Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)

2017-01-11 Thread William Maddox 




I haven't heard of that in quite while.  Though I never owned one personally, 
agood friend bought one (and waited and waited...)  Finally received the 
wirewrapversion but it never lived up to it's promise.  I google for it and 
search eBayfrom time to time hoping to see one, but the number shipped was 
probablyso low as to make it too obscure to ever show up.
Hope yours is running.
-Gary

Unfortunately, I don't own one.  I just remember the ads in Byte or Interface 
Age in 1977 or so, and then hearing a bit about the company later on.  As I 
recall, the price was $999 or somesuch.  They couldn't possibly make them for 
that using wirewrap.  I drooled over the ads for 6 months or so before I 
realized it was vaporware and bought an IMSAI.
--Bill

Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)

2017-01-11 Thread Noel Chiappa 
> From: William Maddox

> ECD Micromind

That would be the one. Thanks! (A friend of mine worked there, as a tech,
but it was aeons ago, and I just could not remember the name!)

According to this blog:

  http://ecdmicromind.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html

there is actually one still in existence, and it (sorta) works!

Noel

Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)

2017-01-11 Thread Gary Oliver 

On 01/11/2017 01:14 PM, William Maddox wrote:

Does this ring any bells for anyone?


I haven't heard of that in quite while.  Though I never owned one 
personally, a
good friend bought one (and waited and waited...)  Finally received the 
wirewrap
version but it never lived up to it's promise.  I google for it and 
search eBay

from time to time hoping to see one, but the number shipped was probably
so low as to make it too obscure to ever show up.

Hope yours is running.

-Gary

Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)

2017-01-11 Thread dwight 
Video Brain was from Fairchild.

Dwight



From: cctalk  on behalf of William Maddox 

Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 1:14:27 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most 
unusual computer-related item do you own?)




> Does this ring any bells for anyone?

ECD Micromind
--Bill

Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)

2017-01-11 Thread William Maddox 



> Does this ring any bells for anyone?

ECD Micromind
--Bill

Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)

2017-01-11 Thread Noel Chiappa 
> From: Brad H

> 4) Videobrain Family Computer

So this tickled a question I'd been meaning to ask. Circa 1975, there was an
MIT spinoff which designed and built a 'personal computer' (that's
effectively what it was, although it wasn't called that). The company had
gotten their start building digital (IIRC) capacitance meters (back when
capacitance meters were not common).

So they then decided that their next product would be a small computer. I
don't recall the exact name, but it was something like 'Micro-Brain'
(something with 'Brain' in it, IIRC). The computer was not a success
(technically), and IIRC, it sank the company.

Does this ring any bells for anyone?

Noel