Meet the first personal computer in the world, the Kenbak-1!
Imagine a time before the internet, social media or even before floppy disks existed. Yup! The history of the personal computer isn’t going to be the same without Kenbak-1!
So, let’s get going and dive deep into the most influential invention that changed the world of technology forever!
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Kenbak-1 The First Personal Computer in the World
From room-sized giants to something that you can carry around in your pocket, the history of the personal computer is one interesting topic to cover.
Long before that, personal computers were these massive things that were used by the
governments, universities and some giant corporations.
Thus, the idea of having a personal computer at that time seemed like science fiction. But then came the Kenbak-1, the first personal computer in the world that was a giant leap for technology.
Picture the Kenbak-1 as the grandpa of your PC and laptop as this device was invented in 1971 by John Blankenbaker, even before the Intel 4004, the first commercially produced microprocessor was invented.
Yup, it might not even be able to run your favorite game on windows like Solitaire, but for its time, it was a groundbreaking concept!
The production of Kenbak-1 was started in 1971, with a total of less than 50 machines were built, and it was sold for US$750 at that time which is around US$5,640 today.
Specification of Kenbak-1
Here’s a breakdown of its key specification:
- Processor: The Kenbak-1 pre-dates the microprocessor, but it relied on TTL integrated circuits (imagine this as tiny switches and resistors that working together to create a simple functions) to perform operations.
- Clock Speed: Through a use of 1 microsecond clock signal period, the Kenbak -1 achieved a clock speed equivalent to 1MHz
- Memory: 256 bytes, through the use of Intel’s type 1404A silicon gate MOS shift registers.
- Storage: No secondary storage
- Input/Output:
- 8 toggle switches for entering data.
- 8 LED lights for displaying output.
- Additional internal registers for program control and data manipulation.
While lacking in a lot of features that are present in modern computers like keyboard, monitor or even operating system, the Kenbak-1 has given us a valuable learning tool for understanding computer programming fundamentals.
So there it is the first personal computer that revolutionized the technology world, Kenbak-1!
Hey, did you know that PCs including laptops can emit radio frequency signals? These signals are the fundamental things for your PC and laptop to be able to connect to the internet.
As in Indonesia, the use of radio frequency signals is strictly regulated under the Indonesian regulation No. 16 Tahun 2018 about telecommunication devices certification, every communication device that is still being produced, assembled, used and traded in Indonesian territory, is mandatory to have type approval certification.
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