{"id":23055,"date":"2025-12-12T15:40:38","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T20:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=23055"},"modified":"2026-02-20T16:19:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T21:19:54","slug":"vin190","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin190\/","title":{"rendered":"Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D<\/h2>\n<p>[Vin190]<\/p>\n<p>The Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D stands out as a rare 1970s portable printing terminal paired with teletype mechanisms, prized for its acoustic coupler that enabled dial-up connections to mainframes without dedicated lines, embodying early mobile data access. Its claim to fame lies in pioneering compact, battery-powered teletype-style interfaces for field engineers and researchers, bridging the gap between bulky ASR-33 teletypes and future CRT terminals by offering tilt-adjustable ergonomics and RS-232 compatibility in a briefcase-sized form.<a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-23634\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20260220_164325523-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Computer Devices, Inc.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Portable video display &amp; printing terminal \/ teletype<\/li>\n<li><strong>Released<\/strong>: 1976<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: ~$12,500 (adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: N\/A<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW169789978 BCX0\">Hardware Specifications<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: N\/A &#8211; likely used TTL chips such as UART equivalents like the AY-5-1010 or MC6850<\/li>\n<li><strong>Interfaces<\/strong>: RS-232 serial port; optional acoustic coupler modem for dial-up.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Printer<\/strong>: Thermal dot-matrix, 80-column, ~60 CPS speed, paper roll-fed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keyboard<\/strong>: QWERTY full-travel, integrated with tiltable display\/printer hood.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Power<\/strong>: Battery-powered (NiCd packs) for portability; AC adapter option.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dimensions<\/strong>: Briefcase-sized (~14x10x6 inches).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight<\/strong>: 7-9 kg including batteries and paper.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW50331614 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW50331614 BCX0\">Operating System &amp; Programming Languages<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW50331614 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>None (Video display terminal)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Notables<a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-23063\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20251119_211746512-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D, a mid-1970s &#8220;dumb&#8221; portable printing terminal, earned niche fame as one of the first briefcase-sized teletypes with acoustic couplers, enabling field engineers to dial into minicomputers without fixed lines<\/li>\n<li>nicknamed the &#8220;engineer&#8217;s briefcase&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Miniterm 1202D marked a transitional &#8220;first&#8221; in mobile I\/O by shrinking ASR-33-style printers into battery-powered units, influencing later portables like the TI Silent 700 and bridging teletype era to CRT dominance during timesharing boom.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Donated By<\/strong>: Dr. Arlen Michaels<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D [Vin190] The Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D stands out as a rare 1970s portable printing terminal paired with teletype mechanisms, prized for its acoustic coupler that enabled dial-up connections to mainframes without dedicated lines, embodying early mobile data access. Its claim to fame lies in pioneering compact, battery-powered teletype-style interfaces for field [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Computer Devices Miniterm 1202D - 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