| Feature | Detail | |---------|--------| | | Z80A (4-6 MHz) + Intel 8086 (8 MHz) | | Bus | S-100 / IEEE 696 | | RAM | 64KB – 16MB (bank-switched) | | Storage | Dual 5.25" floppy + optional MFM/RLL hard drive | | OS | CP/M 2.2/3.0, CP/M-86, Concurrent CP/M-86, MP/M-86 | | I/O | RS-232 serial, Centronics parallel | | Year introduced | 1982 | | Base price | ~$4,000 (without drives/terminal) |
The CompuPro System 8/16 was the culmination of this philosophy. It was a pre-assembled system (though often sold as a kit for the hardcore enthusiast) that utilized the robust IEEE-696 S-100 standard, ensuring that users could upgrade the machine indefinitely. compupro system 8 16 computer
Crucially, these two CPUs did not run in parallel for a single task (asymmetric multiprocessing). Instead, they were selectable. A hardware switch or software command could boot either processor. However, the magic lay in the S-100 bus arbitration: both CPUs could exist on the bus, and specialized software (like the Concurrent DOS family) could offload I/O tasks to the Z80 while the 8086 handled user applications. | Feature | Detail | |---------|--------| | |
: While more powerful and expandable than early IBM PC clones, it eventually lost market share as the industry consolidated around the IBM standard and processors advanced beyond the limits of the S-100 bus. www.vintage-computer.com for its motherboard or details on how Concurrent DOS managed the dual-processor switching? AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more CompuPro 8/16 - Vintage Computer Instead, they were selectable