Tektronix 405x
Encyclopedia
The Tektronix 405x series was a series of graphics microcomputer
s produced by Tektronix
in the late 1970s through the early 1980s. The display technology was similar to the Tektronix 4014
terminal, using a storage tube
display to avoid the need for video RAM. The 4051 and 4052 included a CPU, up to 32 kilobyte
s of RAM
, keyboard
, 11" CRT
and full-sized 300 kilobyte 3M DC-300 series high speed data cartridge (as opposed to the cassette
tape drive used by the HP 9830
) to the right of the CRT in a single, desktop-sized housing. All models included a GPIB parallel bus interface for controlling lab and test equipment and external input and outout peripherals. A simple operating system
and BASIC
interpreter
were included in ROM. A hard copy device was available which made copies of the screen.
External storage units were available for the 405x series computers. The smaller, desktop 4907 storage unit used single or dual Shugart
851R 8 inch floppy drives with 64 kilobyte floppies and the larger, 2-drawer filing cabinet sized, 4909 storage unit used a CDC 96 megabyte hard drive with the first 16 megabytes in the form of a removable disc-pack. A 4924 external tape drive used the same tape cartridges as the in-board unit.
The 4050 series was popular at a time when many companies were struggling to make the transition from paper to digital. Two sizes of the 4956 graphics tablet offered a slow process for inputing from paper drawings.
The 4051 microcomputer used a Motorola 6800
(an 8-bit microcontroller); the 4052 and later models used bit slice 16-bit CPUs for speed. These 4054 featured a 19" storage tube display that was also capable of a limited (and rather dim) write-through mode (not storing the image). The computers were popular in research laboratories and other locations where interactive plotting was important, as the storage tube video yielded much higher quality output than comparably priced RAM-based solutions of the day. The 405x series met its demise in the late 1980s as video-RAM based graphics cards became cheap and powerful enough to enable high quality plotting in commodity computers without the restrictions of the storage tube CRT.
Because the direct view storage tubes do not flicker as do conventional CRTs, and because the BASIC
programming interface allowed simple, rapid rendering of vector graphic
displays, the 405x series were used in many theatrical contexts. In particular, 405x computers can frequently be seen in early Battlestar Galactica
sets.
The graphic display software was based upon software originally developed in the 1960s by Corning Glass Works for their Type 904 graphics terminal. The display for this system had characteristics to the similar to those of Tektronix storage tube display. It used small pixel regions composed of photochromic glass, which could be darkened (forming a black line image) by writing, and would display this persistently until the entire display was erased. When Corning left the market this software base was sold to Tektronix.
The original demo included an artillery game which was later adapted by high school students at Lindbergh High School in Renton, Washington to the HP 9830
, and also adapted by Hewlett Packard for the HP 2647 intelligent graphics terminal demo tape and eventually similar games in Microsoft BASIC for the IBM-PC. Other games for the Tektronix included Weather Wars, with users directing lightning bolts and tornados against opponents in an environment affected by wind.
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
s produced by Tektronix
Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation....
in the late 1970s through the early 1980s. The display technology was similar to the Tektronix 4014
Tektronix 4014
The Tektronix 4000 series was a family of text and graphics computer terminals based on the company's storage tube technology. No additional electronics were needed to maintain the display, so the 4000 series were less expensive than earlier graphics terminals and became widely used in the CAD...
terminal, using a storage tube
Storage tube
Mostly obsolete, a storage tube is a special monochromatic CRT whose screen has a kind of 'memory' : when a portion of the screen is illuminated by the CRT's electron gun, it stays lit until a screen erase command is given...
display to avoid the need for video RAM. The 4051 and 4052 included a CPU, up to 32 kilobyte
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
s of RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
, keyboard
Computer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
, 11" CRT
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
and full-sized 300 kilobyte 3M DC-300 series high speed data cartridge (as opposed to the cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
tape drive used by the HP 9830
HP 9830
The HP 9800 was a family of what were initially called programmable calculators and later desktop computers made by Hewlett-Packard, replacing their first HP 9100 calculator...
) to the right of the CRT in a single, desktop-sized housing. All models included a GPIB parallel bus interface for controlling lab and test equipment and external input and outout peripherals. A simple 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...
and 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
Interpreter (computing)
In computer science, an interpreter normally means a computer program that executes, i.e. performs, instructions written in a programming language...
were included in ROM. A hard copy device was available which made copies of the screen.
External storage units were available for the 405x series computers. The smaller, desktop 4907 storage unit used single or dual Shugart
Shugart
Shugart is the de facto standard for floppy disk drive interfaces created by Shugart Associates.* 50 pin: 8"* 34 pin: 5¼", 3½", 3""Shugart" may also refer to the company Shugart Associates, the founder of Shugart Associates, Alan Shugart, or political scientist Matthew Søberg Shugart....
851R 8 inch floppy drives with 64 kilobyte floppies and the larger, 2-drawer filing cabinet sized, 4909 storage unit used a CDC 96 megabyte hard drive with the first 16 megabytes in the form of a removable disc-pack. A 4924 external tape drive used the same tape cartridges as the in-board unit.
The 4050 series was popular at a time when many companies were struggling to make the transition from paper to digital. Two sizes of the 4956 graphics tablet offered a slow process for inputing from paper drawings.
The 4051 microcomputer used a Motorola 6800
Motorola 6800
The 6800 was an 8-bit microprocessor designed and first manufactured by Motorola in 1974. The MC6800 microprocessor was part of the M6800 Microcomputer System that also included serial and parallel interface ICs, RAM, ROM and other support chips...
(an 8-bit microcontroller); the 4052 and later models used bit slice 16-bit CPUs for speed. These 4054 featured a 19" storage tube display that was also capable of a limited (and rather dim) write-through mode (not storing the image). The computers were popular in research laboratories and other locations where interactive plotting was important, as the storage tube video yielded much higher quality output than comparably priced RAM-based solutions of the day. The 405x series met its demise in the late 1980s as video-RAM based graphics cards became cheap and powerful enough to enable high quality plotting in commodity computers without the restrictions of the storage tube CRT.
Because the direct view storage tubes do not flicker as do conventional CRTs, and because the 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....
programming interface allowed simple, rapid rendering of vector graphic
Vector graphic
Vector graphic may refer to:*Vector Graphic, a computer company*Vector graphics, a form of computer graphics*Vektor Grafix, UK based computer game development company...
displays, the 405x series were used in many theatrical contexts. In particular, 405x computers can frequently be seen in early Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
sets.
The graphic display software was based upon software originally developed in the 1960s by Corning Glass Works for their Type 904 graphics terminal. The display for this system had characteristics to the similar to those of Tektronix storage tube display. It used small pixel regions composed of photochromic glass, which could be darkened (forming a black line image) by writing, and would display this persistently until the entire display was erased. When Corning left the market this software base was sold to Tektronix.
The original demo included an artillery game which was later adapted by high school students at Lindbergh High School in Renton, Washington to the HP 9830
HP 9830
The HP 9800 was a family of what were initially called programmable calculators and later desktop computers made by Hewlett-Packard, replacing their first HP 9100 calculator...
, and also adapted by Hewlett Packard for the HP 2647 intelligent graphics terminal demo tape and eventually similar games in Microsoft BASIC for the IBM-PC. Other games for the Tektronix included Weather Wars, with users directing lightning bolts and tornados against opponents in an environment affected by wind.