Sol Terminal Color Photo, and PROMs

[Brad H]

-------- Original message --------
From: Corey Cohen <AppleCorey at optonline.net> 
Date: 2017-01-12  3:25 AM  (GMT-08:00) 
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts" <cctech at classiccmp.org> 
Cc: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> 
Subject: Re: Sol Terminal Color Photo, and PROMs 

The keyboard looks like a variant of the keyboard on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London right now attached to the Apple-1.   It was a giant pain to get it working correctly.  I didn't have good schematics so had to create a ton of notes and pseudo schematics using a ohm meter, scope and logic analyzer.  It was very satisfying to get it working :-)

The V&A keyboard is KTC-065-01466. 

There is a story on the sol-20 prototype proms, if I recall correctly, in the book "Fire in the valley".    

Cheers,
Corey 

corey cohen
uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ

> On Jan 12, 2017, at 12:50 AM, Brad H <vintagecomputer at bettercomputing.net> wrote:
> 
> Hey guys,
> 
> 
> 
> Does anyone know if any color photos exist of the Sol 'Intelligent Terminal'
> that appeared on the cover of Popular Electronics, July 1976?  I just
> discovered that that Keytronics keyboard I bought on ebay (the one parted
> out from a mystery 8080 terminal of some sort) is the same one they used for
> the PE cover unit.  I found the artwork tonight on sol20.org for the
> original PCB.  If I could find a color photo it'd at least be possible to
> build a replica of that unit someday.
> 
> 
> 
> I was curious too if anyone knew the story behind the four optional PROM ICs
> that could be installed on the board.  The article only says 'Optional,
> write in for details'.  Can't find any more info than that anywhere.  I
> understand Processor Technology sort of dodged around PE's reluctance to
> publish any more computer articles, and I'm wondering if the terminal could
> be turned into a full blown computer with the aid of those PROMs.
> 
> 
> 
> To refresh - this is the keyboard I bought.
> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4pq0-BHd2x6eHNhTWVGZkhxRFk/view?usp=sharin
> g
> 
> 
> 
> Definitely seems to be the same one - just different colors and legends on
> the keys themselves.
> 
> 
> 
> Brad
> 

Thanks Corey!
From what I've read around about this terminal.. PE didn't want to do any more articles on computers so Processor Tech sort of stripped down what was to become their Terminal Computer, calling it just a terminal for the article, although apparently the motherboard design changed to what's in the Sol 20.  I'll look for that book.  It's interesting that this first terminal isn't better documented.  Or that PE didn't take one color photo of the first unit.
Was the output on the keyboard you worked on ASCII at least?