HITAC 10

The HITAC 10 is the first minicomputer in Japan, which was developed by Hitachi, Ltd. and released in February 1969. It had a 16-bit word architecture. All circuit elements were implemented in ICs, and the magnetic cores were used for the memory unit. The system had the memory capacity ranging from 4K words to at most 32K words. The cycle time was 1.4 milliseconds. the addition/subtraction arithmetic took 2.8 milliseconds. There were 16 basic instructions (up to 12 instructions could be added as an option). It could be connected to at most 64 input/output devices. The system was equipped with a data typewriter as the basic input/output device, and the paper tapes were used as the portable storage media. The double-precision arithmetic mechanism was used for scientific and engineering computation.

The available software included a monitor (early OS functions), an assembler, compilers (FORTRAN, BASIC), and various input/output subroutines, and it achieved the high efficiency in software development.

The machine was used for a wide range of application due to its distinctive features -- such as compactness, low price, high-reliability, and software productivity. In addition to the personal use in scientific and engineering calculation, it was widely used as a built-in controller for monitoring control, automatic control, production-line control, control of machine tools and robots, drafting/design via plotter control, and data communication control, and instrumentation for gas chromatography, fluorescence analysis, and blood analysis.

It cost ¥4.95 million in the basic configuration with a typewriter.