#mos technology

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)