RCA Cosmac 1800 Microtutor
YEAR: 1976
ITEM: Digital Computer
COMPANY: RCA
COUNTRY: USA
IN OUR COLLECTION: Yes
The RCA 1800 Microtutor was used to educate engineers and others on how to program microprocessors. Manufactured in 1976, the unit is fully self-contained with the exception of the 9-volt power converter that plugs into the back of the unit. The user is able to see the soldering done on the underside of the main board because of the clear plexiglass bottom. There are 3 slots in the back of the computer labeled M,P,E. The M, standing for memory, allows the insertion of a card containing 256 bytes of memory. The P slot, for processor, allows the insertion of a processor, which in this case, is the RCA CDP1801. The third slot labaled E, is for the expansion and allows users to custom create cards for controlling other devices.
Microtutor is an 8-bit computer powered by the RCA CDP1801 microprocessor. It's made up of 2 plug-in IC's, the control IC and the register IC, both of which are mounted on the same plug-in card. There are four control switches and eight data switches. The Microtutor has a RAM of 256 bytes.
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Documents
Documents for this item have not yet been scanned or not yet posted. There are a lot of pages...contact us if you have an immediate need. (Although there are not a lot of "immediate needs" for a 70+ year old computer!)
OUR DEFINITIONS OF RARITY
One of a Kind: Only known existing item.
Exceedingly Rare: Only 2 to 10 known to exist.
Very Rare: Only 11 to 25 are known to exist.
Rare: Only 26 to 50 are known to exist.
Difficult: Difficult to find.
Available:Can be commonly be purchased.
Unknown: We cannot make a determination.
(For comparison: Many people consider the Apple-1 computer to be rare. As of 2025 there are 92 confirmed and probable Apple-1 computers.)
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