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Revision as of 01:08, 8 October 2020

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[[File:4051ad.png|thumb|350px|right]]
[[File:Tek_4051_front_01.jpg|thumb|300px|right]]
The '''Tektronix 4051''' was a graphics-capable desktop microcomputer produced by Tektronix in the late 1970s through the early 1980s. The display technology was similar to the Tektronix [[4010]] terminal, using a [[direct-view storage CRT]] display (like an analog storage scope) to avoid the need for video RAM. It was all-in-one design with the display, keyboard, CPU and a 300 kByte [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter-inch_cartridge DC300 quarter-inch cartridge tape drive] in a single desktop case, and included a [[GPIB]] interface. A simple operating system and BASIC interpreter were included in ROM.
The '''Tektronix 4051''' is a graphics-capable desktop microcomputer produced by Tektronix in the late 1970s through the early 1980s. The display is similar to the Tektronix [[4010]] terminal, using a [[direct-view storage CRT]] display (like an analog storage scope) to avoid the need for video RAM.   


The storage tube display allowed the screen to retain images drawn to it, eliminating the need for frame-buffer memory. This allowed the resolution to be as high as the hardware could handle, which was ostensibly 1024 by 1024 but limited by the physical layout of the screen to 1024 by 780. It also allowed the machine to dedicate all of its memory to the programs running on it, as opposed to partitioning off a section for the buffer.
An all-in-one design, the 4051 includes display, keyboard, CPU and a 300 kByte [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter-inch_cartridge DC300 quarter-inch cartridge tape drive] in a single desktop case, and includes a [[GPIB]] interface. A simple operating system and BASIC interpreter are stored in ROM.


The 4051 was based on an 8-bit [[Motorola 6800]] CPU running at 1 MHz, and normally shipped with 8 kB of RAM expandable to 32 kB using 8 kB modules.
The storage tube display allows the screen to retain images drawn to it, eliminating the need for frame-buffer memory, and allowing the resolution to be as high as the display hardware can handle - logical coordinates are 1024 by 1024 of which the physical screen displays 1024 by 780. This type of display does not require a raster buffer memory, so all memory can be dedicated to programs and data.
The remaining 32 kB of address space was reserved for ROM, which could be expanded using one or two external ROM cartridges of 8 kB each. It included six character sets in ROM and an extended dialect of BASIC that included various vector drawing commands.


The 4051 was released in 1975 for the base price of $5,995 (2016 value $26,900). Adding the optional RS-232 interface allowed it to emulate a Tektronix [[4012]] terminal.
The 4051 is based on an 8-bit [[Motorola 6800]] CPU running at 1 MHz, and normally shipped with 8 kB of RAM expandable to 32 kB using 8 kB modules.
 
The remaining 32 kB of address space is reserved for ROM, which can be expanded using one or two external ROM cartridges of 8 kB each. The ROM includes six character sets and an extended dialect of BASIC including various vector drawing commands.
 
The 4051 was released in 1975 for the base price of $5,995 (2020 value $28,960). Adding the optional RS-232 interface allowed it to emulate a Tektronix [[4012]] terminal.


Key designer of the 4051 was [[Hiro Moriyasu]].
Key designer of the 4051 was [[Hiro Moriyasu]].
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* [[4051R08|Signal Processing Cartridge Number 2]]
* [[4051R08|Signal Processing Cartridge Number 2]]


==Pictures==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Tek_4051_comint01.jpg|Communication Interface
Tek_4051_comint01.jpg|Communication Interface
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Tek_4051_front_01.jpg|Front view
Tek_4051_front_01.jpg|Front view
Tek_4051_keyboard_01.jpg|Keyboard
Tek_4051_keyboard_01.jpg|Keyboard
 
4051ad.png | 4051 ad
</gallery>
</gallery>


Retrieved from "https://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/57498"

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