23 Mar
2008
23 Mar
'08
9:15 a.m.
I've started restoring a National Radio Institute (remember the 60's
pop-sci ads?) model 832 computer.The system was functional when I
received it about 15 years ago, but it's showing it's age now.This
system is very fragile, All the signal connection use 22-24? gauge
kynar, tack soldered to the edges of machine screw sockets, the sockets
being used to test and experiment with the dozen+ circuit boards
constructed during the training program.
I've looked on the net and can find close to nothing on this machine.
Does anyone have schematics?or do I need to tear this thing down and
draw up a decent print?
Thanks.
Jim.
23 Mar
23 Mar
4:34 p.m.
--- davis <davis at saw.net> wrote:
I've looked on the net and can find close to
nothing on this machine.
Does anyone have schematics?or do I need to tear this thing down and
draw up a decent print?
I have a set of schematics for this machine. I will scan them and
send you a copy. What I do not have is a user's manual, or any
documentation on programming the machine.
--Bill
10:14 p.m.
William Maddox wrote:
--- davis <davis at saw.net> wrote:
Thanks Bill,
I do not have any documentation. The original owner recently passed
away. I failed to contact him about the coursework and documentation he
undoubtedly did have and is now most likely in a landfill
Jim..
I've looked on the net and can find close to
nothing on this machine.
Does anyone have schematics?or do I need to tear this thing down and
draw up a decent print?
I have a set of schematics for this machine. I will scan them and
send you a copy. What I do not have is a user's manual, or any
documentation on programming the machine.
--Bill
9:26 p.m.
On Sun, 23 Mar 2008, davis wrote:
I've started restoring a National Radio Institute
(remember the 60's pop-sci
ads?) model 832 computer.The system was functional when I received it about
If that's the machine I'm thinking of, a math teacher I had in 10th grade
had built one and written a version of Othello for it. We used it to play
against a Commodore 64, running Othello as well. It was pretty neat.
Do you have any photos of the computer?
tnx!
g.
--
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
25 Mar
25 Mar
8:40 a.m.
Gene Buckle wrote:
On Sun, 23 Mar 2008, davis wrote:
Hi Gene,
What sort of pictures do you want? I'm taking hi-res photos of everything.
The pictures cover the top external and internal and package, but the
underside of the boards are hidden at present.
The boards are silk screened with the signals on top, but the wiring is
a "rats-nest", literally.
Othello? I thought it might have enough memory to play NIM, but I'm
surprised anything like othello was possible.
This machine is packaged in a 22"X14"X8" sloping console cabinet. Blue
enameled steel on the base and brushed aluminum with red silkscreen
surrounding the incandescent lamps and tons of switches on the top
It has storage(switches) for 16X8 bit instructions, An acc and 16 or
32?X8 bit memory registers.
Jim.
I've started restoring a National Radio
Institute (remember the 60's
pop-sci ads?) model 832 computer.The system was functional when I
received it about
If that's the machine I'm thinking of, a math teacher I had in 10th
grade had built one and written a version of Othello for it. We used
it to play against a Commodore 64, running Othello as well. It was
pretty neat.
Do you have any photos of the computer?
tnx!
g.
9:33 a.m.
Hi Gene,
What sort of pictures do you want? I'm taking hi-res photos of everything.
The pictures cover the top external and internal and package, but the
underside of the boards are hidden at present.
The boards are silk screened with the signals on top, but the wiring is a
"rats-nest", literally.
The description given tells me it's clearly not the machine I played with.
Thanks for offering though!
Othello? I thought it might have enough memory to play
NIM, but I'm surprised
anything like othello was possible.
This machine is packaged in a 22"X14"X8" sloping console cabinet. Blue
enameled steel on the base and brushed aluminum with red silkscreen
surrounding the incandescent lamps and tons of switches on the top
It has storage(switches) for 16X8 bit instructions, An acc and 16 or 32?X8
bit memory registers.
The NRI machine I'm thinking of had a keyboard mounted in a sloping metal
cabinet and used a TV set as a display. It was fun making it battle the
'64 in Othello. I just can't recall which one did better. :)
g.
--
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
11:35 a.m.
Gene Buckle wrote:
This one is a simple computer trainer. Much more than a walnut sided
DEC logic trainer, a lot less then ANY micro SBC . The implementation is
about 50-60+? SSI/MSI TTL parts spread across eight circuit boards that
each implement a functional unit, such as: instruction decoder, ALU,
memory, timing , display, switch memory...???
I didn't know NRI built anything other than ham radio trainer kits until
I was given this toy in 91.
cheers,
Jim.
Hi Gene,
What sort of pictures do you want? I'm taking hi-res photos of
everything. The pictures cover the top external and internal and
package, but the underside of the boards are hidden at present.
The boards are silk screened with the signals on top, but the wiring
is a "rats-nest", literally.
The description given tells me it's clearly not the machine I played
with. Thanks for offering though!
Othello? I thought it might have enough memory to
play NIM, but I'm
surprised anything like othello was possible.
This machine is packaged in a 22"X14"X8" sloping console cabinet.
Blue enameled steel on the base and brushed aluminum with red
silkscreen surrounding the incandescent lamps and tons of switches on
the top
It has storage(switches) for 16X8 bit instructions, An acc and 16 or
32?X8 bit memory registers.
The NRI machine I'm thinking of had a keyboard mounted in a sloping
metal cabinet and used a TV set as a display. It was fun making it
battle the '64 in Othello. I just can't recall which one did better. :)
g.
1:36 p.m.
On Tuesday 25 March 2008 11:35, davis wrote:
This one is a simple computer trainer. Much more than
a walnut sided
DEC logic trainer, a lot less then ANY micro SBC . The implementation is
about 50-60+? SSI/MSI TTL parts spread across eight circuit boards that
each implement a functional unit, such as: instruction decoder, ALU,
memory, timing , display, switch memory...???
I didn't know NRI built anything other than ham radio trainer kits until
I was given this toy in 91.
I had no idea that they'd done anything with computers at all, though I do
remember the ads well. What time frame would they have been doing that in?
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
4:19 p.m.
davis wrote:
I well remember it from magazine ads from the early 70s when I was a kid. Never
actually saw one, I suspect what you have is pretty rare today. ..Deserves a
web page when you have all the info & c. collected about it.
"Roy J. Tellason" wrote:
> This
machine is packaged in a 22"X14"X8" sloping console cabinet.
> Blue enameled steel on the base and brushed aluminum with red
> silkscreen surrounding the incandescent lamps and tons of switches on
> the top
>
> It has storage(switches) for 16X8 bit instructions, An acc and 16 or
> 32?X8 bit memory registers.
This one is a simple computer trainer. Much more
than a walnut sided
DEC logic trainer, a lot less then ANY micro SBC . The implementation is
about 50-60+? SSI/MSI TTL parts spread across eight circuit boards that
each implement a functional unit, such as: instruction decoder, ALU,
memory, timing , display, switch memory...???
I didn't know NRI built anything other than ham radio trainer kits until
I was given this toy in 91. I had no idea that they'd done anything with
computers at all, though I do
remember the ads well. What time frame would they have been doing that in?
..pulled out a random Pop Electronics (Feb 72) and there's one right inside the
front cover, again on page 11 of Radio Electronics Jul 74 (Mark 8 issue), and
a slightly changed model on page 8 of Pop Electronics Jan 75 (Altair issue),
so there were at least two versions of it.
From the pictures it looks likes it was enough to teach
the basics of logic,
processor organisation (ALU,PC,IR,MEMORY), and the
fetch-increment-execute cycle.
I don't think it could have survived for long after microprocs and SBC trainers
were introduced.
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