es65 6502 Microcomputer System

The Ernst Steiner es65 Microcomputer

A somewhat exotic computer from 1980 which holds the title of Least Documented Computer On The Internet (according to me).

Made in Vienna, Austria by Ernst Steiner, this is a multi-user 6502 system. It boots up from a ROM board, and every user is assigned a memory board full of 2016 RAM chips to work on. It is representative for a whole class of custom-designed computers from the late 70s: no standards, sophisticated users knew how to make the things useful. My es65 has the luxury of a dual floppy disk drive so the users can actually save their work.

Unfortunately, I have no documentation at all - if you have any information, please let me know. I'll add whatever I find on this page as my search proceeds...

2026 progress: an update

So, about 15 years later, I found out that Robert Offner has done a ton of work on the es65. Jump to the end of the page for links.

https://youtu.be/VegHB5kYBxU?t=335

Some more highlights: Professor Ulrich Schmid was the designer of this remarkable machine:

https://youtu.be/VegHB5kYBxU?t=335

And Robert Offner published a Youtube movie of the es65 in full, rather glorious, operation:

https://youtu.be/7hpQCqwE3YA

...but see the end of this page for more updates. I still have the machine. But I think as probably the first Austrian microcomputer, this belongs in an Austrian museum. If you can provide a worthy home to the machine, it's free to a good home. Just contact me.

Anecdotal/Background

Konstruiert wurde das System von einem Lehrer in der HTL St. Pölten (eine Ingenierschule), die Fa. Ernst Steiner (Wien, heute Personalberatung) hat es dann vermarktet.

Soweit ich mich erinnern kann, war das Betriebssystem auf einer (E)PROM-Platine, auf den Diskettenlaufwerken waren nur die Arbeitsdaten (Source-Code, Assembler-Code, List-File, etc.). Für jeden User gabe es eine RAM-Platine voller 2016 und es gab noch ein Testsytem TSYS: ein zweites einfacheres System auf einer langen Platine mit Daumenradschalter, Siebensegmentanzeigen sowie 8 LEDs und 8 Taster. Man konnte dann den Maschinencode downloaden und sofort testen. Betrieben wurde das System mit HEATHKIT-Terminals über RS232.

Inside pictures (click to enlarge)

Cards (Click to enlarge)

Sightings - two magazine covers but no articles inside...

The 2026 update. Offner's es65 revival & reconstruction

I wrote this page 13 years ago, in the hope of finding out more about this special machine. Its capabilities are unique for the 6502 era, and there's reason to believe it is the earliest Austrian micro computer.

I still have the machine, and I believe it should go to a museum in Austria. Contact me if you believe you can provide the es65 a good home! Free to a good new owner :-)

Anyway, the update: Robert Offner published a long thread about his es65 research on the Stardot forum:

https://stardot.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=23492&p=341163

He gathered all the documentation he could find, dug into the circuits and firmware, and a complete repository is here:

https://bitbucket.org/100prozent/es65/src/master/

Subsequently, he verified everything by writing an es65 replica on FPGA, here:

https://bitbucket.org/100prozent/mc-6502_mini/src/master/

Should these links no longer work, contact me - I made backups. Because Robert's work is what stands between oblivion and preservation for this machine!