Industrial Computer Source
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Chuck Philyaw, David Lippincott |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Fate | Acquired by Kontron |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California , United States |
Area served | United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany |
| Products | Industrial computers, I/O cards, peripherals |
Industrial Computer Source (ICS) was established in 1985, debuting with its first Industrial Computer Sourcebook and becoming known for distributing several detailed catalogs annually to engineers and scientists. Based in San Diego, CA, ICS expanded its presence with additional branches in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
The initial 52-page Sourcebook showcased a variety of products including industrial and rackmount computers, I/O cards, monitors, printers, rack accessories, software, and literature. Among the featured items was the 6531 model—a 4U rackmount computer equipped with a 4.77 MHz 8088 processor, 128KB of RAM, a 360K floppy disk drive, and a 10MB hard drive—priced at $7,795.
ICS specialized primarily in industrial computers, I/O cards, and associated peripherals. The company was acquired by Dynatech in 1992. Later, in 1999, ICS acquired Advent Design, Inc., subsequently rebranding as ICS Advent. In 2001, the German corporation Kontron purchased ICS Advent from Dynatech. Initially, Kontron’s U.S. operations were based at ICS Advent’s San Diego location before moving to Poway, CA in 2005.
The "Industrial Computer Source" trademark was allowed to expire by Kontron in 2002, followed by "Industrial Computer Sourcebook" in 2003. In reaction to this, Chassis Plans registered "The Original Industrial Computer Source" trademark in 2005 and continues to offer support for legacy ICS equipment.
The phrase "Industrial Computer Source" remains prevalent within the industrial computing sector, with over 24,000 results on Google indicating sustained interest in related products and services. Systems from both ICS and ICS Advent are commonly found on eBay.
Initially conceived as a division of Action Instruments under Chuck Philyaw’s intrapreneurial initiative, Industrial Computer Source brought on David Lippincott to lead technical and manufacturing efforts. In 1987, Philyaw and Lippincott purchased the company from Action Instruments.