Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: OT?:Who made the first PC based CNC control?

----- Original Message -----
From: "washcomp" <jeff@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 7:09 PM
Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: OT?:Who made the first PC based CNC control?


> If I'm not mistaken, the 8 bit Intel 8000(?) and Zilog Z80 were
> originally developed as machine control microprocessors.

First came the 4004 then the 8080 and later the Z80

Some
> enterprizing guys (forget their name) designed the Altair which
> could act as a "real" computer and sold it as a kit in the back of
> Popular electronic Magazine. You booted it by flipping switches on
> it front panel and looking at its pilot lights. They used a 100
> contact bus (S-100) as they could pick up the connectors cheaply on
> the surplus market.

Dr. Ed Roberts, MD, MITs(Micro Instraumentation & Telemerty. IIRC he was
in the Air Force (Flight Surgeon) and this was a sideline business in part
for model rockets. Last report he is practicing medicine in GA.

He built the orig that was published in PE but the freight company that was
used to ship it to PE lost the protptype and they used pictures that Roberts
had taken before shippint. The kits as shipped look quite different.

After they got a few running a kid from MIT (the univerisity) walked in the
door with a BASIC interputer written on a PDP-8 and punched to a paper tape,
the rest of that is a whole nother storry of course.

Hugh, was there almost at day one
still have Altair 8080 serial # 110 and it still runs, use a P-4-2.4 GHz for
a terminal. Runs disk extended BASIC from a 385 K 8 inch floppy disk.

Also have a spare and an IMSAI & NorthStar preserved as well as BYTE # 1