====== Rockwell AIM-65 (1977) ======
===== Features =====
* CPU: Rockwell 6502 1MHz
* RAM: 1 to 4 KB (up to 32 KB of static RAM)
* ROM: 8 to 20 KB
* Integrated 20 digit (16 segment) display
* Full size keyboard
* Integrated printer
* Connector for tty input/output
* Tape interface
===== Usage =====
To load custom ROMs, use the cartridge devices. ROMs with the extension ''z26'' go into slot 1, ''z25'' into slot 2 and ''z24'' into slot 3.
For example, to use BASIC, load ''aim65_basic.z26'' into slot 1 and ''aim65_basic.z25'' into slot 2. Then type "5" in the emulation to start it.
== Keyboard ==
54 keys QWERTY full-stroke keyboard.
1! 2" 3# 4$ 5% 6& 7' 8( 9) 0 :* F3 PRINT
ESC Q W E R T Y U I O P -= F2 RETURN
CTRL A S D F G H J K L ;+ LF @ F1 DEL
SHIFT Z X C V B N M ,< .> /? SHIFT
SPACEBAR
===== Known Issues =====
* No printer support
* No tape support
* Would suffer from support for intelligent terminals as tty equipment.
===== History and Trivia =====
This strange computer was designed to be a development system for 6502 based computers. It had no display except for a small 20 character LED screen and a very small thermal printer located directly on the motherboard which could print everything that was typed on the keyboard.
The board featured five 4 KB-ROM sockets. Two of them were dedicated to the AIM monitor program, including an instant input assembler (no labels) and a disassembler. Various programming languages (BASIC, FORTH...) or custom applications could be added in the three remaining sockets.
Several cards were developped for this machine, especially language cards and ROMs: a BASIC card (BASIC language with floating point mathematics capabilities), PL/65 (a mixture of the PL/1 and Algol languages), Instant Pascal (an interpreted version of Pascal), Assembler and the FORTH programming language.
In 1981 Rockwell introduced an improved model with a 40 character display as the AIM-65/40.
//(info from old-computers.com)//
Thanks to Richard A. Cini: provided help and pictures.
===== Links =====
* AIM-65 Documentation -- http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/systems.htm
* AIM-65 at vintage-computer.com -- http://www.vintage-computer.com/aim65.shtml
* AIM-65 at old-computers.com -- http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=58
Generated on Sun Jul 19 10:17:28 2009