Eldorado Electrodata
| Company type | Public (from 1970) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronics, Computer hardware |
| Predecessor | Sargent-Rayment Company, EM Sargent Company, Eldorado Electronics |
| Founded | January 1, 1927 in Oakland, California, United States |
| Founder | Ed Sargent, Lyndon C. Rayment |
| Defunct | 1976 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy and asset liquidation |
| Headquarters | Concord, California , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Leigh A. Brite (President), Wally Wrathall (Co-owner) |
| Products | Radio apparatus, digital measurement instruments, computer terminals, minicomputers, pocket calculators |
Number of employees | 200 (1976) |
Eldorado Electrodata Corporation, initially established as the Sargent-Rayment Company, was an electronics enterprise based in California, founded in 1927 by Ed Sargent and Lyndon C. Rayment. The firm began by specializing in radio apparatus, later transitioning into digital measurement tools and subsequently expanding into computer terminals and minicomputers.
Sargent-Rayment Company (1927–1956)
Originating in Oakland, California, the Sargent-Rayment Company earned nationwide acclaim for its TRF receiver, known as the Sargent-Rayment 7. Following the 1929 stock market crash, Lyndon Rayment sold his shares to Ed Sargent, who then rebranded the company as EM Sargent Company and shifted focus to superheterodyne receivers. During the Second World War, the company manufactured marine radios and direction-finding equipment.
After the war, financial challenges compelled Sargent to return ownership to Rayment prior to his passing in 1948. By 1951, Lyndon’s son, Will Rayment, assumed presidency and ownership, applying his experience as a Navy Radioman to product development. Health issues impeded expansion, leading Will to sell the business to Donner Scientific while maintaining the presidential role until 1955. In 1956, Donner renamed the firm Eldorado Electronics. Meanwhile, Will continued using the Sargent-Rayment name for a separate radio enterprise until 1960.
Eldorado (1956–1973)
In the late 1950s, Eldorado concentrated on producing radiation detectors and electronic equipment serving industrial and defense sectors. Rosenberry moved the headquarters from Oakland to Berkeley in 1957 and later to Concord in 1963. By this period, Eldorado had gained prominence for its digital measurement instruments such as voltmeters, frequency counters, and timing devices including stopwatches and clocks.
Leigh A. Brite joined Eldorado in 1967 as engineering director after his tenure at Packard Bell Electronics; concurrently, the company adopted the name Eldorado Electrodata. In 1968, under Brite’s leadership, Eldorado introduced the ee 200—a 16-bit minicomputer. Brite also developed a prototype smart video computer terminal which prompted him and Wally Wrathall to acquire Eldorado in 1969. Brite took on the presidency while Wrathall redirected manufacturing toward terminals, leveraging consistent cash flow, advanced electronics manufacturing tools, and a skilled workforce. Wrathall contributed financial expertise gained from his previous position at Del Monte Foods.
Eldorado filed for an initial public offering early in 1970 and went public in August of that year. The initial terminal offerings were traditional teletype models (123, 124, and 125) powered by the ee 200 CPU and priced at $30,000 each; approximately 250 units were sold within twelve months. In July 1970, Eldorado launched the Model 133 desk-mounted intelligent teletype terminal featuring standalone computing functions alongside versions supporting modem connectivity and IBM tape data conversion. This was followed by the Model 140, a simpler terminal also utilizing the ee 200 CPU.
In 1970, Eldorado sought entry into the pocket calculator market through collaboration with Texas Instruments. Brite designed a microprocessor-driven prototype; however, production setbacks combined with competition from Canon’s Pocketronic—which also incorporated TI’s chip—hampered progress. Although legal action against TI was contemplated over these difficulties, it was ultimately abandoned due to prohibitive costs. The focus on calculators diverted resources away from computer system development amid the economic downturn of 1969–1970.
By March 1972, Eldorado had introduced affordable pocket calculators (Models 8K and 8M) retailing below $180. Around this time, Brite and Wrathall sold Eldorado back to its original proprietors. Subsequent calculator models included the compact Touch Magic device.
Toward the end of 1972, Eldorado discontinued production of small business computer systems and instead marketed the ee 200 minicomputer through OEM partnerships—a strategy contrary to prevailing industry directions. Despite growth in calculator and digital clock sales, ongoing financial difficulties culminated in bankruptcy proceedings and asset liquidation during 1973. The company continued operations with roughly 200 employees under Brite’s presidency until at least 1976 but was suspended by California’s Franchise Tax Board that year.
Notes
Between 1970 and 1973, the Eldorado computer series initially operated on the MicroData architecture before transitioning to a new design created by Dick Pasternak, who later assumed the role of Engineering Manager. The Eldorado's architecture was 8-bit, bearing some resemblance to the DEC PDP-11, yet it was more streamlined compared to the original MicroData system.
A primary use case for the Model 102 involved remote data communication. Fedder Data System, based in Baltimore, offered back-office processing services tailored for small accounting firms. Their approach had accountants inputting data onto cassettes during business hours, with the Model 102 automatically answering modem calls from Fedder’s central mainframe overnight. Another Eldorado machine equipped with a compatible magnetic tape drive managed the polling and data exchange. The software was equipped with checksum verification and retransmission features to address line noise issues over the typical 1200 baud dial-up connections prevalent in 1972.
This initiative was completed within six months by a team of three software developers during 1970–71.
External links
- Overview of Eldorado Electodata's Director Two calculator by William R. Walsh, featuring commentary on the company’s shutdown from ex-employee Dave Fase
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