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Computer Automation
Computer Automation, Inc. was a minicomputer and industrial control computer manufacturer founded by David H. Methvin in 1968, based originally in Newport Beach, California, United States. It opened a sales, support and repair arm in the UK in 1972, based at Hertford House, Maple Cross, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. Later relocated to Suite 2 Milfield House, Croxley Centre, Croxley Green, Watford, Hertfordshire.
In 1981, they moved the corporate offices to Boulder, Colorado, manufacturing and sales remained in California. In 1985, the offices moved to Irvine, California. Finally in 1990 they moved to Richardson, Texas. They had previously opened a manufacturing and engineering development facility there in 1978 as a way to escape high California tax and labor rates.[citation needed]
The first products were the Computer Automation PDC 404 and PDC 808 "Programmed Digital Controllers". The PDC 808 announced circa July 1969 was designed for control, monitoring and/or data logging applications. It featured 4K 8-bit core memory expandable to 16K with DTL logic circuits.
In 1969, CA announced full production of the Model 816, a 16-bit general purpose computer using TTL integrated circuits for logic and a 3D core memory.
In 1971, CA introduced the Alpha 8, an 8-bit machine, and Alpha 16 which merely doubled up this concept to make a 16-bit machine. Both were built using DTL and TTL devices. The processor for the Alpha 8 and Alpha 16 each comprised three full sized circuit boards about 18 inches square, then there were the memory options, 4K, 8K and rarely 16K magnetic core full cards. There were number of options for data input, paper tape via a board called the utility controller which could also be used to drive other devices such as printers, etc. There was a magnetic tape controller which was a full card and a Winchester interface disk controller which was two full cards with a circuit board jumper which interlinked the two cards. The programmers console had a row of toggle switches for data entry of bootstrap routines, etc. Two chassis were available, standard and jumbo with separate power supplies. There were a variety of other cards available for various forms of input/output and process control, relay cards, dual teletype cards, etc.
In 1973, the LSI-1 was announced, a single board low-cost 16-bit computer. To achieve the ambitious goals, the company ventured into development of full-custom LSI chips: a 4-bit slice arithmetic logic unit and 3-chip control unit. The control unit was based on programmable logic arrays (PLA). The control unit PLA transformed the machine instructions and events into series of microinstructions to operate the ALU and related functions. The concept was conceived by Ken Gorman and was designed by Gorman and Roy Blacksher. Although the design was proven in the lab using first iteration chips, a disastrous processing error by chip foundry National Semiconductor during a bug-fix iteration caused a six-month schedule slip from which the project could not recover. Therefore, the LSI-1 never entered the marketplace. Gorman subsequently became manager of the Processor Development Department and oversaw computer processor engineering through 1975. For one project, Gorman worked with AMD in the conceptualization of the Am2900 4-bit slice chip that was employed in Computer Automation's high-end processors and gained widespread acceptance in the marketplace.
The LSI-1 was superseded by the deceptively-named LSI-2 which implemented the same architecture using MSI TTL logic and four 74181 ALU chips. The LSI-2 comprised a single full card with two piggyback half cards, on the lefthand side viewed from the back was the card containing the microcode in fuse link bipolar PROMs, on the right the options card with the bootstrap PROMs and serial interface for current loop teletype or RS-232 device. There were a couple of speed options of processor available, the 2/10 with a 10 MHz clock and 2/20 with a 20 MHz clock. Another option was the 2/60 which used different microcode on the half card to support an enhanced instruction set used uniquely by Computer Automation’s SyFa (System For access) data processing systems. There were two types of console available, the operator's console which merely had enough functionality to enable an operator to boot the system, and a programmer’s console which would enable data entry for bootstrap routines, etc. Memory options included magnetic core of between 4 and 16K and later semiconductor memory of up to 32K in a variety of formats, full card and half card. Bank switching, where blocks of memory could be switched in or out, to a degree bypassed the restrictions of a 16-bit address bus. The format for input/output devices remained the same as the Alpha 8 and Alpha 16 products, therefore many of the I/O devices for the earlier product could still be used. However, the LSI 2 had a different dual-card hard disk controller and a number of different options for half-card floppy controllers. The chassis available had five slots with internal PSU or nine slots with external PSU.
Both the Alpha systems and LSI systems were tested using a programme called QCD – quality-control diagnostic. There were a number of different versions of this around, for the Alpha machines on paper tape, hard disk or magnetic tape, and for the LSI systems paper tape, floppy disk, hard disk and magnetic tape. There were also other diagnostics for every product, many I/O devices requiring a wired loopback header connecting output to input in a particular pattern so that the device could test itself.
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Computer Automation
Computer Automation, Inc. was a minicomputer and industrial control computer manufacturer founded by David H. Methvin in 1968, based originally in Newport Beach, California, United States. It opened a sales, support and repair arm in the UK in 1972, based at Hertford House, Maple Cross, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. Later relocated to Suite 2 Milfield House, Croxley Centre, Croxley Green, Watford, Hertfordshire.
In 1981, they moved the corporate offices to Boulder, Colorado, manufacturing and sales remained in California. In 1985, the offices moved to Irvine, California. Finally in 1990 they moved to Richardson, Texas. They had previously opened a manufacturing and engineering development facility there in 1978 as a way to escape high California tax and labor rates.[citation needed]
The first products were the Computer Automation PDC 404 and PDC 808 "Programmed Digital Controllers". The PDC 808 announced circa July 1969 was designed for control, monitoring and/or data logging applications. It featured 4K 8-bit core memory expandable to 16K with DTL logic circuits.
In 1969, CA announced full production of the Model 816, a 16-bit general purpose computer using TTL integrated circuits for logic and a 3D core memory.
In 1971, CA introduced the Alpha 8, an 8-bit machine, and Alpha 16 which merely doubled up this concept to make a 16-bit machine. Both were built using DTL and TTL devices. The processor for the Alpha 8 and Alpha 16 each comprised three full sized circuit boards about 18 inches square, then there were the memory options, 4K, 8K and rarely 16K magnetic core full cards. There were number of options for data input, paper tape via a board called the utility controller which could also be used to drive other devices such as printers, etc. There was a magnetic tape controller which was a full card and a Winchester interface disk controller which was two full cards with a circuit board jumper which interlinked the two cards. The programmers console had a row of toggle switches for data entry of bootstrap routines, etc. Two chassis were available, standard and jumbo with separate power supplies. There were a variety of other cards available for various forms of input/output and process control, relay cards, dual teletype cards, etc.
In 1973, the LSI-1 was announced, a single board low-cost 16-bit computer. To achieve the ambitious goals, the company ventured into development of full-custom LSI chips: a 4-bit slice arithmetic logic unit and 3-chip control unit. The control unit was based on programmable logic arrays (PLA). The control unit PLA transformed the machine instructions and events into series of microinstructions to operate the ALU and related functions. The concept was conceived by Ken Gorman and was designed by Gorman and Roy Blacksher. Although the design was proven in the lab using first iteration chips, a disastrous processing error by chip foundry National Semiconductor during a bug-fix iteration caused a six-month schedule slip from which the project could not recover. Therefore, the LSI-1 never entered the marketplace. Gorman subsequently became manager of the Processor Development Department and oversaw computer processor engineering through 1975. For one project, Gorman worked with AMD in the conceptualization of the Am2900 4-bit slice chip that was employed in Computer Automation's high-end processors and gained widespread acceptance in the marketplace.
The LSI-1 was superseded by the deceptively-named LSI-2 which implemented the same architecture using MSI TTL logic and four 74181 ALU chips. The LSI-2 comprised a single full card with two piggyback half cards, on the lefthand side viewed from the back was the card containing the microcode in fuse link bipolar PROMs, on the right the options card with the bootstrap PROMs and serial interface for current loop teletype or RS-232 device. There were a couple of speed options of processor available, the 2/10 with a 10 MHz clock and 2/20 with a 20 MHz clock. Another option was the 2/60 which used different microcode on the half card to support an enhanced instruction set used uniquely by Computer Automation’s SyFa (System For access) data processing systems. There were two types of console available, the operator's console which merely had enough functionality to enable an operator to boot the system, and a programmer’s console which would enable data entry for bootstrap routines, etc. Memory options included magnetic core of between 4 and 16K and later semiconductor memory of up to 32K in a variety of formats, full card and half card. Bank switching, where blocks of memory could be switched in or out, to a degree bypassed the restrictions of a 16-bit address bus. The format for input/output devices remained the same as the Alpha 8 and Alpha 16 products, therefore many of the I/O devices for the earlier product could still be used. However, the LSI 2 had a different dual-card hard disk controller and a number of different options for half-card floppy controllers. The chassis available had five slots with internal PSU or nine slots with external PSU.
Both the Alpha systems and LSI systems were tested using a programme called QCD – quality-control diagnostic. There were a number of different versions of this around, for the Alpha machines on paper tape, hard disk or magnetic tape, and for the LSI systems paper tape, floppy disk, hard disk and magnetic tape. There were also other diagnostics for every product, many I/O devices requiring a wired loopback header connecting output to input in a particular pattern so that the device could test itself.
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