I'm trying to identify the NCR computer manufactured around 1970 that was based on the English-designed Elliott 403 computer. A 32-bit word machine (but not in bytes), I think it might have been the NCR 511 or thereabouts. Can you help?
By the 1970's NCR was manufacturing the Century series of machines.
I recall one of the Century machines was in use by a store in Sydney Australia until around 1987 or so. They turned it off, and took it straight from the computer room to the dump.
I did not work on the Century 300, but did work on its successor, the 7000 & 8000 series, right through to the demise :( of VRX/E(& NCR) on the 9800's.
I used these for a few years, and programmed them. They were called Decision Mate V, or DM V for short. I used it starting 1985, so they must have been in production before that.
They were a dual processor, dual operating system PC. It had a Zilog Z80 as well as Intel 8088 processors. Only one processor can be active during a given boot. It had its own version of MS DOS, as well as CP/M. I remember playing Pacman and other games on CP/M on that machine, as well as using them with a terminal emulator connected to a mainframe, and with a LAN called PC2PC that provided file sharing.
It did not have standard ISA expansion slots, but a rather proprietary plug in modules on the back, with a special interface. It also did not have a real time clock (RTC) module, nor battery. Memory, RTC, serial port, LAN, all came in custom modules that plugged in the back.
I started working at NCR Australia in their York St Sydney office in January 1970. By 1970, NCR's Data Centre was at Ultimo, a near-city suburb. But I recall that the head of the EDP department, Tony Benson, said he started work on the 403 (or was it the 405?) in the basement of the York Street offices in the mid 1960's. By 1970, this data centre machine had been replaced by the NCR 315 model, and soon after, by the Century series of course.
I recall the retailer David Jones had a 315, and later a Century machine.
Comments
Don Fenna (not verified)
NCR computers
Mon, 2006/05/01 - 17:59I'm trying to identify the NCR computer manufactured around 1970 that was based on the English-designed Elliott 403 computer. A 32-bit word machine (but not in bytes), I think it might have been the NCR 511 or thereabouts. Can you help?
Khalid
Are you sure?
Mon, 2006/05/01 - 20:45I am not that old, but I know that NCR did something based on Elliot.
Are you sure about the date though? According to the Elliot article on Wikipedia, the 403 was released in 1956, not 1970.
Geoff C (not verified)
NCR Computers
Fri, 2006/06/02 - 03:18By the 1970's NCR was manufacturing the Century series of machines.
I recall one of the Century machines was in use by a store in Sydney Australia until around 1987 or so. They turned it off, and took it straight from the computer room to the dump.
I did not work on the Century 300, but did work on its successor, the 7000 & 8000 series, right through to the demise :( of VRX/E(& NCR) on the 9800's.
You'll find a bit of history here with photos
Cheers,
--geoff
Mike (not verified)
Your question
Mon, 2007/01/01 - 13:05How about the NCR Decisionmate IV. Possibly early 80's and looks like a Tandt TRS-80
Khalid
I remember those
Mon, 2007/01/01 - 13:46I used these for a few years, and programmed them. They were called Decision Mate V, or DM V for short. I used it starting 1985, so they must have been in production before that.
They were a dual processor, dual operating system PC. It had a Zilog Z80 as well as Intel 8088 processors. Only one processor can be active during a given boot. It had its own version of MS DOS, as well as CP/M. I remember playing Pacman and other games on CP/M on that machine, as well as using them with a terminal emulator connected to a mainframe, and with a LAN called PC2PC that provided file sharing.
It did not have standard ISA expansion slots, but a rather proprietary plug in modules on the back, with a special interface. It also did not have a real time clock (RTC) module, nor battery. Memory, RTC, serial port, LAN, all came in custom modules that plugged in the back.
--
Khalid Baheyeldin
John of Glen Iris (not verified)
Elliott Automation 403 series computers
Fri, 2007/03/30 - 02:33I started working at NCR Australia in their York St Sydney office in January 1970. By 1970, NCR's Data Centre was at Ultimo, a near-city suburb. But I recall that the head of the EDP department, Tony Benson, said he started work on the 403 (or was it the 405?) in the basement of the York Street offices in the mid 1960's. By 1970, this data centre machine had been replaced by the NCR 315 model, and soon after, by the Century series of course.
I recall the retailer David Jones had a 315, and later a Century machine.