Intel 4004 and the Busicom 141-PF

[Benoit Maag]

Intel developed the first microprocessor to satisfy the requirements of Busicom, a Japanese customer. A trip to Munich gave me the opportunity to visit the Deutsches Museum, which is an amazing technology museum, the best I have ever visited.

Exhibited there are an Intel 4004 microprocessor, and the first machine that ever hosted a microprocessor, the Busicom 141-PF calculator. See attached picture.
   

[Steve Simpkin]

That is very cool!
The story behind the development of the Intel 4004 is a great story.
Busicom was also responsible for commissioning the first calculator-on-a-chip.
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/b..._4004.html

[rprosperi]

Thanks for showing this Benoit, that Museum is on my list of must-visit locations and I will eventually get there.

Only 2 weeks ago while attending VCF East, I saw an exhibit of one of these calculators, which also showed the board and "cpu" like this. From that, I knew that this calculator was an early user of microprocessors, but had no idea it was the first, and the driver behind its design. That a calculator drove such microprocessor design is somehow satisfying!

[Didier Lachieze]

Yes the microprocessor revolution was initiated by calculators needs.

In addition to the intel 4004 there is the Rockwell PPS-4 used in the Sharp PC-1001 and PC-1002 (and later on in pinball machines):

Quote: The PPS-4 is one of only four microprocessors introduced before 1974 (the others being Intel’s 4004 and 8008, and National Semi’s IMP-16). The PPS-4 was the only competitor to Intel 4004. And like the 4004 was originally developed for calculator applications.

(Source: http://www.antiquetech.com/?page_id=796)

[Karl-Ludwig Butte]

(04-29-2024 04:33 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  That is very cool!
The story behind the development of the Intel 4004 is a great story.
Busicom was also responsible for commissioning the first calculator-on-a-chip.
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/b..._4004.html

If you are fascinated by the story of Intel's 4004 you would like to read from the man who built the 4004: Federico Faggin tells this story as no one else can do in his book "Silicon: From the Invention of the Microprocessor to the New Science of Consciousness", Waterside Productions (8. Februar 2021), ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1949003413.

Best regards

Karl

[Benoit Maag]

Fascinating article - thank you Steve.

(04-29-2024 04:33 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  That is very cool!
The story behind the development of the Intel 4004 is a great story.
Busicom was also responsible for commissioning the first calculator-on-a-chip.
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/b..._4004.html