
Imsai 8080 Computer (2004) - webdva
http://oldcomputers.net/imsai8080.html
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carlos
I bought an Imsai8080 replica from
[https://thehighnibble.com/imsai8080/](https://thehighnibble.com/imsai8080/) I
had a really nice time building the kit, toggle switches and display leds look
exactly like original ones. Internally is an emulation of the IMSAI 8080 based
on the ESP32 microcontroller

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wazoox
You may also find a more faithful replica of the Altair 8800 here
[https://altairclone.com/](https://altairclone.com/) though admittedly the
IMSAI with its big coloured toggles is much more eye-catching.

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tyingq
Less faithful replica of the Altair, but much more affordable:
[https://www.adwaterandstir.com/altair/](https://www.adwaterandstir.com/altair/)

There's also a very affordable (< $100, including the needed Arduino DUE)
workalike that pops up on eBay every now and again...I bought one:
[https://imgur.com/a/qntqSMG](https://imgur.com/a/qntqSMG)

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jdsully
I have one of these, got it after landing my first big tech job. I learned to
program on an emulator of these 8-bit computers so it meant a lot to finally
get a real one.

Most people search for high level languages when learning programming. My
brain worked different - I wanted to boil the complexity away and learn the
fundamentals. These 8 bit machines were the simplest computers I could find to
achieve that.

The joke was on me though, mine had been upgraded to a Z80 card (yay!) that
unfortunately no longer worked with the front panel (boo!).

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antonvs
> I wanted to boil the complexity away and learn the fundamentals.

Ah, presumably you mean the lambda calculus.

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jdsully
If only lambda calculus had big colourful switches and blinken lights.

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hvs
Ah, the computer from "Wargames".

[https://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm](https://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm)

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imglorp
Look at that rectified power supply. The transformer is enormous, guessing
about 15 kg, and the filter caps could shock an elephant. The ripple noise
would have irritated open collector logic.

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tyingq
I assume that's the reason for the 2 giant capacitors.

The whole unit weighs 40lbs (~18kg). The default power supply output 380
watts, and there was an optional larger one with 480.

[https://www.hartetechnologies.com/manuals/IMSAI/8080%20Syste...](https://www.hartetechnologies.com/manuals/IMSAI/8080%20System.pdf)

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jmount
My father purchased and built one of the originals as a kit. There was a
program that played "flight of the bumble bee" on radio using radio leakage on
the S100 bus.

