In SX Microcontrollers, SX/B Compiler and SX-Key Tool, g_daubach wrote:

Keith,

Following the KIM-1, I bought an SWTP 6800 machine (South West Technical Products). This one had 16K of RAM, a "Kansas City" cassette interface, and 8 bit parallel, and serial RS-232 interfaces. It already had a motherboard using the SS-50 bus (Smoke Signals). Later, I added two 5 3/3" floppy drives. The OS was called "Flex". Too bad that I put the OS diskette too close to the floppy unit's mains transformer - so there was no Flex any longer :-) . Fortunately, I got a new one from my dealer.

As a matter of fact, I once owned the full line of Tandy computers: TRS-80 Model I, Model III, Model IV, the "big" Model II, the "small" Model 100, and the CoCo II. For Tandy Germany, I translated the CoCo manuals into German language.

When I started with Model I, I also bought a used IBM Selectric ball-head typewriter with integrated solenoids, so it could be used as a printer. To convert from Centronics to IBM Selectric, I used the good old SWTP 6800 machine as an interface. Because this equipment was located in a room next to the living room, my wife was close to killing me more than once when this machine started "hammering".

"Talking" about 8K of hex code via the phone is really unusual. I remember, typing in endless hex codes I found published in computer magazines into these vintage machines, but I think I never ever got a program running on first try. Only after double- or triple-checking the typed in code, and fixing all the errors I had made, I sometimes was lucky. Maybe having someone reading you the code while you type it in is better than constantly switching between the keyboard and the printed media.

Yes, I agree - this was fun times. Maybe, one day, I write an SX application to simulate a 6502 - should be no problem speedwise :-) .

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