IMSAI 8080
The IMSAI 8080 is an early microcomputer that was released in late 1975 and is based on the Intel 8080 microprocessor. The system is widely regarded as the first commercial "clone" of the legendary MITS Altair 8800, which had entered the market just a year earlier. However, the IMSAI 8080 offered several improvements over the Altair, including a more robust power supply, a more user-friendly front panel interface, and a modular internal architecture, making it appealing to hobbyists, engineers, and small businesses.
IMSAI 8080
The IMSAI 8080 is an early microcomputer that was released in late 1975 and is based on the Intel 8080 microprocessor. The system is widely regarded as the first commercial "clone" of the legendary MITS Altair 8800, which had entered the market just a year earlier. However, the IMSAI 8080 offered several improvements over the Altair, including a more robust power supply, a more user-friendly front panel interface, and a modular internal architecture, making it appealing to hobbyists, engineers, and small businesses.
The IMSAI ran a heavily modified version of the popular CP/M operating system, which was adapted and rebranded as IMDOS. This operating system enabled users to easily run applications such as word processors, assemblers, and other development tools, and played a significant role in the machine's adoption among technical and academic communities.
The computer was developed, manufactured, and sold by the American company IMSAI (IMS Associates, Inc.), based in San Leandro, California. The system featured a modular design and utilized the S-100 bus, a standardized expansion bus that later became the foundation for many other microcomputers of that era. This open architecture allowed users to add expansion cards themselves, such as memory modules, serial ports, or storage controllers.
Between 1975 and 1978, an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 units of the IMSAI 8080 were produced. Although the company eventually went bankrupt in the early 1980s, it left a lasting mark on the early history of personal computing.
The IMSAI 8080 gained widespread public recognition when it was featured in the 1983 film WarGames. In the movie, the main character—played by Matthew Broderick—used the computer to gain access to a military network. Thanks to its prominent role in a popular film, the IMSAI 8080 achieved iconic status among both tech enthusiasts and movie fans.
