On This Day - 17th June

1963

First ASCII standard approved

The American Standards Association approves ASA X3.4-1963, the first standard for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII).

The seven-bit code provided 128 possible character positions and established a common method for representing characters and control functions when exchanging information between computers and other equipment.

The original 1963 version did not yet include lowercase letters; these were added in a later revision of the standard.

ASCII would go on to become one of the most influential character-encoding standards in computing. The ZX Spectrum, introduced nearly two decades later, used a character set that retained familiar ASCII-compatible values for many capital letters, digits and punctuation characters. The Spectrum did not use ASCII as its complete character set; the remaining character codes were used for Spectrum-specific purposes, including BASIC keywords, block and graphic characters, user-defined graphics (UDGs), and other special characters.

This mixture of an ASCII-derived character range with a computer's own extended character set became common among 8-bit home computers.

Source: American Standards Association, American Standard Code for Information Interchange, ASA X3.4-1963, approved 17 June 1963.

The original standard document itself states “Approved June 17, 1963” and identifies the American Standards Association as the issuing organisation.

R. W. Bemer, a major contributor to the development of ASCII, subsequently described X3.4 as becoming an official ASA standard on 17 June 1963.

The ZX Spectrum's character set was not ASCII, despite sharing many character positions with ASCII. Spectrum character codes 32–126 correspond broadly to the printable ASCII range for letters, digits and punctuation, but the Spectrum assigns additional meanings to other codes and has its own extended character set. In particular, Spectrum BASIC keywords are represented internally by single-byte tokens rather than by sequences of ASCII characters.

1977

Science of Cambridge incorporated

In June 1977, Science of Cambridge was incorporated by Clive Sinclair and Chris Curry. The company was established following the financial difficulties that had affected Sinclair Radionics and became the beginning of a new phase in Sinclair's electronics business. Despite its name, the company was not primarily a scientific research organisation; it developed and marketed innovative consumer electronics products.

Science of Cambridge is particularly important in the history of British home computing because it produced the MK14, a low-cost single-board computer based around the National Semiconductor SC/MP processor. Introduced in 1978, the MK14 was sold as a kit and helped demonstrate the growing demand for inexpensive personal computers. Chris Curry subsequently became increasingly involved in the computer side of the business, eventually leaving to establish Acorn Computers with Hermann Hauser.

Science of Cambridge later changed its name to Sinclair Computers and subsequently became Sinclair Research. The company's development therefore provides a direct link between Clive Sinclair's earlier electronics business and the computers that followed, including the ZX80, ZX81 and ultimately the ZX Spectrum.

Source: Companies House / Sinclair historical records

Science of Cambridge was incorporated in 1977 and became the company responsible for the MK14 before evolving into Sinclair Computers and later Sinclair Research.

1978

Science of Cambridge launches the MK14

**Science of Cambridge launches the MK14**

Science of Cambridge's MK14 was the company's first microcomputer and an important early step towards the Sinclair ZX80, ZX81 and ZX Spectrum. The project originated with Ian Williamson, who had developed a small computer based around National Semiconductor's SC/MP microprocessor and components from a Sinclair calculator. Chris Curry recognised its potential and persuaded Science of Cambridge to develop it as a commercial kit. The resulting MK14, or Microcomputer Kit 14, was aimed primarily at electronics enthusiasts and computer hobbyists.

Launched in 1978 for around £40, the MK14 provided a surprisingly capable introduction to microcomputing at a very low price. The basic kit included a National Semiconductor SC/MP processor, 256 bytes of RAM, a 512-byte monitor program and an eight-digit, seven-segment LED display operated through a 20-key hexadecimal keyboard. Optional expansion boards provided additional RAM, I/O and interfaces, including the possibility of connecting the computer to a television display and cassette recorder. The MK14 went on to sell tens of thousands of units and helped establish the market that Science of Cambridge would soon exploit with the ZX80.

Source: Electronics Today International — 30 September 1978

Contemporary review states that the MK14 had been launched earlier in 1978. Exact launch day not established.

On This Day - 17th June

First ASCII standard approved

Also in this month

Science of Cambridge incorporated

Science of Cambridge launches the MK14

Mister Spectrum © 2022–2026 Kevin R. Carr