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Hewlett Packard 9845--B Desktop Computer monitor

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At first glance, the Hewlett Packard (HP) 9845-B computer looks very much like the personal desktop computers that became available in the mid-1980s. However, both the price—over $25,000—and performance of this machine clearly indicate that it was designed for use by scientists and engineers. One of the first commercially available workstations, the HP 9845-B included a highly integrated, complete system with graphics and networking capabilities, a variety of input/output devices, and large amounts of processing power.

The HP 9800 series were the first HP computers that were supplied with a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)-based monitor; it was also possible to add a monitor that displayed graphics, a feature not present in the standard monitor, whose display was restricted to alpha-numeric characters. The display screen offered the programmer or user a visual check of programming steps—available in BASIC, Pascal, or Fortran—as well as the opportunity to debug the program.

The graphics screen was particularly important for search programs that relied on user-input chemical structural diagrams to search large collections of compounds held by the National Cancer Institute or the Chemical Abstracts Service database of compounds.

While the stand-alone computer could be used to perform intricate mathematical operations, statistical calculations, and other heavy calculation-dependent applications, it did not have any of the application programs, such as a word processor or spreadsheet manager, that now are basic in computers. While workstations in general have been replaced by true personal computers, many of the top-selling HP 9845-B units still exist and are still operational, attesting to the ruggedness of the computer design.

Dr. Louis Sokoloff, Laboratory of Cerebral Metabolism, National Institute of Mental Health, used this HP 9845-B in his work on the deoxyglucose method—a method for measuring local glucose metabolism in the brain, used as a measure of brain activity, which has been used as the basis for PET scans. For this contribution to science, he won the 1981 Lasker Award. He also wrote user-friendly programs for the HP-9845 to statistically analyze his data. [06.0006.001]

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Dolch Portable Add-In Computer P.A.C. 386 Model, c. 1989

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Dolch P.A.C. in open configuration

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At 20 pounds, the Dolch P.A.C. was a “desktop replacement” or portable computer that weighed almost as much as a desktop. It was meant to be plugged in for power — an extra battery was available but offered only one extra hour of power supply. Designed for maximum computing power in minimal space, the Dolch P.A.C. offered 1-8 MB of RAM, 20-170 MB of hard disk space, and up to six expansion slots. The display was electroluminescent and featured yellow text on a black background, said to enhance readability. With a $7,995 price tag for the basic model, the Dolch P.A.C. was clearly marketed towards serious users. And trade publications also appreciated its charms: PC Magazine lauded it as “the fastest portable on the planet” in its December 1989 issue.

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Dolch P.A.C. in open configuration

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Dolch P.A.C. in closed configuration

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This Dolch P.A.C. was owned by Dr. Barry Richmond, Chief of the Neural Coding and Computation Section in the Laboratory of Neuropsychology at NIMH. His laboratory studies the how information is encoded by single neurons, and as a result of this work, the laboratory developed an algorithm able to decode real-time neuronal firing in order to deliver real-time commands to a prosthetic device. [14.0004.001]

Computing at NIH

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Dolch Portable Add-In Computer P.A.C. 386 Model, c. 1989

Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum