Circuit board from a Busicom 141-PF calculator, circa 1971, the first consumer product to incorporate a microprocessor—the Intel 4004 CPU. This example boasts the earliest type of Intel 4004, the white ceramic C4004 microprocessor with grey traces, labeled "C4004, B1449." The complete chipset, known as the MCS-4, includes the 4001 ROM, 4002 RAM, and 4003 Shift Register, all of which can be seen on the board. In fine cosmetic condition.
Busicom, a small Japanese manufacturer of advanced electronic calculators, contracted with Intel in 1969 to design a set of integrated circuits for a line of programmable calculators. This spurred the invention of Intel's 4-bit microprocessor, the 4004, the following year. Busicom held exclusive rights to these innovative chips until mid-1971, when Intel renegotiated their contract and regained control of the property. On November 15, 1971, Intel announced the availability of the first microprocessor chipset family, the MCS-4 micro computer set (all from the Busicom design) with an advertisement in Electronic News. A groundbreaking piece of personal computing history.
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