Shameless self promotion... was Poly88 on ebay - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

1 Oct 2004

...
 From: "Joe R." &lt;rigdonj(a)cfl.rr.com&gt;

At 04:14 PM 9/30/04 -0700, you wrote:
  From:
"Bryan Blackburn" &lt;oldcomp(a)cox.net&gt; ---snip---

I may be whacked in the head, but what did the Poly 88 innovate other 
than cuteness? Or maybe that doesn't matter because it is has an s-100 buss? 
Hi
 Actually it did provide a turning point in micro processors.
It was the first S-100 to have only a power and reset button on the front.
It had a monitor ROM built in that provided a display of memory and
registers, using the memory mapped video. The ROM also had the
tape read code built in. They'd have put the tape write code in
it as well but that was all they could squeeze into the 1K EPROM.
The tape was capable of both Byte format and a high speed ( I forget
if it was 9600 or 4800 ). To write to the tape, one could enter
the program through the monitor. Of course, it made sense to save
that program as your first tape program. 
   OK so what's the big deal? Intel had all of these features in their
MDS-800s (and maybe in their earlier Intellecs, I don't know). The MDS was
Multibus but that's no big deal.

 The Poly88 had its problems.
 cooling was a big issue.
 I have two of these, fully operational :) 
    I think I have NINE MDSs all functional :-)

    Joe

Hi Joe
 The monitor on the MDS800 isn't as good as the Poly's, it isn't
S-100 and it has 8 switches on the front, other than power. Although,
only one of these switches it needed to get to the monitor.
The display is not memory mapped so you don't get the same richness
of information in depth or in speed.
 Then, the 800 was designed to solve different problems.
Dwight