Ohio Scientific
Model:Superboard II
( Model 600 )
Available:1978
Price:US $279 assembled
CPU:6502
RAM:4K static RAM, 8K max
Display:composite video
30 X 30 text
Ports:video, cassette
Storage:cassette
OS:Microsoft BASIC in ROM
machine "monitor"


The age of affordable personal computing has finally arrived.

"Ohio Scientific has made a major breakthrough in small computer technology which dramatically reduces the cost of personal computers. By the use of custom LSI micro circuits, we have managed to put a complete ultra-high performance computer and all necessary interfaces, including the keyboard and power supply, on a single printed circuit board.

This new computer actually has more features and higher performance than some home or personal computers that are selling today for up to $2000. It is more powerful than computer systems which cost over $20,000 in the early 1970's."

By late 1978, Ohio Scientific (OSI) had numerous systems and configurations to offer:

Challenger I Series - Economical computer systems that talk in BASIC.
Ideal for hobbyists, students, education and the home		Minimum configurationBase price
Superboard II World's first complete system on a board, including keyboard, video display, audio cassette, BASIC-in-ROM, and up to 8K RAM.4K RAM$ 279
C-1PSuperboard II with case and power supply4K RAM$ 349
C-1P MFC-1P with 16K RAM and minifloppy16K RAM$ 1190
Challenger II Series - Ultra high performance bus oriented microcomputers for personal, educational, research and small business use.
C2-4PSimilar to C-1P but on a standard OSI 48-pin bus and with 64 X 32 video display.4K RAM$ 598
C2-4P MFA 16K C2-4P with minifloppy.16K RAM$ 1464
C2-8PIdentical to C2-4P except with eight expansion slots and separate keyboard.4K RAM$ 799
C2-8P DFA 32K C2-8P with dual 8-inch floppies.32K RAM$ 2597
C2-0A serial version. No video board or keyboard.4K RAM$ 298
Challenger III Series - The unique three processor system for demanding business, education, research and industrial development applications.
C3-S1Three processors (6502, 6800, Z-80) with 32K RAM and dual 8-inch floppies, two cases.32K RAM$ 3590
C3-OEMAs above, with everything in one case.32K RAM$ 3590
C3-A48K, dual floppies, 16-slot backplane, rack.48K RAM$ 5090
C3-BAs above, with 74 megabyte hard drive.
"World's most powerfull microcomputer."		48K RAM$ 11,090
C3-CC3-A with 24 megabyte bard drive.48K RAM---


Ohio Scientific C2-4P

"$598 - The professional portable that has over 3-times the display capability of 1P's (Superboard II). Features 64 X 32 character display capability, graphics, full computer type keyboard, audio cassette port, and 4-slot BUS (only two used in base machine). It has 8K BASIC, 4K RAM, and can be expanded to 32K RAM, dual mini-floppies, and a printer." - 1977
The C2-4P is comprised of the OSI 500 (CPU), 540 (video), and 542 (keyboard) cards.

Ohio Scientific Challenger 4P

The Professional Computer Line by Ohio Scientific

"$698 - The professional portable that has over three times the display capability of C1P (Superboard II). Features 64 X 32 character display in up to 16 colors, graphics, audio output, a DAC for voice and music generation, keypad and joystick interfaces, AC remote control interface and much more.

Utilizes a 4-slot bus (2 slots are occupied in the base machine), 8K BASIC-in-ROM, 8K of static RAM and audio cassette interface. Can be directly expanded to 32K static RAM and two mini-floppy disks." - 1979
The Challenger 4P is comprised of the OSI 502 (CPU) and 540 (video) cards.
The Challenger 4PMF (mini-floppy) includes the OSI 505 (CPU), 527 (Memory), 540 (video), and A13 (disk connect) cards.
Both have the OSI 542 (keyboard) and A15 (I/O panel).



Related Links

  • Mark S. Csele's page on the Ohio Scientific
  • OSI hardware by board number
  • Dave's OSI page
  • Ohio Scientific C4P page
  • Win OSI Homepage - OSI emulator for Windows




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