The Intertec SuperBrain was an all-in-one commercial microcomputer that was first sold by Intertec Data Systems Corporation of Columbia, South Carolina, USA in 1979. The machine ran the operating system CP/M and was somewhat unusual in that it used dual Z80 CPUs, the second being used as a disk controller. In 1983, the basic machine sold for about US$2,000 (equivalent to $6,120 in 2023).
 The twin-Z80 Intertec SuperBrain | |
| Manufacturer | Intertec Data Systems |
|---|---|
| Type | microcomputer |
| Release date | 1979 |
| Operating system | CP/M |
| CPU | (2x) Z80 @ 4 MHz |
| Memory | 64 KB RAM 2 KB ROM |
| Display | 12" monochrome |
| Connectivity | Two RS-232 serial ports |
| Dimensions | H: 14-5/8" W: 21-3/8" D: 23-1/8" |
| Mass | 45 lb (20 kg) |
There were several variants, including the SuperBrain II (released in 1982), SuperBrain II Jr., "QD" (quad density disk drives) and "SD" (super density) models.
Intertec also released a similar looking dumb terminal, the Intertube, and smart terminal, the Emulator.
The SuperBrain is notable for being at the user end of the first Kermit connection in 1981.
The machine was practical and useful in the office environment, but somewhat limited until the arrival of the first 5 MB hard drive in one of the floppy drive bays. This was soon replaced by the 10 MB hard drive.
Up to 255 CompuStar workstations could be daisy-chained together via DC-37 "Chaining Adaptor" parallel ports to share the "central disk system" (one of the three hard drive peripheral options below). Each computer, or VPU (Video Processing Unit), was assigned a unique number from 1 to 255 by setting an eight-position DIP switch.[1]
Specifications
| Model Number | Processor | Disk Drives | Clock Speed | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CompuStar 10 | Z80 | No drives (network device) | 4 MHz | 64 KB |
| Jr / CompuStar 20 | Z80 | 170 KB | 4 MHz | 64 KB |
| QD (Quad Density) / CompuStar 30 | Z80 | 340 KB | 4 MHz | 64 KB |
| SD (Super Density) / CompuStar 40 | Z80 | 780 KB | 4 MHz | 64 KB |
Peripherals
Applications
- Microsoft BASIC
- 8080 Assembler
- Microsoft COBOL 74
- APL
In pop culture
The Superbrain can be seen in two episodes of Knight Rider: one in Season 1, Episode 10, "The Final Verdict" (1982), and the second in Season 1, Episode 18, "White Bird" (1983).[2]
In John Carpenter’s The Thing, Dr. Blair uses a Superbrain to analyse samples from The Thing from which he estimates that it will take over the world in about three years.[2]
References
External links
- Intertec SuperBrain Archived 2008-04-17 at the Wayback Machine DAVES OLD COMPUTERS
- Superbrain at Old Computer Museum
- Marcus Bennett's Superbrain documentation
- Video walkthrough of restored unit on YouTube