Microcomputers As A Space Spinoff 3840

box one

I liked the looks, and specs, for the OSI's but I never worked with one at all.

I lusted after those Digital Group systems. I never got close to one, and I never heard if they were reliable or not, but they sure looked "cool" as all get out back then. In fact, they still look pretty nice.

I've worked on an Altair and an Imsai. These machines were much smaller. In fact, I seem to recall them being about the size of the SWTPC 6800 box. They had actual plug-and-socket backplanes, as opposed to the S-100 fingers and socket approach, and the card cage was built to actually latch them down. At the time I ran across them, they were being evaluated to potentially replace DG Nova's in manufacturing control applications. Drill presses, production lines, lathes, and that sort of thing. They were I-O rich (lots of connections, lots of voltage levels, relay cards, and so forth). But the company I was working with never the less had one in the office they were using for payroll. THAT one had a couple of (I think) 8" floppy drives, but all the others used tape drives.

Maybe this one one of those "spring up today, gone tomorrow" outfits which seemed to come and go so frequently around that time?

This was all in eastern Mbuttachusettes, if that'll help anyone remember.

- Bill