ubikuberalles' Blog - Power-up test

RSS Bot · August 16, 2006

The graphics and the setup for my table at the upcoming OVGE this weekend is complete but I still have one very important task to complete before I'm ready: making sure the Altair computer works.

So, the other day I connected the cables and powered up the system. The fan started whirring and the lights flickered on:

Next, I need to run some programs to make sure it works. Although the Altair has Microsoft's Altair BASIC on ROM, there is no code to properly set up the serial port for the machine (lack of a BIOS, sort of). The only way I can do that is start flipping some switches on the front panel:

Although I pretty much know the bootstrap by heart by know (I'm sure I entered the bootstrap hundreds of times by now), it's always nice to have it handy just in case I forget a byte or two:

Once I entered and checked the code, it was time to hit the START switch. Will the systems work?

Yes! (The Memory size question is to see if I want to use all the available memory or reserve some for non-BASIC programs). Next, I need to answer some questions and I'll be all set:

Oh boy! 31 K bytes are free! :cool: Plenty of room for all sorts of cool programs.