Xerox 16/8

From: Les Berry <lfb107_at_psu.edu>
Date: Fri Oct 2 12:34:26 1998

At 10:11 PM 10/1/98 EDT, Innfogra_at_aol.com wrote:

>The Xerox 16/8 is a desktop CPM Computer of the mid 1980s vintage. It has both
>8 and 16 bit processors in the cabinet. I believe the original computer was
>based on the UK Big Board design. The 16 bit processor is on a propriatory add
>on card. It runs CPM-80 & CPM-86. If I remember right it will run an early
>version of MS-DOS.

Yep, mine came with MS-DOS 2.1

>It has been years since I have run mine. My 2nd computer was a Xerox 820, an
>earlier model. I was delighted when I got a 16/8.
>
> It uses external drives which you may not have gotten. The disks availiable
>were dual 8" floppys, dual 5" floppys or a 8" Floppy and 8" HD. You could use
>only one set at a time. Brian of Emerald Microware (business no longer in
>existance) in Beaverton, Oregon made a data sharer that would alow you to hook
>up both 5 & 8" drives at the same time. He supported this family of computers
>for many years. It was a nice machine.

OK, I'm cinfused. Answering an ad for a "Xerox 16/8 Computer," I found out
that the computer was actually an 820 II that was in possession of a Xerox
employee
prior to the seller. He (the seller) told me that the 820 was upgraded to
be "just like"
a 16/8, and judging by the haphazard looking innards (things jammmed into
slots, tape
holding things together, etc.), I think I believe him. I also got 3 or 4
binders for a 16/8
computer but all the pictures inside show a standard looking PC style
desktop case.
Which is the "real thang?"

>There are two styles of keyboards, the original which is bulky and a low
>profile which uses a different ROM. The basic computer consists of three
>pieces, the Monitor/CPU, a keyboard and a drive cabinet.
>
>I have docs, drives, cpus and parts if you want to communicate with me
>directly.

Another note. The seller said that there were a number of different drive
interfaces available for this model and that if you plugged the wrong one
in it wouldn't be pretty. (I think it depended on which of the above combos
you got: fd/hd, fd/fd, etc.) Mine is a SASI interface, i think (8"FD/8"HD)

Les
Received on Fri Oct 02 1998 - 12:34:26 BST