Mark-8

The Mark-8 is a microcomputer design from 1974, based on the Intel 8008 CPU (which was the world's first 8-bit microprocessor). The Mark-8 was designed by graduate student Jonathan Titus and announced as a 'loose kit' in the July 1974 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine.

Project kit 

The Mark-8 was introduced as a 'build it yourself' project in Radio-Electronics'''s July 1974 cover article, offering a US$5 booklet containing circuit board layouts and DIY construction project descriptions, with Titus himself arranging for $50 circuit board sets to be made by a New Jersey company for delivery to hobbyists. Prospective Mark-8 builders had to gather the various electronics parts themselves from a number of different sources. A couple of thousand booklets and some one-hundred circuit board sets were eventually sold.

The Mark-8 was introduced in R-E as "Your Personal Minicomputer". This may be readily understood considering that the microcomputer revolution had yet to happen; the word 'microcomputer' was still far from being common fare. Thus, in their announcement of their computer kit, the editors quite naturally placed the Mark-8 in the same category as the era's other 'minisize' computers.

 Influences 
Although not very commercially successful, the Mark-8 prompted the editors of Popular Electronics'' magazine to consider publishing a similar but more easily accessible microcomputer project, and just six months later, in January 1975, they went through with their plans announcing the Altair 8800.

See also
 Microcomputer
 Minicomputer
SCELBI
MCM/70
Micral

References

External links
 Mark-8 Minicomputer – an original Mark-8, restored to working condition
 A Mark-8 Experience – Terry Ritter's detailed memoir of building and running a Mark-8 in 1974.
 Collection of old analog and digital computers at www.oldcomputermuseum.com
 Jonathan A. Titus, Microcomputer Pioneer
 A look at 5 very different MARK-8 computers

Category:Early microcomputers