The scanning is temporarily on pause as the company I work for has me on a urgent special project that requires a 32-bit development environment. That has caused me to put aside my main laptop and use my netbook as my main machine for a while. That means no scanning for the time being even though I have a later Heathkit catalog half done.
I could almost write this up as a history lesson, using a single-core processor with 512 MB RAM and a 120 MB hard drive again…
Yesterday, I heard from Anne at OldComputerBooks.com and she is offering guests of The Computer Archive a discount of 20% off any order through the remainder of 2010! Just use the code “comparchive2010″ when you check out or contact them regarding your order.
As a background, they have been a book dealer since the 1980’s and have dealing with older computer materials for about 10 years. I would suggest checking back periodically as they are still building their site presently having only a part of their books and journals cataloged online. Also, if you are looking for something in particular to send them an email and ask!
Thanks, Anne!
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Last night, I posted the Olympic Sales Catalog from 1982. This one contains a good bit of computer stuff but also some consumer electronics stuff like calculators, typewriters, televisions, video games and such.
With this, I’m starting to limit the size of 300 dpi scans to 25 pages per PDF file. That should keep the file sizes fairly reasonable for those with moderately quick connections and yet allow me to keep the quality high.
Also, if you see the links page break tonight, I’m working on it…
When I uploaded the Advanced Computer Products catalog, I also posted a number of other scans. Then I noticed that The Computer Archive has reached a landmark by exceeding 1 GB of text-searchable PDF content !!!
If my stack of stuff here is any indication, the site will exceed 2 GB in another couple of months. For example, I’ve got a later Heathkit catalog from 1989 and some really neat consumer electronics catalogs from 1976 and 1977 to preface the 1982 Sharper Image catalog I’ve already posted under Catalogs and Price Lists — Electronics.
Also as a reminder, the Twitter account TheCompuArchive gets notifications of these posting and other brief musings. At this point, that is the only way that site update notices are being sent out.
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Tonight I posted a really nifty, early microcomputer era catalog from 1978. Advanced Computer Products used to sell electronic components from resisters to ICs as well as computers. Basically the first half is components and electronic assembly stuff and the second file has the computers in it.
These scans were rather difficult because the catalog was printed on newsprint which had yellowed, had poor-to-no contrast and on top of that, the pages were crooked on the paper! I did scan them at 400 dpi due to all of the small print and spent some time getting the scan settings as best as I could. However don’t complain if pages aren’t perfect. This one was a challenge!
One interesting computer I had forgotten about was the Imsai PCS-80/30 which resembles the Kaypro luggable (page 38.) Also on page 47 is a board that lets you talk to your computer which I recall requiring extensive training and only having a very limited vocabulary. The CompuTalker CT-1 speech synthesizer on the same page sounded very rough but if you formed your words just right, it was actually quite passable. I had even forgot about the ADM 1A and 2A terminals, higher end models than the classic Lear Siegler ADM 3A’s.
Anyhow, there is a lot to enjoy in this one!
I just ran across a web site called Old Computer Books . com that sells a wide variety of old books, many going back into the 50’s and 60’s. I would suspect they might be a good resource for vintage computer research and restoration. While I don’t know anything else about them, I’ve added them to the links page for you to check out for yourself.
On the links page, it’s pretty clear that I need to take another approach. Now that it is a database, I can do a lot more with it. I’m just wondering how complete of a links list that it really needs to be…
Scanning the documents really brings out the contrasts. Here I am comfortably reposed using a typical netbook viewing literature on equipment couldn’t even dream of what this “basic by 2010 standards” computer can do.
Question: I’ve got some PDFs in the 50 MB range. While this netbook can view them with ease, I’m still wondering if that is too large. What would you prefer?
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By the miracle of modern technology, I am posting this from a laptop with a Verizon mobile broadband card, in a restaurant, with performance better than my “Brand C” cable modem at home. Did they order the cable modem equipment from a catalog on this site? Where’s the acoustical coupler?
I’m just posting a single file that’s not a computer, strictly-speaking, but I’m going to include them on the site because (a) most models are programmable and (b) I have a fondness for HP RPN calculators. I still miss my HP 16C that I loaned out and never got back… Also, The Museum of HP Calculators is a superb resource for HP calculators!
Anyhow, expect a few more “consumer electronics-ish” catalogs to be posted. I figure that I’ll scatter a few in, especially since computers helped advance the electronics industry and it will be interesting to watch them develop in parallel.
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Well, now the contents of the archive will no longer even fit on a CD-R, a dream for computers like inside the Heathkit Catalog from 1982!
Tonight, my tasks were to post over 150 MB of materials and to make the site generate lists of the files for easier review in three formats / sort orders:
As I continue to scan these documents, it is clear that I make these accessible via a searchable database. It is very difficult to classify many documents. For example, the Heathkit catalog would fit under mail order and retail and contains computers, terminals, printers, software and such.
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Tonight I scanned the Cromemco catalog from Autumn 1980. I divided it up into two pieces to keep the size down but it is well worth the download as it is a great snapshot of a full-line manufacturer. Unix/Linux fans will spot the availability of the Cromix operating system. Also look at the Super Dazzler, an early NTSC-output graphics card that was used my television stations for their weather graphics for years. Anyhow, I’ve got a soft spot for Cromemco that was certainly acquired from many hours in front of a Cromemco Z-2 and Soroc IC 120 terminal.
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