[torontocbm] Re: Just wondering, has anyone in the group...

  • From: Steve Gray <sjgray@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:37:02 -0700 (PDT)

Walter,

I was rummaging through some boxes today and found the circuit board for this 
Radio Shack computer-thing. The chip on the board is a MOSTEK 3870. Here is a 
pinout:

http://www.cpu-world.com/info/Pinouts/3870.html

Its a single chip implementation of the Fairchild F8. I seem to remember 
RadioShack selling this as a "C.O.M.P.U.M.A.T.E." but I cannot find any 
references on the web. I still have not found the manual, but I'm sure it's 
somewhere in a box.

Steve


>
>From: "Miraglia, Walter" <Walter.Miraglia@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: "torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Sent: Fri, January 22, 2010 1:49:16 AM
>Subject: [torontocbm] Re: Just wondering, has anyone in the group...
>
>
>I had the same thing!!!
>
>Infact I had three of them....
>
>I removed mine from the plastic and made it look more like a home made 
>computer....
>
>Yeh had a big chip in it, I remember the two posts it had to hold up the 
>display.... When I was thirteen living in etobicoke, I had a summer job 
>working at radio shack at yonge and bloor....working under the table.... I got 
>electronic stuff and a couple of these computers we are discussing.... They 
>had broken plastic supports for the display, but other than that they 
>worked....
>
>I had the book, the cards for the displays.... I think I got hooked on it.... 
>Then after that came my elf....
>
>( I just finished soldering the main board parts on, sockets etc....)
>
>Today, I went to this site that had vintage radio shack complete catalogs... I 
>checked 1978 all the way to 1984 and could not find this computer thingy.....
>
>Brings back memories!!!
>
>:)
>
>
>
>
________________________________
From: torontocbm-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <torontocbm-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
>To: torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
>Sent: Thu Jan 21 22:46:04 2010
>Subject: [torontocbm] Re: Just wondering, has anyone in the group... 
>
>
>It was more of a game, but it programmed with hex codes. It had a base unit 
>with the keypad and 2-digit hex display and a small hood-like box held up by 
>two posts with the speaker and 4x4 led matrix. Ontop of the matrix you could 
>mount small cards to help play each game. I remember the keypad being made of 
>very cheap plastic and not working very well. I'm pretty sure there was only 
>one main chip to the entire thing. I think I threw out the main section, but I 
>manage to find the top hood thing and the cards. I think I still have the 
>manual somewhere.
>
>I did a web search and for the life of me can't find a single picture of the 
>thing...
>
>Steve
>
>
>>
>>From: "Miraglia, Walter" <Walter.Miraglia@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>>To: "torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>Sent: Thu, January 21, 2010 4:52:33 PM
>>Subject: [torontocbm] Re: Just wondering, has anyone in the group...
>>
>>
>>Did this trainer  play music and have goofy games on it?
>>And it looked kinda like et? If I recall correctly?
>> 
>>Played yankee doddle or oh suzanna  if I recall or 
>>Was it a serious computer?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>From:torontocbm-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:torontocbm-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
>>On Behalf Of STEVE GRAY
>>Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 4:46 PM
>>To: torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>Subject: [torontocbm] Re: Just wondering, has anyone in the group...
>> 
>>I have heard of the ELF but never used one.
>> 
>>My first "computer" was a Radio Shack "trainer" with hex keypad, two-digit 
>>LED and a 4x4 matrix LED "screen"...
>> 
>>My first REAL computer was an Ohio Scientific (OSI) C4P..... 6502 @ 1MHz, 8K 
>>ram, BASIC in ROM, cassette storage and 16-colour 64x32 character text-only 
>>video... Bought in 1981. It was closely based on the earlier OSI  "SuperBoard 
>>II" single-board-computer. That held me for a while, while I learned 6502 
>>assembly language. We used PET 4032's at school and a Wang system with 
>>card-reader.
>>Steve
>> 
>> 
>>>From:"Miraglia, Walter" <Walter.Miraglia@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>To: "torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <torontocbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>Sent: Thu, January 21, 2010 1:20:19 PM
>>>Subject: [torontocbm] Just wondering, has anyone in the group.....
>>>Ever messed around with COSMAC ELF?
>>>RCA 1802 based micro computer chip.
>>> 
>>>I’m in the process of building an ELF 2000
>>>From www.sparetimegizmos.com    and wondered
>>>If anyone shared my passion for these old so called “Single
>>>Board Computers…”
>>> 
>>>I built an ELF II with pixie chip and 2K of ram when I was in
>>>Grade 10.  In keeping with my interest in Early home computers,
>>>I was wondering what everyone’s first computer was…
>>> 
>>>Mine was the above mentioned Elf that I built from scratch…
>>> 
>>>( Incidentally, I will have with me the circuit board and manual for the
>>>ELF 2000 tonight at the meeting if anyone is interested in seeing it…
>>>I just got it today so it’s totally bare….. )
>>> 

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