AES S-100 system

[Druid6900]

Hi people,

I, as usual, have a strange piece of hardware come in that looks an awful lot like a chunk of an S-100 system.

It's 3 cards and a backplane, made in Canada and the boards are branded AES. The backplane is branded AES Data Ltd.

The CPU board, running an P8080A, is part# 950-0090 and has a couple of 8-pin dip switches and a 34-pin header at the end opposite the S-100 card edge connector and 2 banks of 8 x 4116s

The I/O board is part# 950-0089, has a couple of ribbon cable with female 34 position card edge connectors (floppy drives?) and another with a 20 position female pin header connector (keyboard?). It also has a 40 position male card edge connector at the end opposite the S-100 connector.

The video card is part# 950-0091 and has a bank of 9 x 4116s and a ribbon cable with a 20 position female card edge connector (video driver board?). It also has a 34 position male pin connector at the end opposite the S-100 connector.

The backplane is part# 950-0092 and consists of two boards, the backplane itself with 5 connectors labelled, from left to right along the bottom edge, Option2, Video, I/O, CPU and Option1. On the connector side of the board, there is 7 pin connector that I'm assuming is the power supply connector and, attached to the non-connector side of the board is another board on stand-offs, connected to the backplane by a 14 conductor flex cable is a smaller board with 6 extended LEDs (functions unknown, probably indicated on the case front panel), two extended shaft rotary pots, a momentary contact switch (probably a reset), a 7407 chip and a two pin right angle connector.

Anyone know anything about this thing? S-100 systems are NOT my forte.

TIA

 

[Druid6900]

Further research seems to indicate that this thing is the innards of a dedicated word processing system from the late '70s/early '80s.

It doesn't appear to be SuperPlus IV (although the CPU, I/O and video boards are very similar {except these boards use tantalum caps where the SPIV uses electrolytics}, the positioning of the "daughterboard" display/controls would be impossible in that case) or a model 203/7100 and may be a rebadged Lanier system but I haven't found any pictures of their systems to be able to tell from the positioning of the controls on the backplane "daughterboard" that must have protruded through the front of the case.

So, I'm still open to info.

 

[NobodyIsHere]

Hi!
That is an interesting artifact you have there.

At least to me, it does not sound like an S-100 system. Are the boards in the 5"x10" S-100 form factor? Would you mind posting some photos of the system and the boards?

Here is a link on the SuperPlus IV and AES:

http://www.vintagecomputers.btinternet.co.uk/aes/index.htm

Did it come with floppy drives or is it just the backplane and cards?

Good luck!

Andrew Lynch

 

[chuckcmagee]

Whoa, with connectors on the side, sure ain't S-100, at least not one that I have ever seen.

Edit: yes that one Andrew found has got to be it. Very closely matches the description of the card, tho the numbers sure don't match.

 

[Druid6900]

Well, after digging through the boxes that were delivered along with this stuff, and doing some logical deductions, it seems that the unit is from a AES "AES Plus" system (which didn't have the extra memory card or serial board, options though, ya know). The two keyboards I found are definately from an integrated, as opposed to a separate, keyboard.

The boards are more like 8" x 12" and I thought they were S-100 because the female connector on the backplane has left/right wipers of 50 each side, but, I seem to recall a buss called the SS-50? My mistake.

Found the two TM-100 drives that went in it as well. Who knows, maybe the case will show up on the next delivery LOL

I'll try and get pictures of the cards and backplane over the next couple of days. Hell, I might even come across the power supply.

 

[NobodyIsHere]

I read that the system used 16 sector HS floppy disks. Those can be tricky to get but are available occasionally. Best of luck!

Keep us posted, this is fascinating!

THANKS!

Andrew Lynch

 

[Druid6900]

Well, just found another keyboard and another one of the video cables which indictates that this person may have had two of these systems at some point. Hopefully, future deliveries from this individual may contain more pieces of this system.

I think their hobby was taking things apart without the slightest clue of how to put them back together again.

 

[Druid6900]

Just found another piece of the puzzle, rather, the computer in question.

I have this block of metal, about 12" x 12" x 6", about the weight of an original IBM AT, that someone, no doubt laughingly, referred to as a power supply. Almost injured myself lifting up the box.

On the back of this power supply is a label that reads AES MD 103.

When I recover from moving the power supply, I'm going to hook it up to the backplane and turn it on and see if a} the pretty lights come on or b} a small mushroom cloud fills my new workspace (used to be a second guest room).

If A then take pictures of everything else if B then call the city bulk pickup department
end

 

[NobodyIsHere]

Just found another piece of the puzzle, rather, the computer in question.

I have this block of metal, about 12" x 12" x 6", about the weight of an original IBM AT, that someone, no doubt laughingly, referred to as a power supply. Almost injured myself lifting up the box.

WTF? That's not a power supply... its a power substation.

Are you sure there isn't an 8" hard drive in there someplace?

On the back of this power supply is a label that reads AES MD 103.

When I recover from moving the power supply, I'm going to hook it up to the backplane and turn it on and see if a} the pretty lights come on or b} a small mushroom cloud fills my new workspace (used to be a second guest room).

If A then take pictures of everything else if B then call the city bulk pickup department
end

Please take video of B too. It will be hugely entertaining for the rest of us!



Have a good time.

Andrew Lynch