Cromemco 68k System 100 on eBay

From: M H Stein <mhstein_at_canada.com>
Date: Thu Feb 27 22:09:47 2003

----------------Original Message----------------
From: "Steve Jones" <classiccmp_at_crash.com>
Subject: Cromemco 68k System 100 on eBay

Looks like most of a 68k-based Cromemco on eBay.
...
I hadn't realized anyone had put a 68020 on the S-100 bus...
----------------------------
Sho 'nuff, but don't feel bad; lots of people
only think of 64K Z80 CP/M systems like the
classic Z-2 when they think of Cromemco, not
the professional UNIX-V systems that gave DEC
et al a run for their money in the later days,
especially after Cromemco merged with Dynatech
in December 1986.

To quote from one of their ads listing their
technical contributions, they:

-Named the S-100 bus

-Developed the first micro that used the Z-80

-Developed the first multi-user micro

-Developed the first UNIX-like OS for a micro

-Developed the first micro using a Winchester HD

-Developed the first micro with 16MB RAM and
 50MB HD for less than $50,000

-Developed the first colour graphics micro

-Developed the first micro addressing >64 KB RAM

-Developed the first UNIX V micro

-Developed the first micro capable of IBM RJE

-Developed the first intelligent I/O interfaces
 with separate microprocessors on the I/O boards

-First adapted mainframe I/O channel processor
 concept to a micro

-Developed the first micro that could auto-boot
 from ROM

-Developed first micro with auto-baud console

-Developed first micro capable of self-programming
 an EPROM

-Developed first micro with error correcting RAM

-Developed first computer capable of sync'ing to
 a TV signal and overlaying computer & TV images

Considering all that, I'm surprised how rarely I
read about them here.

Sorry to say we scrapped a number of CS-100/300/400's
a few years ago before I discovered this site (and
considering the time I've wasted scrolling through
the garbage lately in digest mode there are times
I've regretted that I did find it). Mind you, when
I offered some of the older CS-1/CS-3 and Z-2's here
a while ago, no one wanted to pay the shipping from
Toronto, so it probably wouldn't have made any
difference; fortunately Dan Cohoe, another crazy
Canuck, is going to take them off my hands.

However, I might still be able to lay my hands on
some documentation and software for the 100/300/400
models, so if someone here grabs the one on eBay, I
*might* be able to help (no promises, though).

mike in Toronto
Received on Thu Feb 27 2003 - 22:09:47 GMT