Grid Compass

File:GRiDCompassInSpace.jpg John Creighton posing with a Grid Compass aboard a Space Shuttle Discovery mission in 1985]]

Development of the Compass began in 1979, and the main buyer was the U.S. government. NASA used it on the Space Shuttle during the early 1980s, as it was powerful, lightweight, and compact. The military Special Forces also purchased the machine, as it could be used by paratroopers in combat.{{Cite web|last=didyouknowwebsite|date=2020-06-14|title=The Space Age Best Inventions We use Today|url=https://didyouknowwebsite.com/2020/06/14/the-space-age-best-inventions-we-use-today/|access-date=2020-06-14|website=Did You Know?|language=en-US}} The National Security Agency was reportedly interested in a TEMPEST-compliant version produced by SAIC.{{r|byte198409}}

Along with the Gavilan SC and Sharp PC-5000 released the following year, the GRiD Compass established much of the basic design of subsequent laptop computers, although the laptop concept itself owed much to the Dynabook project developed at Xerox PARC from the late 1960s. GRiD Systems Corporation subsequently earned significant returns on its patent rights as its innovations became commonplace.

The portable Osborne 1 computer sold at around the same time as the GRiD, was more affordable and more popular, and ran the popular CP/M operating system. But, unlike the Compass, the Osborne was not a laptop and lacked the Compass's refinement and small size.

The Compass runs its own operating system, GRiD-OS. Its specialized software and high price ({{US$|100000}}–{{US$|long=no|1000000}}) meant that it was limited to specialized applications.

Grid at first intended customers to purchase an IBM minicomputer as the "Grid Central" remote host, from which Grid Compass would download software. Customers were uninterested, and Grid replaced it with "Grid Server", hosting a local-area network of up to 48 Compasses and IBM PCs, and 10 remote systems. The Server would run both Grid and MS-DOS software, the company's first acknowledgement of PC compatibility.{{Cite magazine |last=Markoff |first=John |last2=Shapiro |first2=Ezra |date=September 1984 |title=Cloak and Dagger |url=https://archive.org/details/BYTE_Vol_09-10_1984-09_Computer_Graphics/page/n398/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=2025-04-10 |department=BYTE West Coast |magazine=BYTE |pages=397-400}}

The initial model, the 1101, was introduced in April 1982; The 1100 model designation were never released commercially, but featured in some pre-release marketing material.{{Cite web|date=2017-04-05|title=GRiD Compass|url=http://vintage-laptops.com/en/grid-compass/|access-date=2021-07-30|website=vintage-laptops.com|language=en-US}}{{Citation|title=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQgoAQq7bP4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/OQgoAQq7bP4 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|contribution=Pioneering the Laptop – The GRiD Compass|publisher=Google}}{{cbignore}}. The computer was designed by British industrial designer Bill Moggridge.

The clamshell case (where the screen folds flat to the rest of the computer when closed) was made from a magnesium alloy. The computer features an Intel 8086 processor, a {{nowrap|320 × 240-pixel}} electroluminescent display, 384-kilobyte magnetic bubble memory, and a {{val|1200|ul=bit/s}} modem. Devices such as hard drives and floppy drives can be connected via the IEEE-488 I/O (also known as GPIB or General Purpose Interface Bus). This port makes it possible to connect multiple devices to the addressable device bus. It weighs {{val|5|u=kg}} ({{val|11|u=lb}}). The power input is ~{{val|110|/|220|u=V}} AC, {{val|47|–|66|u=Hz}}, {{val|75|u=W}}.

File:GRiD Compass II 1129.jpg

File:GRiD Compass II in communication station of VC-137B, closeup.jpg]]

The Compass II was released in 1984; known as 1121, 1129, 1131 and 1139 models.

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{{refs}}

{{commons category|GRiD Compass}}

• {{Citation | url = http://www.netmagic.net/~clare/gis.html | title = GRiDs in Space | author = Clare | publisher = Net magic | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080625004757/http://www.netmagic.net/~clare/gis.html | archivedate = 2008-06-25 }}
• {{Citation | url = https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=900 | title = GRiD Compass | publisher = old-computers.com }}
• {{Citation | url = http://pages.total.net/~hrothgar/museum/Compass/ | title = GRiD Compass | author = Hrothgar | work = Cool Old Junk | publisher = Total}}
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=NjAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24 InfoWorld Aug 2, 1982]
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=EjAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68 InfoWorld Nov 8, 1982]
• {{cite web |url=http://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18732295/ | title = GRiD Compass | author = Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum | accessdate = 10 October 2012 | publisher = Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum }}
• {{Citation | url = http://vintage-laptops.com/?page_id=46&lang=en | title = GRiD Compass 1100, 360 degree model | date = 5 April 2017 | publisher = Vintage Laptop Museum }}
• {{Citation | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5s2AHYsJmI | title = Video about GRiD Compass }}
• {{Citation | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGQS5AhZc14 | title = Video about the SPOC program that was used on the NASA Shuttle }}

{{GRiD}}

Category:Early laptops

Category:Computer-related introductions in 1982

Category:Grid Systems laptops