This Altair 8800 emulator is just the trick for a weekend at home

The Altair 8800 was one of the first home computers to gain a mass audience and, although it looks like something out of 1950s sci-fi flick, it’s surprisingly cool.

The Altair’s UI is a little complex and it might be a little esoteric for the average user but this kit puts an Arduino device inside of an Altair-style case and can be programmed a keyboard or disk images. The kit includes “micro SD card pre-loaded with disk images including Altair DOS, Altair BASIC, and CP/M with plenty of useful and entertaining programs (at least for the late 70s).”

The low-profile, display shelf friendly ?Altair-Duino Standard? with a clear rear panel and wrap-around acrylic frame. The standard version has a Bluetooth serial port and a RS232 DB9 serial port. Also available, the upgraded ?Altair-Duino Pro? with a large bolt-together acrylic case and an newly designed I/O expansion that includes Geoff Graham?s VT100 emulator (can also be programmed with David Hansel?s VDM-1 emulator), RS232 DB9 serial port, audio jack, SD card slot, and power jack.

The kit costs $187 for the small model and the Pro costs $249. You can save $20 with the coupon code SECRET.

John Biggs

John Biggs is an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and maker. He spent fifteen years as an editor for Gizmodo, CrunchGear, and TechCrunch and has a deep background in hardware startups, 3D printing, and blockchain. His work has appeared in Men’s Health, Wired, and the New York Times.

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