Shameless self promotion... was Poly88 on ebay

From: Dwight K. Elvey <dwight.elvey_at_amd.com>
Date: Fri Oct 1 18:31:41 2004

>From: "Joe R." <rigdonj_at_cfl.rr.com>
>
>At 04:14 PM 9/30/04 -0700, you wrote:
>>>From: "Bryan Blackburn" <oldcomp_at_cox.net>
>>---snip---
>>>
>>>I may be whacked in the head, but what did the Poly 88 innovate other
>>>than cuteness? Or maybe that doesn't matter because it is has an s-100 buss?
>>
>>Hi
>> Actually it did provide a turning point in micro processors.
>>It was the first S-100 to have only a power and reset button on the front.
>>It had a monitor ROM built in that provided a display of memory and
>>registers, using the memory mapped video. The ROM also had the
>>tape read code built in. They'd have put the tape write code in
>>it as well but that was all they could squeeze into the 1K EPROM.
>>The tape was capable of both Byte format and a high speed ( I forget
>>if it was 9600 or 4800 ). To write to the tape, one could enter
>>the program through the monitor. Of course, it made sense to save
>>that program as your first tape program.
>
> OK so what's the big deal? Intel had all of these features in their
>MDS-800s (and maybe in their earlier Intellecs, I don't know). The MDS was
>Multibus but that's no big deal.
>
>
>
> The Poly88 had its problems.
>>cooling was a big issue.
>> I have two of these, fully operational :)
>
> I think I have NINE MDSs all functional :-)
>
> Joe
>

Hi Joe
 The monitor on the MDS800 isn't as good as the Poly's, it isn't
S-100 and it has 8 switches on the front, other than power. Although,
only one of these switches it needed to get to the monitor.
The display is not memory mapped so you don't get the same richness
of information in depth or in speed.
 Then, the 800 was designed to solve different problems.
Dwight
Received on Fri Oct 01 2004 - 18:31:41 BST

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