NORD-20¶
Almost the same machine as the NORD-2B, on fewer boards. ND's low-end offering.
| Introduced | 1971, first installed January 1972 |
| Type | Base machine |
| Word length | 16-bit |
| Needs a host? | No, runs on its own |
| Replaced | NORD-2B |
| Replaced by | - |
| Survivors | One of unknown serial, Troeim collection, Telemuseum |
The short version¶
Electrically the same as the later NORD-2B, but with the CPU on six boards instead of ten and a smaller cabinet than the NORD-10. It was released before the NORD-10 and sold as the cheap end of the range - a basic system cost 78,000 NOK against 200,000 for a NORD-10. 43 had been installed by August 1974. It may be the same machine ND elsewhere called the NORD-2U.
Specification¶
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| CPU | Six boards (later NORD-2B models used ten) |
| Memory | 4K to 16K words |
| Cycle time | 1.0 microsecond (NORD-10: 0.4-0.8) |
| Price, basic system | 78,000 NOK (NORD-10: 200,000) |
| Price, typical system | 500,000 NOK (NORD-10: 2,000,000) |
| Strengths | Fast interrupt handling; suited to data communications, multi-computer work and process control |
What was new¶
- Physically smaller and much cheaper than the NORD-10.
- Same electrical design as the NORD-2B in a tighter board count.
Sources¶
- Primary: named in
Reference-Manuals/10/NORD-10-Design-Goals.md(as NORD-2U) - Secondary: ndwiki NORD-20
Full context: MACHINE-TIMELINE.md.