Developing COSMAC: RCA's CMOS microprocessor path

TCW Podcast Episode 243 - RCA Studio II

The RCA Studio II emerged from the company’s faltering computer division and the vision of engineer Joseph Weisbecker, who had long dreamed of personal computing after reading "Giant Brains or Machines That Think". He developed FRED at home, a TTL-based hobby computer. A later iteration using the COSMAC microprocessor inspired his daughter Joyce, who went onto program Studio II games, and RCA’s forays into coin-op experiments like the Fredotronic. With the development of the CMOS-based COSMAC chip, RCA built trainers like the MicroTutor and kits like the COSMAC ELF, but the Studio II became their entry into the console market. Innovative in concept but hampered by primitive graphics, the system faced FCC challenges delaying release. The console launched in 1977 against the Channel F and Atari VCS, it struggled to find success, though its technology lived on in Taiwan and European licensed systems. Much of its history was later uncovered by researcher Kevin Bunch, which saved the Studio II from being just a footnote in video game history.

Mechanical Televisions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5OANXk-6-w

32 Line Mechanical TCV Popeye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozpBDOBXiPs

TCW 096 - Hello Big Blue: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/hello-big-blue/

TCW 026 - The Magnavox Odyssey: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-magnavox-odyssey/

RCA Spectra 70: https://d1yx3ys82bpsa0.cloudfront.net/brochures/rca.spectra70.1965.102646099.pdf

Project Gutenberg - Giant Brains or Machines That Think: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/68991/pg68991-images.html

Radio Electronics - Simon Computer: https://vintagecomputer.net/simon.cfm

Think-a-Dot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think-a-Dot

RCA System 00 and FRED: https://www.retrotechnology.com/memship/cosmac_system_00.html

Fredotronic: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/2021/10/13/home-to-the-arcade-a-perfect-translation/

RCA MicroTutor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCXQZY8XCK8

Popular Electronics - COSNAC ELF: https://archive.org/details/197608PopularElectronics_20181123

Popular Electronics - COSMAC ELF (Condensed): https://archive.org/details/popular-electronics-cosmac-elf/page/n15/mode/2up

Building a COSMAC ELF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npvkHmTo_1U

COSMAC VIP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDnufgeONYg

(Atari Archive has examples of all games and many of the things we talk about!)

Atari Archive - EP01 - The Story of RcA FRED and the Studio II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o35y6W9hI-o

Atari Archive - EP02 - The History of RCA's Commercial Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXIoi1QAcoY

RCA Studio II: http://videogamekraken.com/rca-studio-ii

RCA Studio II Console Tour & Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJkedjfK4aQ

M-1200 (RCA Studio III): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NstUUSIwUwY

Star Wars (Studio II): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FYKkCkNZOY

Pinball (MPT-02 - Studio III): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b3LO41z7ks

New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1

Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode 

Outro Music: RoleMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love 

Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/