#swtpc

[thegikitiki]

Someday...

SouthWest Technical CT-82 Intelligent Terminal, 1979

[sinclair-speccy]

[spaceitem]

[periodically80s]

[commodorez]

Southwest Technical Products

Michael Holley is the resident SWTPC 6800 expert, and it’s a system I’ve always been fascinated with.  Considering that there weren’t very many options in 1976 for kit computers, this would have been a big deal.  Presentations, exhibits, repair discussions, and similar fare are in Mike’s repertoire involving SWTPC gear (usually SWTPC 6800-centric stuff), so needless to say that he’s very technically inclined.

We discussed this early Motorola 6800 based system one on one, then briefly compared and contrasted it with the 6808 based architecture of the Heathkit Hero robots.  So much of this machine is just RAM cards.  If I were to pick a machine closest in design to what I understand, this would be it.

Michael also had a few fun things like a nixie clock kit that would have been sold in magazines, just like many other offerings from Southwest Technical Products.  Don Lancaster’s 1973 TV Typewriter is one of the more famous examples, bringing the glass terminal into the hands of many for the very first time.  

[sinclair-speccy]

[gameraboy2]

SWTPC computer, 1981 ad

[layersoftech]

Some RAM and ROM mods for a mid-70s Southwest Technical Products Corporation (SWTPC) 6800 Computer System done by Adrian of Adrian's Digital Basement.

His YouTube video is here: