Comments on: Return of the Altair http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/ Fresh hacks every day Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:17:31 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: servant74 http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23456 servant74 Fri, 01 Dec 2006 03:48:10 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23456 I think the $395 was a 'pre-production' special from MITS that readers of Radio-Electronics could get in on! (If my memory fails me correctly ;) ) I think the $395 was a ‘pre-production’ special from MITS that readers of Radio-Electronics could get in on! (If my memory fails me correctly ;) )

]]> By: servant74 http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23455 servant74 Fri, 01 Dec 2006 03:46:07 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23455 It seems expensive. I purchased on with my first paycheck working for a big company as a programmer when I got out of college in early 1975. It took almost all of the paycheck. ... The $395 I spent would be $1750 now (31 years later) at 4.92% inflation. I guess it is really 'fairly priced'.<br><br>I sold mine after being 'highly modded' over 20 years ago, with a Processor Technology video and 3P+S board, and 16 slots, and 62K of RAM and 2K of EPROM. I found my AI Cybernetics Speach Synthasizer last year and gave it back to who sold/made them in 1978 or so.<br><br>It was a good computer but it was about 10% as powerful as the origional IBM PC. (A 2MHz 8 bit processor, vs the PC was a 16 bit 5.44MHz processor). Now a 32bit 3GHz processor multicore SMP with 4+G Ram is not unusual.<br><br>Things change, but we all still want more GHz, more RAM, more disk, and faster networking. (Oh yea, the best networking I did with the Altair, was dialup with my 300baud DCHayes modem board! It seems expensive. I purchased on with my first paycheck working for a big company as a programmer when I got out of college in early 1975. It took almost all of the paycheck. … The $395 I spent would be $1750 now (31 years later) at 4.92% inflation. I guess it is really ‘fairly priced’.

I sold mine after being ‘highly modded’ over 20 years ago, with a Processor Technology video and 3P+S board, and 16 slots, and 62K of RAM and 2K of EPROM. I found my AI Cybernetics Speach Synthasizer last year and gave it back to who sold/made them in 1978 or so.

It was a good computer but it was about 10% as powerful as the origional IBM PC. (A 2MHz 8 bit processor, vs the PC was a 16 bit 5.44MHz processor). Now a 32bit 3GHz processor multicore SMP with 4+G Ram is not unusual.

Things change, but we all still want more GHz, more RAM, more disk, and faster networking. (Oh yea, the best networking I did with the Altair, was dialup with my 300baud DCHayes modem board!

]]> By: andrew http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23454 andrew Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:40:29 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23454 yeah i was actually pretty sure that it was a blue box, but there's nothing like getting hammered into the ground by someone over the internet ;) yeah i was actually pretty sure that it was a blue box, but there’s nothing like getting hammered into the ground by someone over the internet ;)

]]> By: LaserBeams http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23453 LaserBeams Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:03:03 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23453 Funny thing is, this is actually a pretty good deal!<br><br>The altair cost $595 when it came out as a kit in 1975.<br><br>With inflation:<br>"What cost $595 in 1975 would cost $2228.64 in 2005."<br><br><a href="http://www.westegg.com/inflation/" rel="nofollow">http://www.westegg.com/inflation/</a> Funny thing is, this is actually a pretty good deal!

The altair cost $595 when it came out as a kit in 1975.

With inflation:
“What cost $595 in 1975 would cost $2228.64 in 2005.”

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/

]]> By: Mark Pulver http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23452 Mark Pulver Mon, 27 Nov 2006 20:53:29 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23452 Blue is in...<br><br><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_box" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_box</a><br><br><a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=phone+phreak+blue+box" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=phone+phreak+blue+box</a><br><br><a href="http://www.webcrunchers.com/crunch/esq-art.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.webcrunchers.com/crunch/esq-art.html</a><br><br>Schematics are easy to find these days, but they won't do you much good. The phone systems in all but the most remote of countries have progressed far away from being sensitive to phreaking.<br> Blue is in…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_box

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=phone+phreak+blue+box

http://www.webcrunchers.com/crunch/esq-art.html

Schematics are easy to find these days, but they won’t do you much good. The phone systems in all but the most remote of countries have progressed far away from being sensitive to phreaking.

]]> By: Landsknecht http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23451 Landsknecht Mon, 27 Nov 2006 14:06:28 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23451 @ 4 and 7<br><br>Jobs and Woz had the "Blue Box", which was a telephone phreaker. If I remember correctly, Woz won't pull a schematic for it, but you could possibly contact Captain Crunch for one.<br><br>And going from memory again, any connection between Jobs and a "black box" is probably referring to Jobs' NeXT software/computer company. @ 4 and 7

Jobs and Woz had the “Blue Box”, which was a telephone phreaker. If I remember correctly, Woz won’t pull a schematic for it, but you could possibly contact Captain Crunch for one.

And going from memory again, any connection between Jobs and a “black box” is probably referring to Jobs’ NeXT software/computer company.

]]> By: andrew http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23450 andrew Mon, 27 Nov 2006 01:13:05 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23450 sorry i'm not trying to be a stiff, but i believe it was called a "blue box", tho i'm not completely sure... don't quote me on that.... sorry i’m not trying to be a stiff, but i believe it was called a “blue box”, tho i’m not completely sure… don’t quote me on that….

]]> By: weirdguy http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23449 weirdguy Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:16:38 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23449 UGH, double post, but just saw you can also buy a usb 2.0 front panel replica from here<br><br><a href="http://www.altair32.com/Altair32FrontPanel.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.altair32.com/Altair32FrontPanel.htm</a> UGH, double post, but just saw you can also buy a usb 2.0 front panel replica from here

http://www.altair32.com/Altair32FrontPanel.htm

]]> By: weirdguy http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23448 weirdguy Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:07:39 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23448 Makes me wonder if some of those resistors on the CPU board could be removed to "overclock*" it, or if they are just for power. <br><br>*It would really be De_Underclocking it Makes me wonder if some of those resistors on the CPU board could be removed to “overclock*” it, or if they are just for power.

*It would really be De_Underclocking it

]]> By: Mr Jones http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23447 Mr Jones Sun, 26 Nov 2006 19:42:04 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23447 WOW! Now all you need to do is find and post plans (or a kit) for Steve Jobs "black box" from his college days and this site could be renamed "Pirates of Hackaday Valley"! Even though this one is not a "hack"....I am still impressed. thanks for that guys! WOW! Now all you need to do is find and post plans (or a kit) for Steve Jobs “black box” from his college days and this site could be renamed “Pirates of Hackaday Valley”! Even though this one is not a “hack”….I am still impressed. thanks for that guys!

]]> By: Mark Pulver http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23446 Mark Pulver Sun, 26 Nov 2006 19:14:19 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23446 YES! I had one of the originals and spent WAAAYYYY too many hours flipping those toggles! I had quality time with an IMSAI as well. flashbacks! YES! I had one of the originals and spent WAAAYYYY too many hours flipping those toggles! I had quality time with an IMSAI as well. flashbacks!

]]> By: dcgrendel http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23445 dcgrendel Sun, 26 Nov 2006 08:09:51 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23445 I'd much rather have a 6502 system such as the CS/A6502 or Gecko. Then again, plans for a homebrew computer based around a PIC16F877A would also be on that list. I found the S100 bus and computers that use it not fun. $1750 is also alot of money for this beast. Andre's PET4032 looks to be something nifty to try if you are into the CBM stuff. I’d much rather have a 6502 system such as the CS/A6502 or Gecko. Then again, plans for a homebrew computer based around a PIC16F877A would also be on that list. I found the S100 bus and computers that use it not fun. $1750 is also alot of money for this beast. Andre’s PET4032 looks to be something nifty to try if you are into the CBM stuff.

]]> By: ex-parrot http://hackaday.com/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/comment-page-1/#comment-23444 ex-parrot Sun, 26 Nov 2006 07:50:40 +0000 http://hackaday.iheartcashews.com:8181/2006/11/25/return-of-the-altair/#comment-23444 I'd love to have one of these, but it's actually at the point where I wouldn't know where to put it. Has anyone seen that neat Altair PC case the Replica One (Vince Briel) guy was making? I’d love to have one of these, but it’s actually at the point where I wouldn’t know where to put it. Has anyone seen that neat Altair PC case the Replica One (Vince Briel) guy was making?

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