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News Archive - Report hinting General Micro-electronics may show Electronic "Computer" Using ICs at IEEE Convention

Article hinting showing of IC-based "Computer" from General Micro-electronics

A brief article stating that General Micro-electronics may show an integrated circuit-based electronic "computer" at the upcoming IEEE Convention in New York on March 22-25, 1965

It is likely, though unconfirmed, that the device that was shown at the IEEE Convention was the prototype precursor of what was to become the Victor 3900 calculator that General Micro-electronics (GM-e) designed for Victor Comptometer.


GM-e Prototype Bit-Serial Computing Core

The prototype device was first operational in February, and was based on GM-e's small-scale MOS Milliwatt-Logic devices. The prototype machine implemented a bit-serial computing device that would serve as the calculating core for the final product, which was the history-making Victor 3900 electronic calculator, introduced in October, 1965. (See the Old Calculator Museum's essay on the development of the Victor 3900 for more information). The Victor 3900 was based on Large-Scale (for the time, containing an unheard of 250 logic gates per device) MOS integrated circuits for the entirety of its logic, making the it the world's first commercial integrated circuit-based electronic calculator, not to mention the first commercial product to utilize MOS Large-Scale Integration integrated circuits.