ROM on Altair front panel board

From: Erik Klein <classiccmp_at_vintage-computer.com>
Date: Mon Jul 28 14:22:00 2003

> I was just looking at the schematics for the display/control
board
> for the Altair 8800 and saw that there is a 1702 EPROM on the board.
The
> lowest 4-bits of the EPROM's address bus are connected to a 7493
binary
> counter and the highest 4-bits are connected directly to the address
bus.
>
> What's the purpose of the EPROM? Did the front panel have some
> intelligence?

I'm pretty sure that you're looking at an Altair 8800B front panel
schematic. I believe those were software controlled front panels. The
8800 and 8800a had no EPROMs on the front panel - just TTL and the
switches, LEDs, etc.

   Erik Klein
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Received on Mon Jul 28 2003 - 14:22:00 BST