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The One Per Desk, or OPD, was an innovative hybrid personal computer/telecommunications terminal based on the hardware of the Sinclair QL. The One Per Desk was built by International Computers Ltd (ICL) and launched in the UK in 1984. It was the result of a collaborative project between ICL, Sinclair Research and British Telecom begun in 1981, originally intended to incorporate Sinclair's flat-screen CRT technology. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...
The Sinclair QL (for Quantum Leap), was a personal computer launched by Sinclair Research in 1984, as the successor to the ZX Spectrum. ...
International Computers Ltd, or ICL, was a large British computer hardware company that operated from 1968 until 2002, when it was renamed Fujitsu Services Limited after its parent company, Fujitsu. ...
1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Sinclair Research Ltd was a home computer company founded by Clive Sinclair in Cambridge, England. ...
BT Group plc (which trades as just BT, and is commonly known by its former name, British Telecom) is the privatised former British state telecommunications operator. ...
1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Cathode ray tube employing electromagnetic focus and deflection Cutaway rendering of a color CRT Electron guns Electron beams Focusing coils Deflection coils Anode connection Mask for separating beams for red, green, and blue part of displayed image Phosphor layer with red, green, and blue zones Close-up of the phosphor...
Rebadged versions of the OPD were sold in the UK as the Merlin Tonto and in Australia as the Telecom Australia Computerphone. Telecom Australia logo 1975-1993 Telecom Australia logo 1993-1995 Telecom Australia was the trading name of the: Australian Telecommunications Commission (1975 - 1989) Australian Telecommunications Corporation (1989 - 1992) Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation (1992 - 1993) The AOTCs official name was changed to Telstra in April 1993. ...
Hardware
From the QL, the OPD borrowed the 68008 CPU, ZX8301/8302 ULAs and dual Microdrives (re-engineered by ICL for greater reliability) but not the 8049 Intelligent Peripheral Controller. Unique to the OPD was a "telephony module" incorporating an Intel 8051 microcontroller (which also controlled the keyboard), two PSTN lines and a V.21/V.23 modem, plus a built-in telephone handset and a TI TMS5220 speech synthesiser (for automatic answering of incoming calls). The Motorola MC68008 is a 8/16/32-bit microprocessor from the early 1980s. ...
CPU can stand for: in computing: Central processing unit in journalism: Commonwealth Press Union in law enforcement: Crime prevention unit in software: Critical patch update, a type of software patch distributed by Oracle Corporation in Macleans College is often known as Ash Lim. ...
The ZX8301 was a ULA integrated circuit designed for the Sinclair QL microcomputer. ...
The ZX8302 was a ULA integrated circuit designed for the Sinclair QL microcomputer. ...
A Gate array or Uncommitted Logic Array (ULA) is an approach to the design and manufacture of application_specific integrated circuits (ASICS). ...
The ZX Microdrive was a tape-loop storage system from the 1980s, used in Sinclair Researchs ZX Spectrum and Sinclair QL home computers. ...
Pin diagram of 40 pin Intel 8051 Microcontroller The Intel 8051 was a Harvard architecture single chip microcontroller (µC) developed by Intel in 1980 for use in embedded systems. ...
The integrated circuit from an Intel 8742, an 8-bit microcontroller that includes a CPU running at 12 MHz, 128 bytes of RAM, 2048 bytes of EPROM, and I/O in the same chip. ...
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) is the concatenation of the worlds public circuit-switched telephone networks, in much the same way that the Internet is the concatenation of the worlds public IP-based packet-switched networks. ...
V.21 is an ITU-T recommendation for full-duplex communication between two analogue dial-up modems using audio frequency-shift keying modulation at 300 bauds to carry digital data at 300 bit/s. ...
V.23 is an ITU-T recommendation for half-duplex communication between two analogue dial-up modems using FSK modulation at up to 600 or 1200 bauds to carry digital data at up to 600 or 1200 bit/s respectively. ...
A modem (from modulate and demodulate) is a device that modulates an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. ...
Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), better known in the electronics industry (and popularly) as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA, renowned for developing and commercializing semiconductor and computer technology. ...
The TMS5220 is a speech synthesizer chip created by Texas Instruments in 1979. ...
The OPD was supplied with either a 9-inch monochrome (white) monitor or a 14-inch colour monitor. Both monitors also housed the power supply for the OPD itself.
Later, 3.5" floppy disk drives were also available from third-party vendors. A floppy disk is a data storage device that comprises a circular piece of thin, flexible (hence floppy) magnetic storage medium encased in a square or rectangular plastic wallet. ...
Software The system firmware (BFS or "Basic Functional Software") was unrelated to the QL's Qdos operating system, although a subset of SuperBASIC was provided on Microdrive cartridge. The BFS provided application-switching, voice/data call management, call answering, phone number directories, viewdata terminal emulation and a simple calculator. Sinclair QDOS was the multitasking operating system found on the Sinclair QL and its clones. ...
Sinclair QDOS was the multitasking operating system found on the Sinclair QL and its clones. ...
In telecommunication, a viewdata is a Videotex implementation, a type of information-retrieval service in which a subscriber can (a) access a remote database via a common carrier channel, (b) request data, and (c) receive requested data on a video display over a separate channel. ...
The Psion applications suite bundled with the QL was also ported to the OPD as Xchange and was available as an optional ROM pack. Psion PLC is a consumer hardware company mostly known for developing the Psion Organiser as well as a whole range of more advanced, clamshell-design Personal Digital Assistants. ...
Read-only memory (ROM) is a class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. ...
Other optional application software available on ROM included various terminal emulators such as Satellite Computing's ICL7561 emulator, plus their Action Diary and Presentation Software, address book, and inter-OPD communications utilities.
Merlin Tonto British Telecom Business Systems sold the OPD as the Merlin M1800 Tonto. BT intended the Tonto to be a centralised desktop information system able to access online services, mainframes and other similar systems through the BT telephone network. It is said that the power supply unit was unreliable and often failed on most units. The Tonto retailed at £1,500 at launch. OPD peripherals and software ROM cartridges were also badged under the Merlin brand. BT withdrew support for the Tonto in February 1993. BT Group plc (which trades as just BT, and is commonly known by its former name, British Telecom) is the privatised former British state telecommunications operator. ...
Mainframe may refer to one of the following: Mainframe computer, large data processing systems Mainframe Entertainment, a Canadian computer animation and design company. ...
A power supply unit (sometimes abbreviated power supply or PSU) is a device that supplies electrical power to a device or group of devices. ...
See also The Sinclair QL (for Quantum Leap), was a personal computer launched by Sinclair Research in 1984, as the successor to the ZX Spectrum. ...
BT Group plc (which trades as just BT, and is commonly known by its former name, British Telecom) is the privatised former British state telecommunications operator. ...
External links - ICL One Per Desk at old-computers.com
- Merlin Tonto at old-computers.com
- Review of the OPD from Personal Computer World, December 1984
- OPD page at sinclaircomputers.com
- Description of Merlin Tonto from BT Engineering
- ICL One Per Desk page at rwapsoftware.co.uk including a floppy disk project
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