Lehrcomputer
YEAR: 1978
ITEM: Digital Computer
COMPANY: Christiani Publishers
COUNTRY: Germany
IN OUR COLLECTION: Yes
In late 1977 or early 1978, Christiani Technical Institute for Vocational Training, publishers of educational material, offered a kit computer that they called the "Lehrcomputer" (in English, "teaching computer"). The computer appears to have been made in cooperation with Siemens AG.
It was designed around the National Seminconductor SC/MP II processor (the large chip in the bottom left of the vertical board). It had an unusual design with a vertical processor board (reminiscent of the Scelbi 8H). The box was made of plastic an included a power unit. The on/off switch is located on the back right of the computer. The Lehrcomputer came with a thermal printer with a red on/off switch in the front. The paper, about the size of a grocery store receipt, was dispensed from a slot in the back.
We have no primary source material on this computer. If you know anything about this computer, please contact us.
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!)
Exceedingly Rare
We have no idea how many of these were made or how common they were in 1978+. However, we have found only one other "Lehrcomputer" and it is located in the collection at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. They do not seem to have a printer with the 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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