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CHALLENGER 4P

Scott Smith memories:
Iwas a programmer/tech at one of the main Ohio Scientific dealers.  We developed the first fully integrated accounting system, and OSI later sold it through their dealers and catalog.  I have over a dozen OSI systems ranging from Superboard II to Challenger III systems in my current collection.

The OSI operating system for the floppy-equipped systems was either OS65D or OS65U, depending on the marketing of the system.  OS65U was primarily a business-oriented OS, while OS65D was shipped with the C4P disk system, which were intended more for the home user.  OS65D was first, and it really wasn't until OSI introduced their hard disk drives (74 Mb to begin with) that OS65U seemed to gain in popularity.  It allowed rapid searching of *unindexed* files and only took up 24K of memory.

OS65D was more suited to the various attachments (home security, etc.) introduced by OSI.  Very few people seem to recall the home control system sold by OSI.  Originally manufactured by BSR and sold as the X-10 system, it was interfaced to the Challenger 2P via a modification made to the X-10 controller and some simple circuitry on the main board.  The X-10 box was really software-driven.  I worked on parts of the system, using OS65D, to come up with an application for our customers to use in conjunction with the home security system, which as I recall was made by <b>First Alert<b>.  I still have a functioning BSR X-10 controller and modules.  The modules sold today by X10.COM and Radio Shack still work with the OSI/BSR system!

As I recall the original prototype C4P wood sides were made by the father of James Cross, who was the sales manager at the time.  The C4P really was much better looking due to the wood sides and beige coloring than the appearance of the C2P systems.

I have a lot of documentation, some available only to dealers.  I have an OSI library including the Sam's technical and repair manuals for the OSI systems.  These were terrific for repairing any problem with a system since they had all the waveforms pictured on the pages indicating the test points.

I've held on to all my OSI stuff for years, and my sons (now 18 and 20) and I have had a lot of fun with the systems, since they are so simple and versatile.  The ability to monitor and control the outside world using such a simple computer is a big plus.