SWTPC Advert - January 1978
From Byte - The Small Systems Journal
Your computer system needn't cost a fortune - SWTPC 6800
South Western Technical Products Corporation started out as a company producing kits of the projects often printed in electronics magazines of the late 60s and 70s, before branching out into microcomputers.
This advert is for its 6800 Computer System, based on the Motorola processor of the same name, together with a terminal, video display and a floppy disk unit.
The sibling of the legendary 6502 processor - the 6501 - shared the same pin-out as a Motorola 6800 as it had been designed as a cheap drop-in replacement, much to the consternation of Motorola.
The total price for the whole system as shown was $1,890, or about £9,070 in 2024 money - although note that the minifloppy system costs more than the rest put together. Minifloppy was the trademark of Shugart and was used for its relatively-new 5¼" disk system, which ended up replacing the older 8" format with smaller and - eventually - higher-capacity floppy disks.
There's also a nice bit of (deliberate?) self-referentialism in the advert too, with the magazine it appeared in also appearing in the background of the advert.
Date created: 01 July 2012
Text and otherwise-uncredited photos © nosher.net 2024. Dollar/GBP conversions, where used, assume $1.50 to £1. "Now" prices are calculated dynamically using average RPI per year.