At power off, all of the ram content was definitly lost. Altair 8800 article about altair 8800 by the free dictionary. The mits altair ran an intel 8080 processor at 2mhz the direct ancestor of the processor likely inside your desktop or laptop computer, but several million times less powerful it came standard with 256 bytes of ram not, gigabytes, not megabytes, not kilobytes just 256 bytes. In the altair 680, mits offered an update of the altair 8800 that was based on the motorola 6800 processor. The mits altair 8800 occupies a unique place in computing history as the first commercially succesful microcomputer for personal rather than business use. The yahoo group altair computer club has email discussions about mits computer products and related items. Altair basic was ported to the motorola 6800 for the altair 680 machine, and to other 8080based microcomputers produced by mits competitors. Altair disk extended basic version 3005c made available by scott labombard altair disk extended basic version 5. This web page discusses the mits altair 680, a computer product line first produced by mits in late 1975, with a motorola brand 6800 microprocessor. So, what was the historical role of the mits altair. You can use the find feature to search for text even though they are graphic scans of the vintage manuals. But in 1977, roberts sold the company to pertec, and its fortunes soon declined. Altairmodules customdesignyourcomputersystemtomeetyour applicationandstaywithinyourbudget. This altair 680 replica is functionally and in most ways physically identical to the original altair 680 computer.
The altair 8800 clone accurately duplicates the operation of an altair 8800 equipped as follows. In 1976 the altair 680 was designed to be run with an asr 33 teletype which covered all of the io for the. Micro instrumentation and telemetry systems wikipedia. The altair 680 can easily be upgraded to 32k or more of memory and run mits basic which allows even more powerful programs and compatibility with a vast. The mits altair blinkenlights archaeological institute. The machines were supposed to ship in january 1976, but hardware design problems delayed shipment until may. Altair dos, 88dcdd or 88disk floppy disk drive, cassette interface, comter or altair vlct terminal, 882sio serial and 884pio parallel interfaces, altair basic or extended basic, altair 110 line printer. I stan veit was the first and last computer editor of popular electronics magazine, and i. The november issue pictured above will be of greater interest to ced enthusiasts, as it contains an article on the reducedcost altair 680 followed by an article on. It was microsofts first product as microsoft, distributed by mits under a contract. Altair 680 computer from 1975 popular electronics magazine.
With these minimalist resources it is able to do quite a lot. Theres a small amount of mits 680 material, including the contributions by martin eberhard provided here. Mits altair 680 or 8800 systems, disk drives, documentation, software, including paper tape ohio scientific challenger documentation, software paper tape reader, optical, with rs232 interface. Constructing the pidp8 minicomputer front panel for simh. Mits altair 8800 computer steves computer collection. Software documentation original mits software altair basic 5. Modern 32kbyte ram expansion daughter card for booting basic and running the assemblereditor software. Altair 680 basic altair 680 basic is identical to altair 8800 8k basic, revision 3.
The altair 8800 clone is a full size, fully functional replica of the computer that started a revolution the altair 8800. Later versions supported the 8k altair and the 16k diskettebased altair demonstrating that, even in the 1970s, microsoft was committed to software bloat. The magazine, being a mits publication, tended to focus on company news, product announcements and technical solutions. Mits had dealers all over the country and they could easily sell everything they could make. The order of the manuals below is the order in the altair 680 kit binder. The mits altair is widely accepted to be the computer that first kicked off the personal computer age. Whether used for personal or educational purposes, the altair clone is a great way to relive this important period in computing history and learn core computer science principles at the same time. The system came with a 1024 word 1024 byte memory board populated with 256 bytes.
Created by ed roberts in 1974, it was purchased by the thousands via mail order, proving there was a huge demand for. A one year subscription was provided to those who registered machines with an option to renew at the end of the free period. They were selling the altair 8800 a and b models, plus a small 6800based computer and a full line of peripherals. The altair 8800 computer was a breakeven sale for mits. Its small, easy to assemble, and in its minimal configuration is very useful. The birth of the modern personal computer is often traced to the publication of a cover article on the mits altair 8800 computer in the january 1975 issue of popular electronics. Original altair 680 documentation, software on tape, peripherals and just about anything altair related. Paul allen and bill gates also saw the magazine and began writing software for the altair computer.
Feb 24, 2010 the diminutive altair 680 was one of the first three motorola 6800 computers on the market, along with the swtpc 6800 and sphere. The mits altair 8800 was the first commercially successful personal computer. The altair 8800 is a microcomputer designed in 1974 by mits and based on the intel 8080 cpu. Cpm and dos for the mits altair 8800 cpm under license provided by caldera corporation. Listed below are the sections of the basic reference manual that are applicable to 680 basic. A ltair computers were manufactured in albuquerque by mits, inc. The lowprofile, display shelf friendly altairduino standard with a clear rear panel and wraparound acrylic frame. Mits altair 8800, mits altair 8800a, mits altair 8800bt and other s100 and 8080 based machines. Feb 1975 popular electronics build the mits altair 8800 computer part 2 jan. Altair basic is a discontinued interpreter for the basic programming language that ran on the mits altair 8800 and subsequent s100 bus computers.
Software designed to run on a typical altair 8800 will run on the clone in the same manner and at the same speed as on the original altair. Altair 680 on cover of popular electronics the name microsoft is used for the gatesallen software partnership. All peripherals and software designed for the altair 680 will work with this model. Mits altair 8800 computer maker faire bay area 2012 see. Here are the various parts of the mits altair word processing system except for the desk. Product sheets for the altair line of computer, including the new altair 680, featured in the november 1975 issue of popular electronics. Mar 31, 2015 experience the sights and sounds of loading mits altair 680 basic from papertape. Ram 64k of ram with memory protect in 256 byte blocks. If you can write even the simplest of programs on an altair, then you have a level of insight into how computers really work that puts you in an elite echelon. This web page discusses the mits altair 680, a computer product line first. If youd like an email when these kits are ready, please sign up. The mits altair newsletter, computer notes, declares, altair basic up and running. Mits altair 680 microcomputer kit national museum of. They needed to sell additional memory boards, io boards and other options to make a profit.
It is over 20 years since the debut of the altair 8800 computer in the pages of popular electronics magazine, but everyone connected with it tells a completely different story. Before the mits altair, owning a computer was not something individuals did. If you have a story about the altair or an s100 machine you would like to share, email it to me. They also have a files archive of mits related programs, documents, source code and so forth.
Mits offers a wide range of sophisticated software to support the altair 8800b and 680b systems. Mits altair article about mits altair by the free dictionary. Find great deals on ebay for mits altair and imsai. Download fullsized images and files using the left column links. Experience the sights and sounds of loading mits altair 680 basic from. Paul allen and bill gates demo and then license their basic implementation to mits. The architecture allowed for up to 64k of ram, but anything so large was just crazytalk. S100 prototype board, altair, imsai, sol, fp,01 ebay.
See the altair firmware section near the bottom of this list. The altair 680 appeared about a year after micro instrumentation and telemetry systems mits had introduced the altair 8800, which many historians credit as the beginning of the home computer industry. Computer museum, hobbyist, computers, microcomputers, and. New listing feb 1975 popular electronics build the mits altair 8800 computer part 2 jan. With the teletype one could save to papertape, load programs from. Interest grew quickly after it was featured on the cover of the.
Altair 680 fully repaired and fully functional youtube. The basic reference manual for 8800 8k,basic is included here. The story of the first true personal computer has many versions. Mits altair word processing system vintagecomputer. Experience the sights and sounds of loading mits altair 680 basic from papertape. Computer notes was the official publication of the mits altair computer line. The altair 8800 from micro instrumentation telemetry systems mits of albuquerque, nm, is considered by many to be the first personal computer a computer that is easily affordable and obtainable. Mits had announced a new computer based on the motorola 6800 microprocessor in november 1975, the altair 680.
Its 6800 cpu runs at only 500 khz, so basic programs when. Definitely fun to take control the computer using switches like the old days. At this point in time, there were no computer or electronic stores to buy your own computer. Altair basic was the start of the microsoft basic product range. The diminutive altair 680 was one of the first three motorola 6800 computers on the market, along with the swtpc 6800 and sphere. But it all started with the altair, and bill gates sometimes richest guy on earth got his first big break on the altair. Before 1975, mits was a struggling calculator manufacturer when its founder, ed roberts, decided to develop a lowcost hobbyist computer.
Mits had under 20 employees in january but had grown to 90 by october 1975. Mits is lesswell known for their altair 680, an nons100 based 6800 computer. This mits altair 680 came to me from a fellow i became friends with after the sale. Mits claimed to have delivered 2,500 altair 8800s by the end of may. The only options were to build your own system from plans and designs published or sold in.