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Digico was a British computer company founded in 1965 by Keith Trickett and Avo Hiiemae, two ex-ICL electronics engineers. Former MP Eric Lubbock became chairman in 1969.[1] The company was based in Letchworth initially, moving to a new factory in Stevenage in 1973[2] and employing about 90 staff.[3]
| Industry | Computer hardware |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1965 |
| Founders | Keith Trickett and Avo Hiiemae |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Eric Lubbock (chairman) |
| Products | data loggers, minicomputers |
Digico's first product was a laboratory data-logging and spectrum analyser hardware system named DIGIAC. This product had been developed before Digico was formed, so was an immediate source of income.[1] Digico soon developed a 16-bit minicomputer series, the Micro 16, for which it was best known for.
Digico quickly started developing a general purpose single accumulator 16-bit minicomputer, the Micro 16, which became available in 1966. Digico was assisted by the Ministry of Technology and the National Research Development Corporation in this development.[1][2][4] The first version produced was the Digico Micro 16S (1968), followed by the 16P (1970), then the 16V in 1972.[5][6]
| Example applications available for Micro 16V[7] |
|---|
| Animal feed mix control |
| Car park control |
| Census analysis |
| Electroencephalography |
| Gas chromatography |
| ICL 1900 front ending |
| Invoicing |
| Machine tool control |
| Mass spectrometry |
| Stock control |
| Typesetting |
The Digico Micro 16V had a standard memory of 4k words with 950 nano second cycle time, expandable to 64k words, and able to support up to 64 external interfaces. It had an optional microprogrammed floating-point unit.[7] The Micro 16V was supported by a simple and flexibly sized executive that could optionally support multiprogramming, disc files and teletypes.[8] The Micro 16V used semiconductor memory, rather than magnetic-core memory as in the previous models.[9]
Digico primarily sold into the data logging market until 1969, when it expanded into areas like process control, stock control and front-end processors for the ICL 1900 mainframe.[1][10] In 1974 Digico had a turnover of over £1 million (equivalent to £13 million in 2023) and in 1977 well over £1 million.[11][12]
In 1978 the Digico Micro 16E stackable minicomputer, which was well suited to an office environment, won a Design Council Award for Engineering Products.[13][14]
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