Visit Guide
ENER1000 AND UNIC
António Dias de Figueiredo was the sponsor for a very special project, the first PC fully designed and manufactured in Portugal, the ENER 1000 (and its’ successor, the UNIC) that you can see in this exhibition.
António Dias de Figueiredo is a retired Titular Professor of the Informatic Engineering Department of the “Universidade de Coimbra”, and researcher at the “Centro de Informática e Sistemas da Universidade de Coimbra (CISUC)”. He majored in Electrical Engineering, in 1970 from the “Universidade do Porto”, and got a Doctorate degree in Computer Science, in 1976 from the University of Manchester. He also acquired a Tenure in Informatic Engineering, in 1982, from the “Universidade de Coimbra”.
Between the years of 1984 and 2007, he was a Titular Professor at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra, where, in 1991, he founded CISUC; and of the Computer Engineering Department, in 1994. In 1991, he was also one of the founders of the Instituto Pedro Nunes and, among plenty of initiatives, he was, in 1985, the bidder for Projecto MINERVA (regarding the introduction of informatic resources in non-higher education, in Portugal). During its’ pilot run, between October 1985 and October 1988, he coordinated the project, on a national level, during its’ pilot run.
Regarding ENER, in 2004 and published with M. Heitor, J. M. Brandão de Brito, and M. F. Rolo, António Dias Figueiredo wrote for “A Engenharia em Portugal no séc. XX” the following text, with minor adaptations and illustrative images.
“The idea that led to the creation of the ENER 1000, the first computer entirely designed in Portugal, came up in 1978. It was based on the experience acquired by Dias de Figueiredo at the University of Manchester, where, in 1973, he had projected the MOSAIC central unit (Modular Online Signal Analysis and Instrumentation Computer). This was a modular computer that had been developed by this university for the World Health Organization.”
“Years later, that researcher would come to know, during a conference, of a more recent project, developed by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. This project used a passive BUS, similar to the one used on the MOSAIC to connect modules, only this time it served as the base for a much smaller modular computer. It resorted to the 8-bit microprocessors that Intel and Motorola had started releasing in the market, in the meanwhile.”
“After his return to Portugal, to the Physics Department of the University of Coimbra, where he was part of the instrumentation team, led by Nabais Conde, he realized that Carlos Correia, a PhD student in the group, would experience great advantage if he built a “yard” controlled by a microprocessor, inspired by the Lausanne model, where he would be able to set his nuclear physics instrumentation installation much more easily. Carlos Correia loved the idea and used it as further research for his doctorate, building a system with numerous boards (or modules): a central processing board, an Intel microprocessor, memory boards, monitor and keyboard interface boards, and board to be able to create a connection with physical experiences.”
“Meanwhile, Dias de Figueiredo shifted his activities and role to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Coimbra. There, and after forming a new group, he proposed to one of his assistants, João Gabriel Silva, to join Carlos Correia’s project in order to truly transform it into a real computer. To do that, it would be necessary to design and build disks, and also to install a commercial operating system (for that purpose, Digital Research’s CP/M system would be adopted, a very popular one at the time, and that would later be overthrown by the MS-DOS, a rival operating system, produced by an emerging company at the time, called Microsoft). Supported by other colleagues, this was the task that João Gabriel took on with great effort and commitment.”
“In the meantime, the need to go through with a major revision of the Lausanne BUS was recognized and imperative. This would allow for an architectural evolution and the adoption of more recent microprocessors. In September, 1981, the first version of the new specification was completed, which, after being improved, would be introduced at the “Portugal Workshop on Signal Processing and Its Applications”, in Póvoa do Varzim, September 1982.”
“And then, the first ever Portuguese computer was created. José Guedes, an industrialist from Figueira da Foz and whom had just founded Enertrónica (a company dedicated to the manufacturing of small electronic devices and energy management equipment), became interested in manufacturing the new computer. José Guedes (and the company) suggested that the name for the computer could be ENER 1000.”
“The ENER 1000 became the winner of ENDIEL’s Inovation Prize, and started being produced in early 1984.”
“During the first few months of production of the ENER 1000, the market reaction was great and the number of customers increased exponentially. However, the quality management Enertrónica had on the production line began to rapidly deteriorate when the market started to grow and expand. There were also disagreements regarding the looks of the computer, a fight between University of Coimbra’s group (that wanted a neater appearance) and the manufacturer (that did not care for the looks at all). This issue would later create a rupture in understanding between the two parties.”
“In January 28th 1986, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Coimbra would present to the press a new and improved ENER 1000: the result of a thorough reformulation. The new machine, named UNIC (after “University of Coimbra”, according to the creator), was now being produced by RIMA, a large national company, with long-standing experience in the field of supplying computer and informatic services, alongside large-scale equipment (from Nixdorf, one of the most critically acclaimed and prestigious European computer companies). The following day, at the 7th FILEME held in Lisbon, the general public gained access to the UNIC.”
“The UNIC was not intended to compete in the personal computer market, a place where its’ extremely modular design created difficulties in asserting the computer regarding its’ own price tag. The computer thrived, however, in the market for specific industrial control, instrumentation and commercial applications.”
“The system could handle, depending on the users’ choice, 8-bit processors (Z-80-A), extremely versatile for industrial control, and 16-bit processors (8088), very useful to operate in local networkds, teleprocessing and connecting to Telepac, telex and teletex.”
“It is estimated that the ENER 1000 sold a hundred units, tops, since one of the biggest clients were the CTT (Portuguese postal service).”
Market reaction: Cut-out from the Diário de Lisboa
- EPROM CPU card with 2 KB
- DRAM card with 64/128 KB
- Serial interface card
- Floppy disk controller card
- Floating-Point Unit hardware
- 6809 processor with 4K EPROM, 2K RAM and a timer
- 8088 processor
- 16K of static RAM/ROM
- Graphic and alphanumeric unit for spectrum plot
- Light-pen module
- Quick ADC for Nuclear Physics use
- Quadruple 8-bit DAC
- Local network node
- Winchester 5” ¼ controller
- CRT controller and keyboard
- Synchronous port series (HDLC and SDLC)
- A/D and D/A 12-bit converters
- DMA controller
In terms of usage and application, it provided stock management, payroll processing, and accounting.
Where is the ENER 1000 nowadays?
João Gabriel Silva, who recently stepped down from his role as University of Coimbra’s dean, self-proposed the goal of restoring these devices, so that they can see the light of day again, in all their glory. It has show to not be an easy feat, and we have followed this journey very closely. There has been major progress and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As part of this work and project, we have had the opportunity to understand some more details regarding the design and making of the ENER 1000. One of those details (and a very relevant one to us), was being able to identify the key players in this process.
Thus, we were told about:
- Carlos Correia (deceased in 2018) worked on the CPU card and the serial interface.
- Francisco Fraga worked on the memory card.
- João Gabriel Silva designed the floppy disk controller card and developed the entire software system, both for the CP/M adaptation, and for the many users and supporting programmes. He also coordinated the project.
- Henrique Madeira worked with Carlos Henggeler on the video board hardware, and António José Mendes worked on the respective software.
- Amílcar Cardoso worked on the Motorola 6809 processor card.
- Luís Ramos worked on an EPROM recorder.
- Edmundo Monteiro worked on the X.25 card.
- Fernando Boavida worked on the Token Bus board.
- Mário Rela worked on the Serial and Parallel interface that was used on the
following model.
For anyone who enrolled in Computer Engineering, all of these names are instantly recognizable and familiar, and are a reason for pride.
Coimbra’s Electronic Typewriter and Electronic Office
Adapted text from the original article entitled “Engineering in 20th Century Portugal”, from António Dias Figueiredo.
The same Computer and Systems Group, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Coimbra, was also directly involved in supporting national companies and enterprises. It is with this background and context that a new collaboration with Messa begun. This was a long-established Portuguese company, and it used to manufacture typewriters. This Group helped the company take the leap from those mechanical typewriters directly into electronic technology.
Eduardo Sá Marta, from Coimbra’s group, would come up with a solution for the most complex problem with the printing devices used at the time: the problem related to damping the mechanical oscillations of the print head. He resolved this issue through an electronic process that would come to bring many more advantages to the development of smaller and lighter typewriters and machines.
The very first typewriter prototype was presented at Endiel, in Porto, in 1983. After that, an international display took place at the Hannover Messe, in 1984, where it would come to be a huge success.
Several European brands and companies showed their interest on the machine, and Triumph-Adler (one of the most reputable companies on the market) sent their engineers to Messa, for a week, to run tests on the typewriters. This company would end up acquiring 200,000 units a year. They had worked until they had a project, prototype and a willing market ready to buy the products… the only thing missing was an initial investment to start the production line.
Unfortunately, Messa’s financial situation had become worse, and the company filed for bankruptcy and the company was handed over to the Instituto de Participações do Estado. The company would slowly die off, without making any sort of decision regarding the electronic typewriter. Triumph-Adler, due to lack of response, separated itself from the process after some time.
During the Messa process, the University of Coimbra announced the project for the electronic office that, sadly, also went underwater and died off because of the uncertainty of the typewriter situation.
Messa had, actually, a central role in Coimbra’s strategy. The asset that Coimbra’s group wanted the most was Messa’s distribution network, which was present in sixty countries and, despite the company’s difficult financial situation, was practically intact in the public’s eye, at the time. Producing the electronic office equipment for such a distribution chain meant easily gaining an enviable international market, with an already established branding, namely in the office-supply market. Up until then, that market was led by the machines Messa had been selling achieved perfect international costumer satisfaction. Following the electronic typewriter, the aim was to bring printers to this market, which at the time was worth two billion dollars, by launching a model that resulted directly from the electronic typewriter.
Starting from the periphery, represented by the printers and other terminal equipment and devices, it would follow up into the core of the system, broadening the offer with small office computers (based on the ENER/UNIC) and local networks (a local network for the ENER/UNIC was being designed – the C-Net).
It is only fair to recognize that the work done in these projects originated many of the research fields that currently exist at the DEI/CISUC, from Software Engineering to Reliable Computing, Communication and Telematics.