[Altair 8800]

Herb's S-100 Stuff
Preserving S-100 for decades


This Web page last updated Feb 29 2024. To email me or to order, see see my ordering Web page for my email addresses.

Introduction

S-100 and IEEE-696 systems are computers from 1975 and through the 1980's which have a specific kind of 100-pin computer "bus" for their cards. For many years I've provided assistance, hardware, and photocopied documentation for S-100 computer systems. In the 1990's I wrote a series of articles about these computers for The Computer Journal as "Dr." S-100. Most of these systems ran CP/M: from 2004-2008 I researched the development of the CP/M operating system, Digital Research Inc and the work of Dr. Gary Kildall. Most S-100 systems used floppy diskette drives: I have extensive technical information and manuals about floppy drives and diskettes; we also sell drives.. Most of my content is original, written by me or the words of others. My manuals archives are mostly originals, almost all on paper. We sell S-100 cards, manuals, floppy drives, diskettes These sales support my activities, year after year: we've been on the Web since 1996! and have supported S-100 a decade or more earlier.

I update my Web pages often, and I'm always looking for more documents and history about S-100. If you know something about a S-100 company's history, tell me about it before that history is lost. Check what I have and see if you have some docs I do not. I appreciate inquiries and storis, 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 technical 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! Help me keep this history available.

Death of Ed Roberts, MITS Altair developer: On April 1 2010, Dr. Ed Roberts, M.D., died of pneumonia, at age 68. He was the founder of MITS in 1969, and the designer of MITS' Altair 8800 computer in 1975 which included the "Altair bus", the 100 pin connectored backplane which became known as the "S-100" bus within a few years. We have a tribute page to him at this link. Meanwhile, there are links below to Web pages which discuss the Altair and the S-100 bus. This page lists over 140 companies which produced S-100 cards or systems; and has links to many pages about S-100 technology and to individual S-100 company products and histories. Their legacy, and the legacy of all the companies and software and hardware subsequently created by those employed by those companies, are also a tribute to Ed Roberts. - Herb Johnson

The Retrotechnology Web site

S-100 is one of a number of old technologies we support and describe at retrotechnology.com. Check my retrotechnology.com home page for links other activities on this Web site. Don't expect a lot of videos and photos: we are preserving content, information about how things got DONE, so YOU can do it again.

Most of these S-100 systems used floppy diskette drives for file storage; see this Web page for technical support for floppy drives. However, some of them used audio cassettes for data storage: see my Web page about audio cassette digital storage technology, for links to specific technical and per-brand information.

Why bother to retain "useless" knowledge? For one, it's not so useless. What do YOU do when your refrigerator catches fire? I fix it - because I know how.

To contact me or to order, see see my ordering Web page.

- Herb Johnson


Links to my S-100 pages

S-100 systems are are computers, designed between about 1975 and through the 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. In the 1990's I wrote a series of articles about these computers for The Computer Journal as "Dr." S-100. Since the 1980's, I've offered good copies (photocopies) of S-100 manuals, from my extensive collection of original S-100 manuals and documents from over a hundred companies.

Tributes:

General S-100 documents and Web pages:

...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:

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

We've got some S-100 related ON-LINE documents and descriptions:

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

Computer restoration Web pages

I have several Web pages about computer restoration. They collectively describe repairing and restoring computers of the 1970's and earlier; and why people should bother to do so. I offer why this is a valuable activity, and how restoration can be organized and supported. I'll list various organizations, Web sites, events, and individuals who actively support repair, diagnosis, restoration of these early computers.

Technical support for floppy drives

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 public, some before microcomputers were available! I also have some docs on 5.25 inch drives, 3.5-inch drives, 3-inch drives, and some hard drives. Check my links below for more info. Know what drive model and brand you have in mind before you contact me.

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

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

CP/M, Digital Research and Gary Kildall

CP/M was a dominant operating system, from the mid-1970's to well into the 1980's; they offered alternatives to MS-DOS and Windows for another decade. The current owners of CP/M, still offer OS's today. CP/M was created by Dr. Gary Kildall before 1975 and sold quietly in that year as CP/M version 1.3 for $70 per disk. It became IMSAI's disk operating system IMDOS in 1976. CP/M or duplicate OS's, spread to most Z80 and 8080 systems of the 1970's microcomputer market (including most S-100 systems). Much MS-DOS software for the IBM-PC, was simply recompiled CP/M software, as MS-DOS was largely based on CP/M. After the IBM-PC was developed in 1981, DRI produced and sold a number of advanced OS's for PC-compatibles; the Amiga OS was based on a DRI OS called "GEM". DRI was sold in 1990 to Novell, Inc for $150 million dollars US ($230M to $300M in 2008 dollars); today it exists as a small company, still selling DR-DOS.


Lists of S-100 computer vendors for documentation

Below is a list of every S-100 producing company I'm aware of - all in the United States unless noted. I have S-100 documentation for these unless there is a note "no docs yet". In addition, there are a few manufacturers of printers and terminals sprinkled in this list. For manufacturers for which I have MANY manuals, I list them on an individual page and link to that page. If there is not a link and I have docs, they are listed on my Miscelaneous docs list which is also alphabetical by manufacturer.

Again, here is how to order S-100 stuff and how to contact me.


    also see my miscelaneous documentation Web page.
also see my undocumented S-100 Web page.
Ackerman Digital Systems (ADS)see my miscelaneous documentation page. ACom Electronics see my miscelaneous documentation page. ADES or ADSI or Adapted Data & Energy Systems - no manuals yet but see this page Advanced Digital Corp. (ADC) see my miscelaneous documentation page. Advanced Micro Digital see my miscelaneous documentation page. AI Cybernetic Systems - see my undocumented S-100 page. Alloy Engineering see my miscelaneous documentation page. Alpha Micro - not quite S-100, used an IMSAI chassis anyway. see my miscelaneous documentation page. Alpha Systems Corp. - no manuals yet. Altair - see MITS Andicom or NABU - no manuals yet. Canadian company. Artec Electronics Inc see my miscelaneous documentation page. Applied Technology - 1978 Australian company, later made MicroBee. No docs. California Computer Systems (CCS) has its own page here California Data Corporation (CDC, but not Control Data!) see my miscelaneous documentation page. Canada Systems Inc. see my miscelaneous documentation page. Celetron see my miscelaneous documentation page. Central Data see my miscelaneous documentation page. Certek or Cer-tek see my miscelaneous documentation page. Compuduct or CTM - no manuals yet. Canadian company. Computalker Consultants (Santa Monica, CA) - no docs yet. CompuTime see my miscelaneous documentation page. Compupro has its own page here Computer Systems see my miscelaneous documentation page. Cromemco has its own page here Data Sciences - see "Delta Products" Delta Products has its own page here DC Hayes see my miscelaneous documentation page. Digital Graphics Systems (Palo Alto, CA, 1979 and later, no docs) Digital Research Incorporated (DRI) has its own page here DRC (Digital Research Computers or Digital Research Corp., Texas) has its own page here Drytek Inc. - see my undocumented S-100 page. Dual: see my Dual manuals list page. Duston - see my undocumented S-100 page. Dynabyte has its own page here D & W Digital see my miscelaneous documentation page. Notes about The Digital Group, not S-100 but of the same era also see my miscelaneous documentation page. Earth Computers see my miscelaneous documentation page. Editron has its own page linked here. Electrologics see my miscelaneous documentation page. ECT or Electronic Control Technologies - US company, no docs available yet. Electronic Systems see my miscelaneous documentation page. Emulex see my miscelaneous documentation page. Evotech , see my miscelaneous documentation page. Exatron (drives not S-100 cards), see my miscelaneous documentation page Friden Flexowriter: follow this link for history Fulcrum - see my IMSAI page Futronics , see my miscelaneous documentation page Godbout - see Compupro page Gunn Enterprizes , see my miscelaneous documentation page Hayes, see DC Hayes Heath, Heathkit - listed seperately on my Heath/Zenith page Also see my Z-100 Web page Heuristics , see my miscelaneous documentation page Hudson and Assoc - see my undocumented S-100 page. iCOM - see this Web page IEEE-696 standards - see this S-100 bus page for specifics and publications. Illuminated technologies - see my undocumented S-100 page. IMS International - see Industrial Micro Systems IMSAI - see my IMSAI page IMS Associates Inc. - see IMSAI Industrial Micro Systems or IMS - listed on this page Inner Access Corp - see my undocumented S-100 page. Intec - see my undocumented S-100 page. Intelligent Computer Designs Corporation of Australia & USA , see my miscelaneous documentation page Intelligent Systems Corporation, ISC, Intecolor brand - NOT S-100, See this Web page. Interactive Products Corporation may be a company name for Polymorphic Systems Intercontinental Micro Systems or ICM:, see my miscelaneous documentation page International Data Systems, see my miscelaneous documentation page I/O Technology , see my miscelaneous documentation page Integrand, see my miscelaneous documentation page Ithaca Intersystems, Ithaca Audio has its own page here Jade has its own page here JBC Electronics , see my miscelaneous documentation page JTM, see my miscelaneous documentation page Kent Moore , see my miscelaneous documentation page Keptronic , see my miscelaneous documentation page Konan , see my miscelaneous documentation page Lear-Siegler terminals, See my Web page on terminals Logos - see my undocumented S-100 page. Lomas Data Products (LDP) has its own page here LF Technology or L/F Technology - listed under "IMS International" LP Systems, see my miscelaneous documentation page Macrotech - has its own page here Magnum Digital, see my miscelaneous documentation page Malibu - see my undocumented S-100 page. Mariposa , see my miscelaneous documentation page Matrox (Canada) has its own page here MCT - see my undocumented S-100 page. Measurement Systems and Controls, AKA Systems Group, see my miscelaneous documentation page Memory Merchant, see my miscelaneous documentation page Microcomputer Systems Corp. , see my miscelaneous documentation page MicroDaSys, see my miscelaneous documentation page Microdynamics (brand) see my miscelaneous documentation page Micromation , see my miscelaneous documentation page Micropolis: see Micropolis computer manuals Mikos Engineering or Wameco or WMC has its own page here also see my miscelaneous documentation page. MITS - has its own page here Morrow - has its own page here Mountain Hardware , see my miscelaneous documentation page Mullen - has its own page here Multiflex - Canadian, no docs yet NABU or Andicom - no manuals yet. Canadian company. National Multiplex - see my miscelaneous documentation page NorthStar has its own page here Newtech (by Stewart Newfeld) Model 6 Music Board, see my miscelaneous documentation page Netronics , see my miscelaneous documentation page NNC or No Name Computers of Huntington Beach, CA USA. No docs but check this Web page. NSSC - see my undocumented S-100 page. Objective Design, see my miscelaneous documentation page Oliver Audio Engneering, see my miscelaneous documentation page PAIA , see my miscelaneous documentation page Pelkey - see my undocumented S-100 page. Peripheral Vision - see my miscelaneous documentation page Persci floppy drives - check this link Piiceon , see my miscelaneous documentation page Pickles & Trout , see my miscelaneous documentation page PMMI (see DC Hayes) Polymorphic Systems: see my Polymorphic Web page Problem Solver Systems, see my miscelaneous documentation page Processor Interfaces Inc, see my miscelaneous documentation page Processor Technology documentation list Quantronics - see my undocumented S-100 page. Quest Electronics, , see my miscelaneous documentation page Q&T (Quick and Timely) Systems, see my miscelaneous documentation page Ro-Che Systems , see my miscelaneous documentation page S100 Computer Products , see my miscelaneous documentation page S100 Inc, see my miscelaneous documentation page Salota GMBH (Germany) - has a Web page here. S C Digital - no docs yet. also see my miscelaneous documentation page. SCION (MicroAngelo cards), see my miscelaneous documentation page SciTronics Inc., see my miscelaneous documentation page SCT, see my miscelaneous documentation page Simpliway - no docs yet. Canadian company SD Sales, see my miscelaneous documentation page SD Systems has its own page here Seals Electronics , see my miscelaneous documentation page Seattle Computer Products has its own page here Semidisk, see my miscelaneous documentation page Simpliway Products Company (no docs yet) Sky Computers Inc., look for Multibus and VME and Unibus cards, , see my miscelaneous documentation page SMS Static Memory Systems , see my miscelaneous documentation page SMS Scientific Micro Systems , see my miscelaneous documentation page Solid State Music (SSM) documentation list ---- also notes about SSM designers and products here SOL - see Processor Technology Sontron - see Editron which has its own page linked here. Suntronics - no docs yet. Canadian company Systems Group, see Measurement Systems and Controls A. Szerlip, see my miscelaneous documentation page Tarbell has tis own page here Techmar , see my miscelaneous documentation page Technical Design Labs (TDL, CDL) has its own page here Teletype, see my miscelaneous documentation page TEI, see my miscelaneous documentation page Teletek , see my miscelaneous documentation page Thinkertoys - see Morrow Transam - no docs yet. UK company. Tuscan - a Transam Z80 system, no docs yet. also see my miscelaneous documentation page. US Micro Sales - see "Delta Products" Vandenberg Data Products, see my miscelaneous documentation page Vector Graphic has its own page here Vector , see my miscelaneous documentation page Visual (Terminal), see my See my Web page on terminals Wameco or WMC or Mikos Engineering has its own page here W W Component Supply - see my IMSAI page XCOMP Corp , see my miscelaneous documentation page Xitex , see my miscelaneous documentation page XOR - - see "Delta Products" Zenith - listed seperately on my Heath/Zenith page Also see my Z-100 Web page Zs - see my undocumented S-100 page. ALso see my miscelaneous documentation page.

Again, here is how to order S-100 stuff and how to contact me.


Contact information:
Herb Johnson
New Jersey, USA
To email @ me, see
see my ordering Web page.

Copyright © 2024 Herb Johnson