Torch Triple X
Encyclopedia
The Torch Triple X was a UNIX
workstation
computer
produced by the British
company Torch Computers
, and launched in 1985. It was based on the Motorola
68010 microprocessor
and ran a version of UNIX System V
.
and a 68450 DMA
controller. Both VMEbus
and a BBC Micro
-compatible "1MHz bus" expansion buses were provided, as was a SCSI
host adapter, and an optional Ethernet
interface. Both RS-423
and X.25
-compatible synchronous serial ports were provided. This latter feature made the Triple X attractive to the UK academic community, where X.25 networks were prevalent at the time.
Standard RAM capacity was 1 MB, expandable to 7 MB via VME cards. A 720 kB, 5.25 in floppy disk
drive and ST506-comaptible 20 MB hard disk
were fitted as standard, interfaced to the SCSI bus via an OMTI adapter.
Either a 10 or 13 inch colour monitor was supplied. Two graphics modes were available: 720 × 256 pixels in four colours, or 720 × 512 in two colours.
The Triple X had novel touch-sensitive "soft" power switch. When switching off, this commanded the operating system to shutdown gracefully before powering down.
was Uniplus+
UNIX System V
Release 2. A graphical user interface
called OpenTop was also included as standard.
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
workstation
Workstation
A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems...
computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
produced by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
company Torch Computers
Torch Computers
Torch Computers Ltd was a computer hardware company formed in 1982 in Great Shelford, near Cambridge, UK and became well known for its computer peripherals for the BBC Micro...
, and launched in 1985. It was based on the Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
68010 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 ran a version of UNIX System V
UNIX System V
Unix System V, commonly abbreviated SysV , is one of the first commercial versions of the Unix operating system. It was originally developed by American Telephone & Telegraph and first released in 1983. Four major versions of System V were released, termed Releases 1, 2, 3 and 4...
.
Hardware
The Triple X was based on an 8 MHz 68010 CPU, with a Hitachi 6303 "service processor". The CPU was accompanied by a 68451 memory management unitMemory management unit
A memory management unit , sometimes called paged memory management unit , is a computer hardware component responsible for handling accesses to memory requested by the CPU...
and a 68450 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 ....
controller. Both VMEbus
VMEbus
VMEbus is a computer bus standard, originally developed for the Motorola 68000 line of CPUs, but later widely used for many applications and standardized by the IEC as ANSI/IEEE 1014-1987. It is physically based on Eurocard sizes, mechanicals and connectors , but uses its own signalling system,...
and a BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
-compatible "1MHz bus" expansion buses were provided, as was a SCSI
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
host adapter, and an optional Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
interface. Both RS-423
RS-423
RS/EIA/TIA-423 is a standard for serial communications. It defines an unbalanced interface , with a single, unidirectional sending driver, and allows for up to 10 receivers . It is normally implemented in integrated circuit technology and can also be employed for the interchange of serial binary...
and X.25
X.25
X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for packet switched wide area network communication. An X.25 WAN consists of packet-switching exchange nodes as the networking hardware, and leased lines, Plain old telephone service connections or ISDN connections as physical links...
-compatible synchronous serial ports were provided. This latter feature made the Triple X attractive to the UK academic community, where X.25 networks were prevalent at the time.
Standard RAM capacity was 1 MB, expandable to 7 MB via VME cards. A 720 kB, 5.25 in floppy disk
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...
drive and ST506-comaptible 20 MB 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...
were fitted as standard, interfaced to the SCSI bus via an OMTI adapter.
Either a 10 or 13 inch colour monitor was supplied. Two graphics modes were available: 720 × 256 pixels in four colours, or 720 × 512 in two colours.
The Triple X had novel touch-sensitive "soft" power switch. When switching off, this commanded the operating system to shutdown gracefully before powering down.
Software
The Triple X's firmware was called Caretaker. The native operating systemOperating 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...
was Uniplus+
Uniplus+
Uniplus+ was a commercial version of the Unix System III and System V operating systems which was available in the 1980's and ran on the MC68000 Motorola chip set. It was released by UniSoft, and it ran on Torch Triple X, among other machines.-References:...
UNIX System V
UNIX System V
Unix System V, commonly abbreviated SysV , is one of the first commercial versions of the Unix operating system. It was originally developed by American Telephone & Telegraph and first released in 1983. Four major versions of System V were released, termed Releases 1, 2, 3 and 4...
Release 2. A graphical user interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
called OpenTop was also included as standard.