Creative Micro Systems
Creative Micro Systems (CMS) was a company based in California USA that sold various
6800 and 6809 based computer boards and systems for the EXORbus, especially for
industrial control. They were located in Los Alamitos CA, or at other times in
Westminster CA or Garden Grove CA.
CMS was started by Peter and Elaine Prossen in November 1976, and some information
I found indicated the company probably ceased operation in early 2004. Peter Prossen
told me the very interesting story of how the company got started to commercialize a
computerized control system he had developed for irrigating his avocado orchard. This
system significantly reduced water consumption at a time when the cost of water was
increasing. He also told me that Microware used several CMS computer systems to
develop OS-9.
CMS sold an extensive range of boards for the EXORbus, including:
- 9600A:
SBC with 6802 microprocessor, EPROM, SRAM, serial and parallel ports, bit rate generator, optional timers, etc.
- 9601: 16-slot motherboard
- 9602: card cage for 19" rack
- 9603A: 8-slot motherboard
- 9604: switchmode system power supply, providing +5V @ 15A, +12V @ 1A, -12V @ 1A, -5V @ 1A
- 9607503: cable breakout module
- 9609: SBC
with 6809 microprocessor, serial and parallel ports, etc.
(color photo)
- 9610: EXORbus prototyping board
- 9616A: 32KB EPROM/RAM
- 9619A: SBC
with 2 MHz 6809, 5 28-pin RAM/ROM sockets, 3 6821/PIA, 2 6551A/ACIA, 1 6840/PTM,
RTC, onboard lithium battery; two companies that mention this board are
Bell Enterprise and
Control System Labs
- 9620A: 16-channel parallel I/O
- 9622: combination serial/parallel (2 ACIA's and 6 PIA's)
- 9625: printer interface
- 9626C: 8KB SRAM (64 2102AL-4): photo (755KB) and
documentation (5MB .pdf)
- 9627A: 16KB SRAM (32 TMS4041NL): photo (720KB) and
documentation (1.5MB .pdf)
- 9630: passive card extender board
- 9633: 256KB SRAM
- 9635: 64KB non-volatile SRAM
- 9636: 64KB
non-volatile memory with 8 sockets for 8KB SRAM or EPROM devices, onboard lithium battery,
support for extended addressing, U$270 (without any memory chips); also see p.50 in
'68' Micro Journal;
- 9637: 16KB
non-volatile SRAM, onboard batteries for data retention,
support for extended addressing, U$595; also see 4th page in
May 1981
IEEE New Products
- 9638: 64K SRAM
- 9639: 6809 CPU board with memory management for OS-9 Level II
- 9640: multiple programmable timer (24 timers)
- 9641: 68008 CPU board for OS-9/68K
- 9650A: 8-channel duplex serial I/O using 6850/ACIA and RS-232C transmitters/receivers, on-board bit rate generator with 14 standard rates
- 9670:
host adapter for external intelligent disk storage module, with Enhanced Programmed Data Transfer (EPDT) support
- 9670-110A BushelDisk:
magnetic disc storage module for the Apple II computer, with 10MB hard drive (expandable to 80MB),
1MB floppy disk drive, intelligent controller, power supply, cabinet, Apple II host adapter with EPDT support,
and software
- 9671: floppy disk controller
- 9672: DMA controller
- 9687: complete
tabletop microcomputer system with 14-slot card cage, various configurations of floppy and hard drives, up to 10
serial ports, up to 1MB memory
- 9688: rack mount version of 9687
- 9690: card puller
- 96103: 32/32 I/O module (optional: source listing of IEEE-488 1975 controller software)
- 96702: contact closure module
CMS brochures, catalogs, and price lists:
If anyone has additional user manuals, photographs, or other information on any of these boards,
or knows of other boards CMS sold, or has any brochures or catalogs, please contact me.
Peter Prossen also did other interesting things:
"OS-9" is a registered trademark of Microware LP.
Last revised 2024-Apr-04 12:47 PDT.
Copyright 2020- David C. Wiens.
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