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Our Collection

With over 20,000 items in our collection, we are more equipped to open displays to the public than any other private or public institution currently preserving electronic, analogue and mechanical computing history in Australia. 

EXPLORE OUR PARTIAL CATALOGUE HERE

THE MICROBEE SYSTEM (1982)

by | November 24, 2020 | Collection | 0 Comments

The Microbee system was designed and developed in Australia. The descendant of S-100 systems, it was originally sold as a DIY kit, but went on to become a prefabricated staple in Aussie classrooms and home offices.Slide rules – Fuller cylindrical, Hemi, circular,...
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PDP-8 [1965]

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

The PDP-8 was a 12-bit mini-computer produced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and was introduced in 1965. It was the worlds first commercially successful mini-computer with over 50,000 being sold and its low cost and high volume meant it was available to many...
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APPLE II (1977)

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

A genius of open-ended design, a true poem of elegance, excellence and expandability, the Apple II was the realisation of a dream Steve Wozniak had been harbouring since his early days at the Homebrew Computer Club in Menlo Park, CA...
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COMMODORE 64 (1982)

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

Now here is a real rockstar of a home computer! Released in 1982, it would soon dominate the market, with over 12.5 million units sold over 11 years. The C64, as it is affectionately known, is still in use today by hardcore enthusiasts…
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IBM AS/400 (1988)

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

IBM introduced this computer in 1988, and announced more than 1,000 software packages (the biggest simultaneous applications announcement in computer history). The AS/400 family includes six processor models. It offers double the performance of the System/38 and 5x..
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TRS-80 LINE (TANDY RADIO SHACK) (1977)

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

Part of the “holy trinity” of early home computers, the TRS-80 (or “Trash-80”, to its detractors) was as infamous as it was trailblazing. Boasting a Zilog-80 processor, early revisions lacked the magnetic shielding to prevent RF waves from the processor...
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TYPE 026 CARD PUNCH (1949)

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

Truly, a blast from the past. Long before we walked around with touchscreen keyboards, computers had to receive input through punched holes in cards. Here we have an IBM 026, announced in 1949. The heart of the 024 and 026 keypunches was a set of twelve relays...
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IBM 1401(1959)

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

The 1401 is considered to be the first fully transistorised computer of the mainframe era. Over 12,000 units were produced; many were leased or resold after they were replaced with newer technology. The 1401 was withdrawn from IBM sales catalogues on February 8,1971...
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Big Magnetic Drum

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

Now here’s a big magnetic drum – this thing, roughly the size of a small washing machine (and weighing far, far more), used to be the standard method for storing data. This has individual read/write heads…
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THE MICROBEE SYSTEM (1982)

by | February 6, 2019 | Collection | 0 Comments

The Microbee system was designed and developed in Australia. The descendant of S-100 systems, it was originally sold as a DIY kit, but went on to become a prefabricated staple in Aussie classrooms and home offices...
Read More