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A Replica of the First 4004 Calculator
Posted by
kdawson
on Sun Nov 16, 2008 05:05 AM
from the intel-inside-first-post dept.
from the intel-inside-first-post dept.
mcpublic writes "For the 37th anniversary of Intel's 4004, the world's first off-the-shelf, customer-programmable microprocessor, vintage computer enthusiast Bill Kotaska has successfully built a replica of Busicom's historic 141-PF printing calculator using vintage Intel chips. Decades before the ubiquitous 'Intel inside' sticker, Japanese calculator maker Busicom introduced the first product ever built around an Intel microprocessor. Bill's homebrew replica includes a rare Shinshu Seiki Model-102 drum printer and runs firmware extracted from the original Busicom ROMs. Schematics and photos of his re-creation are available at the unofficial 4004 web site, along with Tim McNerney's new PIC-based emulator of the Model-102 printer. The site includes the Busicom 'source code,' 4004 details, interactive simulators, and other goodies for students, engineers, and computer historians." We discussed the 36th 4004 anniversary project here last year.
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Historians Recreate Source Code of First 4004 Application 159 comments
mcpublic writes "The team of 'digital archaeologists' who developed the technology behind the Intel Museum's 4004 microprocessor exhibit have done it again. 36 years after Intel introduced their first microprocessor on November 15, 1971, these computer historians have turned the spotlight on the first application software ever written for a general-purpose microprocessor: the Busicom 141-PF calculator. At the team's web site you can download and play with an authentic calculator simulator that sports a cool animated flowchart. Want to find out how Busicom's Masatoshi Shima compressed an entire four-function, printing calculator into only 1,024 bytes of ROM? Check out the newly recreated assembly language "source code," extensively analyzed, documented, and commented by the team's newest member: Hungary's Lajos Kintli. 'He is an amazing reverse-engineer,' recounts team leader Tim McNerney, 'We understood the disassembled calculator code well enough to simulate it, but Lajos really turned it into "source code" of the highest standards.'"
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Prior to this... (Score:5, Funny)
... you would have just got a "4004 Not Found" error.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
I've written code that runs at 32KHz. It's a great way to run code that never, ever, shuts down off a coin battery for a few years.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Prior to this... (Score:4, Funny)
Wait till DMCA lawyers get a hold of this...
Parent
Re: (Score:1)
He should be incarcerated or worse (Score:5, Insightful)
This criminal mind has misappropriated proprietary copyrighted code by the Japanese company Busicom. If he can't wait until 70 years from the death of the author, i.e. until year 2100 or so, jail is too good for him. I hope they throw him to a bunch of radioactive mutated lawyers.
Re: He should be incarcerated or worse (NOT) (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Oh, this was supposed to be funny? Posting to retract my -1 Flamebait.
Apparently I need to be recalibrated.
Re:He should be incarcerated or worse (Score:5, Insightful)
Your sarcasm detector is miscalibrated. The "insightful" mod is correct, because what he actually said is: "If he had followed the law, this project would not have been possible. Copyright law extends too far."
Parent
Re: (Score:1)
Your sarcasm detector is miscalibrated. The "insightful" mod is correct, because what he actually said is: "If he had followed the law, this project would not have been possible. Copyright law extends too far."
Ah, my bad: if the Funny-mod would've stood out (instead of Insightful), my response would be probably about the same, yet very differently phrased. I strongly encourage youngsters to remain curious and have them try figure out the how and why of machines and computers. If laws have to be ignored, well, as long as no-one gets hurt.. :)
Re: (Score:2)
There is no such thing as a victimless crime.
*folds arms* *glares*
NO
SUCH
THING.
*glares harder*
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You're right.
No victim? No crime.
Unfortunately some legal systems of the world are still based on archaic thought patterns..
Re: (Score:2)
The victim is Baby Jesus, you inconsiderate clod, and anything you do that makes him cry is and should be a crime!
You mean (Score:3, Funny)
You mean I shouldn't have thrown mine out in the trash?
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That's going back some time.
You should see my collection! One day I'll photograph it and stick it up on a webpage.
Bill Kotaska's site mentioned 'chip collectors'. I didn't think they rated. Learn something every day I suppose.
I've got a few too. I've got a eeprom burner (16 pin) that I should fire up one day....
I wonder if there is a special retirement home for people like us? Not only should they give me a room, but a workshop and storage facilities as well.
Re: (Score:1)
The big question is: do you have the '386 DX Microprocessor Programmer's Reference Manual'??
I have two copies. Linus references it in one of his syllabuses of the books he used to create Linux. It's very much extremely rare in this day and age.
Of course, I also have multiple versions of Isis [classiccmp.org] on original diskettes, with original documentation (and original Intel hardware to run it on)
Also an original printed CP/M-80 manual (those were rare even when they were current- very few people actually bought CP/M
Re: (Score:2)
Your Isis 225 MDS sounds interesting. Probably as useful as my RS Mk II without any drives except a cassette port. //), original IBM PC with about 4 manuals. CP/M - yes but I'm no
I have a lot of docs/software stored under the house, as well as old equipment stored in other locations not at my house. They are hard to get to though. I really need to get rid of the wife and kids - they use up too much space and take up too much of my time.
Some I remember having include a perspex boxed original Multiplan (Apple
Re: (Score:2)
Does an 8.5x11 format MOSTEK 6502 manual count?
How about a vintage 1981 iAPX86 manual on onionskin?
Looks complicated (Score:3, Informative)
Looks complicated. I would have a very difficult time coming up with such a polished work.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
I don't remember these calculators, but having RTFA and STFP (seen the f*****g picture), I can't believe anyone could get away with selling something which apparently consists of a couple of techy-looking boxes joined together by wire!
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Even though you're probably joking, here's a pic of the original [c4004.com]
Re:Looks complicated (Score:4, Informative)
The original was neatly packaged...as a quick google would have shown you:
http://images.google.es/images?q=Busicom+141-PF [google.es]
Parent
Re:Looks complicated (Score:4, Insightful)
Yes, of course I was joking! This was clearly a significant piece of kit in it's day. My point was simply that a 'replica' should look like the original article....a collection of panels, suspension parts and an engine don't make a replica car. What we were shown is perhaps more properly called a 'working demonstration model'.
Parent
Re: (Score:1)
Well, it's more a replica of the Engineering Prototype than the finished product.
Engineering prototypes rule.
Re:Looks complicated (Score:5, Interesting)
The architecture diagram is actually so simple...each rectangle there is representing at most ~30 transistors.
Take a random rectangle of the current whatever chips architecture diagram, even for the simple one likes microcontroller, each rectangle is more complicated than the whole 4004 diagram there.
The final project of 2*14 weeks (semester) IC design course could easily be as complex as the 4004.
I have to admit it's like rocket science 35~40 years ago though. I actually admire that they could actually come up with that...imagine that they could actually be using pencil and ruler to draw the schematic and layout.
Parent
Re:Looks complicated (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re: (Score:1)
If you're going to emulate it in programmable logic, why not just emulate it in software? If you're just going to emulate it in software.... well, you know what I mean. Use a modern HDL to do modern stuff. Unless you've got legacy code you want to run in it's original form. This guy is running the legacy code. On legacy hardware, even.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Linux (Score:4, Funny)
yes.. yes.... but does it run Linux?
Re: (Score:1)
Re:Linux (Score:4, Funny)
10 print "but does it run Linux?"
20 wait for new article
30 goto 10
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
10 wait for new article
20 print "but does it run Linux?"
30 goto 10
There, fixed that for you
Re: (Score:1)
'wait' is not a BASIC keyword. The usage of 'for' is illegal.
I've never understood the proclivity of people to not even code BASIC properly. Let alone people who correct said people improperly.
You need:
10 $newarticle = $inkey
20 if $newarticle = "y" then 40
30 goto 10
40 print "but does it run ASM80 on Isis?"
50 goto 10
and so on.
Re: (Score:1)
It's not Basic. It's Busic.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
While a novel project... (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
I'm afraid he's going to have a lot of trouble finding printer cartridges for that thing.
Eh, I know you're kidding, but if it's anything like many other old printing calculators, it's probably just got an ink pad or ribbon or something other good ol' well-understood stone age technology.
I've often wondered about our fancy new printer cartridges - how did these bloody things become so complex. But then again, I'm old enough to remember an age when thingies were actually user-serviceable. Back in the day, my father could fix everything, and now he's just as puzzled about some of these newfangled
Re: (Score:2)
how did these bloody things become so complex.
because we moved away from impact printing to inkjet printing due to it's far better handing of images that had more than one bit per color channel.
but inkjet printing requires ink to be delivered in a very pricise and bubble free manner. That means either integrating the printhead in the cartridge (HP style) or having relatively complex systems for ensuring bubbles don't block the printhead (epson style)
Link to article (Score:2, Informative)
Wire wrap (Score:1)
Funny how TFA talks about wire wrap boards giving projects a "vintage" look. I saw, as recently as 2004, an Augat wire-wrap board being used as a part of a PhD student's research work. This isn't so bad in itself, except it had about 20 ECL logic chips, carrying 80 MHz signals. There were runt pulses and false triggering all over the place. I replaced it with a single Xilinx Coolrunner II.
Re: (Score:2)
I recognize that printer (Score:2)
After looking at the photos, I recognized the printer as being exactly like one I got as surplus around 1977. I adapted it to work with my Dad's Commodore PET through the parallel port. It had a spinning drum covered in raised numbers and symbols, and solenoid hammers for each column. By firing the hammers at the right time as the drum spun, I could make it print any number. I wonder what ever happened to it...
he cheated on the eprom (Score:2)
He used a 2716 eprom in the re-creation. That was a part NOT available in the time of the 4004. He should have used a 1702 eprom. These parts are not THAT rare, though he would have needed 8 of them to replace a single 2716.
Use By... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:1)
Now, if you could wire up an alphanumeric printer to detect when you write stuff like that, decode it, and print it forwards...
-- J.P.
Re: (Score:2)
We've got to get Back... to the Future!