he prices have gone so high recently, I'm almost
considering putting mine up for auction!<br> <br>I think I
got lucky--I got mine for *ONLY* $160 on eBay. I
think other buyers might have been put off my the
seller's disclaimer that he couldn't guarantee that all
the parts were there. The only thing missing, as it
turned out, was one logic rod which had been replaced by
bending a wire coat hanger. It didn't work real well, and
I replaced it with one I made out of a bicycle
spoke, and is virtually indistinguishable from the
originals. I have also substituted rubber bands for the
original wire springs, though I still have the springs.
I'm still looking for better rubber bands than the
ones I'm using. If there are any orthodontists out
there, please see a previous post for the exact size I'd
like to find.

here is DC1 for sale @ eBay.

payed 5.95 in the late 60's. I also had two
extra books which I have lost along the way. Maybe they
are some where in my parents house. If I find them
maybe I can make copies of the 50 or more programs. One
program was for chess openings. Andy

certainly do remember the book, but I didn't
buy it. I'll bet that that would be a _real_ find,
because there wouldn't have been as many
sold.<br><br>Anyone else remember what they paid? I paid $4.67 in
1965 or 1966. Now I'm pondering bidding $600 on eBay.
Was inflation really _that_ bad?

lt.computer.folklore is a "newsgroup," which is
an aspect to the Internet that most resembles an
ongoing email discussion, I suppose. Serious Newsgroup
junkies use a newsgroup-reading program (MS Outlook
Express comes with one for starters), but easier than
that is to head to www .dejanews.com where they've put
a web front-end on it. Type in "Digi-Comp" into
their search engine and see if something shows
up.<br><br>--Larry

o you remember the book with 50 programs?  Do you have it.  Andy

n case anyone would like to see the manual, I
found a copy online. It's in the form of a large number
of very large and somewhat blurry gif images. It's
got all of the programs
defined.<br><br><a href=http://galena.tjs.org/digicomp/
target=new>http://galena.tjs.org/digicomp/</a><br><br>It reminded me of a little
piece of trivia about the
machine--remember that there were two little Y-shaped things? For
certain programs you had to replace the small flat things
that sat on top with these.<br><br>I could really kick
myself now. Ten years ago, I had, sitting in my office,
a complete/operational Digi-Comp I, (without the
Y-shaped things). I didn't have the manual, so it just sat
there with whatever program I had last put into it 20
years earlier. Beside it, I kept a sign that said
"Baby's First Computer."<br><br>When I left that job, I
took the thing apart and put it into a large (unsealed
envelope) and put it into my car. It sat in my trunk with
loads of other junk until I sold the car in 1993. I had
the sense to retrieve the Digi-Comp, but many of the
parts had gone off to the "car junk dimension," and now
all I've got is at least one of each part, (except
those darned Y-shaped things).

lt.computer.folklore is not a web site.  How do I get this news on my computer. 
Andy

ot a bit. Take a look at the pictures we've
posted elsewhere in this site. Digi2 looked a bit like a
pinball game, and used marbles for electrons (very
approximately) which rolled down and bounced off various hinged
gates setting or resetting things. There was actually a
lower level to the machine as well to help things
along. <br><br>They weren't invented by the same person.
If you look at pictures of Dr. Nim (which is ALMOST
common) you can see the basic mechanism which is at work
on Digi 2.

ake heart- they DO occasionally show up.<br>In
addition to ebay and other auction sites, the
alt.computer.folklore newsgroup and some of the toy-collecting
newsgroups sometimes list them. And thrift stores have been
nknown to turn up items like this too. Good
hunting!<br><br>--Larry

hat was Digi-comp 2 like.  Was it anything like no.1.

have been looking for this computer for a very long time.

'd be interested in the PDF files of those
patents. Please send them to steveb@...<br><br>Saw
one of these for sale on EBAY and stopped by mom's to
dig my old one out of the attic. It's more complex
than I remember!!<br><br>-Steve

see that another Digi Comp 1 is for sale on EBay.  As of today (5/1) the high
bid was $480!

'm pretty sure the ESR, Inc. is not Edmund
Scientific. ESR stands for Education Science Research. I
don't know what connection there was between the two
companies other than a marketing agreement. That doesn't
mean there wasn't one, since it appears that ESR was
based in New Jersey, as is Edmund Scientific.<br><br>I
have spent quite a bit of time searching the net for
information on ESR or any of the people named on the patents
for the Digi-Comp 1, Digi-Comp 2, and Think-A-Dot.
There was no separate patent for Dr. Nim--it was
included in the patent for the Digi-Comp 2.<br> <br>The
only information I have found is that the patent
rights for the Digi-Comp 1 and 2 were assigned to Binney
& Smith (the Crayola Crayon people) in 1984. I
emailed Binney & Smith once, but all I got was a generic
"We don't know what you're talking about"
reply.<br><br>The patents are as follows: <br><br>Digi-Comp 1:
Patent #3273794 issued to Irving J. Lieberman, West
Orange, William H. Duerig and Charles D. Hogan,
Montclair, NJ, assignors to E.S.R., Inc., Orange
NJ.<br><br>Digi-Comp 2: Patent #3390471 issued to John T. Godfrey,
Scotia NY, assignor to E.S.R., Inc., Montclair,
NJ.<br><br>Think-A-Dot: Patent #3388483 issued to Joseph A. Weisbecker,
1220 Wayne Ave., Cherry Hill NJ 08034<br><br>It might
be interesting to write to Mr. Weisbecker at the
Cherry Hill address just to see what happens. The patent
was issued in 1968, but there's a chance we could get
some results.<br><br>If you, or anybody else, has any
information at all, please post it.<br><br>I would be happy
to email the patents (in PDF format) to anyone who
asks for them. <br><br>Kevin

uestions! Questions! Can someone tell me about
what happened to ESR? Is ESR the same as Edmund
Scientific? Who owns the rights to manufacture Digicomp (and
Think-a-dot and Dr. Nim?). <br><br>Thanks in advance to those
in the know <br><br>Jordan

fter unsuccessfully bidding for a Think-A-Dot on
ebay, I snagged the photos, at least. Would that these
were priced these days like they originally were on
that box!<br><br>BTW, a check of recently completed
auctions for "nim" on ebay will reveal three Dr. NIMs that
also sold for amazingly high (to me, anyway) values.
We all creeb about what people are willing to pay on
ebay, but that IS the point, no? People ARE willing to
pay for them.

think the starting price was what kept the
seller from getting more bids. I've been buying and
selling on eBay (mostly hockey cards) for quite a while,
and it is my general observation that you will get a
higher price by starting with a low bid than you will by
starting with a high bid.<br><br>One hint for the future,
search for "digicomp*" and "digi comp*" to pick up most
every reasonable combination of spelling and
hyphenation.

<br>instead of<br> digi-comp1<br>he might have had a lot more
bids. <br>But I can't afford one evan at $200 right
now.<br><br>Scott ex owner of 3 digi-comp 1's one digi-comp 2, and
a think-a-dot. A long, long time ago in a galaxy
far, far away.

Digi1 is currently for sale on ebay- minimum bid $200 and as of now, no takers.
Look for item #76082784.<br><br>--Larry

'm looking for a couple dozen little rubber
bands for my Digi-Comp. I called a local dental supply
company and they gave me a bag of 100 5/16"
medium-strength bands. These do the job, but they are quite a bit
stronger than I'd like (the logic rods are wearing down
the clear & set clock plate).<br> <br>Does anybody
have access to 3/8" light- or medium-strength bands?
I've called a few orthodontists in my area, but
haven't had any luck finding that size. The dental supply
company will sell them to me if I want to buy 10,000 of
them.<br><br>I have also seen an industry-standard rubber band
size #4 that might work. However, none of the large
office supply stores in my area seem to carry
them.<br><br>I'd greatly appreciate any help anybody might be able
to give me.<br><br>Kevin

he box that mine came in says "Patent Pending,"
which means that it came out sometime before September
1966, when the patent was issued. <br><br>Since the
patent application was filed in October 1963, I'd guess
those dates represent an upper and lower bound of the
actual date it first appeared.<br><br>The first time I
saw one was in 1973, though I had had a Think-A-Dot
and Dr. Nim before that.

omeone asked me when the Digicomp I was <br>introduced. Is anyone a collector
of<br>Edmund catalogs?<br>--Doug

was finally able to join the club<br> from my
home
account.<br>--Doug<br>===============================================<br>Doug
Coward--------dcoward@...
(work)<br>Sr. Software Eng.----mranalog@...
(home)<br>Press Start
Inc.-------<a href=http://www.pressstart.com
target=new>http://www.pressstart.com</a><br>Sunnyvale,CA<br> Curator<br>Museum
of Personal Computing
Machinery<br><a href=http://www.best.com/~dcoward/museum/
target=new>http://www.best.com/~dcoward/museum/</a><br>=========================\
=====================

was contacted by Lionel Zuckier, who has a
Digicomp 1 for sale. He would have posted the message
himself but is having troubles joining the "club" for
some reason. so I'm posting this for him - make of it
what you will--<br><br>As you may know from my posting
on alt.folklore.computers, I have a<br>digicomp 1 in
excellent shape, that I want to exchange for a
$500<br>contribution to a specific chairity of my choice. Would it be
worth<br>posting the offer on your site? Since I can't get in, I
will have to rely<br>on the kindness of strangers. Let
me know what you think.<br><br>Best
regards,<br><br>LZ<br><br>Lionel Zuckier, MD<br>Nuclear Medicine Research
Lab<br>Albert Einstein College of Medicine<br>email:
zuckier@...<br><br><br>Good luck, everyone!

never had a digicomp growing up, but I did<br>have a Dr. Nim and a think-a-dot,
both alas<br>now missing.  Anyone have an extra one I could purchase from you?

've been watching eBay for almost a year, and in
that time I've seen five Digi-Comp 1s come up for bid.
Four of those five went for prices between $150 and
$225. I bought mine last month near the low end of that
range. The fifth was bid up to $500, but I have no idea
if that sale went through.<br> <br>About a year ago,
a vintage toy dealer posted one for sale in the
rec.toys.misc and rec.toys.vintage newsgroups. They were asking
$125. It was long gone by the time I saw the
ad.<br><br>The terms for the Digi-Comp 1 offered on
alt.folklore.computers recently called for a $500 donation to the
seller's favorite charity in exchange for the Digi-Comp 1.
For someone who pays 40% income taxes, this
represents a net outlay of $300. If those terms aren't met
by March 1, the seller said he would offer the
Digi-Comp for auction on eBay. Keep your eyes
open!<br><br>I have yet to see a Digi-Comp 2 offered anywhere. I
expect that if one shows up on eBay, we'll see bids
significantly higher than for the Digi-Comp 1. Dr. Nims come up
for auction from time to time, generally selling for
between $50 and $100. I haven't seen a Think-A-Dot
recently.<br><br>I have a Digi-Comp 1 emulator for Windows 95/98
that can be downloaded from
<a href=http://members.aol.com/lorikevn/digicomp.zip
target=new>http://members.aol.com/lorikevn/digicomp.zip</a><br><br>beyondparsley
and I are putting the finishing touches on a
self-contained emulator written in HTML and JavaScript. It will
be available here shortly.<br><br>For those of you
with access to a scroll saw, you might want to
consider building one yourself. The parts list is
available at <a href=http://galena.tjs.org/digicomp/
target=new>http://galena.tjs.org/digicomp/</a> and you can
see a picture of the Doug Coward's wooden Digi-Comp 1
at
<a href=http://members.tripod.com/~km88mph/images/vcf2-04.jpg
target=new>http://members.tripod.com/~km88mph/images/vcf2-04.jpg</a>

hey crop up infrequently, but over the last two
years several Digicomps have been sold. Top confirmed
price was $250; another sold for $100. (The $250
machine was originally snapped up for $500, but the
seller(!) felt the price was to high and lowered
it!)<br><br>Within the last two weeks, someone offered a digicomp
for sale for $500 on alt.folklore.computers, with
$300 going to a "charity of their choosing." The
legitimacy of this offer was not clear, nor do I have any
confirmation that a sale has gone through.<br><br>I think if a
Digi-comp1 was placed on eBay and propoerly promoted, these
prices would be broken. <br><br>If you have any other
information on Digicomp worth or where to find one, by all
means post it.<br><br>--Larry

p till now, there's only been one small site on
the entire World Wide Web devoted to the
Digi-Comp.<br><br>And for a computer that surely influenced a lot of
budding computer geeks from the mid 60s until the early
70s, that's a shame. <br><br>Undoubtably, most
Digicomps went the way mine did - eventually discarded or
sold at a garage sale when their owners pushed past
the limits implied by a machine that could only count
to 7.<br><br>But if you ever owned one, and you see
it again, it brings back a flood of memories. From
it's essential red and white plastic shape (such a
deliberate echo to me today of IBM's Harvard Mark 1
mechanical computer) to the thrill of beating Digicomp at a
hard-fought game of Nim (heady stuff for a 10-year-old to
know binary notation in 1968!) Digi-Comp 1 (and
Digi-Comp2, and Dr-Nim, and even "Think-A-Dot") represented a
seminal computing experience.<br><br>So lets share that
experience. Buy, sell, trade memories, share history, discuss
"programming" issues - it's all fair game.<br><br>Thanks for
dropping by!<br><br>--Larry Groebe

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