SOL-20
| Description | |
| Manufacturer | Processor Technology |
| Model | Sol-20 Terminal Computer |
| Date Announced | 1976 |
| Date Canceled | Unknown |
| Number Produced | About tens thousand |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Price | $1,000 kit, $2,000 assembled |
| Current Value | $250 and up |
| Specifications | --- |
| Processor | Intel 8080 |
| Speed | 2 MHz |
| RAM | Usually 8K-64K |
| ROM | 1 or 2K ROM, 1K video |
| Storage | |
| Expansion | 5 expansion slots |
| Bus | S-100 |
| Video | |
| I/O | Parallel, Serial |
| OS Options | CP/M, BASIC, NorthStar DOS and a variety of others |
| Notes | The SOL-20 was probably the first PC to incorprate a keyboard and video with the machine. This form factor obviously became the norm when the Apple ][ debuted a year or more later. The SOL also included ROM "personality modules" that allowed the computer to have some native code at power on. Other than that, however, the SOL-20 was a fairly typical S-100 system in a different package. |
| Related Items in Collection | MITS Altair 8800, IMSAI 8080 and a variety of other S-100 systems. |
| Related Items Wanted | Helios disk subsystem, additional personality modules, additional software, expansion chassis, etc. |
Processor Technology was started as an add-in card company producing mainly memory cards for the MITS Altair 8800. Like many similar companies, they quickly expanded into producing competing systems themselves.
The SOL-20, designed by Lee Felsenstein and conceptualized by Bob Marsh and Les Solomon, was a seminal personal computer that was first to include integrated keyboard, video and ROM in the same package. This model quickly became the industry standard for user friendly personal computers.
The Sol-20 was an 8080 based system that incorporated the Processor Technology VDM-1 to produce video on a television or composite monitor. The system included a monitor ROM that allowed the user to boot the machine into a semi-usable mode on power up.
The machine in my collection is in exceptionally good condition and works perfectly.
The SOL-20 had a very clean design with a large motherboard, a five slot S-100 card cage and a relatively small power supply.
From the back you can get a clear shot of the card cage and the "personality module" on the bottom right.
The SOL-20 runs perfectly and a quick memory dump can be seen here on a standard composite monitor hooked up to the system.
I've got a manual around here somewhere. As soon as I dig it up I'll post pictures.