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Info for aim65


====== 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