Herb's S-100 Stuff
I let the manuals do the talking!

This Web page last updated May 01 2008. To email me or to order, see see my ordering Web page for my email addresses.

Introduction

S-100 systems are are computers, designed between about 1975 and the mid-1980's, with a specific kind of 100-pin computer "bus". For many years I've provided assistance, hardware, and documentation for S-100 computer systems, and for the 8-inch floppy disk drives often associated with them.I wrote a series of articles about these computers for The Computer Journal in the 1990's as "Dr." S-100. Most of these systems ran CP/M, so I have information and manuals for that operating system, and about Digital Research Inc and Gary Kildall from that period.

I update my Web pages often, and I'm always looking for more documents! Check what I have and see if you have some docs I do not, and contact me accordingly. I appreciate inquiries, and I'm glad to offer some bit of discussion and directions to the manuals and docs and resources I have which correspond to the hardware you ask about. But my general response to a lot of questions is that "I let the manuals (or my site) do the talking". If you have some information, upgrades, or experiences to offer, I'll gladly consider adding them to my site and to my archives. Thanks for your interest! To email me and to order, see see my ordering Web page.

Here's what I offer on this page from the S-100 world:

This page has a list of S-100 manufacturers, linked to specific manufacturers pages on which I list docs, manuals, cards and histories.
Further S-100 information is linked in the section below.
Floppy diskette drives & media, and S-100 controllers and media are linked in that section.
Systems, S-100 cards, and related hardware for sale.
Intel Multibus, iRMX and ISIS stuff and some STDbus and VME stuff, manuals and hardware.
For CP/M software, manuals and Digital Research & Gary Kildall history, check this Web page.

To email me and to order, see my ordering Web page.
Here are some references from my S-100 customers.

Meanwhile, I have other activities on this Web site. Check my Home page for links to other sections on Astronomy and Optics; Apple Macintosh stuff; SGI, Sun and DEC equipment; some "odds and ends" computer stuff; electronic and other test equipment; and personal information.

My manuals service and why I do it as photocopies

One of my major S-100 services is to provide good, clear photocopies of original manuals of S-100 cards and associated equipment; for a modest per-page fee which covers my time, storage, Web support and acquisition costs. Simply put, those fees keep my services going, year after year after year. Some people compare or contrast my site and services, with Web sites which archive a large number of PDF's of manuals for free download. Beyond my manual service, my site's content speaks for itself: technical info on S-100, histories of companies, diskette drives, and extensive Digital Research product histories and early manuals. Most of my content is original, from myself or others. My manuals archives are mostly originals, almost all on paper. I believe I have the largest number of original S-100 manuals and documents of any archive. I also have many manuals on floppy drives as well as extensive ON LINE technical information on disk formats.

I provide good, clear, photocopies of manuals for a per page fee, plus postage and handling. Photocopies have advantages over digital files: they will physically last longer and be more "readable" than any digital media for instance. (How many 25 year-old disks can YOU read today? Do you expect to read CD-ROM's with PDF's 25 years from now?) Paper documents and photocopies from them are often clearer than some Web site's PDF of a scanned document. In fact, here's what customers tell me. One said: "The on line [PDF's] have very poor detail in the schematic section". K. H. of North Carolina said: "I got the manuals today and I'll have to say they are better than I had hope for detail.... The prom list and schematics will help me get started trying to figure [the board] out so it's not going to be a big deal. Thanks again for the manuals and let me know if you have more." As to the fact I charge, that money simply pays for the time, space and effort I make to maintain and offer my archives; including time to answer my email daily and to maintain my Web site. I've provided services on the Web for over a decade; and before the Web another decade or more of support by email, postal letter, and articles printed in small journals. Again, money helps sustain the service: meanwhile, others who started Web sites for "free" manuals have dropped out.

So it's not about "bandwidth" or "free vs paid" or "paper vs digital", it's about SUSTAINED SERVICE. In that regard, here a link to references from my S-100 customers through the years thru today. Some of them comment on the quality of the documents I provide.

Links to my S-100 pages

A description of the S-100 bus.
some FAQ's: frequently asked questions..
pointers to other S-100 Web sites
some S-100 owners describe their systems or experiences
Origins of the S-100 bus and the name "Altair"
The Altair 8800 was not the FIRST PC but...
my list of S-100 manufacturers, linked to my document lists
The world of floppy diskette drives, hard disk drives, drive controllers:
I have some ROM and PAL images on this page.
For CP/M software, manuals and Digital Research history, check this Web page.
some references from my S-100 customers.

...and here is info on how to order items, shipping costs, and non-US orders.

We've got some S-100 and related ON-LINE documents, as follows below:

S-100 bus pin lists: IMSAI, Altair, IEEE-696, others.
technical discussion of S-100 bus pin 20 and memory protect..
a discussion of S-100 bus termination.
a tech document about diskette drives and disk formats
Info about Persci floppy drives and Processor Tech
a discussion with a SSM (Solid State Systems) S-100 card designer.
notes on upgrading the SD Systems VDB-8024 card by Bruce Jones
diskette drive information is linked below;
Info about paper tape devices
some Flexowriter history from a original repair and sales person.
my "odds and ends" page has some TERMINALS
Stewart Marshall's recent reconstruction of an OP-80 paper tape reader
here are the beginnings of some repair notes.
For CP/M and Digital Research history, check this Web page.
archive of Digital Research documents posted by E. Roche

...and here is info on how to order items, shipping costs, and non-US orders.

The following are S-100 and related items for sale:

my list of S-100 manufacturers shows the documents, software and hardware I offer. Here are some various S-100 hardware products for sale.
I have some S-100 floppy disk controllers for sale
Here are some S-100 and related books of the era for sale.
Here my Heath/Zenith page with docs hardware for sale.
my "odds and ends" page includes some TERMINALS
I have some Multibus, VME & STDbus hardware for sale

...and here is info on how to order items, shipping costs, and non-US orders.

Since Sept 2004, I offered a CD copy of the Walnut Creek CP/M CD-ROM. As of Aug 2006 I no longer do so. There are a number of on-line archives for this compilation of CP/M programs from the public domain. A Web search will find them.

Floppy disk drives, diskettes, controllers

Here's a Zenith dual eight-inch floppy drive subsystem: these were previously available from me. These days (2002) I do have other cabinets for 8-inch drives available.

Over the years of S-100 service, I've accumulated a lot of docs on 8-inch, 5.25-inch drives. Most of these drives were produced long before the Internet was available or even in existance! I also have some docs on 3.5 inch drives, 3-inch drives, and some hard drives. Check my links below for more info. Most of the documentation links are to pages with lists by manufacturer and model number: if appropriate know what drive model and brand you have in mind when you look or when you contact me.

Here's some floppy and hard disk items for sale: diskettes, drives, controllers, cabinets, docs.
I have some S-100 floppy disk controllers for sale, with ON-LINE software!
Here is a technical document about diskette drives and disk formats
Here's info about Persci floppy drives and Processor Tech
I also offer in the Mac/Apple world some SCSI hard drives and CD-ROM drives
I have NEW docs on Z80 and 8080 operation of Versafloppy II by Bruce Jones.
Here's the on-line docs & code for BIOS and FORMAT of floppy controller chips, by Jones.

...and here is how to order items and to contact me..