I met with my latest VCF2 speaker, Ray Holt, today, and boy does he have some stories to tell. The guy is amazing. His first commercial work was with AMI, which made microprocessors and custom logic back in the early 70's. Ray was responsible for the AMI 7200 and 7300 processors. AMI decided to drop their microprocessor line in the 1973 timeframe saying, according to Ray, that "there was no future in general purpose microprocessors, and everyone was moving towards custom controllers." :) Ray joined a consulting firm called Compata, Inc., and for a while he was working for Intel as a subcontractor with his soon-to-be business partner, Manuel Lemas, training engineers in different high-tech companies how to use the Intellec-4 (based on the Intel 4004). I only just learned that there was indeed an Intellec-4 from some material Ray gave me. Neat. He then went on to start his own company with Manny Lemas called Microcomputer Associates Inc. There he created the JOLT computer and later the Super JOLT. The JOLT was 6502 based and had a current loop and RS-232 interface. It also featured a ROM called the "DEMON" (DEbugger/MONitor). Tens of thousands were produced, and the JOLT is still in production today(!) used in embedded controller applications. Ray brought along the original JOLT prototype to show me. Two amazing things about this computer. It was made in the early-mid 1975 timeframe (very soon after the Altair hit the streets) and included a complete computer (CPU, RAM, ROM, current-loop/serial interface) on a PCB about 4"x8"! This is amazing for that timeframe. It could be expanded up to 64K with add-on RAM boards that piggy-backed to the main computer, and he also made Peripheral Interface Adapter (PIA) cards for it, as well as a cassette controller card that could control up to three data recorders on one board! The system he showed me had the interface board and two extra 4K RAM boards stacked with the main computer board. He also had a good story to tell. One day some guy named Steve Wozniak came by and bought a JOLT from him. A few months later he heard about the Apple 1, and then the Apple ][. Interesting, no? Ray later designed a computer called the VIM-1 (Versatile Interface Module). The VIM-1 was Ray's answer to the Mostek KIM-1. His company was then acquired by Synertek, and the VIM-1 was changed to the SYM-1. Ray brought along the 25,000th SYM-1 which was given to him as a token of achievement by Synertek. All the traces were etched with gold. Ray said there were about 50,000 SYM-1's produced (there was also a SYM-2) before Synertek folded. The story behind that is Synertek was bought by Honeywell, and Honeywell, through poor management, ran the Synertek division into the ground. Ray said there is still a guy running a company in San Jose with a name that has "SYM" in it (SYMCOM?) who still produces or maintains SYM-1 boards for the many, many clients who still have them in use. 50,000 units is a huge number, and this just makes me laugh harder when I hear about "collectors" paying $405 for a SYM-1 on eBay. PS. I ended up with an original copy of the SYM-1 schematics. Ray then told me his remarkable version of the origins of the TRS-80 Model 1. Ray's company was approached by Radio Shack to build a computer for them that they wanted to market. Ray put together a working prototype in about a week from scratch that included Micro-Soft BASIC, 4K RAM, an integrated monitor, and an integrated keyboard. He and Manny then flew to Texas to demonstrate the unit. The RS folks were thrilled, and asked if they could hold onto the unit for a few days to look it over. Without signing anything, Ray and Manny agreed and went back home. A few days passed and they hadn't heard anything from RS, so they called them up but were told to chill. More time had passed with no response from RS and they started getting anxious. Finally, after a month of calling to find out when they would get their computer back, a box arrived one day in the mail. In it was the remains of their prototype, hacked to pieces. It was obvious that it had been reverse engineered. A short while later, Ray found out that the computer RS decided to release as their TRS-80 Model 1 was based on the design Ray had come up with! They went to a lawyer but were told that there was nothing that could be done since they didn't even have a receipt for their plane ride to Texas signed-off by Radio Shack (they paid for the plane tickets themselves). Ray said he later learned that the project manager who Ray and Manny had dealt with took credit for the TRS-80 design! The guy took Ray's design and passed it on to corporate as his own! Comments from you RS-heads? Allison? Ward? Ray's had a very fruitful career, and is responsible for at least 3 of the true classics we collectors seek out. But of what I've told you here, it pales in comparison to the work Ray Holt did prior to his days at AMI. Of course this is a teaser. We're saving that for VCF2. So if you want to hear it first, make plans to come to VCF2. Otherwise, read about it in the papers. :) Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ever onward. September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2 See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details! [Last web page update: 05/11/98]