Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual computer-related item do you own?)
11 Jan
2017
11 Jan
'17
5:58 a.m.
From: Brad H
4) Videobrain Family Computer
So this tickled a question I'd been meaning to ask. Circa 1975, there was an
MIT spinoff which designed and built a 'personal computer' (that's
effectively what it was, although it wasn't called that). The company had
gotten their start building digital (IIRC) capacitance meters (back when
capacitance meters were not common).
So they then decided that their next product would be a small computer. I
don't recall the exact name, but it was something like 'Micro-Brain'
(something with 'Brain' in it, IIRC). The computer was not a success
(technically), and IIRC, it sank the company.
Does this ring any bells for anyone?
Noel
1:51 p.m.
Video Brain was from Fairchild.
Dwight
________________________________
From: cctalk <cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org> on behalf of William Maddox
<wmaddox at pacbell.net>
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 1:14:27 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: Obscure MIT-spinoff computer (Was: What's the rarest or most unusual
computer-related item do you own?)
Does this ring any bells for anyone?
ECD Micromind
--Bill
2:13 p.m.
On 01/11/2017 01:14 PM, William Maddox wrote:
I haven't heard of that in quite while. Though I
never owned one
personally, a
good friend bought one (and waited and waited...) Finally received the
wirewrap
version but it never lived up to it's promise. I google for it and
search eBay
Does this ring
any bells for anyone?
from time to time hoping to see one, but the number
shipped was probably
so low as to make it too obscure to ever show up.
Hope yours is running.
-Gary
3:32 p.m.
I haven't heard of that in quite while.? Though I never owned one personally, agood
friend bought one (and waited and waited...)? Finally received the wirewrapversion but it
never lived up to it's promise.? I google for it and search eBayfrom time to time
hoping to see one, but the number shipped was probablyso low as to make it too obscure to
ever show up.
Hope yours is running.
-Gary
Unfortunately, I don't own one. ?I just remember the ads in Byte or Interface Age in
1977 or so, and then hearing a bit about the company later on. ?As I recall, the price was
$999 or somesuch. ?They couldn't possibly make them for that using wirewrap. ?I
drooled over the ads for 6 months or so before I realized it was vaporware and bought an
IMSAI.
--Bill
2902
days inactive
2902
days old
4 comments
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participants (4)
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dkelvey＠hotmail.com -
go＠ao-cs.com -
jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu -
wmaddox＠pacbell.net