Motorola Exorbus
[Vin164]
The Motorola Exorbus series, notably systems like the EXORciser, pioneered modular microcomputer design in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, becoming renowned for their flexible backplane bus architecture which enabled easy prototyping, debugging, and customization for varied industrial and academic needs. Their claim to fame lay in their critical role as development platforms for Motorola’s influential 6800 and 6809 microprocessors, technologies that catalyzed the transition from minicomputers to more accessible, programmable workstations, and helped launch careers in both scientific and industrial computing. While never mass-market consumer machines, Exorbus computers were widely used and respected in universities, industrial control, and engineering labs.
- Manufacturer: Motorola
- Type: Single Board Computer
- Release Date: 1976
- Cost at release: CAD $1,350 (adjusted for inflation)
- MIPS: 100-400 KIPS