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Computer Terminal Corporation 2200 Type 2

1974 · home computer

Specifications

ManufacturerComputer
Release year1974
TypeHOME COMPUTER
CPUCustom Chip - 1.2 Mhz
Memory (RAM)4K-8K-12K-16K RAM (1-4 memory boards, 4K each).
ConfigurationsA 16K Type 2 2200 processor in 1972-1973 sold for a little over $14,000.
GraphicsNone
Operating SystemDatapoint CTOS (Cassette Tape Operating System), Datapoint DOS 1.0-1.2, and later ran DOS.A, DOS.B, and/or DOS.C
Others port50-pin I/O bus
Serial portRS-232
SoundBeeper
Storage memoryTape 150Kb per side, 350 cps x 2
Text (Cols x Rows)80 x 12

About the Computer Terminal Corporation 2200 Type 2

The Version 2 2200 used the 74181 ALU (but only partially), did not implement all the features as there was no room left on the board. It ran at 2MHz. The Intel 8008 was originally developed by Intel as a custom chip for Datapoint (Intel didn't believe there really was a significant market for a general-purpose microcomputer-on-a-chip! ... they wanted Datapoint's memory business!), and implements (almost) exactly the Datapoint 2200 instruction set. The reason Intel to this day uses LSB/MSB byte order is because the Type 1 2200 used a serial shift register memory, and that allowed propagating carries from LSB to MSB without requiring the memory recirculate around to the previous byte. It's also notable that the 2200 (and 5500 and 6600) did not use a raster scan CRT display, but instead Datapoint's patented "diddle scan" technique which permitted (in the earlier machines) using a serial shift register memory for the CRT refresh memory.

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