#70s tech

in 1976, just a few months after releasing the KIM-1, MOS Technology Inc. was nearly going out of business. Texas Instruments was on the rise, pushing other brands like MOS Tech. and Commodore out of the calculator market. this is when Commodore purchased MOS Tech., continuing to produce the KIM-1 and deciding home computers were their new priority.

the KIM-1 was successful among hobbyists, but not so much the average consumer. Commodore wouldnt find its place as a household name until the release of the PET.

while MOS Tech. was rebranded to CSG (Commodore Semiconductor Group) the MOS logo was still printed onto every CSG chip produced for the next 10-ish years.

(C64 circuit board, released in 1982, featuring CSG PLA [906114-01], microprocessor [6510], and sound chip [6581], all with the MOS logo printed on)

another fun note about the KIM-1 is that it could be connected to a terminal like this ↓

(Connecting a terminal to a KIM-1 computer)

fun fact! the 80 in TRS-80 comes from the Zilog Z80 microprocessor. the Z80 was an 8-bit microprocessor used in tons of popular home computers as well as game consoles and calculators in the late 70s to early 80s.

another commodore because i just cant help myself. the Commodore PET 2001 was Commodore's first popular* personal computer (not their first computer though, that title goes to the KIM-1).

the PET was considered part of the "1977 trinity", alongside the Apple II and the TRS-80 (ill make posts about those two eventually). it was targeted towards and designed for those inexperienced with computers, which was most people at the time. this design and marketing lead to it being a common feature in homes and classrooms.

PETSCII was a character set designed specifically for the PET, but it was used for all of Commodore's computers up until the Amigas. i only mention this because i really like the name PETSCII, and its honestly a nice font. featured below is the character set itself, as well as the semi-unique keyboard layout the PET used which showed all the secondary characters.