5 Dec
2023
5 Dec
'23
11:07 a.m.
Although I knew that Ampex was a supplier of Multibus non-volatile RAM
boards (MC-8080 and MCM-8086) - Memory Products Division - I didn't realize
that they had competed for a while in the DG-compatible market alongside
companies like Digidyne, Fairchild, Bytronix, and SCI Systems (according to
court documents and the trade press).
Can anyone shed light on what they offered and when? And perhaps why?
Thank you,
paul
5 Dec
5 Dec
12:49 p.m.
Around 1979 I was given a full-size Ampex 4k DG-compatible core memory
board to try and interface to a MC6800 development system that I was
building. IIRC I got it basically working but abandoned the project as
the price of DRAMs fell and could populate a 16k RAM board within my
budget. It was for a ham radio repeater controller.
Wow! I had almost forgotten that, and it was difficult to drag it from
the little grey cells!
cheers,
Nigel
On 2023-12-05 06:07, Paul Birkel via cctalk wrote:
Although I knew that Ampex was a supplier of Multibus
non-volatile RAM
boards (MC-8080 and MCM-8086) - Memory Products Division - I didn't realize
that they had competed for a while in the DG-compatible market alongside
companies like Digidyne, Fairchild, Bytronix, and SCI Systems (according to
court documents and the trade press).
Can anyone shed light on what they offered and when? And perhaps why?
Thank you,
paul
--
Nigel Johnson, MSc., MIEEE, MCSE VE3ID/G4AJQ/VA3MCU
Amateur Radio, the origin of the open-source concept!
Skype: TILBURY2591
1:54 p.m.
I can't at the moment, but I bet if one were to review a random assortment
of CompuerWorld newspapers or industry magazine from the 70's (not Byte or
a PC/retail) you'd see a lot of RAM vendor ads, Ampex included. I have at
least one Ampex core RAM board, I always thought they were among market
share leaders of minicomputer RAM in the 70's.
Bill
On Tue, Dec 5, 2023 at 7:49 AM Nigel Johnson Ham via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
Around 1979 I was given a full-size Ampex 4k
DG-compatible core memory
board to try and interface to a MC6800 development system that I was
building. IIRC I got it basically working but abandoned the project as
the price of DRAMs fell and could populate a 16k RAM board within my
budget. It was for a ham radio repeater controller.
Wow! I had almost forgotten that, and it was difficult to drag it from
the little grey cells!
cheers,
Nigel
On 2023-12-05 06:07, Paul Birkel via cctalk wrote:
Although I knew that Ampex was a supplier of
Multibus non-volatile RAM
boards (MC-8080 and MCM-8086) - Memory Products Division - I didn't
realize
that they had competed for a while in the
DG-compatible market alongside
companies like Digidyne, Fairchild, Bytronix, and SCI Systems (according
to
court documents and the trade press).
Can anyone shed light on what they offered and when? And perhaps why?
Thank you,
paul
--
Nigel Johnson, MSc., MIEEE, MCSE VE3ID/G4AJQ/VA3MCU
Amateur Radio, the origin of the open-source concept!
Skype: TILBURY2591
2:28 p.m.
Not surprising given that they had a whole "division" devoted to memory
products. Core memory would have been reasonably close to their magnetic tape-expertise.
What is surprising is that they apparently sold a DG-compatible Nova-class CPU. Something
like the Digidyne "D.D. 112" (name found mentioned in one legal filing in the DG
lawsuit).
I can't find anything specific about any of those vendors and their products. List
appears in "Fairchild Joins Four Others: Firm Starts $30 Million Suit Against
DG", Computerworld, Nov. 6 1978.
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Degnan via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 5, 2023 8:55 AM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Cc: Bill Degnan <billdegnan(a)gmail.com>
Subject: [cctalk] Re: Ampex and the DG Compatible Market
I can't at the moment, but I bet if one were to review a random assortment of
CompuerWorld newspapers or industry magazine from the 70's (not Byte or a PC/retail)
you'd see a lot of RAM vendor ads, Ampex included. I have at least one Ampex core RAM
board, I always thought they were among market share leaders of minicomputer RAM in the
70's.
Bill
On Tue, Dec 5, 2023 at 7:49 AM Nigel Johnson Ham via cctalk < cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
wrote:
Around 1979 I was given a full-size Ampex 4k
DG-compatible core memory
board to try and interface to a MC6800 development system that I was
building. IIRC I got it basically working but abandoned the project as
the price of DRAMs fell and could populate a 16k RAM board within my
budget. It was for a ham radio repeater controller.
Wow! I had almost forgotten that, and it was difficult to drag it
from the little grey cells!
cheers,
Nigel
On 2023-12-05 06:07, Paul Birkel via cctalk wrote:
Although I knew that Ampex was a supplier of
Multibus non-volatile
RAM boards (MC-8080 and MCM-8086) - Memory Products Division - I
didn't realize that they had competed for a while in the
DG-compatible market alongside companies like Digidyne, Fairchild,
Bytronix, and SCI Systems (according to court documents and the
trade press).
Can anyone shed light on what they offered and when? And perhaps why?
Thank you,
paul
--
Nigel Johnson, MSc., MIEEE, MCSE VE3ID/G4AJQ/VA3MCU Amateur Radio, the
origin of the open-source concept!
Skype: TILBURY2591
3:26 p.m.
I hava a technical manual from 1977 for the ARM-3 16kx16 Magnetic Core Memory.
It's designed for the DG NOVA3/4 and 3/10 minicomputers.
In the manual is mentioned a ARM-2 Memory.
Lothar
6 Dec
6 Dec
2:56 a.m.
G'day Paul -
Indeed, Ampex sold Nova-compatible computers from around 1977.
Ampex also sold memory systems for certain Nova series, PDP11, 11/70,
DECsystem 10 and DECsystem 20, IBM, Unicac and Sigma 7 and 9(!). These
in addition to the disk drives, tape drives, controllers, fixed-head
disk emulators (using core) and OEM memory components.
Bruce Ray
Wild Hare Computer Systems, Inc.
Denver, Colorado USA
bkr(a)WildHareComputers.com
...preserving the Data General legacy: www.NovasAreForever.org
On 12/5/2023 4:07 AM, Paul Birkel via cctalk wrote:
Although I knew that Ampex was a supplier of Multibus
non-volatile RAM
boards (MC-8080 and MCM-8086) - Memory Products Division - I didn't realize
that they had competed for a while in the DG-compatible market alongside
companies like Digidyne, Fairchild, Bytronix, and SCI Systems (according to
court documents and the trade press).
Can anyone shed light on what they offered and when? And perhaps why?
Thank you,
paul
352
days inactive
353
days old
5 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
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Bill Degnan -
Bruce Ray -
Lothar Schröder -
Nigel Johnson Ham -
pbirkel＠gmail.com