popular Electronics. The caption read “World's First Minicomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models.” According to the magazine, the machine sold as a kit for $395, and assembled for $498. Roberts had hoped to break even by selling 200 Altairs. Within three months he had a backlog of 4,000 orders.
Enthusiasm for the Altair and other personal computers spawned computer hobbyist clubs, computer stores, newsletters, magazines, and conventions. By 1977, a host of companies, large and small, were producing microcomputers for a mass market. This phenomenon was abetted by a design decision to make the Altair an "open" machine. In other words, it passed data along a channel called a bus, whose specifications were not kept a secret. That way both MITS and other companies could add memory cards, cards to control a printer or other devices as long as they adhered to the published standards.
This particular Altair was collected by the Smithsonian because it documents how hobbyists would outfit the machine with additional parts and components. The user added his own keyboard, monitor, disk drive, and 17 plug-in boards to expand the computer’s capability. Unfortunately, the original owner of the kit is unknown. The computer was donated to the Smithsonian by a second owner, Mark Sienkiewicz, who purchased it as a collectable item and never used it.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
2007.0032.05.11
catalog number
2007.0032.05.11
accession number
2007.0032

Sharp EL-8133 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This thin handheld electronic calculator has a metal case and twenty-four plastic rectangular keys.
Description
This thin handheld electronic calculator has a metal case and twenty-four plastic rectangular keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a % key, four arithmetic function keys, an on/clear key, a clear entry key, a square root key, clear/clear total key, and four memory keys. An on/off switch is at the top left of the keyboard. Text to the right of this reads: SHARP (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR. Behind the switch and this mark is an eight-digit LCD display. A mark at the base of the front of the calculator reads: SHARP ELSI MATE (/) EL-8133.
At the base of the back of the calculator is a compartment for two squat cylindrical silver oxide batteries. A sticker on the back reads: 88422037. Text molded into the back reads in part: ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-8133. It also reads: SHARP CORPORATION (/) MADE IN KOREA BM.
The calculator fits into a black plastic wallet. Also in the wallet are an instruction manual, a pad of paper, a sheet of instructions for ordering memo pad refills, and a sheet warning that the display is of glass. It reads in part: “Do not put your calculator in the back pocket of your pants as it may be damaged when you sit down.” The wallet, in turn, fits into a cardboard box marked at one end: SHARP (/) EL-8133. A price tag on the box reads in part: $17.95.
References:
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, May 14, 1978, p. K4. Calculator selling for $17.95.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, August 10, 1979, p. 13. Calculator selling for $14.95.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978-1979
maker
Sharp Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.272
catalog number
1986.0988.272
accession number
1986.0988

Concept 24 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case with an aluminum keyboard, rounded rectangular plastic keys, and a plastic display cover.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case with an aluminum keyboard, rounded rectangular plastic keys, and a plastic display cover. The array of twenty-four keys includes ten digit keys and a decimal point key (all white), as well as four keys for arithmetic functions, a total key, a percentage key, a square root key, and a change sign key (all blue). The four memory keys in the top row and the clear entry/clear key at the bottom left are yellow. Above the eight-digit vacuum fluorescent display, text reads: CONCEPT24. The on/off switch is on the left edge and the socket for a power adapter is on the top edge.
The back of the calculator has a compartment that holds two batteries. A sticker inside it reads: G.C. 12 (/) PASSED. Text on the back of the cover reads: Electronic Calculator (/) Power Supply 3VDC. 300mW. (/) Use 2x1.5V UM3 Batteries (/) MADE IN HONG KONG.
The calculator has a black plastic sleeve.
The Concept 24 calculator was imported, named, and sold in several versions by the discount department store Zayre.
References:
Frederick Post , March 26, 1976, p. A8. This is a different version of the calculator. It sold for $15.88.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1976
distributor
Zayre Discount Department Store
ID Number
1986.0988.252
catalog number
1986.0988.252
accession number
1986.0988

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