Pertec Computer
Encyclopedia
Pertec Computer Corporation (PCC), formerly Peripheral Equipment Corporation (PEC), was a computer company based in Chatsworth, California which originally designed and manufactured peripherals such as floppy drives
, tape drives, instrumentation control and other hardware for computers.
Pertec's most successful products were hard disk drives and tape drives, which were sold as OEM
to the top computer manufacturers including IBM
, Siemens
and Digital Equipment Corporation, DEC
. Pertec manufactured multiple models of seven and nine track half-inch tape drives with densities 800CPI (NRZI) and 1600CPI (PE
) and phase-encoding formatters which were used by a myriad of original equipment manufacturers as I/O devices for their product lines.
In the 1970s, Pertec entered the computer industry through several acquisitions of computer producers and started manufacturing and marketing mostly minicomputers for data (pre)processing. This split up Pertec into two companies. Pertec Peripherals Corporation (PPC), which remained based in Chatsworth, California, and Pertec Computer Corporation (PCC), which was located at 17112 Armstrong Avenue, in Irvine, California
.
, the manufacturers of the Altair computer, for US$
6.5 million in 1976. This purchase was motivated mainly by the ownership of the Microsoft BASIC sources and general license that Pertec thought to be included in the deal, but later it turned out to be false.
As a result of the acquisition, Pertec became involved in the manufacturing of microprocessor-based computers. Their first models were expanded versions of the Altair models, typically coupled to the existing disk-drive range. These sold reasonably well, but as the decade closed, it became apparent to the company that the Altair's day had passed.
In 1978, the company launched the first of its own designs, the PCC-2000. This was based on two Intel 8085
series microprocessors: one of which was given over to I/O
control. Being a high end machine, it was intended to be the core of what would now be described as a workgroup. The machine was intended to support four 'dumb' terminals
connected via RS-232
serial lines, in addition to its internal console. The basic machine had twin 8-inch floppy drives, each capable of storing 1.2 megabyte
s and could link to two Pertec twin 14-inch disk drives, giving a total of 22.4 megabytes of storage, which was a very large amount for the time. The system was generally supplied with a multi-user operating system
called MTX, which included a BASIC
interpreter that was similar to Business BASIC. The PCC-2000 was also available with MITS DOS or CP/M. In the UK, several systems were run under BOS. Unfortunately, the PCC-2000 was too expensive for the market and was never a great success.
systems used as front-end data processors for the IBM 360/370 systems and like. This line was opened in the first half of 1970s by the Pertec PCC-2100 data entry system (do not confuse with the above PCC-2000, since Pertec PCC-2100 was a mainframe-like thing). The system was able to serve up to 16 coax terminals, two D3000 disk drives and one T1640 tape drive.
processors built from the TI3000 or AMD2900
slices
, up to 512 KB operating memory and dedicated master-capable DMA
controllers for tape units, floppy and rigid disk units, printers, card reader
and terminals.
The maximum configuration came in two different versions. One featured four T1600 / T1800 tape units (manufactured by Pertec), two floppy disk units (manufactured by IBM or Pertec) and four D1400 / D3400 rigid disk units (4.4, 8.8, 17.6 MB formatted capacity, manufactured by Pertec or Kennedy). The other one featured two large capacity disk units (up to 70 MB formatted capacity, manufactured by Kennedy or NEC), one line printer connected through long-line interface (DataProducts LP600, LP1200, B300, Printronix P300, P600), four station printers connected through coax (Centronics), one card reader (Pertec), four SDLC
communication channels and 30 proprietary coax terminals (Model 4141 with 40x12 characters or Model 4143 with 80x25 characters).
The system was mainly used for key-to-disk operations to replace the previously popular IBM card punches and more advanced key-to-tape systems manufactured for example by Mohawk Data Sciences (MDS) or Singer. In addition to the basic key-to-disk function, the proprietary operating system
, called XLOS, supported indexed file
operations for on-line transaction processing even with data journaling. The system was programmed in two different ways. The data entry was either described in several tables that specified the format of the input record with optional automatic data validation procedures or the indexed file operations were programmed in a special COBOL
dialect with IDX and SEQ file support.
System maintenance operations were performed in a protected supervisor mode; the system supported batched operations in the supervisor mode through the use of batch files that specified operator selections. The operating system interacted with the user through a series of prompts with automatic on-screen explanations and default selections, probably the ultimate user-friendliness achievable in text-only human-computer interaction. The XL-40 was also marketed by Triumph-Adler in Europe as TA1540 or Alphatronic P40, the beginning of a relationship that would eventually see a merger of the two companies.
-based Series 3200. The primary operating system was an in-house developed multi-tasking, multi-user operating system, but it could also run Unix. As with the XL40, Triumph-Adler marketed the system in Europe under their own brand with the model name MSX 3200 (There were four models, eventually, in the Triumph-Adler series: 3200, 3220, 3230 and 3240). The key to disk application from the XL40 was re-implemented on the 3200. The other main application was a BASIC language driven database, similar to the ones used by MAI Basic Four
or Pick operating system
. These BASIC database business systems would be purchased by outside companies that bundled the PCC 3200 with their software to provide a complete small business package (accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, inventory, sales tracking, taxes, ...) customized for specific businesses.
The 3200 was extremely advanced for the time, being intended to support up to 16 users, all using intelligent Z80 based terminals, each of which could optionally run CP/M attached to the 3200's high speed coax cable. Later an ISA bus to 3200 coax interface was made for the PC, and this allowed the usage of PC's as smart terminals for the 3200 or as networked systems running MSDOS. It was the first Pertec product to support the emerging 'Winchester' standard for miniature hard disk
s.
Pertec's PPC magtape interface standard of the early 1970s rapidly became an industry-wide standard and is still in use by tape drive
manufacturers today. Similarly, its PERTEC disk interface was an industry standard for pre-winchester disk drives of 1970s.
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
, tape drives, instrumentation control and other hardware for computers.
Pertec's most successful products were hard disk drives and tape drives, which were sold as OEM
Original Equipment Manufacturer
An original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, manufactures products or components that are purchased by a company and retailed under that purchasing company's brand name. OEM refers to the company that originally manufactured the product. When referring to automotive parts, OEM designates a...
to the top computer manufacturers including IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
and Digital Equipment Corporation, DEC
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
. Pertec manufactured multiple models of seven and nine track half-inch tape drives with densities 800CPI (NRZI) and 1600CPI (PE
Manchester code
In telecommunication and data storage, Manchester code is a line code in which the encoding of each data bit has at least one transition and occupies the same time...
) and phase-encoding formatters which were used by a myriad of original equipment manufacturers as I/O devices for their product lines.
In the 1970s, Pertec entered the computer industry through several acquisitions of computer producers and started manufacturing and marketing mostly minicomputers for data (pre)processing. This split up Pertec into two companies. Pertec Peripherals Corporation (PPC), which remained based in Chatsworth, California, and Pertec Computer Corporation (PCC), which was located at 17112 Armstrong Avenue, in Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
.
Pertec and MITS
Pertec bought MITSMicro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems was an American electronics company founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico that began manufacturing electronic calculators in 1971 and personal computers in 1975. Ed Roberts and Forrest Mims founded MITS in December 1969 to produce miniaturized telemetry...
, the manufacturers of the Altair computer, for US$
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....
6.5 million in 1976. This purchase was motivated mainly by the ownership of the Microsoft BASIC sources and general license that Pertec thought to be included in the deal, but later it turned out to be false.
As a result of the acquisition, Pertec became involved in the manufacturing of microprocessor-based computers. Their first models were expanded versions of the Altair models, typically coupled to the existing disk-drive range. These sold reasonably well, but as the decade closed, it became apparent to the company that the Altair's day had passed.
In 1978, the company launched the first of its own designs, the PCC-2000. This was based on two Intel 8085
Intel 8085
The Intel 8085 is an 8-bit microprocessor introduced by Intel in 1977. It was binary-compatible with the more-famous Intel 8080 but required less supporting hardware, thus allowing simpler and less expensive microcomputer systems to be built....
series microprocessors: one of which was given over to I/O
Input/output
In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system , and the outside world, possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it...
control. Being a high end machine, it was intended to be the core of what would now be described as a workgroup. The machine was intended to support four 'dumb' terminals
Computer terminal
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that is used for entering data into, and displaying data from, a computer or a computing system...
connected via RS-232
RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
serial lines, in addition to its internal console. The basic machine had twin 8-inch floppy drives, each capable of storing 1.2 megabyte
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
s and could link to two Pertec twin 14-inch disk drives, giving a total of 22.4 megabytes of storage, which was a very large amount for the time. The system was generally supplied with a multi-user operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
called MTX, which included a BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
interpreter that was similar to Business BASIC. The PCC-2000 was also available with MITS DOS or CP/M. In the UK, several systems were run under BOS. Unfortunately, the PCC-2000 was too expensive for the market and was never a great success.
Pertec PCC-2100
Pertec's main line of computer products was aimed at key-to-disk minicomputerMinicomputer
A minicomputer is a class of multi-user computers that lies in the middle range of the computing spectrum, in between the largest multi-user systems and the smallest single-user systems...
systems used as front-end data processors for the IBM 360/370 systems and like. This line was opened in the first half of 1970s by the Pertec PCC-2100 data entry system (do not confuse with the above PCC-2000, since Pertec PCC-2100 was a mainframe-like thing). The system was able to serve up to 16 coax terminals, two D3000 disk drives and one T1640 tape drive.
Pertec XL-40
Pertec XL-40, introduced in about 1978, was a more successful successor of Pertec PCC-2100. The XL-40 machine used custom 16-bitBit
A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
processors built from the TI3000 or AMD2900
AMD Am2900
Am2900 is a family of integrated circuits created in 1975 by Advanced Micro Devices . They were constructed with bipolar devices, in a bit-slice topology, and were designed to be used as modular components each representing a different aspect of a computer control unit...
slices
Bit slicing
Bit slicing is a technique for constructing a processor from modules of smaller bit width. Each of these components processes one bit field or "slice" of an operand...
, up to 512 KB operating memory and dedicated master-capable DMA
Direct memory access
Direct memory access is a feature of modern computers that allows certain hardware subsystems within the computer to access system memory independently of the central processing unit ....
controllers for tape units, floppy and rigid disk units, printers, card reader
Punched card
A punched card, punch card, IBM card, or Hollerith card is a piece of stiff paper that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions...
and terminals.
The maximum configuration came in two different versions. One featured four T1600 / T1800 tape units (manufactured by Pertec), two floppy disk units (manufactured by IBM or Pertec) and four D1400 / D3400 rigid disk units (4.4, 8.8, 17.6 MB formatted capacity, manufactured by Pertec or Kennedy). The other one featured two large capacity disk units (up to 70 MB formatted capacity, manufactured by Kennedy or NEC), one line printer connected through long-line interface (DataProducts LP600, LP1200, B300, Printronix P300, P600), four station printers connected through coax (Centronics), one card reader (Pertec), four SDLC
Synchronous Data Link Control
Synchronous Data Link Control is a computer communications protocol. It is the layer 2 protocol for IBM's Systems Network Architecture . SDLC supports multipoint links as well as error correction. It also runs under the assumption that an SNA header is present after the SDLC header...
communication channels and 30 proprietary coax terminals (Model 4141 with 40x12 characters or Model 4143 with 80x25 characters).
The system was mainly used for key-to-disk operations to replace the previously popular IBM card punches and more advanced key-to-tape systems manufactured for example by Mohawk Data Sciences (MDS) or Singer. In addition to the basic key-to-disk function, the proprietary operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
, called XLOS, supported indexed file
Indexed file
An indexed file is a computer file with an index that allows easy random access to any record given its file key.The key must be such that it uniquely identifies a record...
operations for on-line transaction processing even with data journaling. The system was programmed in two different ways. The data entry was either described in several tables that specified the format of the input record with optional automatic data validation procedures or the indexed file operations were programmed in a special COBOL
COBOL
COBOL is one of the oldest programming languages. Its name is an acronym for COmmon Business-Oriented Language, defining its primary domain in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments....
dialect with IDX and SEQ file support.
System maintenance operations were performed in a protected supervisor mode; the system supported batched operations in the supervisor mode through the use of batch files that specified operator selections. The operating system interacted with the user through a series of prompts with automatic on-screen explanations and default selections, probably the ultimate user-friendliness achievable in text-only human-computer interaction. The XL-40 was also marketed by Triumph-Adler in Europe as TA1540 or Alphatronic P40, the beginning of a relationship that would eventually see a merger of the two companies.
Pertec 3200
Pertec's final in-house computer design was a complete departure, the MC68000Motorola 68000
The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
-based Series 3200. The primary operating system was an in-house developed multi-tasking, multi-user operating system, but it could also run Unix. As with the XL40, Triumph-Adler marketed the system in Europe under their own brand with the model name MSX 3200 (There were four models, eventually, in the Triumph-Adler series: 3200, 3220, 3230 and 3240). The key to disk application from the XL40 was re-implemented on the 3200. The other main application was a BASIC language driven database, similar to the ones used by MAI Basic Four
MAI Basic Four
MAI Basic Four refers to a variety of Business Basic, the computers that ran it, and the company that sold them .Basic/Four Corporation was created as a subsidiary of Management Assistance, Inc. in Irvine, California...
or Pick operating system
Pick operating system
The Pick operating system is a demand-paged, multiuser, virtual memory, time-sharing operating system based around a unique "multivalued" database. Pick is used primarily for business data processing...
. These BASIC database business systems would be purchased by outside companies that bundled the PCC 3200 with their software to provide a complete small business package (accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, inventory, sales tracking, taxes, ...) customized for specific businesses.
The 3200 was extremely advanced for the time, being intended to support up to 16 users, all using intelligent Z80 based terminals, each of which could optionally run CP/M attached to the 3200's high speed coax cable. Later an ISA bus to 3200 coax interface was made for the PC, and this allowed the usage of PC's as smart terminals for the 3200 or as networked systems running MSDOS. It was the first Pertec product to support the emerging 'Winchester' standard for miniature hard disk
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
s.
Eventual fate
Soon after the introduction of the 3200, Pertec Computer Corporation was purchased by Triumph-Adler. Later PCC was acquired by Scan-Optics (around 1987). During the transition from systems based on custom-made cpu's to cpu's made by Intel and Motorola, prices for these systems dropped dramatically, but without an offsetting increase in demand, and eventually companies such as PCC (Scan-Optics) slowly dwindled away to small remnants (if any) of their peak days in the mid 1980's.Pertec's PPC magtape interface standard of the early 1970s rapidly became an industry-wide standard and is still in use by tape drive
Tape drive
A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and performs digital recording, writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and long archival stability.A tape drive provides...
manufacturers today. Similarly, its PERTEC disk interface was an industry standard for pre-winchester disk drives of 1970s.
External links
- Pertec documentation at bitsavers.org
- http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/1981/45/1187867/ Pertec XL-40 (Computerwoche 1981)
- http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/1979/13/1192205/ Pertec XL-40 sold by Triumph-Adler as TA 1540
- http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/1986/43/1166485/ Pertec 3000 (Computerwoche 1986)
- http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/1979/18/1192634/index.html Triumph-Adler marketing XL-20/XL-40 as TA1520/TA1540 (Computerwoche 1979)
- http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/1979/13/1192205/index.html Another TA1520/TA1540 (Computerwoche 1979)
- http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/1978/26/1196211/index.html Yet another TA1520/TA1540 (Computerwoche 1978)
- http://www.cbronline.com/article_cg_print.asp?guid=245B7ED9-84B5-442D-B523-2CFC72482500 Scan-Optics (a subsidiary of Philips USA) wins Pertec (Computer Business Review 1987)
- http://www.cbronline.com/article_cg.asp?guid=104BEF12-0DCA-4BFB-BCDE-EE32FD497468 Scan-Optics and Pertec 3000
- http://www.denvercomputerinc.com/hd/pertec.htm Some pictures of Pertec 3000
- http://groups.google.com/group/net.jobs/tree/browse_frm/month/1984-06?_done=%2Fgroup%2Fnet.jobs%2Fbrowse_frm%2Fmonth%2F1984-06%3F& UNIX position at Pertec Computer Corp. (an ad from 1984)
- http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/1977/3/1197958/ Pertec buys CMC
- http://www.computerwoche.de/heftarchiv/1976/1/1200482/ Pertec exports to the Eastern block
- http://www.nhongola.com/page2.html A CV that shows CMC became a division of Pertec Computer Corp.
- http://www.virtualaltair.com/virtualaltair.com/vac_pertec.asp Pertec at VirtualAltair
- http://www.virtualaltair.com/virtualaltair.com/vac_introduction.asp A piece of Pertec history at VirtualAltair
- http://startup.nmnaturalhistory.org/gallery/story.php?ii=59 MITS vs. Microsoft
- http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/comphist/gates.htm An interview with Bill Gates (Smithsonian Institution)
- http://books.google.com/books?id=uU-sX8Inw3wC The Accidental Zillionaire: Demystifying Paul Allen
- http://www.virtualaltair.com/virtualaltair.com/mits0011.asp Ed Roberts Interview
- http://books.google.com/books?id=LUwu-DTwa5cC Bill Gates Speaks: Insight from the World's Greatest Entrepreneur
- http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/web/20061125-bill-gates-microsoft-paul-allen-computer-basic-software.shtml Even Microsoft Started from Nothing
- http://edge-op.org/cloweth/MC.html The Microsoft Collection