TRS-80.org » Exatron http://www.trs-80.org TRS-80.org is a source for information about the Radio Shack TRS-80 line of computers, hardware, and software, with articles, interviews, and more! Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:36:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 An Interview with Jack Crenshaw http://www.trs-80.org/interview-jack-crenshaw/ http://www.trs-80.org/interview-jack-crenshaw/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:25:59 +0000 Matthew Reed http://www.trs-80.org/interview-jack-crenshaw/ 80 U.S. Journal might remember his comments about the Exatron Stringy Floppy. Others will remember his “Let’s Build a Compiler” tutorial series. His “Programmer’s Toolbox” column appears in Embedded Systems Design magazine, for which he is also a contributing editor.

This interview was conducted over January and February 2009.]]> http://www.trs-80.org/interview-jack-crenshaw/feed/ 1 The Exatron Stringy Floppy http://www.trs-80.org/exatron-stringy-floppy/ http://www.trs-80.org/exatron-stringy-floppy/#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:51:10 +0000 Matthew Reed http://www.trs-80.org/exatron-stringy-floppy/ TRS-80. In the long term, the floppy drive (and later the hard drive) completely beat out all of the competition. But back when floppy drives were considered too expensive by many, one of the most popular storage products for the TRS-80 was the Exatron Stringy Floppy.

Founded in 1974 by Robert Howell, Exatron was a supplier of automated test equipment for manufacturers and OEMs. Exatron first demonstrated the S-100 version of the Stringy Floppy at the West Coast Computer Faire in March 1978. The TRS-80 version was introduced in May 1979 at the San Francisco Computer Faire. An early price for a TRS-80 starter kit (Stringy Floppy, wafers, and software) was $299.50. The Stringy Floppy provided an additional cost savings over floppy drives because it didn’t require an Expansion Interface. By 1982, the price for a single Stringy Floppy drive had come down to $99.50.]]> http://www.trs-80.org/exatron-stringy-floppy/feed/ 4