All Points Bulletin!

As we work on supporting our legacy products, we are on the lookout for software diskettes, EPROM and PROMs, manuals, schematics, and even a few boards and peripherals. We need your help to preserve the entire IMSAI legacy. If you have something listed here, please contact us.

• Boards
• Software
• Peripherals
• User Manuals
• Firmware Chips or Images
• Cables
• Publications
• Graphic Arts Supplies

Boards

Complete boards as well as bare boards are desired. Let us know if you have something obscure that’s not listed here. A PROG-8, for example.

• DIO-A, DIO-B, DIO-C, DIO-D: Memory-Mapped Floppy Disk Controller.
• EXT: Extender board.
• FIF (IFM/FIB): First-Generation Floppy Disk Controller. Fine if it’s the FIB board only.
• GP-88: General purpose prototype board.
• HD-10: Hard Disk Controller.
• IMM: Intelligent Memory Manager. We don’t think it was ever seen outside of engineering.
• LIF (IFM/LIB): Line Printer Controller. Fine if it’s the LIB board only.
• MABP-3, MAPT-6, BB: Shared Memory Facility.
• MDIO: Minifloppy Disk Controller.
• PIO 6: 8255-Based Parallel I/O Board. Need documentation, schematic, and boards.
• PROM 4: 4K 1702 EPROM Board.
• PROM 16: 16K 2708 EPROM Board. We don’t think it was ever released.
• RAM-16, RAM-32, RAM-64: First-Generation Dynamic RAM Boards. We already have documentation. Just need boards.
• RAM III: Second-Generation Dynamic RAM Board.
• SIOC: SIO 2 piggy-back baud clock board.
• UCRI: First-Generation cassette interface.
• VDM: Fir: First-Generation Video Controller.
• VIO-A, VIO-B, VIO-C, VIO-D: Memory-mapped Video Board.

Software

IMSAI software came on paper tape, cassette, EPROM (1702As), ane diskette. We prefer original media, but images like HEX or binary files or even ZIP file are acceptable.

• PGM-1A: Self-contained system. Came in all four media.
• PGM-2A: Tape cassette opertaing system. Came in everything except paper tape.
• PGM-3A: Bootstrap for DOS-A. Came on EPROM.
• PGM-4A: Bootstrap loader for paper tape. Came on EPROM.
• PGM-5A: Bootstrap loader for tape cassette. Came on EPROM.
• PGM-6A: Advanced self-contained system. Came in all four media.
• BASIC-4A: 4K BASIC. Came in all 4 media.
• BASIC-8A: 8K BASIC. Came in all 4 media.
• BASIC-9A: 8K BASIC with MIO tape cassette source program storage. Came in all 4 media.
• BASIC-12A: 12K BASIC. Came in all 4 media.
• DOS-A: Floppy disk operating system on diskette.
• IMDOS 2.05: IMSAI's extensions of CP/M 1.3. Like CP/M 2.2, but incompatible filesystem.
• IMDOS 2.06: IMSAI's extensions of CP/M 1.3. Like CP/M 2.2, but incompatible filesystem.
• IMDOS II: Hard Disk support added.

Peripherals

We’re just getting started on the list of peripherals we need. We hope to be straightening it out soon.

• BBC: Breadboard Console
• FDC2-1 or FDC2-2: Calcomp 140 in a cabinet
• IKB-1: Intelligent Keyboard
• IKB-2 (VDP 80)
• IKB-3
• PCS-80/25 or PCS-80/26: Calcomp 142 in a cabinet
• Calcomp 140 and 142 bare drives
• Persci drives?

User Manuals

IMSAI User Manuals generally come with fold-out schematics and other diagrams, but many of the on-line copies do not because the folks scanning them lack the ability to scan 11×17 pages. The manuals requested here should include the schematics and diagrams if possible. Let us know if you have something obscure that’s not listed here. A PROG-8, for example.

• DIO-A, DIO-B: Memory-Mapped Floppy Disk Controller.
• HD-10: Hard Disk Controller.
• IMM: Intelligent Memory Manager. We don’t think it was ever seen outside of engineering.
• LIF (IFM/LIB): Line Printer Controller.
• MDIO: Minifloppy Disk Controller.
• PROM 4: 4K 1702 EPROM Board.
• PROM 16: 16K 2708 EPROM Board. We don’t think it was ever released.
• RAM III: Second-Generation Dynamic RAM Board.
• MABP-3, MAPT-6, BB: Shared Memory Facility.
• PCS-80/10, 11, 14, 15, 25, 26, 30, 34, and 35: IMSAI Personal Computing System. We have the 80/15, but the 11×17 schematics are missing. We have the 80/30, but the VIO schematics are pretty bad.
• PIO 6: 8255-Based Parallel I/O Board.
• UCRI: First-Generation cassette interface.
• VDM: First-Generation Video Controller. The number of units shipped is unknown.
• VIO-A, VIO-B, VIO-C, VIO-D: Memory-mapped Video Board.

Firmware Chips or Images

Sometimes we get boards without firmware or other programmable devices. Actual chips or even hex files are welcome!

• DIO-A, DIO-B: Memory-Mapped Floppy Disk Controller. We need firmware and PCMP bipolar PROM images.
• HD-10: Hard Disk Controller.
• IMM: Intelligent Memory Manager. We don’t think it was ever seen outside of engineering.
• LIF (IFM/LIB): Line Printer Controller. Need IFM firmware.
• MDIO: Minifloppy Disk Controller.
• MABP-3, MAPT-6, BB: Shared Memory Facility.
• VDM: First-Generation Video Controller.

Cables

While we have many original cables and/or their drawings, we are missing a few.

• CABLE H: 18 in (450 mm) flat cable for Shared Memory Facility.
• CABLE L: 18 in (450 mm) coax cable to connect VIO board to cabinet back frame.
• CABLE M: 18 in (450 mm) coax cable to connect MIO board cassette port to back frame. Terminates in a miniature phone jack. Internal cable.
• CABLE P: 40-pin cable to Calcomp drive from FPS-U.
• CABLE R: 5 ft (1.5 m) flat cable which connects 3 ports of PIO-6 board to breadboard system. 50-pin card edge 0.1 in (2.54 mm) to 50 pin 0.1 in (2.54 mm)header.
• CABLE S: 5 ft (1.5 m) flat cable which connects data and address lines of PIO-6 board to breadboard system. 26-pin card edge 0.1 in (2.54 mm) to 26-pin 0.1 in (2.54 mm)header.
• CABLE Z: 6 ft (1.8 m) flat cable for Shared Memory Facility.
• CABLE AA: 5 in (125 mm) PLO cable for FDS.
• CABLE AB: Switch and Molex connector for Calcomp floppy disk cabinet.
• CABLE AC: FDS Chassis. Power cord with three Molex female pins.
• CABLE AD: FDS Chassis. Plug and cord for fan with 3-pin male Molex plug.
• CABLE AE: 29 in (740 mm) flat cable to connect SIO or MIO serial or parallel ports to cabinet back frame in VDP-80 line. (VDP-80 version of CABLE A).
• CABLE AM: 36 in (910 mm) flat cable to connect DIO to CABLE AN in cabinet back frame. Internal cable.
• CABLE AN: 5 ft (1.5 m) flat cable to connect the cabinet back frame to PerSci disk drive. External cable.
• CABLE AP: Short flat cable to connect (M)DIO to a SA400 mini-floppy disk drive. Internal cable.
• CABLE AR: 28 in (711 mm) flat cable to connect PIO 4-4 to cabinet back frame in VDP·80 line.
• CABLE AZ: 5 ft (1.5 m) cable to connect the DIO in a VDP-80 to a PCS-80/26.

These are the ones we currently have. Some are already in production. If you have a cable that’s not listed here or above, we’d be most interested in finding out about it!

• CABLE A: 14 in (355 mm) flat cable to carry signals from the SIO 2 or MIO board to the cabinet back frame.
• CABLE B: 14 in (355 mm) flat cable connects PIO 4 input or output connector to cabinet back frame.
• CABLE C: 5 ft (1.5 m) cable to connect floppy disk drives, modems, or terminals. External cable, (back frame to back frame), DB25-M/M.
• CABLE D: 5 ft (1.5 m) extension for CABLE C. DB25-F/M.
• CABLE E: 28 in (700 mm) DB25-F to two 26-pin header sockets with pin 26 key for FDC 2-1.
• CABLE F: 6 in (150 mm) IFM Board-to-board interconnect cable. Internal cable, 50-pin card edge 0.1 in (2.54 mm) to 50-pin card edge 0.1 in (2.54 mm).
• CABLE K: 18 in (450 mm) 16-pin DIP flat cable to connect the 8-bit data bus between a CP-A and MPU-A.
• CABLE Q: 18 in (450 mm) brown 20GA wire with Molex connector for Calcomp floppy disk cabinet.
• CABLE T: 28 in (700 mm) DB25-F to two 26-pin header sockets with pin 26 key for FDC.
• CABLE V: 2 in (50 mm) Mains pigtail with Molex male pins for Calcomp floppy disk cabinet.
• CABLE X: 9 in (230 mm) Mains pigtail with Molex female pins for Calcomp floppy disk cabinet.
• CABLE AF: 14 in (350 mm) flat cable to connect MPU-B serial or parallel port to cabinet back frame. Internal cable, 26-pin (2×13) header to DB25-F.

Publications

If you have any of these (originals preferably), we will be happy to scan and return them to you at our expense, plus a little for your time.

• The IMSAIder Vol. 1, No. 2, 3, 4, and 5. These were the newsletters that ran for five issues. We have No. 1, but it’s a photocopy. Any original issues are definitely sought after!

Graphic Arts Supplies

We are trying to identify the typefaces used in legacy IMSAI literature such as ad slicks, price lists, and catalogs. We have identified a few, but a couple of others remain a mystery. We believe that all of them were ChartPak and/or Letraset dry transfer sheets. We are looking for catalogs from these vendors from the IMSAI era (1975 through 1979), or even complete sheets. Modern digital versions of these fonts are often rather dissimilar to the dry transfer versions. In some cases, the differences are insignificant. In others, they are obvious to all but the most casual observer.

It is our intention to digitize these typefaces for future IMSAI publications. It will be easier if we can get the original sheets.

Helvetica

Dry transfer Helvetica from the IMSAI era is not the same digital Helvetica you see today. Especially in the larger point sizes with bold weight.

Franklin Gothic

Same as with Helvetica. There are subtle differences that most people won’t notice, but we’re picky.

“Mystery Font”

This typeface was used in headings in early price lists, as well as in early component placement diagrams and even schematics. We have no idea what the typeface name might be. It’s very unique. You can zoom in quite a bit to see the unusual details. Here are a few samples: