Retrocomputing History Lab

Retrolab Systems

The core collection of the lab consists of a set of desktop computers, arranged in several sections. Each is hooked up to a television or monitor, and most have a binder holding primary source information such as reproductions of reviews, instruction manuals, pricelists or user group material to give visitors a sense of how the machine was perceived at the time of its original purchase. All the machines listed here are fully functional and available for use, but as the collection has expanded beyond the available desk space some are stored in crates or drawers when not in use.

The 8-Bit Aisle

  • TRS-80 Model 1 (1977). In 1977 three successful mass-produced personal computers were launched: the Apple II, the Commodore PET, and the TRS-80. Unlike earlier kit-based and homebrew machines, these could be used by well-heeled enthusiasts and wealthy families without requiring soldering skill. The TRS-80 was initially the most popular, and the first computer of any kind to sell 100,000 copies. The Model I was sold until 1981. This one had 16K of RAM in computer itself (built into the keyboard) and another 32K in the expansion unit that sat under the monitor (introduced in 1978). It has two disk drives and a selection of original manuals, software, and tapes. 
  • Atari 800 (1979). One of the first competitors to the initial 1977 lineup of mass produced personal computers such as the Apple II and TRS-80. It greatly improved on their graphics and sound capabilities while running its processor twice as fast as the Apple. This made it the platform of choice for advanced video gaming for a few years. We have a tape drive and 1050 disk drive (with “happy” upgrade, reflecting the tinkering that went on to fix limitations in these early computers), a selection of cartridges, and boxed software for Logo and Word Processing.
  • Apple III (1980). Apple’s first attempt to evolve the hobbyist-oriented Apple II (1977) into a more business-like machine is remembered mostly as a case study in corporate failure. Push too hard with an aggressive design and skipping testing led to failure rates of almost 100% and put off potential customers. Apple replaced the faulty motherboards in 1981 and relaunched the computer but it was too late to save the it. Almost no Apple III software was produced. Trying out the lab’s functional Apple III helps show the other side of the picture: a much more polished user experience, improved keyboard with upper and lower case, crisp 80 column text, expanded memory capacity, and much improved color graphics. It suddenly becomes easier to imagine a world in which this, and not the IBM PC launched the next year, provided the foundation for mainstream business computing.
  • Texas Instruments TI-99/4a (1981). Another home computer, and one of the famous flops of computing history as TI was drawn into a price war with Commodore that led it to quit the field by 1984. It was solidly built and well packaged, based around a library of cartridge software for games, education, and home productivity tasks like financial record keeping. Of all the home computers it reflects the clearest vision of what a computer was supposed to be for in the home, but that vision wasn’t really practical and discouraging independent software development limited other uses. We have a nice selection of cartridges, manuals, and a few tapes.
  • BBC Microcomputer Model B (1981). The British equivalent of the Apple II, sold to schools and middle class families. This one has a lot of accessories including boxed software on tape and disk, an original manual and welcome cassette, several disk drives, a cassette player, a Gotek floppy disk emulator, joysticks, and a coprocessor emulator.
  • Timex/Sinclair 1000 (1982). This is the US version of the Sinclair ZX81 (1981) a spectacularly minimalist home computer designed around a very low price tag. It was one of the first computers people with average incomes could afford, but they gave up luxuries like moving keys, sound, color, and lowercase letters. A RAM pack, famous for crashing the machine when it wobbled, expands the 2K of base memory to a spacious 16K. The computer can be hooked up to an iPod to load classic titles such as 3D Monster Maze, the original survival horror game.
  • Commodore 64 (1982). The most successful of the 8-bit home computers, this remains the best-selling desktop computer system in history. Its custom sound and graphics chips, relatively large 64K memory, and low cost made it a favorite for home videogaming despite its many quirks such as a spectacularly slow disk drive that can take several minutes to load a program. We have disk and tape drives and a large library of disks that includes both games and “serious” software such as the GEOS graphical desktop system.
  • Apple IIe (1983). An improved version of the original Apple II (1977) this can reproduce the late-1970s personal computer experience of loading programs from tape, or VisiCalc from disk. It also handles a full range of Apple II software from the mid-1980s, including celebrated games such as Ultima IV, Lode Runner, Choplifter, and Prince of Persia. It’s hooked up to both a color TV and an Apple green screen monitor, has a parallel printer card, and is connected by serial link to a PC so that disk images downloaded from the Internet can be transferred to floppy disk.
  • IBM PCjr (1984). Technically this is a 16-bit machine, but in terms of price and performance this computer was IBM’s attempt to go up against the Apple IIe for the home computer market. This is the higher end of the two standard configurations with 128KB of RAM and a single floppy disk drive. On paper it looks like strong competition to the IIe, but considered as a PC it’s a bust: slow, limited compatibility, no internal expansion possible, and unable to run most of the popular PC software of the 1980s. The wireless keyboard was famously terrible. On the positive side, IBM equipped jr with improved sound and graphics, shown off to good effect in the specially written launch title King’s Quest. That wasn’t enough to save jr, but it did launch a hugely successful game series.
  • Sinclair Spectrum 128 (1985). This is a modestly upgraded version of the quirky and low priced Sinclair Spectrum (1982), one of the best-selling desktop computers of all time. These home computers were widely used in much of the world (but not the US), mostly to play games and learn how to program. I have a large selection of software on tape, and a modern device to load games quickly from an SD-card. Equipped with joystick and tape recorder.

The CP/M Annex

CP/M originated in the mid-1970s and predates the MS DOS operating system used on IBM compatible computers. Early versions of DOS were closely modelled on CP/M. Even after the arrival of the IBM PC was widely used on lower cost floppy disk based computers intended for word processing, databases, and other text-oriented administrative work.

  • Box of S100 cards (various). The first computers able to run CP/M were patterned after the famous MITS Altair system and consisted of separate boards for CPU, memory, serial interface, video, disk, and so on interconnected by a simple backplane motherboard. We don’t have a complete system as we’re lacking the case, power supply, motherboard, and processor board but I can convey the general idea by passing around RAM, disk, and serial cards to students and visitors.
  • Osborne 1 (1981). An early portable computer, that shocks younger people by weighing almost 25 lbs. but featuring only a 5 inch screen. It is surprisingly usable for those with good eyesight. The lab has two Osborne 1 systems, one fairly standard with the optional double density upgrade for its floppy drives while the other was maxed out with a high-speed “C drive” RAM disk, an external monitor, and an early hard disk unit. We also have a large collection of Osborne software, manuals, magazines, and a newsletter.
  • Morrow MD-3 (1983). A single board CP/M computer, which provided similar capabilities to the early business-oriented personal computers of the late-1970s at a much lower price to undercut the then-novel IBM PC. This one has 64K of RAM and two floppy disk drives, running software such as WordStar and Zork. It was used with an external terminal via a serial connection. The original amber terminal needs repair so I’ve substituted a green screen IBM terminal.
  • Kaypro 2 (circa 1983). A single board CP/M computer sold as a low-cost business computer with an impressive bundle of included software. Like the Osborne this is a portable computer, by the standards of the era, meaning that it has a handle and a relatively generous nine inch screen which helped drive Osborne into bankruptcy. This one is splendidly well preserved, with boxes of disks, spare parts, about a dozen manuals, and even the original sales receipt. 
  • Osborne Vixen (1984). Osborne’s last model, released during a brief revival in 1984. Its relatively light 18 lb. weight and slim profile inspired the oddly foxy name. The seven inch amber screen, higher capacity disk drives, and clever design that makes the keyboard double as a stand made this a big improvement over the earlier model but by 1984 the target market had finally moved on to IBM compatible systems.

The 16-Bit Table

  • Sinclair QL (1984). An ill-fated attempt by Sinclair to sell a computer to small businesses, the QL was launched to great enthusiasm for its powerful processor, high resolution graphics, bundled office software and advanced BASIC. But the first machines were delivered months late and in such an unfinished state as to be almost unusable, a problem compounded by the unreliable tape cartridges Sinclair used as a cost-saving alternative to floppy disks. The QL was quickly discontinued, but a small enthusiast community spent years developing hardware and software add-ons to fulfill its original promise. This one is equipped with a replica of the Miracle Systems Gold Card which added a faster processor, more memory, functional operating system, and floppy disk interface. Miracle Systems closed years ago, but the replicas were hand made by an electronics enthusiast in Siberia.
  • Apple II GS (1986). An oddball computer, which retained perfect compatibility with the aging Apple II but used a faster processor with greatly improved graphics and sound. The whole thing was packaged in a modern case with styling and connectors that resembled the Macintosh II that Apple would launch the next year. It even had a mouse-driven desktop that looks a lot like the Mac. The programs that did take advantage of the new capabilities were impressive, but not many were released.
  • Atari ST 520STFM (1987). Although produced by an American company, the ST range (introduced 1985) and its competitor the Commodore Amiga were much more widely used in Europe. It was a budget-priced alternative to the Apple Macintosh with similar specifications but much less refinement. However, as the Atari had color graphics modes it was also popular as a games machine (whereas in the US game players shifted the console systems in the mid-1980s). This was a low-cost version of the ST that integrated a floppy drive, computer, and keyboard into a single unit. I upgraded it to 2.5MB of RAM and added an external 44MB SCSI hard drive in an internal enclosure, which also had room for a 1GB Jaz drive holding a large selection of software. I also have a selection of programs on floppy disk and two joysticks.
  • Music keyboard. Hooked up the Atari ST via its built-in MIDI interface. This allows for a rich soundtrack on some games, and experimentation with early music sequencing and notation software such as Cubase. The ST was widely used by professional musicians into the early 1990s.
  • Commodore Amiga 500 (1987). The Amiga won a loyal following with its custom chips for sound and graphics which made it a favorite of video games, graphic artists, and video production firms. The first Amiga appeared in 1985, but the most commercially successful model was the compact and affordable Amiga 500 which packaged the entire machine into an oversized keyboard. Ours has a typical configuration, with an upgrade to 1MB of RAM and a second external floppy disk drive. Commodore released upgraded models into the 1990s but failed to keep up with the rapidly growing power of IBM compatible personal computers.
  • NeXT Station Turbo Monochrome (1992). The last in a series of stylish and powerful workstation computers produced by NeXT, the company Steve Jobs founded after leaving Apple. The stark black hardware shows Job’s perfectionism, for example the keyboard and mouse plug into the monitor which in turn connects to the system unit with a single cable for video, data and power. The company is best remembered today for its NeXTSTEP operating system, which extended a Unix based core with a slick graphical user interface and an object oriented programming system designed for rapid application development. NeXT was purchased by Apple, which used this as the foundation for its OS X operating system from 2001 onward. Our system runs NeXT Step 3.3 on a 68040 processor. Its 17 inch monochrome screen has dimmed, a common problem, but is still reasonably legible.

The PC Island

  • IBM PC (1981). The computer that modern desktops and laptops are descended from. This one comes from 1984, late in the production run, and is hooked up to a genuine IBM color monitor. The original owner upgraded in after a few years with a hard disk drive and continued to use it into the early 1990s.
  • IBM Portable PC (1984). Basically the original IBM PC (1981) with a handle and integrated amber monitor, as it uses a regular PC XT motherboard and keyboard. Reproduces the original PC experience, but as it is upgraded with a 286 Tiny Turbo accelerator and EGA Wonder card it can also run software from the late-1980s. Easy to load more software as the hard drive is a Compact Flash card. Connected to a dot matrix printer and external monitor.
  • Homebrew PC circa 1990 (25 MHz 386 processor, 4MB of RAM). Runs Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS. Equipped with a double speed CD-ROM drive and sound card for the early 1990s multimedia experience. Handles a full range of DOS and Windows software such as Word, Excel, Corel Draw, PageMaker, Civilization and Myst. We also have a selection of software on 3.5 and 5.25 inch disks. Connected to a LaserJet 4M for desktop publishing.
  • Precision 486 PC (1992). This would have been a very high-end and expensive machine in its day, as it has a 50 MHz processor which was only sold for a short period during which it was Intel’s fastest PC chip. Produced by an obscure small-scale company, this machine used a full size desktop case modelled on IBM’s already obsolete PC/AT. The original owner had upgraded it a few years later with an 850MB hard drive, larger than what would have been available at the time. We added a sound card and a single speed CD-ROM drive for a period-appropriate multimedia upgrade. It runs Windows 3.11. The machine handles DOS and early Windows CD-ROM titles like Encarta.
  • Gateway 2000 DX2-66V (1993). With 16MB of RAM and a new, high speed slot to give the processor a direct connection to the graphics card this machine captures the way PCs were remade around the needs of Windows rather than DOS. In those days, Gateway and Dell were neck and neck as leading mail order providers of solid but well priced custom built PCs to businesses and upper middle class families. Computers and monitors arrived in boxes with bold cow-style spots, celebrating Gateway’s origins in Sioux City, Iowa where the company was originally based in a “dilapidated cattle brokerage.” It’s in a full sized desktop case with Gateway’s classic curved front and round buttons, capturing a moment just before the mainstream shifted to smaller desktop and minitower cases like the one we used for the 386 computer next to it.
  • Techmedia Windows 95 computer circa 1997 (233 MHz Pentium MMX, 64MB of RAM). Equipped with CD-ROM and Zip drives. We have a selection of period CD-ROM software. Runs mid-1990s Windows applications well and later period DOS games like Doom and Quake with good performance.
  • Homebrew Pentium III PC from 1999 with later upgrades running Windows 2000. Used mostly as a bridge computer to prepare software for the other machines, as it can write 5.25 and 3.5 inch disks, Jaz, and Zip disks and also read downloaded image files from USB drives. Can run late 1990s and early 2000s Windows software such as Office 2003, Half Life and Planescape Torment.

We also have many donated PC desktop systems that have not yet been fully assessed and restored. I would like to set up systems running Windows NT and OS/2 for better coverage of early- and mid-1990s operating systems.

The Mac Corner

  • Apple Lisa 2/10 (1984). The lab is fortunate enough to house two examples of Apple’s famously unsuccessful initial effort to popularize the graphical user interface. One of them began life in 1983 as a Lisa 1, but like most such machines was refitted by Apple with a single 3.5 inch drive to replace its original twin floppy drives, custom Apple designs that proved horribly unreliable. Like most Lisa computers, two of its boards were badly damaged when the four rechargeable batteries Apple soldered to one of them inevitably leaked. The other is a fully functional Lisa 2/10 model, the 10 indicating the capacity of the internal hard drive. That drive was another piece of trouble-plagued Apple engineering, but fortunately ours still works. We have several complete sets of Lisa manuals and disks for the integrated office suite Apple bundled with the machine. Having the Lisa and Mac side by side is a wonderful learning opportunity. The Lisa is significantly bigger and far heavier, with four logic boards to the Mac’s one. Its operating system includes many of the graphical elements reused for the Mac but has a very different feel, being both more powerful but more verbose and ponderous. The Lisa takes a quite different approach to things as basic as opening and closing documents. When you push the power button it shuts down smoothly but slowly, remembering the open documents and restoring them when the button is pushed again.
  • Macintosh SE (1987). Similar to the original Macintosh (1984) and Mac Plus (1986), but with more memory and updated keyboard and mouse connectors. This model has two floppy drives and 4MB of RAM so can run early Mac software like MacPaint and MacWrite through early-1990s versions of Word, Excel, PageMaker and Illustrator. Also classic games like Dark Castle and Sim City. It is using a Zip drive as a hard drive, which makes it easy to load new software.
  • Several other compact Mac systems are in various states of restoration including a Mac Plus, Mac SE with built in hard disk, and Mac SE/030.
  • Macintosh IIci (1989, upgraded 1992). The classic workhorse of Apple’s professionally oriented Mac II range, this was produced from 1989 all the way to 1993. It had a compact case, was highly expandable, and used a 25 MHz 68030 processor. Versus the original Mac and its upgraded successors this was much faster, much more expensive, and had color graphics. The original hard drive is still functioning. It’s one of the nicest Mac designs Apple ever produced, but what’s special about this one is the 68040 processor accelerator card tucked inside, an obscure TokaMac model launched in 1992 from a short-lived company. That triples its performance, so circa 1993 this would have been one of the fastest Macs that money could buy. Great for early- to mid-1990s Mac applications including games like the Civilization as well as PageMaker and Microsoft Office. Runs System 7.1 (the newest version that works with the accelerator card).
  • Macintosh IIvx (1992). In contrast with the long-lived IIci, this was a stopgap model sold only for a year. It’s slow and badly engineered but has one interesting feature: this was the first computer from any manufacturer to have a built-in CD-ROM drive. Once Apple slashed the price in 1993 this became the cheapest way to get a multimedia system. So if you want to see what Myst and other CD-ROM games would have looked like to their original players this computer will show you. Runs System 7.5.
  • Several other Mac II family models in various states of testing and restoration including a II (1987), IIfx (1989), IIsi, (1990) and Centris 650 (1993).
  • PowerMac 6500/300 (1997). Configured with System 7.6.1, though I also have a hard drive with Mac OS 8 that can be swapped in. CD-ROM, Zip drive and floppy disk all restored to full functionality. Runs mid-1990s Mac software, including early 3D accelerated games like Descent and multimedia titles on CD. With original documentation and software bundle, and an original Apple monitor.
  • Other Power PC systems in various states of evaluation and restoration, including the 6100, 8100, 8500, PowerMac G3 (1997) and G4.
  • iMac G3 600 (2001). A late model of the original curvy CRT-based iMac (1998) with a slot loading CD which, like most of the others, no longer ejects disks well enough to be usable. After replacing the hard drive and speakers everything else works fine, so it’s configured with an external firewire DVD drive. Triple boots Mac OS 9, OS X 10.0 and OS X 10.4 to allow experimentation with a range of Mac environments before, during, and after Apple’s transition to a modern operating system. 
  • iMac G4 1GHz 17 inch (2003). One of the short-lived models with a small flat panel screen mounted on a pivoting stand that’s often compared to a desk-lamp. Running OS X 10.4 (“Tiger”). Good for early- to mid- 2000s Mac software including games like Halo. The internal DVD drive is broken, but it works with an external USB drive and we should eventually be able to swap out the internal drive for a working one.

The SGI Workstation Cart

  • Silicon Graphics Octane Workstation (1997). Silicon Graphics was a huge success in the Unix workstation market of the early 1990s, specializing in computers with specialist hardware able to accelerate the rendering of 3D graphics. The Octane comes from the end of a long run of successful mid-range workstations. It is the heaviest computer in the lab and has a solid, industrial feel though it is dwarfed by the higher end SGI models of the same era used to render graphics for Hollywood films. This is an early model, with dual 175 MHz processors and a low end SI graphics card with texture memory. It’s equipped with a full range of software including 3D rendering, demos, and games like Quake and Doom. Its IRIX operating system included what’s remembered by SGI fans as an unusually elegant and easy to use graphical user interface.
  • Silicon Graphics O2 Workstation (circa 1999). When 3D graphics accelerators reached PC-based workstations there was less reason to spend tens of thousand dollars on exotic SGI hardware. The compact and colorful O2 was SGI’s last attempt to compete in the desktop market, and it runs mainstream software like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Ours has the top spec 400 MHz processor and optional video capture board, which thanks to its unique pooling of main and video memory can accomplish some still-impressive feats in real-time manipulation of video inputs.

Laptop computers

  • Zenith Z183 laptop (8088 processor). Hard disk is broken but boots from floppy.
  • Zenith SuperSport 8088 laptop. Boots from hard drive, but screen is fuzzy.
  • A Compaq Concerto (80486 processor) Pen based table computer Windows 3.1. Screen is cracked but usable.
  • Toshiba 430CDT (Pentium processor) with CD and floppy drives, running Windows 98
  • Several Fujitsu Lifebook miniature laptops with pen capabilities from the early 2000s
  • Various PC laptops from the early 2000s including Sony and Compaq systems.
  • An Apple Powebook G4 12 inch (circa 2001) running OS X 10.5.
  • An Apple Macbook Pro (circa 2011) running OS X 10.9.

Handheld computers

  • Apple Newton Message Pad 100 & 120 (with manual, videotape, etc.)
  • Palm IIIe
  • Palm V
  • Palm Tungsten T5
  • Dell Axim 50v
  • Apple iPod (third generation, 15GB)

Games Consoles

  • Atari VCS console (circa 1980). The first VCS model arrived in 1977, at the dawn of home videogaming, and pioneered the idea of a console that ran games coded onto removable cartridges. To be affordable in 1977 it has an incredibly minimal design, which generations of coders found ingenious ways to push far beyond its original intentions. Renamed the 2600, the VCS remained in production for fifteen years, long after far more powerful machines arrived, but remained popular for simple home gaming. This one has the original fake woodgrain styling, but simplified internals and only four control switches which means it is from about 1980. We have dozens of game cartridges including classics such as Asteroids, Space Invaders, Adventure, Indy 500, Frogger and Star Raiders along with the lineup of joysticks and paddles needed to run all of them.
  • Sega Genesis (1989) with a large selection of cartridges.
  • Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991) with a good library of cartridges focused on Japanese role playing games.
  • Sony Playstation (1994) with a selection of disks.
  • Nintendo 64 console (1996). This was the first Nintendo model built for 3D graphics, bringing graphical capacities formerly found only in expensive workstation computers to basements and living rooms across America. We have two classic Zelda games: The Occarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.