Technical Design Labs (TDL) was an early producer of
personal computers founded in 1976 by Carl Galletti and Roger Amidon. TDL was based in
Princeton, New Jersey, USA in the 1970s and early 1980s.[2][3][4]
The company was later (1978) renamed Xitan, in honor of its primary product.[5][6]
In 1979, Neil Colvin formed what was then called
Phoenix Software Associates after his prior employer, Xitan, went out of business. Neil hired Dave Hirschman, a former Xitan employee.[7][8][9]
In 1979, Carl Galletti and Roger Amidon had started a new business called Computer Design Labs that acquired the rights to all TDL software.[10][11]
Products
The company's Xitan had an
S-100 bus and a
Z-80-based CPU came in two configurations: the base Alpha 1 model and the Alpha 2.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
Other products from TDL for the Xitan and S-100 Z80-based computer systems:
Z-Tel a text editing language for Z80 microprocessors.[2]
Video Display Board (VDB) for S-100 bus computers; capable of displaying text (25 rows x 80 characters) and graphics (160 x 75) that could display on a modified television.[2]
Interface One a 'plug-in' wiring board for development.[2]
^BYTE News, Page 107, October 1979, BYTE Magazine, Two pioneer personal computer companies have shut their doors and are out of business . They are ... and Xitan Inc (formerly TDL). Their closings are attributed to poor business management, not lack of business.
^Jim Warren - Technical Design Labs booth, Computer History Museum, This is a black and white photograph. In the photograph, there are 8+ people, a computer monitor, a computer case, four publicity photographs and the "Xitan" logo.
^Acquisitions, Page 99, 1978-06-12, Computerworld, Xitan, Inc. has purchased the assets of Technical Design Labs, Inc., a firm that caters to the personal and hobbyist computer markets.
^ROM BIOS Puts Phoenix On Top of its Market By Ed Scannell, 1988-09-19, InfoWorld, Phoenix was founded in 1979 by Neil Colvin, then a 29-year- old graduate of MIT and founder of Xitan Inc, one of the first five PC manufacturers.
^Phoenix chief: to clone or not to clone? By Ed Scannell, Page 35, 1987-05-18, Computerworld, Neil Colvin, chief executive officer and chief scientist at ... He was also a cofounder of Xitan, which developed various operating
^Technical Forum:Technical Design Labs Relocatable Object Module Code Format, Volume 02 Number 11, November 1977, Byte Magazine, ..format used by Technical Design Labs, originated by Neil Colvin. This text was given to us at the TDL booth at the National Computer Conference in Dallas last June, and offered as documentation of a standard which is in use by that firm, and is reportedly being examined for adoption by two other major software vendors in the personal computing marketplace.
^Advertisement:Computer Design Labs, Microcomputing Magazine (August 1982)], We have acquired the rights to all TDL software (& hardware). TDL software has long had the reputation of being the best in the industry Computer Design Labs will continue to maintain, evolve and add to this superior line of quality software. Carl Galletti and Roger Amidon, owners.
^Xitan, Computer History Museum, Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 12 1/2 in. Description: One power supply units (PSU) are included in this artifact description. other appears to be manufactured by Teletype Corporation. Main system unit (Xitan) contains the following PCBs: 1. S-100 Backplane 2. "ZPU" Z80 CPU 3. "Expandoram" 8 x 4 x 4164 DRAM (likely 4K size) 4. "Versafloppy" FDD Controller 5. "Versafloppy II" FDD/HDD Controller 6. "SMB II" Serial Interface Board (kluge to baud rate controller box).
^Inside Track, By John C. Dvorack, Page 80, InfoWorld, 29 Oct 1984, ...from his days at the defunct S-100 firm Technical Design Labs: Roger Amidon and ... Amidon apparently had much to do with the QX-10's hardware design...
Technical Design Labs (TDL) was an early producer of
personal computers founded in 1976 by Carl Galletti and Roger Amidon. TDL was based in
Princeton, New Jersey, USA in the 1970s and early 1980s.[2][3][4]
The company was later (1978) renamed Xitan, in honor of its primary product.[5][6]
In 1979, Neil Colvin formed what was then called
Phoenix Software Associates after his prior employer, Xitan, went out of business. Neil hired Dave Hirschman, a former Xitan employee.[7][8][9]
In 1979, Carl Galletti and Roger Amidon had started a new business called Computer Design Labs that acquired the rights to all TDL software.[10][11]
Products
The company's Xitan had an
S-100 bus and a
Z-80-based CPU came in two configurations: the base Alpha 1 model and the Alpha 2.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
Other products from TDL for the Xitan and S-100 Z80-based computer systems:
Z-Tel a text editing language for Z80 microprocessors.[2]
Video Display Board (VDB) for S-100 bus computers; capable of displaying text (25 rows x 80 characters) and graphics (160 x 75) that could display on a modified television.[2]
Interface One a 'plug-in' wiring board for development.[2]
^BYTE News, Page 107, October 1979, BYTE Magazine, Two pioneer personal computer companies have shut their doors and are out of business . They are ... and Xitan Inc (formerly TDL). Their closings are attributed to poor business management, not lack of business.
^Jim Warren - Technical Design Labs booth, Computer History Museum, This is a black and white photograph. In the photograph, there are 8+ people, a computer monitor, a computer case, four publicity photographs and the "Xitan" logo.
^Acquisitions, Page 99, 1978-06-12, Computerworld, Xitan, Inc. has purchased the assets of Technical Design Labs, Inc., a firm that caters to the personal and hobbyist computer markets.
^ROM BIOS Puts Phoenix On Top of its Market By Ed Scannell, 1988-09-19, InfoWorld, Phoenix was founded in 1979 by Neil Colvin, then a 29-year- old graduate of MIT and founder of Xitan Inc, one of the first five PC manufacturers.
^Phoenix chief: to clone or not to clone? By Ed Scannell, Page 35, 1987-05-18, Computerworld, Neil Colvin, chief executive officer and chief scientist at ... He was also a cofounder of Xitan, which developed various operating
^Technical Forum:Technical Design Labs Relocatable Object Module Code Format, Volume 02 Number 11, November 1977, Byte Magazine, ..format used by Technical Design Labs, originated by Neil Colvin. This text was given to us at the TDL booth at the National Computer Conference in Dallas last June, and offered as documentation of a standard which is in use by that firm, and is reportedly being examined for adoption by two other major software vendors in the personal computing marketplace.
^Advertisement:Computer Design Labs, Microcomputing Magazine (August 1982)], We have acquired the rights to all TDL software (& hardware). TDL software has long had the reputation of being the best in the industry Computer Design Labs will continue to maintain, evolve and add to this superior line of quality software. Carl Galletti and Roger Amidon, owners.
^Xitan, Computer History Museum, Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 12 1/4 x 12 1/2 in. Description: One power supply units (PSU) are included in this artifact description. other appears to be manufactured by Teletype Corporation. Main system unit (Xitan) contains the following PCBs: 1. S-100 Backplane 2. "ZPU" Z80 CPU 3. "Expandoram" 8 x 4 x 4164 DRAM (likely 4K size) 4. "Versafloppy" FDD Controller 5. "Versafloppy II" FDD/HDD Controller 6. "SMB II" Serial Interface Board (kluge to baud rate controller box).
^Inside Track, By John C. Dvorack, Page 80, InfoWorld, 29 Oct 1984, ...from his days at the defunct S-100 firm Technical Design Labs: Roger Amidon and ... Amidon apparently had much to do with the QX-10's hardware design...