The first Q1 Computer from 1972 with 8008 processor
Q1 Corporation - the creator of the first microprocessor personal computer
Q1 Corporation in New York, owned by Daniel Alroy, was the first company to develop a complete, standalone, personal microcomputer system integrated with a screen, keyboard, printer and external floppy drives for the professionel, industrial and consumer marked, with software. The first Q1 computer sold in December 1972, based on the Intel 8008 processor that was introduced on the marked only 8 months earlier, in April 1972. Daniel Alroy had an important role in the initial process of the development of the 8008. The logic design of 8008 was done by outside consultants Victor (Vic) D. Poor and Harry S. Pyle for Datapoint aiming to be implemented in the Datapoint 2200 that was under development at this time. In 1969 Datapoint asked Intel and Texas Instrument to create the large scale integration design of their logic design. Intel was not able to develop both the 4004 and 8008 at the same time, so Datapoint then asked Texas Instrument to develop chip. Texas Instrument encountered problems with development and production, which resulted in the Datapoint 2200 being made with logic circuits, NOT with a single chip processor - but still based on the 8008's logic design.
Daniel Alroy role here is important. When he
became aware of the stalled 8008 project, he convinced Intel's CEO, Dr.
Noyce, that they should take over and complete the implementation of the
8008 after finishing the 4004 project.
Daniel writes:
"I suggested that I might be the 8008’s first customer. Dr. Noyce
agreed to complete the development of the 8008 after first completing
the 4-bit chip-set for Busicom. He added that Intel would need to obtain
a release from Datapoint before the 8008 project could resume. I told
Dr. Noyce that I would talk to Phil Ray, the president of Datapoint,
about granting the needed release. I returned to San Antonio and met
with Phil Ray, who agreed to provide Intel with the requested release."
The 8008 was released in april 1972 - and the first Q1 computer was ready
for delivery only 8 months later, 11. December 1972. The first customer
was Litcom Division of Litton Industries in Melville, Long Island.
The first Q1 Computer from 1972 with 8008 processor
The first Q1 computer from 1972 was a typewriter design, a single-line 80
character display, 16K memory, floppy drives, build-in printer, and PL/1
high-level programming language and assembler - with "Powerfull utility
and library" as they wrote in the sales brochure. It was very impressive,
and aimed to all from accounting to word processing machines, to
scientific calculators.
1. generation Q1 with 8" floppydrive
The first Q1 Lite was a pre-production unit on loan to the Israeli Air Force shipped out same month as the 8080 release, april 1974.
The Q1 Lite, which was installed in the
eleven bases of NASA. It utilized the Intel 8080, second generation
microprocessor.
The later version Q1 Lite from 1976 with the Z80 processor was widely sold
in Europe, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, etc. and based on a Z80
processor, 2708 eproms etc. I don't know any Q1 Lite with the 8080
processor that exists today. My versions (see the pictures below of the Q1
Lite) has the Swedish character eprom for the nordic/scandinavian letters
(æ ø å etc.)
In 1974 Q1 Lite was introduced to all NASA bases in the USA. How many they
bought are unknown. But a NASA document from 1979 tells us, they used the
Q1 for work request management.
The work request system - a NASA Q1 Package (november
15, 1979) (PDF)
NASA letter to Daniel Alroy (november 29, 1977)
(PDF)
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The first generation of Q1 does not exist today - as far as I know! Two Q1 Lite and one Microlite computers was found in London in feb. 2024, and was described to the world (news papers, social media etc) as being "....the very first micro computers in the world", "2 out of 3 known in the world", and "The world’s first true microcomputer – the Q1 – is currently on display".... But this is a mistake, wrong information. The machines found was the 3nd generation of Q1 machines, NOT the first from dec. 1972. I have contacted Paul Neve from Kingston University, and he agreed that he was wrong here and the information was not correct, but I have not been able to get Kingston University to correct this information with a press release, nor correct it with an updated article where it is clearly stated what was not correct. Articles with the false information are still published around the world, even weeks and months after.
Much more information will come. And also, if you have any information, software, documentation, please contact me! Email: peterandersen@mespilus.dk