CL 9
Encyclopedia
CL 9 was a universal
remote control
company
started by Steve Wozniak
, the inventor of the Apple I
and Apple II
computers. The company was in business for three years, from 1985 to 1988, coming out with the 6502
-based CL 9 CORE remote control in 1987, the first universal programmable remote control.
as an Apple I and II engineer
. While he enjoyed his work, he didn't feel he was making a valuable contribution since he was pulled out of the office so often to act as an Apple spokesperson. And Apple had become a big company, as Wozniak says:
At the same time, Wozniak had a myriad of electronic entertainment devices in his Santa Cruz mountain
home, each controlled with a different remote control. Having to fiddle with so many remotes frustrated him, and he came up with the idea of inventing what is now known as a universal remote
. While such a device has become commonplace, it was unheard of in the mid-1980s. The idea stuck with him, and after getting some friends interested, decided to start a new company to build the device.
So Wozniak decided to leave Apple to pursue his new venture, but stated that he "never felt like I was turning my back on my own company [Apple]." He told his boss' boss, Wayne Rosing, about his decision to leave, but not Apple co-founder and friend, Steve Jobs
. In fact, the first Jobs heard about him leaving was from a piece in The Wall Street Journal
. When Wozniak spoke to the reporter for the piece, he was very direct in pointing out that he wasn't leaving because he was disgruntled with Apple, but that he just wanted to build this exciting remote control. But the reporter nevertheless included some of his criticisms of Apple, which created some bad feelings. Wozniak says "it was an accident, but it's been picked up by every book and every bit of history [since]." Despite his leaving Apple, Wozniak remained a paid employee of Apple, and remains one to this day, though he states he makes as little as a fulltime employee can make at Apple; he continues to admire Apple products.
. The name "Cloud 9", however, caught the attention of co-founder Joe Ennis and he investigated the availability of the name. It was taken, so the name CL 9 was settled on instead.
While Wozniak was talking to an early investor in Apple, he mentioned his new company and he asked to be allowed to invest. Wozniak resisted, saying they weren't looking for investors. But the investor begged, so Wozniak let him invest. As a result, several of the investor's friends invested also, bringing in two to three million dollars
. About this time, Wozniak asked an old friend from Commodore, Sam Bernstein, to be president.
The company went through a great deal of research and engineering to develop the remote. They were frustrated in some of their early efforts by interference from Apple co-founder, Jobs: The enclosure was originally by FROG Design
, but they also worked for Apple and Jobs would not allow them to do work for CL 9. They overcame these setbacks, however, and came up with a successful design for the innovative device. When it was near completion, with just the programming by Wozniak left to do, he pulled back. He decided to hire another programmer to do the work so he could spend more time with his children.
s was negotiated in 1988. "CL 9's product, called Core, can operate stereo, television and other video equipment from a single, hand-held unit, but sales have been slow because of lower-priced units from established consumer electronics companies." Wozniak planned to pursue a career teaching elementary school. Martin Spergel was CL 9's president and chief executive at the time of the sale.
signal patterns from other remote controls. It had an LCD
, a 4-bit and an 8-bit 6502
-based microprocessor
, and 16 keys (plus a few more control buttons). Sixteen pages of codes were available, for a total of 256 keyable codes; each of these 256 keys could reference any other combination of keys, allowing full macros. The device also had its own time clock, allowing codes to be sent at any future time. A serial interface was included for connecting to a computer
.
Because the device had a completely generic numeric keypad, it could readily handle any remote-control task, but was not very attractive to ordinary users, who were more comfortable with specialized TV and VCR keys.
The CORE uses both AAA batteries
and a special internal battery soldered to the circuit board. If the internal battery runs down, the firmware
is lost. After replacing the internal battery, the firmware has to be re-loaded using the serial interface.
(now owned by Sony
) for Computers, Computer peripherals and Computer programs. After a legal settlement, the product was to be renamed and already manufactured items were to carry a disclaimer notice informing users it was not from Core
.
. "The Celadon company later took over the CORE in 1991 and renamed it the PIC-100 after CL 9 closed its doors in 1988. It marketed the PIC-100 until they updated it as the PIC-200—this used FLASH technology."
(item number: 140050436422) was sold on November 14, 2006 after 5 bids for USD
$260.55. The CORE unit had the serial number of 008952. The auction included 2 items:
Universal Remote
A universal remote is a remote control that can be programmed to operate various brands of one or more types of consumer electronics devices. Low-end universal remotes can only control a set number of devices determined by their manufacturer, while mid- and high-end universal remotes allow the...
remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
started by Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
, the inventor of the Apple I
Apple I
The original Apple Computer, also known retroactively as the Apple I, or Apple-1, is a personal computer released by the Apple Computer Company in 1976. They were designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak. Wozniak's friend Steve Jobs had the idea of selling the computer...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
computers. The company was in business for three years, from 1985 to 1988, coming out with the 6502
MOS Technology 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
-based CL 9 CORE remote control in 1987, the first universal programmable remote control.
Origin
Wozniak was working at Apple ComputerApple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
as an Apple I and II engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
. While he enjoyed his work, he didn't feel he was making a valuable contribution since he was pulled out of the office so often to act as an Apple spokesperson. And Apple had become a big company, as Wozniak says:
At the same time, Wozniak had a myriad of electronic entertainment devices in his Santa Cruz mountain
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
home, each controlled with a different remote control. Having to fiddle with so many remotes frustrated him, and he came up with the idea of inventing what is now known as a universal remote
Universal Remote
A universal remote is a remote control that can be programmed to operate various brands of one or more types of consumer electronics devices. Low-end universal remotes can only control a set number of devices determined by their manufacturer, while mid- and high-end universal remotes allow the...
. While such a device has become commonplace, it was unheard of in the mid-1980s. The idea stuck with him, and after getting some friends interested, decided to start a new company to build the device.
So Wozniak decided to leave Apple to pursue his new venture, but stated that he "never felt like I was turning my back on my own company [Apple]." He told his boss' boss, Wayne Rosing, about his decision to leave, but not Apple co-founder and friend, Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
. In fact, the first Jobs heard about him leaving was from a piece in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
. When Wozniak spoke to the reporter for the piece, he was very direct in pointing out that he wasn't leaving because he was disgruntled with Apple, but that he just wanted to build this exciting remote control. But the reporter nevertheless included some of his criticisms of Apple, which created some bad feelings. Wozniak says "it was an accident, but it's been picked up by every book and every bit of history [since]." Despite his leaving Apple, Wozniak remained a paid employee of Apple, and remains one to this day, though he states he makes as little as a fulltime employee can make at Apple; he continues to admire Apple products.
Development
Wozniak lived in the Summit Road area of the Santa Cruz mountains. At that time, there were two restaurants, the Summit Inn and Cloud 9. He heard Cloud 9 was going out of business, so he suggested that as a site for the new company. Two weeks later, however, they settled into an older area of nearby Los GatosLos Gatos, California
The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
. The name "Cloud 9", however, caught the attention of co-founder Joe Ennis and he investigated the availability of the name. It was taken, so the name CL 9 was settled on instead.
While Wozniak was talking to an early investor in Apple, he mentioned his new company and he asked to be allowed to invest. Wozniak resisted, saying they weren't looking for investors. But the investor begged, so Wozniak let him invest. As a result, several of the investor's friends invested also, bringing in two to three million dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
. About this time, Wozniak asked an old friend from Commodore, Sam Bernstein, to be president.
The company went through a great deal of research and engineering to develop the remote. They were frustrated in some of their early efforts by interference from Apple co-founder, Jobs: The enclosure was originally by FROG Design
Frog design inc.
Frog is a global innovation firm founded in 1969 by industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger and partners Andreas Haug and Georg Spreng in Mutlangen, Germany as "Esslinger Design". Soon after it moved to Altensteig, Germany, and then to Palo Alto, California, and ultimately to its current...
, but they also worked for Apple and Jobs would not allow them to do work for CL 9. They overcame these setbacks, however, and came up with a successful design for the innovative device. When it was near completion, with just the programming by Wozniak left to do, he pulled back. He decided to hire another programmer to do the work so he could spend more time with his children.
Company sold
Sale of the business, technology and patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s was negotiated in 1988. "CL 9's product, called Core, can operate stereo, television and other video equipment from a single, hand-held unit, but sales have been slow because of lower-priced units from established consumer electronics companies." Wozniak planned to pursue a career teaching elementary school. Martin Spergel was CL 9's president and chief executive at the time of the sale.
CORE remote control
The CORE generic universal remote control was able to learn (i.e. record) IRInfrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
signal patterns from other remote controls. It had an LCD
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
, a 4-bit and an 8-bit 6502
MOS Technology 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
-based microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
, and 16 keys (plus a few more control buttons). Sixteen pages of codes were available, for a total of 256 keyable codes; each of these 256 keys could reference any other combination of keys, allowing full macros. The device also had its own time clock, allowing codes to be sent at any future time. A serial interface was included for connecting to a computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
.
Because the device had a completely generic numeric keypad, it could readily handle any remote-control task, but was not very attractive to ordinary users, who were more comfortable with specialized TV and VCR keys.
The CORE uses both AAA batteries
AAA battery
A triple A or AAA battery is a standard size of dry cell battery commonly used in portable electronic devices. A carbon-zinc battery in this size is designated by IEC as "R03", by ANSI C18.1 as "24", by old JIS standard as "UM 4", and by other manufacturer and national standard designations that...
and a special internal battery soldered to the circuit board. If the internal battery runs down, the firmware
Firmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
is lost. After replacing the internal battery, the firmware has to be re-loaded using the serial interface.
Trademark & Marketing Problem
The product's name "Core" caused confusion in the marketplace with electronic and software from another well known company. "Core" is a domestic and international registered trademark of Core International, IncCore International, Inc
Core International, Inc. commonly known as Core, was a multinational computer and technology corporation head-quartered in Boca Raton, Florida, United States....
(now owned by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
) for Computers, Computer peripherals and Computer programs. After a legal settlement, the product was to be renamed and already manufactured items were to carry a disclaimer notice informing users it was not from Core
Core International, Inc
Core International, Inc. commonly known as Core, was a multinational computer and technology corporation head-quartered in Boca Raton, Florida, United States....
.
Successor company
The CORE remote control was marketed by Robert Retzlaff and David Peters of CeladonCeladon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
. "The Celadon company later took over the CORE in 1991 and renamed it the PIC-100 after CL 9 closed its doors in 1988. It marketed the PIC-100 until they updated it as the PIC-200—this used FLASH technology."
Patent
The technology for CORE was patented by Wozniak and Charles H. Van Dusen, a CL 9 employee, for CL 9. The United States Patent number is 4918439. It was filed on October 5, 1988, thus, officially, the patent expired in 2005.Market value
Intact CL 9 CORE remote controls are rare. On eBayEBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
(item number: 140050436422) was sold on November 14, 2006 after 5 bids for USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$260.55. The CORE unit had the serial number of 008952. The auction included 2 items:
- CORE Master Remote Controller - part # UC-100
- CORE Master Module - part # IR-100