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My collection of vintage stuff

C

cybertron

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2009
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18
Hi, I'm into collecting old micro trainers and BBC B's, so here's what I've got hold of so far::)

Six BBC B's, one with Fourth language.

6502 second processor

Torch Z80 module

Motorola MEK-6802 evaluation SBC.

Intel SDK-85 8085 SBC.

L.J. Electronics 'EMMA II' 6502 trainer

Flite 68K, 68000 trainer

Multitech Z80 Micro-professor

Heathkit ET-3400 6800 trainer

Lab-Volt 6502 trainer

HP 5036 8085 trainer

RADE Watson Z80 system

8080 training system

Several 8051 bits and bobs
 
A trainer is just a minimal computer system intended to be used for teaching/learning computer concepts, programming, etc. I'll try and post a couple of pix later.

--T
 
Trainer Pix

Trainer Pix

Feast your eyes:

First pic is an EL Instruments MMD-2 -- 8080, programmed in hex or octal, 7-seg LEDs are missing, but readout on LEDs

Second is ELI MMD-1 -- 8080, programmed in octal only, readout on LEDs

Last is an Intel SDK-85 -- 8085, programmed in hex, 7-seg readout

--T
 

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Micom 2000 said:
That's quite impressive. I wasn't aware that there were so many trainers out there. The only one I have is the ET3400 from my digital electronics course days.

Lawrence
Click to expand...

I've always been after the 6809 plugin for the ET-3400. One came up on Ebay the other day, and, surprise surprise, sold for a fortune.:)
 
I completed the course around the end of 1982 and I think the 6809 (or was it the 6810) had not been out too long. Motorola was considered to be the most promising of the microchip manufacturers. I had read a long article in ether Electronics or Byte on Unix. I asked one of my instructors about it and he didn't even recognise the name. How things changed.

I've often thought of selling the ET3400 cause I have so much documentation on it supplied with the course, including the schematics and Lab workbook, but it has so many memories attached that I've always backed out. I've also wanted to work over the experiments again, but in over 25 years have never found the time nor enthusiasm. I also found work as film crew shortly after finishing the course that was 4x more immediately financially rewarding than what I would be paid as a junor bench technician which was all my diploma warranted.

Lawrence
 
When I'm round at my workshop (in my dad's spare bedroom!:mrgreen:) I'll get some photo's of the various bits and pieces and post them on here.
 
Most Trainers were one particular microprocessor manufacturer based assemblies. They had keyboard entry, LED or other display, and memory, as well as a plug-board you'd use to route chips and electronic components or devices thru. You'd enter a low-level machine language program and see the outcome. You'd write and use the machine-language program to tell the processor which I/Os to use. One common training exercise was a digital clock program. These machine-language programs were tediously long and higher-level language programs were used by most programmers which simplified writing involved programs in such languages as Fortran, Cobol, or C for example.

The Motorola 6809 add-on board mentioned used the newer 6809 processor rather than the normal 6800 used by the ET3400.

Lawrence
 
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The 6809 was a seriously advanced 8 bit processor. It stranger that Motorola released the 6809 when the 68000 was coming onstream.

I've got a couple of ready made 6809 boards from old machines my company used to build. I was looking at getting hold of the 6809 plugin for the ET3400 so I could get some experience with the 6809 and re-use the old boards for a controller.
 
Perhaps the 68000 was a bit too expensive in the beginning, so Motorola needed to have a cheaper, yet competitive alternative to those 6502, Z80 and I suppose 8088 CPUs.
 
Microprocessor trainers

Microprocessor trainers

Here are some pictures of the microprocessor trainers I have in my collection:

First we have a Science Fair microcomputer trainer featuring 4 bit CPU. It was designed in a similar manner to the electronic labs such as the 200-in-1 marketed by Tandy/Radio Shack, with spring terminal connections.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/8185/sciencefair1nc7.jpg

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/9447/sciencefair2fq1.jpg
It has very basic programs which are embedded in the CPU.

This is an 8049 based computer trainer for Open University based courses.
It has various embedded demo programs such as a traffic light controller.
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7906/8049trainerdl7.jpg

The famous Heathkit ET-3400 trainer based on the 6800 CPU. I've yet to get my mits on a 6809 plugin module.
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2668/heathkitdp4.jpg

The Motorola MEK6802DS evaluation board.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/1135/mek6802gl0.jpg

The Multitech 'Micro-Professor' is a Z80 based training system. Here's a couple of standard Z80 Micro-Professors, showing the book style case and circuit board.
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/3449/mpf2dr3.jpg

This Micro-Professor is a special unit running a monitor called OLS-L3, featuring loads of routines for the applications board next to it.
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4313/mpf1wh3.jpg

The Flite Electronics 'FLIGHT 68K'. This uses a terminal based monitor and features a built in assembler/disassembler.
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/3865/flite1dt2.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2411/kaycomp2qk4.jpg

L & J Electronics EMMA II 6502 based trainer. This unit came with a whole host of add-ons which I will show if requested.
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/3474/emma21cq8.jpg

Lab-Volt 6502 based training system.
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/5050/labvoltnt4.jpg

Intel SDK-85 evaluation board.
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8924/mcs851sr9.jpg

Integrated Computers Systems Inc. 8080 based training system.
http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/3496/80801mp3.jpg

]http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9513/80802uj3.jpg

The KAYCOMP2 is a 68000 based training system which is connected via a terminal for programming/ monitoring.
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/4671/kaycomp1wy3.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8331/flite2fz1.jpg

The Hewlitt Packard HP5036 is a very snazzy briefcase based trainer, based on the 8085 CPU.
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7971/hp1wh9.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/5152/hp2ei1.jpg

Last of all is an 8085 based fault finding trainer by Trackdown Technology.
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/395/track1is7.jpg

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/803/track2er4.jpg
 
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Micom 2000 said:
Nice Pics T ! Do you have these trainers in your posession or acquire the pics at a vintage show. Nice presentation. Considering the mess I have in 3 rooms it doesn't look like a collectors "digs" somehow.

Lawrence
Click to expand...

Nah, they're mine, mine, mine all mine! As for 'presentation', what can I say, the planets must have been in some proper alignment, cause it all worked out...empty shelf space, computers near the top of the heaps, camera at my fingertips (with fresh batteries!). I even managed to locate the USB cable. Opportunity like that doesn't come along very often round here. It's usually (almost) controlled chaos...

--T
 
Re RADE WATSON

Re RADE WATSON

cybertron said:
Ebay has a habit of ruining my bank account.;)
Click to expand...

Hi
Impressive collection I have knowhere as many as you.
BUT I do have a RADE Watson.
What I don't have are any discs to get it running, I have got it to the point of requesting to load disk.
Any help would be much appreciated.
Brian. UK
 
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