KIM-1 Board Computer

The KIM-1 was the first computer that was made using Peddles 6502 processor at MOS technologies. The computer was a very simple one with 6 LED digits, a hexadecimal keypad, 1kb of ram and a simple but good built in monitor. In addition there was a number of connectors that allowed you to add all sorts of pheripals like a serial terminal or a cassette recorder. Shortly after it was created, Commodore came along and bought MOS simply because they needed to manufacture their own chips for their calculator business! What a lucky coincidence that the skeleton of a whole computer was taking its first steps.

The computer was meant for universitys and hobby enthusiasts who wanted to learn about modern computing at an affordable price. The user had to type the program in by entering assembly op-codes and there were a set of buttons to move the program counter and run programs. There was even a button to step through your code for debugging purposes. It brilliantly simple, but alas difficult to program. But remember these were days where people knew the 6502 opcodes and their hex values by heart! :)

The first boards that were released by MOS were green, and the Commodore owned versions used a White board and has the Commodore logo on it.

Picture is from OldComputers.net

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