Microsense Computers Limited
October 1983 - June 1986
I started my journey in the computer industry as a Production Engineer for Microsense. Microsense was one of the first micro-computer manufacturing companies in India. Products ranged from CPM based personal computers to MS-DOS based IBM PC clones and including a Indian language word processor (called LIPI). Another product was a 19” rack-based automated telex exchange (called AUTOMEX). Both LIPI and AUTOMEX were manufactured for Computer Maintenance Corporation (India).
Fun Facts from '80s
During 1983-84, word processors based on a 8-bit Zilog Z-80 CPU running CP/M operating system were manufactured. Later, these 8-bit word processors were upgraded to 16-bit Intel 8086 processor and became multi-lingual word processors (“Lipi”) manufactured exclusively for Computer Maintenance Corporation, India (CMC). These systems ran the MP/M operating system. In late 1985, Microsense Computers started the production of IBM personal computer compatibles. These systems based on the Intel 8088 CPU were the first “PCs” running MS-DOS Disk Operating System.
In 1985, CMC placed another order on Microsense for the manufacture and testing of a series of digital VME bus based automated telex exchanges. These systems were called Automex. These systems were based on the Intel 8086/8087 processors and running MP/M operating system had a CPU board, alarm boards, disk drive controller boards, floppy disk drives, and hard disk drives, 8- and 16- port POTS interface boards, A/D & D/A converter boards, rack redundant power supplies in Euro 19” cabinets. The business logic was to automatically store and forward telex messages to customers who wished to use services such as off peak transmissions and receipts of messages.
