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

Place: United States

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 compu
Description
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 seventeen 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
2007.0032.01
catalog number
2007.0032.01
accession number
2007.0032

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
2007.0032.05.01
catalog number
2007.0032.05.01
accession number
2007.0032

Microcomputer Circuit Board, Altair 680 Kit - Main Board and Parts

This collection of parts of the Altair 680 micrcomputer includes:.02 - the main circuit board.02.1 - resisistors and diodes for main board assembly (Bag 2).02.2 - twelve integrated circuits for main board assembly (Bag 3).02.3 - resisistors and wire for main board assembly (Bag 4
Description
This collection of parts of the Altair 680 micrcomputer includes:
.02 - the main circuit board
.02.1 - resisistors and diodes for main board assembly (Bag 2)
.02.2 - twelve integrated circuits for main board assembly (Bag 3)
.02.3 - resisistors and wire for main board assembly (Bag 4)
.02.4 - crystals and diodes for main board assembly (Bag 5)
.02.5 - transistors, heat sinks. screws, etc. for main board assembly (Bag 6)
.02.6 - capacitors for main board assembly (Bag 7)
.02.7 - capacitors for main board assembly (Bag 8)
.02.8 - pin sockets, screws, rubber feet for main board assembly (Bag 9)
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
1990.0653.02
catalog number
1990.0653.02
accession number
1990.0653

Software, DSMBLR III by Misosys

This software was developed by Roy Soltoff and published by Misosys of Virginia. DSMBLR III (disk disassembler) was most likely for the TRS-80.
Description
This software was developed by Roy Soltoff and published by Misosys of Virginia. DSMBLR III (disk disassembler) was most likely for the TRS-80. The package included a 5.25" floppy disk and registration card.
References:
An interview with Roy Soltoff conducted by Smithsonian curator Dr. Jon Eklund, is in the NMAH Archives Center.
http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
[Last accessed 6/12/2019]
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
ID Number
2012.3098.038
serial number
530507
catalog number
2012.3098.038
nonaccession number
2012.3098

NorthStar Horizon Microcomputer

Northstar developed from a computer store called "The Original Kentucky Fried Computer." It changed its name due to impending litigation by Kentucky Fried Chicken. The company's first product was a Floating Point Math Board for S-100 computers.
Description
Northstar developed from a computer store called "The Original Kentucky Fried Computer." It changed its name due to impending litigation by Kentucky Fried Chicken. The company's first product was a Floating Point Math Board for S-100 computers. They then developed an inexpensive floppy drive system. This led the way to the Horizon, one of the first computers with built in floppy drives.
Announced in November 1977, the Horizon was sold in a wooden cabinet, as opposed to the more usual metal or plastic. The initial price was $1,899 assembled and $1,599 unassembled. The Horizon ran on a Z-80 microprocessor that ran at 4 MHz. It contained 16 KB of RAM, which could be expanded to 64 KB and 1 KB of ROM. The operating system was both CP/M and Northstar DOS. The machine was among the first to offer floppy drives, and customers could order one or two 90 KB 5 ¼" drives. Northstar was also one of the first machines to offer a hard disk drive. This was called an HD-18, and had 18 megabytes on an 18" platter. The Northstar Horizon was suited for business, education, and software development applications.
This particular machine was donated to the Smithsonian by Peter A. McWilliams. He used it in writing The Word Processing Book: A Short Course in Computer Literacy (1982). When it sold well, McWilliams wrote The Personal Computer Book, (1983), which became a runaway bestseller. This was his first computer.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1977
maker
Northstar
ID Number
1989.0354.01
catalog number
1989.0354.01
accession number
1989.0354

Altair 680 Kit

This collection of parts for the unassembled Altair 680 includes:.03 - display board.03.1 - twelve integrated circuits for display board assembly (Bag 1).03.2 - light emitting diodes for display board assembly (Bag 2).03.3 - capacitors for display board assembly (Bag 3).03.4 - di
Description
This collection of parts for the unassembled Altair 680 includes:
.03 - display board
.03.1 - twelve integrated circuits for display board assembly (Bag 1)
.03.2 - light emitting diodes for display board assembly (Bag 2)
.03.3 - capacitors for display board assembly (Bag 3)
.03.4 - diodes for display board assembly (Bag 4)
.03.5 - resistors and diodes for display board assembly (Bag 5)
.03.6 - switches for display board assembly (Bag 6)
.03.7- 100-pin connector, for display board assembly
For an assembled example of the computer, see 1991.0891.03
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
1990.0653.03
catalog number
1990.0653.03
accession number
1990.0653

Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1 Microcomputer

In the early 1970s, most personal computers came as hobbyist kits requiring a high level of technical expertise to assemble.
Description
In the early 1970s, most personal computers came as hobbyist kits requiring a high level of technical expertise to assemble. Don French, a buyer for the consumer electronics chain Tandy Radio Shack (TRS), believed that Radio Shack should offer an assembled personal computer and hired engineer Steve Leininger to design it. In the summer of 1977, Radio Shack introduced the TRS-80 for $599. This offering included a BASIC language interpreter, four kilobytes of RAM, a Zilog Z80 processor at 1.77 megahertz, a twelve-inch video monitor, a cassette recorder, a power supply, and a cassette tape containing the games Blackjack and Backgammon. While some Tandy executives were skeptical about the success of the PC market, the availability of the TRS-80 on five thousand Radio Shack store shelves helped the Model 1 sell over one hundred thousand units during its first year, half of total PCs sales in 1978.
The TRS-80 had its microprocessor inside its keyboard. While you could purchase just the TRS-80 for $400, most opted for the package that included the twelve-inch monitor and cassette recorder for $600. This example of the object includes the TRS-80 Expansion Interface for $299 (the monitor sits on it) that gave the machine an extra thirty-two kilobytes of memory. Also part of the system are two Mini-Disk drives that sold for $499 and a suitcase for carrying all this around.
One also could purchase such accessories as a TRS-80 Telephone Interface II for $199 that allowed for network communication and printer for $399. Examples of these are in the Smithsonian collections, although they were not received with this specific microcomputer.
This TRS-80 was used by donor Kenneth S. Wiedlitz of Los Angeles, along with the remaining materials in the accession.
References:
Radio Shack, A Tandy Company, 1978 Catalog No. 289, page 166, accessed September 1, 2014, http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1978
Radio Shack, A Tandy Company, 1979 Catalog No. 302, pages 79–82, accessed September 1, 2014, http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1979
“BYTE News,” BYTE, May 1979, 117.
Peggy A. Kidwell and Paul E. Ceruzzi, Landmarks in Digital Computing (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994), 96–99.
date made
1977-1981
maker
Tandy Corporation
ID Number
1983.0169.01
catalog number
1983.0169.01
accession number
1983.0169

Altair 680 Kit

This is the transformer for the unassembled Altair 680 microcomputer.Currently not on view
Description
This is the transformer for the unassembled Altair 680 microcomputer.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
1990.0653.06
catalog number
1990.0653.06
accession number
1990.0653

Altair 680 Kit

This is the power cord for the unassembled Altair 680 microcomputer.Currently not on view
Description
This is the power cord for the unassembled Altair 680 microcomputer.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
1990.0653.05
catalog number
1990.0653.05
accession number
1990.0653

Altair 680 Microcomputer Kit - 680 IC Socket

This is the 680 IC socket kit for the unassembled Altair 680 microcomputer.Currently not on view
Description
This is the 680 IC socket kit for the unassembled Altair 680 microcomputer.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
1990.0653.04
catalog number
1990.0653.04
accession number
1990.0653

Texas Instruments SR-10 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This is an example of the first model of a scientific calculator marketed by Texas Instruments. The handheld electronic calculator has a black and ivory-colored plastic case with an array of twenty-three plastic keys.
Description
This is an example of the first model of a scientific calculator marketed by Texas Instruments. The handheld electronic calculator has a black and ivory-colored plastic case with an array of twenty-three plastic keys. Twenty-one of these are square, the 0 and the total keys are rectangular. In addition to ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, and four arithmetic function keys, the calculator has a reciprocal key, a square key, a square root key, a change sign key, an enter exponent key, a clear key, and a clear display key. Text above the keyboard, just below the display and to the left, reads: SR10. Behind the keyboard is a 12-digit LED display. Numbers larger than eight digits are displayed in scientific notation. A mark behind the display reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. An on/off switch is right and slightly above this.
The back edge of the calculator has a jack for a recharger/adapter. A sticker on the back gives extensive instructions. It also gives the serial number SR10 275812.
Unscrewing screws near the top and bottom of the back reveals the workings of the calculator. It has a total of five chips. The largest of these is marked TMS 0120 NC (/) C7333. This is a TMS0120 chip, manufactured in mid-1973. Also in the case is space for three AA nickel-cadmium batteries.
The leather zippered case has both a loop and a hook for attaching the calculator to a belt. It also holds an instruction pamphlet entitled Texas Instruments electronic slide rule calculator SR-10, copyrighted 1973. A warranty registration on the inside of the back page indicates these instructions were originally sold with an SR-10 calculator with serial number 170334, purchased on September 27, 1973.
Texas Instruments described the SR-10 as an “electronic slide rule calculator,” hence the “SR” in the name. The first version of the device, introduced in 1972, did not have the mark SR-10 on the keyboard. The second version (introduced 1973) and the third (introduced 1975) did. This is an example of the first version. According to Ball & Flamm, it initially sold for $149.95.
Compare 1986.0988.351, 1986.0988.354, and 1986.0988.356.
References:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 153.
The online Datamath Museum includes versions of the SR-10 from 1972, 1973, and 1975.
date made
1972
Date made
1973
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.354
catalog number
1986.0988.354
accession number
1986.0988

Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time computer game for Macintosh

A point and click computer game for the Macintosh based on the British television series, "Monty Python and the Flying Circus." The player has the option of trying to solve different puzzles or to play different mini games that are based on the television show.
Description
A point and click computer game for the Macintosh based on the British television series, "Monty Python and the Flying Circus." The player has the option of trying to solve different puzzles or to play different mini games that are based on the television show. It also came with screen savers, desktop wallpaper and icons. The game was designed by 7th Level, Inc. Tom Simkin purchased it from the Microcenter store for $24.99. The game won several awards including one for Best Strategy Program from the Software Publishers Association.
The box has a picture of a giant foot crushing the title. The box contains a cardboard sleve that protects the contents. The contents include a jewel case with a CD and instruction manual, warranty card, business card, product catalog for 7th Level Inc. software, a American Online advertisment, a customer service report card for Microcenter,
System requirements are as follow: Macintosh with 33 Mhz 68LC040 or greater processor, including Power Macintosh. Apple System Software 7.1 or greater, 8 MB or more of RAM with 4 MB or more of application RAM. 256-color monitor. CD-Drive.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1994-1995
ID Number
2014.3098.02
catalog number
2014.3098.02
nonaccession number
2014.3098

Software and Documentation, MSP-01 by Misosys

This software and documentation for the TRS-80 was published by Misosys of Virginia in 1982. MSP-01 (Misosys Support Package 01), developed by Roy Soltoff and Scott A. Loomer, was a collection of four utility programs to enhance the use of LDOS.
Description
This software and documentation for the TRS-80 was published by Misosys of Virginia in 1982. MSP-01 (Misosys Support Package 01), developed by Roy Soltoff and Scott A. Loomer, was a collection of four utility programs to enhance the use of LDOS. (LDOS was an 8-bit operating system for Z80 based computers.) The utilities were DOAUTO, DOCONFIG, MEMDIR, and PARMDIR.
References:
An interview with Roy Soltoff conducted by Smithsonian curator Dr. Jon Eklund, is in the NMAH Archives Center.
http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html
[Last accessed 6/12/2019]
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
ID Number
2012.3098.039
catalog number
2012.3098.039
nonaccession number
2012.3098
serial number
230125

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

Software, Misosys Disassembler 1.2

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
ID Number
2012.3098.079
catalog number
2012.3098.079
nonaccession number
2012.3098

George W. N. Yost Typewriter Patent Model

This typewriter patent model was used by George W.N. Yost in his patent application that received patent number 408,061 on July 30th, 1889.
Description
This typewriter patent model was used by George W.N. Yost in his patent application that received patent number 408,061 on July 30th, 1889. The patent claimed several improvements to typewriter machines including a combination of the carriage and line-spacing apparatus with a lever used for line and letter spacing, the “combination of two extra key levers and connecting rods with the platen transverse reciprocating apparatus of a type-writing machine and a series of key-levers for operating the type-bars located between said extra key-levers.”
Location
Currently not on view
patent date
1889-07-30
inventor
Yost, George W. N.
ID Number
ME.308638
catalog number
308638
patent number
408061
accession number
89797
patent number
408,061

Corona No. 3 Typewriter

This Corona typewriter was manufactured by the Corona Typewriter Company, Inc. of Groton, New York sometime around 1923-1925. The typewriter is a front-striking model with a three row QWERTY keyboard, likely the Corona No.
Description
This Corona typewriter was manufactured by the Corona Typewriter Company, Inc. of Groton, New York sometime around 1923-1925. The typewriter is a front-striking model with a three row QWERTY keyboard, likely the Corona No. 3 although it lacks the “3” numbering on the frame below the spacebar. The Standard Typewriting Company began producing a folding model of typewriter in Groton around 1907.
The success of the Standard Typewriter Company’s Corona model typewriter prompted the company to change its named to the Corona Typewriting Company in 1914. In 1926 the company joined with the L. C. Smith & Brothers Typewriting company to become Smith-Corona. Smith-Corona manufactured typewriters and typewriter accessories throughout the 20th century, becoming Smith Corona Marchant in 1958. After two bankruptcies, Smith-Corona returned to operation in 2010 as a thermal paper manufacturing company.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1923 - 1925
maker
Corona Typewriter Company
ID Number
ME.336759
catalog number
336759
accession number
1978.2479
serial number
590430

Software, Santa Parvia and Flumaccio Computer Game for TRS-80

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
ID Number
2012.3098.093
catalog number
2012.3098.093
nonaccession number
2012.3098

Documentation - HP-67 Owner's Handbook and Programming Guide

This spiral-bound 341-page document gives detailed instructions on operating the HP-67 programmable electronic calculator.Currently not on view
Description
This spiral-bound 341-page document gives detailed instructions on operating the HP-67 programmable electronic calculator.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
1982.0222.04
catalog number
1982.0222.04
accession number
1982.0222

Corona No. 3 Typewriter

This is a Corona Three folding typewriter that was manufactured by Corona Typewriter Company of Groton, New York around 1920. The Corona Three was an extremely popular typewriter, produced from 1912 until 1941. This model has serial number 394384, dating it to 1920.
Description
This is a Corona Three folding typewriter that was manufactured by Corona Typewriter Company of Groton, New York around 1920. The Corona Three was an extremely popular typewriter, produced from 1912 until 1941. This model has serial number 394384, dating it to 1920. This typewriter’s platen and carriage can fold down to rest on the keyboard, allowing it to become compact and portable.
The success of the Standard Typewriter Company’s Corona Three model typewriter prompted the company to change its name to the Corona Typewriting Company in 1914. In 1926 the company joined with the L. C. Smith & Brothers Typewriting company in to become Smith-Corona. Smith-Corona manufactured typewriters and typewriter accessories throughout the 20th century, becoming Smith Corona Marchant in 1958. After two bankruptcies, Smith Corona returned to operation in 2010 as a thermal paper manufacturing company.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920 - 1929
maker
L. C. Smith & Corona Typewriters Inc.
ID Number
ME.326636
catalog number
326636
accession number
261574
serial number
394384

Texas Instruments 9131 Power Adapter

This black plastic power adapter has metal prongs to fit into a wall socket and a plastic-covered plug to fit into a calculator. A mark on the object reads in part: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) POWER (/) SUPPLY (/) ASSY IN U.S.A.
Description
This black plastic power adapter has metal prongs to fit into a wall socket and a plastic-covered plug to fit into a calculator. A mark on the object reads in part: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) POWER (/) SUPPLY (/) ASSY IN U.S.A. (/) ADAPTER (/) MODEL AC 9131 (/) 3776.
This model adapter was used with the Texas Instruments SR-40 calculator (for an example see 1986.0988.049) and the Texas Instruments Programmable 59 calculator (for an example see 1990.0609.01).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.372
catalog number
1986.0988.372
accession number
1986.0988

Hewlett-Packard HP-28C Handheld Electronic Calculator

This advanced scientific calculator, to use the maker's phrase, was the first graphing handheld electronic calculator made by Hewlett-Packard. It also was the first HP calculator using algebraic expressions and the first to allow integration and differentiation.
Description
This advanced scientific calculator, to use the maker's phrase, was the first graphing handheld electronic calculator made by Hewlett-Packard. It also was the first HP calculator using algebraic expressions and the first to allow integration and differentiation. It was introduced in 1987 and sold into early 1988.
The object has a black plastic case hinged along the left edge. Opening it reveals a double keyboard. Thirty-five sloping rectangular keys are on the left side and another thirty-seven on the right. Keys on the left side have letters and symbols; keys on the right include digits, symbols for arithmetic operations, and symbols associated with trigonometry, statistics, plotting, integration, and differentiation.
Above the keyboard on the left is a list of object types (e.g. complex number), symbols used to designate that type (e.g. parenthesis for complex numbers) and examples (e.g. (123.45, 678.90) for the complex number 123.45 + 678.90i). The display on the right side shows four rows of text, indicating what number or command is stored in each of four stacks. The display also can be using to show the graph of functions. A mark above it reads: hp HEWLETT (/) PACKARD 28C.
The battery cover is on the right side. A mark on the back reads: COMPLIES WITH THE LIMITS FOR A CLASS B (/) COMPUTING DEVICE PURSUANT TO SUBPART (/) J OF PART 15OF ICC RULES (/) ATI confrome classe B 2729A04383 (/) MADE IN USA. The serial number indicates the device was made in the 29th week of 1987.
Programming for the calculator – both internally and by users – was in a programming language known as RPL (Reverse Polish Lisp or ROM-based Procedural Language), a variation on the programming language LISP.
For related documentation, see 1999.0291.02. For an example of the closely related calculator that succeeded it, the HP-28S, see 2012.0063.01. The HP28-C sold for $235.
This HP28C was used by Professor Norton Starr, who taught mathematics at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
References:
W.A.C. Mier-Jedrzejowicz, A Guide to HP Handheld Calculators and Computers , Tustin, California: Wilson/Burnett Publishing, 1997, pp. 84–87, 133.
David G. Hicks, The Museum of HP Calculators, http://www.hpmuseum.org/, accessed July, 2014.
Yves Nievergelt, “The Chip with the College Education: the HP-28C,” The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 94, # 9, November 1987, pp. 895–902.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
1999.0291.01
accession number
1999.0291
catalog number
1999.0291.01

Personal Digital Assistant, Apple Cadillac PDA

This portable, pen-operated personal digital assistant has a black plastic case and a clear screen. A space for an electronic pen is above the screen, although the pen presently with the device does not fit into the space.
Description
This portable, pen-operated personal digital assistant has a black plastic case and a clear screen. A space for an electronic pen is above the screen, although the pen presently with the device does not fit into the space. The pen can be plugged in to either the left or the right side of the Cadillac.
Below the screen is an Apple logo. A tag on the left of the screen reads: SEUTØ13. A tag on the back reads: SEUTØ13 (/) IC.
The Cadillac is a manufacturer’s prototype of the Newton personal digital assistant – Apple would sell the Newton from 1993 until 1998. This example of the Cadillac was owned by Rodney Sol Furmanski (1963-2009), a mechanical engineer by training who worked at Claris as a test engineer. He used the object to test the Newton operating system.
Source:
Accession file.
date made
ca1990
maker
Apple Computer, Inc.
ID Number
2010.0023.1
accession number
2010.0023
catalog number
2010.0023.1

Mainframe Computer Component, Vacuum Tube Socket 250:25 P5

This socket has a plastic case and eight protruding metal pins. The other end from the pins is open.The object is associated with Margaret Fox and may come from the SEAC computer.Currently not on view
Description
This socket has a plastic case and eight protruding metal pins. The other end from the pins is open.
The object is associated with Margaret Fox and may come from the SEAC computer.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2013.3034.05
catalog number
2013.3034.05
nonaccession number
2013.3034

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