Hardware designer of the computer project that evolved through Sinclair Radionics and Newbury Laboratories into the Grundy NewBrain.
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Hardware Designer, Hardware Engineer |
Mike Wakefield was the principal hardware designer of the computer project begun at Sinclair Radionics in 1978. Conceived as a more capable personal computer than the low-cost machines later pursued by Sinclair Research, the design was intended to compete with systems such as the Apple II.
When government ownership and restructuring closed Sinclair Radionics, the project moved to Newbury Laboratories. Wakefield continued the engineering work while Basil Smith developed the system software. The machine was renamed the NewBrain and was considered during the BBC Computer Literacy Project.
The final design passed to Grundy Business Systems, which brought the NewBrain to market in 1982. Wakefield's hardware gave it unusually strong display, expansion and communications capabilities for a compact Z80 computer.
Hardware designer on Grundy business and personal computers.
Hardware designer on Newbury Laboratories computer systems.
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