Trying to fine out more information on a Comstar Process Control Compiler

[Christian Liendo]

So I purchased what was told to me was an Eprom Programmer. It's called the Comstar Process Control Compiler. 

With some digging, I am learning that this is a portable compiler that allows you to program larger industrial computers. 

I found an article from 1975 that talks about the unit.


Development of a portable compiler for industrial microcomputer systems 
http://www.computer.org/csdl/proceedings/afips/1975/5083/00/50830033.pdf

>From the article:
"THE PORTABLE PROCESS CONTROL COMPILER  The process control compiler shown in Figure 6 is a small portable unit designed for programming the Comstar 4 Industrial Microcomputer System. The programming can be accomplished with high reliability even in field conditions. The PCL instructions are keyed in via the compiler keyboard, then converted into machine language and loaded into the PROM chip by the compiler. The input functions are displayed directly on a 32 character alpha-numeric plasma display, ensuring the user of a correct input. All keyed-in commands are stored in a buffer which can be verified with a key command. Up to 256 bytes of data or instructions can be entered. Data are compiled and can be dumped into a clean erased PROM chip. As an option, EIA or TTY outputs are available so the program can be printed out for future reference. A compiler can also edit, erase or program PROMS in machine language."



A company by the name of Warner & Swasey was an industrial machine company. They built all sorts of machines for industry. They had a sub division called Comstar which designed industrial computers The larger computers ran their own Process Control Language and so they developed this machine as a portable device to program the larger machines and then burn ROMs which then control the larger computers. The person I bought it from told me that the larger systems ran a chicken processing plant and that they used this system to program and troubleshot the system.


The unit runs on an Intel 4004 and is programmed using Comstar's Process Control Language.  


I'm hoping someone would know more about this and can point me in the right direction..

I already checked Bit Savers

The only other article that seems to talk about this is "Micros can provide more flexibility for less money" Computerworld Sep 25, 1974, Page 28