Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Ford Rouge Factory Tour and Giant Screen Experience will be closed Monday, March 16, for a day of staff learning and development. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Ford Rouge Factory Tour and Giant Screen Experience will be closed Monday, March 16, for a day of staff learning and development. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

IMSAI 8080 Microcomputer, Used with Home Built Interface and IBM Selectric Typewriter, Assembled in 1977

Contact Us About This
01

Artifact Overview

The IMSAI 8080 was a clone of the Altair 8800, the first mass marketed personal computer. It was a popular "kit computer," requiring assembly and programming. With no keyboard, toggle switches allowed input and LED lights signaled output. This could be modified using an IBM I/O typewriter. The donor, O.S. Narayanaswami, was a mechanical engineer interested in the educative power of computers.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Microcomputer

Date Made

1977

Creators

Place of Creation

Creator Notes

Computer processor, made by IMS Associates, Inc. (IMSAI) (headquarters San Leandro, CA), used in conjuntion with IBM Selectric typewriter (IBM headquarters, Armonk, NY) and home built interface, made from a kit by O. S. Narayanaswamy (purchased at Neumann Computer Exchange, Ann Arbor, MI) .

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

95.22.1

Credit

From the collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of O. S. Narayanaswamy.

Material

Plastic
Metal
Rubber (Material)

Dimensions

Height: 7 in (processor)
Width: 17.25 in (processor)
Length: 17.25 in (processor)
Height: 7 in (interface)
Width: 10.75 in (interface)
Length: 17.5 in (interface)
Height: 10 in (typewriter)
Width: 16.5 in (typewriter)
Length: 21.75 in (typewriter)

Keywords