Sirius Systems Technology: Difference between revisions

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=={{anchor|Victor 9000|Sirius 1}}Victor 9000 / Sirius 1==
=={{anchor|Victor 9000|Sirius 1}}Victor 9000 / Sirius 1==
{{Infobox information appliance
{{Infobox information appliance
| name         = Victor 9000
| name = Victor 9000
| title       =  
| title =  
| aka         = ACT Sirius 1
| aka = ACT Sirius 1
| logo         =  
| logo =  
| image       =  
| image =  
| caption     =  
| caption =  
| developer   =  
| developer =  
| manufacturer = [[Applied Computer Techniques]]
| manufacturer = [[Applied Computer Techniques]]
| family       =  
| family =  
| type         = [[Personal computer]]
| type = [[Personal computer]]
| generation   =  
| generation =  
| releasedate = Late {{Start date and age|1981}}
| releasedate = Late {{Start date and age|1981}}
| lifespan     =  
| lifespan =  
| price       =  
| price =  
| discontinued =  
| discontinued =  
| unitssold   =  
| unitssold =  
| unitsshipped =  
| unitsshipped =  
| media       =  
| media =  
| os           = [[MS-DOS]] and [[CP/M-86]]
| os = [[MS-DOS]] and [[CP/M-86]]
| power       =  
| power =  
| soc         =  
| soc =  
| cpu         = {{nowrap|5 MHz}} @ [[Intel 8088]] CPU
| cpu = {{nowrap|5 MHz}} @ [[Intel 8088]] CPU
| memory       = {{nowrap|128 KB}} (Max {{nowrap|896 KB}})
| memory = {{nowrap|128 KB}} (Max {{nowrap|896 KB}})
| storage     = Two 5 1/4-inch floppies (1.2 MB double-sided)
| storage = Two 5 1/4-inch floppies (1.2 MB double-sided)
| memory card =
| memory card =  
| display     = Monochrome CRT
| display = Monochrome CRT
| graphics     = [[Motorola 6845|Hitachi 46505]]: Text mode {{nowrap|80 × 25}} or graphics {{nowrap|800 × 400 pixels}}
| graphics = [[Motorola 6845|Hitachi 46505]]: Text mode {{nowrap|80 × 25}} or graphics {{nowrap|800 × 400 pixels}}
| sound       =  
| sound = Voice coding using CVSD modulation, sampling rate of about 16 KHz
| input       = 94 key keyboard with numpad
| input = 94 key keyboard with numpad
| controllers =  
| controllers =  
| camera       =  
| camera =  
| touchpad     =  
| touchpad =  
| connectivity =  
| connectivity =  
| platform     =  
| platform =  
| service     =  
| service =  
| dimensions   =  
| dimensions =  
| weight       =  
| weight =  
| topgame     =  
| topgame =  
| compatibility=  
| compatibility =  
| predecessor =  
| predecessor =  
| successor   =  
| successor =  
| related     =  
| related =  
| website     = <!--{{URL|example.org}}-->
| website = <!--{{URL|example.org}}-->
}}
}}


The '''Victor 9000''' (distributed in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] by British company [[Applied Computer Techniques]]<ref>[http://www.actapricot.org/history/apricot_history.html Apricot history]</ref> as the '''ACT Sirius 1''', and in [[Australia]] by Barson Computers as the '''Sirius 1''') was designed by Peddle, who had also designed the first [[Commodore PET]]. His team began work in January 1981 and showed a prototype in April.<ref name="lemmonspeddle198211">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1982-11/1982_11_BYTE_07-11_Graphics#page/n281/mode/2up |title=Chuck Peddle / Chief Designer of the Victor 9000 |work=[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]] |date=November 1982 |access-date=2013-10-19 |author-last=Lemmons |author-first=Phil |page=256}}</ref> It appeared for the first time at the {{ill|Systems (fair){{!}}Systems|de|Systems}} show in [[Munich|Munich, Germany]], in late 1981. Chuck Peddle used two of his [[Commodore International|Commodore]] contacts to set up two subsidiaries in continental Europe. David Deane ([[France]]) and Jürgen Tepper ([[Germany]]) were both ex-[[Mannesmann Tally]] whom Chuck had met while negotiating an [[Original equipment manufacturer|OEM]] deal for printers.
The '''Victor 9000''' (distributed in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] by British company [[Applied Computer Techniques]]<ref>[http://www.actapricot.org/history/apricot_history.html Apricot history]</ref> as the '''ACT Sirius 1''', and in [[Australia]] by Barson Computers as the '''Sirius 1''') was designed by Peddle, who had also designed the first [[Commodore PET]]. His team began work in January 1981 and showed a prototype in April.<ref name="lemmonspeddle198211">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1982-11/1982_11_BYTE_07-11_Graphics#page/n281/mode/2up |title=Chuck Peddle / Chief Designer of the Victor 9000 |work=[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]] |date=November 1982 |access-date=2013-10-19 |author-last=Lemmons |author-first=Phil |page=256}}</ref> It appeared for the first time at the {{ill|Systems (fair){{!}}Systems|de|Systems}} show in [[Munich|Munich, Germany]], in late 1981. Chuck Peddle used two of his [[Commodore International|Commodore]] contacts to set up two subsidiaries in continental Europe. David Deane ([[France]]) and Jürgen Tepper ([[Germany]]) were both ex-[[Mannesmann Tally]] whom Chuck had met while negotiating an [[Original equipment manufacturer|OEM]] deal for printers.


The Victor 9000/Sirius 1 ran [[CP/M-86]] and [[MS-DOS]] but did not claim to be [[IBM PC compatible]]. It offered a higher resolution screen and 600&nbsp;KB/1.2&nbsp;MB floppy drives.<ref name="Sargent_1988"/> Advertisements cited the graphics, multiple operating systems, 128&nbsp;KB of RAM, and high-quality audio.<ref name="byte198211">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1982-11/1982_11_BYTE_07-11_Graphics#page/n125/mode/2up |title=The Victor 9000, inside out. |work=[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]] |date=November 1982 |access-date=2013-10-19 |type=Advertisement}}</ref> One striking difference between it and other machines on the market at the time was the fact that the disc utilized a form of [[zoned constant linear velocity]] (ZCLV) (using 9 different speed-zones selected out of 15 supported by the hardware) with a variant of [[zone bit recording]] (ZBR) (11 to 19 sectors depending on zone) to spun at different speeds according to where the data was stored, running slower towards the outer edge of the disc in such a way that bit density (bits per cm passing the head), rather than rotational speed, was approximately constant.<ref name="Victor_1982_Technical_Reference"/><ref name="Victor_1983_Technical_Reference"/> This, combined with [[Sirius GCR|group-coded recording]] (GCR), allowed standard floppy disks to hold more data than others at the time, 600&nbsp;KB on single- and 1.2&nbsp;MB on double-sided floppies compared with 140–160&nbsp;KB per side of other machines such as the [[Apple II]] and early [[IBM PC]], but disks made at constant bit density were not compatible with machines with standard drives.<ref name="Victor_1982_Technical_Reference"/><ref name="Victor_1983_Technical_Reference"/><ref name="Sargent_1988"/> The Victor 9000's 800x400 resolution screen (based on a [[Hitachi 46505]] CRT controller chip - equivalent to a [[Motorola 6845]]),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://manualzz.com/doc/10131951/victor-9000-computer--hardware-review|title = Victor 9000 computer, hardware review &#124; Manualzz}}</ref> 896&nbsp;KB of memory (RAM), programmable keyboard and character set were also far ahead of the competition.<ref name="Sargent_1988"/>
The Victor 9000/Sirius 1 ran [[CP/M-86]] and [[MS-DOS]] but did not claim to be [[IBM PC compatible]]. It offered a higher resolution screen and 600&nbsp;KB/1.2&nbsp;MB floppy drives.<ref name="Sargent_1988"/> Advertisements cited the graphics, multiple operating systems, 128&nbsp;KB of RAM, and high-quality audio.<ref name="byte198211">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1982-11/1982_11_BYTE_07-11_Graphics#page/n125/mode/2up |title=The Victor 9000, inside out. |work=[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]] |date=November 1982 |access-date=2013-10-19 |type=Advertisement}}</ref> Audio was provided by a MC6852-SSDA chip and a [[Codec|CODEC]] supporting [[Speech coding|voice coding]] with [[Continuously variable slope delta modulation|CVSD]] modulation with a sampling rate of about 16KHz.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/www.bitsavers.org/pdf/victor/victor9000/Victor9000TechRef_Jun82.pdf |title=VICTOR 9000 TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL |date=June 1982 |publisher=Victor Business Products, Inc. |pages=5-1 |chapter=5. Audio System}}</ref>
 
The Victor 9000 graphic hardware, (based on a [[Hitachi 46505]] CRT controller chip - equivalent to a [[Motorola 6845]]), was capable of displaying [[Raster graphics|bitmap graphics]] in {{Resx|800|400}} resolution on a 12<nowiki>''</nowiki> [[Monochrome monitor|monochrome CRT]], with a [[refresh rate]] of 76 Hz [[Interlaced video|interlaced]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/www.bitsavers.org/pdf/victor/victor9000/Victor9000TechRef_Jun82.pdf |title=VICTOR 9000 TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL |date=June 1982 |publisher=Victor Business Products, Inc. |pages=1-3 |chapter=1.3 Display Unit}}</ref>
 
One striking difference between it and other machines on the market at the time was the fact that the disc utilized a form of [[zoned constant linear velocity]] (ZCLV) (using 9 different speed-zones selected out of 15 supported by the hardware) with a variant of [[zone bit recording]] (ZBR) (11 to 19 sectors depending on zone) to spun at different speeds according to where the data was stored, running slower towards the outer edge of the disc in such a way that bit density (bits per cm passing the head), rather than rotational speed, was approximately constant.<ref name="Victor_1982_Technical_Reference" /><ref name="Victor_1983_Technical_Reference" /> This, combined with [[Sirius GCR|group-coded recording]] (GCR), allowed standard floppy disks to hold more data than others at the time, 600&nbsp;KB on single- and 1.2&nbsp;MB on double-sided floppies compared with 140–160&nbsp;KB per side of other machines such as the [[Apple II]] and early [[IBM PC]], but disks made at constant bit density were not compatible with machines with standard drives.<ref name="Victor_1982_Technical_Reference" /><ref name="Victor_1983_Technical_Reference" /><ref name="Sargent_1988" />  
 
The Victor 9000's 800x400 resolution screen (based on a [[Hitachi 46505]] CRT controller chip - equivalent to a [[Motorola 6845]]),<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://manualzz.com/doc/10131951/victor-9000-computer--hardware-review|title = Victor 9000 computer, hardware review &#124; Manualzz}}</ref> 896&nbsp;KB of memory (RAM), programmable keyboard and character set were also far ahead of the competition.<ref name="Sargent_1988" />


While unsuccessful in North America, Victor 9000 became the most popular 16-bit business computer in Europe, especially in Britain and Germany, while IBM delayed the release of the PC there. Its success led to the [[ACT Apricot]].<ref name="pountain198411">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1984-11/1984_11_BYTE_09-12_New_Chips#page/n411/mode/2up |title=A Plethora of Portables |work=[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]] |date=November 1984 |access-date=2013-10-23 |author-last=Pountain |author-first=Dick |page=413}}</ref> ACT outsold the Sirius/Victor subsidiaries and also led the way in proving that application software was the key to sales. Most sales across Europe went through small systems houses rather than computer shops.
While unsuccessful in North America, Victor 9000 became the most popular 16-bit business computer in Europe, especially in Britain and Germany, while IBM delayed the release of the PC there. Its success led to the [[ACT Apricot]].<ref name="pountain198411">{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1984-11/1984_11_BYTE_09-12_New_Chips#page/n411/mode/2up |title=A Plethora of Portables |work=[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]] |date=November 1984 |access-date=2013-10-23 |author-last=Pountain |author-first=Dick |page=413}}</ref> ACT outsold the Sirius/Victor subsidiaries and also led the way in proving that application software was the key to sales. Most sales across Europe went through small systems houses rather than computer shops.

Latest revision as of 23:04, 10 June 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherTemplate:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Sirius Systems Technology was a personal computer manufacturer in Scotts Valley, California. It was founded in 1980 by Chuck Peddle and Chris Fish, formerly of MOS Technology and capitalized by Walter Kidde Inc. In late 1982 Sirius acquired Victor Business Systems (known for its calculators and cash registers) from Kidde and changed its name to Victor Technologies. It made the Victor/Sirius series of personal computers. The company made a public stock offering in the first half of 1983, but went into Chapter 11 protection from bankruptcy before the end of 1984. The company's assets were acquired by Datatronic AB, a Swedish software/hardware distribution company headed by Template:Ill. Gabrielsson signed a distribution deal with Kyocera, which began to supply PC clones to Victor.

Script error: No such module "anchor".Victor 9000 / Sirius 1

Template:Infobox information appliance

The Victor 9000 (distributed in the UK by British company Applied Computer Techniques[1] as the ACT Sirius 1, and in Australia by Barson Computers as the Sirius 1) was designed by Peddle, who had also designed the first Commodore PET. His team began work in January 1981 and showed a prototype in April.[2] It appeared for the first time at the Template:Ill show in Munich, Germany, in late 1981. Chuck Peddle used two of his Commodore contacts to set up two subsidiaries in continental Europe. David Deane (France) and Jürgen Tepper (Germany) were both ex-Mannesmann Tally whom Chuck had met while negotiating an OEM deal for printers.

The Victor 9000/Sirius 1 ran CP/M-86 and MS-DOS but did not claim to be IBM PC compatible. It offered a higher resolution screen and 600 KB/1.2 MB floppy drives.[3] Advertisements cited the graphics, multiple operating systems, 128 KB of RAM, and high-quality audio.[4] Audio was provided by a MC6852-SSDA chip and a CODEC supporting voice coding with CVSD modulation with a sampling rate of about 16KHz.[5]

The Victor 9000 graphic hardware, (based on a Hitachi 46505 CRT controller chip - equivalent to a Motorola 6845), was capable of displaying bitmap graphics in Template:Resx resolution on a 12'' monochrome CRT, with a refresh rate of 76 Hz interlaced.[6][7]

One striking difference between it and other machines on the market at the time was the fact that the disc utilized a form of zoned constant linear velocity (ZCLV) (using 9 different speed-zones selected out of 15 supported by the hardware) with a variant of zone bit recording (ZBR) (11 to 19 sectors depending on zone) to spun at different speeds according to where the data was stored, running slower towards the outer edge of the disc in such a way that bit density (bits per cm passing the head), rather than rotational speed, was approximately constant.[8][9] This, combined with group-coded recording (GCR), allowed standard floppy disks to hold more data than others at the time, 600 KB on single- and 1.2 MB on double-sided floppies compared with 140–160 KB per side of other machines such as the Apple II and early IBM PC, but disks made at constant bit density were not compatible with machines with standard drives.[8][9][3]

The Victor 9000's 800x400 resolution screen (based on a Hitachi 46505 CRT controller chip - equivalent to a Motorola 6845),[6] 896 KB of memory (RAM), programmable keyboard and character set were also far ahead of the competition.[3]

While unsuccessful in North America, Victor 9000 became the most popular 16-bit business computer in Europe, especially in Britain and Germany, while IBM delayed the release of the PC there. Its success led to the ACT Apricot.[10] ACT outsold the Sirius/Victor subsidiaries and also led the way in proving that application software was the key to sales. Most sales across Europe went through small systems houses rather than computer shops.

The Victor 9000 was also distributed in the UK under that name by DRG Business Machines in Weston-super-Mare, who dealt with Victor Technologies in the US direct. It was not a particularly successful venture as ACT had already established a brand name and a loyal dealer base.

Reception

BYTE called the Victor 9000 "an excellent microcomputer with an outstanding array of standard features". It praised the high-quality video and large array of software available from Victor, while criticizing the high price of peripherals compared to the many third-party options on the IBM PC.[11]

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

  1. ↑ Apricot history
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b c Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Sargent_1988
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Victor_1982_Technical_Reference
  9. ↑ a b Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Victor_1983_Technical_Reference
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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