3 Oct
2008
3 Oct
'08
1:02 a.m.
I recently got a Tektronix 4170 and terminal from
ebay. The terminal is
a 4108, which I can't find in the 1985 catalog that introduces the 4170.
The next catalog I have is 1989 and that lists no 41xx products.
Actually my 1984 catalog lists the 4170 Processor. This is the local
graphics processor for the terminal. It also runs versions of CPM-86
besides Tek Graphics SW.
I think I still have some 4170 processor boards in my container.
Are you sure of the number of the terminal. The first series of
compatable terminals were the 4105, 4107, 4107(all 13") and the 4109
(19"). This is from the 1984 & 1985 catalogs. I don't seem to have a
1986.
These are all Raster Graphics Terminals optimized for Tek's graphics.
VT100, 4010, 4100 & 4110 compatability and need to plug into some sort
of processor.
In the 1987 catalog they were replaced by the 4205, 4206, 4208 and
4211. These changed the case & keyboard style and added a mouse.
You can add extra ram and change the eproms for upgrade. I have
manuals somewhere in the container.
The enclosure for the terminal is very similar to a
4105, except that
the finish is black and not that green-gray that is on most Tektronix
gear of the period. The 4105 has a small cover on the back where you
can add ROM to the terminal to enhance its functions. In this 4108,
there is a cover in a similar area of the case, but it covers a set of
4 expansion slots. In my terminal, two of the slots are occupied.
One looks to be memory and the other looks to be control.
Memory is one of the slots, you can puit mopre than one in. Also there
was a CX card, which was an IBM COAX interface card.
Had the tektronix terminal "mainframe"
evolved by this time to be a
substrate into which processing and memory cards were inserted to
round out the system? I haven't opened the monitor case to look at it
in detail.
Not really, all of these terminals used an external processing unit.
The 41XX graphics terminals were full fledged graphics workstations of
the time, with up to 8 plane graphics running on a 16 slot ? Multibus
1 bus. The last one I saw was upgraded to a 386 / 387.
I like the 4170 because it makes a nice 8086 CPM-86 workstation.
Did you get one with the 8 Meg hard drive option? Or just the Dual Floppy?
Paxton Hoag
Astoria, OR
USA