|
NAME |
ALTAIR 8800 |
|
MANUFACTURER |
MITS |
|
TYPE |
Professional Computer |
|
ORIGIN |
U.S.A. |
|
YEAR |
1975 |
|
KEYBOARD |
No keyboard, but switches on front panel. |
|
CPU |
Intel 8080A (rarely 8080) |
|
SPEED |
2 MHz (each instruction takes 4 clock cycles) |
|
RAM |
256 bytes (you had to buy this memory board) |
|
ROM |
None |
|
TEXT MODES |
None (optional 64 x 12 card) |
|
GRAPHIC MODES |
None |
|
SIZE / WEIGHT |
Unknown |
|
I/O PORTS |
Unknown |
|
POWER SUPPLY |
Unknown |
|
PRICE |
$595 |
|
MITS Altair 8800
|
|
Altair 8800
This computer was one of the first "home" computers ever made, it was sold as a kit, but for additional money, you could buy one fully assembled. It has no keyboard, the "program" has to be entered with the switches located on the front panel of the "computer", and as it does not have video output (yet), the result is displayed via LEDs. |
|
The ALTAIR 8800 had one input port (I/O
address 254), which was the left hand 8 address
switches, and one output port (I/O address 255), which has eight of the LEDS (while the CPU was in run mode). The input port was called the "Sense Switches". MITS made several peripherals and cards for this computer, namely, a video card, a serial card to connect a terminal, a RAM expansion card and an 8" floppy drive (70 KB). Several models were launched, and all had the same characteristics except the CPU (8080 and later 8080A). Another computer, which had almost the same characteristics, was launched by IMSAI and was called IMSAI 8080 (see both in the emulator). Believe it or not, the name "Altair" comes from Star Trek! The young daughter of the 'Popular Electronics' magazine editor gave it the name of the destination planet of the Enterprise from the episode she was watching. |