Technical Design Labs
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Carl Galletti, Roger Amidon |
| Defunct | 1979 |
| Fate | Renamed to Xitan in 1978; ceased operations in 1979 |
| Headquarters | Princeton, New Jersey , United States |
| Products | Xitan Alpha 1, Xitan Alpha 2, Zapple Monitor, Micro-Seed, Z-Tel, Video Display Board (VDB), Interface One |
Technical Design Labs (abbreviated as TDL) was a pioneering personal computer manufacturer established in 1976 by business partners Carl Galletti and Roger Amidon, with its main office located in Princeton, New Jersey. The firm concentrated on computer hardware development, with its most notable product being the Xitan.[1]
By 1978, the company adopted the name Xitan to align more closely with its leading product line. Although it demonstrated early innovation and secured a foothold within the personal and hobbyist computing markets, the company discontinued operations by 1979, primarily due to ineffective management rather than a lack of consumer interest.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
After Xitan's dissolution, Neil Colvin—one of the original founders and a principal executive—founded Phoenix Software Associates in 1979. Drawing on experience acquired during his time at Xitan, Phoenix gained prominence for its work in BIOS development.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Subsequently, Galletti and Amidon initiated Computer Design Labs, obtaining the rights to all software originally created by TDL. This enterprise sought to sustain and grow the well-regarded TDL software collection, continuing their leadership role within the sector.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Products
The Xitan system was built around an S-100 bus architecture and utilized a Z-80 CPU, available in two variants: the Alpha 1 base model and the Alpha 2.[2][3] The configuration incorporated essential elements such as an S-100 backplane, a Z80 processor, Expandoram DRAM modules, Versafloppy disk controllers, and an SMB II serial communication interface.[4]
Complementary products designed to support the Xitan and other S-100 Z80-based platforms included:
- Zapple Monitor
- Micro-Seed, a database management system developed specifically for Z80 microprocessors on the Xitan
- Z-Tel, a text editing language tailored for Z80 CPUs
- Video Display Board (VDB), which provided both text display (25x80 characters) and graphics output (160x75 resolution) on modified television sets
- Interface One, a plug-in wiring board created to simplify hardware development
This collection of products formed an integrated ecosystem that enhanced TDL’s hardware solutions, demonstrating a strategic emphasis on delivering comprehensive microprocessor-based computing systems.
See also
External links
- Carl Galletti's Homepage
- Roger Amidon's Homepage
- Product brochure
- Technical Design Labs (TDL) - History
- Technical Design Labs (TDL), Herb's S-100 Stuff
- Technical Design Labs (TDL) (Princeton, N.J.) Classic Tech
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedproducts1977 - ↑ Advertisement: XITAN Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 from Technical Design Labs, Published 1977, From Volume 1 Issue 1 of ROM Magazine.
- ↑ Phote:Technical Design Labs Z-80 Xitan uses a new monitor board that accepts TDL's relocatable software directly., Page 34 ,1977-10, Popular Science
- ↑ Xitan, Computer History Museum
- ↑ Inside Track, InfoWorld, 29 Oct 1984
- Pages with reference errors
- Articles with short description
- 1976 establishments in New Jersey
- 1979 disestablishments in New Jersey
- American companies established in 1976
- American companies disestablished in 1979
- Computer companies established in 1976
- Computer companies disestablished in 1979
- Defunct computer companies of the United States
- Defunct computer hardware companies
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment