Lear Siegler ADM 3A Terminal
Photo 1: Chris Jacobs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Adm3aimage.jpg)
Terminal, 1976, Lear Siegler. The ADM-3A ("American Dream Machine") was one of the most popular "dumb" terminals of the 1970s, sold as a kit or assembled at a price under US$1,000 that made it affordable for hobbyists and small computers. It shows 24 lines of 80 characters on a 12" screen inside a one-piece plastic case with a slanted keyboard. Its cursor keys, arranged on the H, J, K and L keys, are the reason the vi editor uses those letters for movement; the terminal is also visible in many photos of early Unix and CP/M installations.
| Years | 1976 to 1980s |
|---|---|
| Display | 12" monochrome CRT, 80 x 24 characters, upper case only on the basic version |
| Interface | RS-232 and 20 mA current loop, 75 to 19,200 bps |
| Keyboard | 59 keys |
| Price (1976) | US$995 assembled, US$875 as a kit |
Documentation
- Character generator ROMs both Upper and Lower Case for Lear Siegler ADM-3A Terminal
- Lear Siegler ADM-3A add "lower case option"
