TCW Podcast Episode 211 - Ramtek Ramtek was an unlikely entrant into the video game space. Starting off as employees of Data Disc Corporation, Charles McEwan and John Metzler aimed to use technology to positively impact society. With a focus on high-end displays, money was slow to come in. A local bar, Andy Capp's Tavern, frequented by company's engineers, served as a test site for the new Atari Pong arcade game. Fascinated by Pong, Ramtek's engineers decided to create their own version, marking the beginning of their foray into video games and later electro-mechanical games. One of their top engineers, Pete Kauffman, left to found Exidy to focus solely on video games. For many years, Ramtek's coin-op division sustained the company, ensuring cash flow and becoming the core of their business. Despite setbacks, including a poorly designed baseball game, a failed pinball transition, and a devastating fire at their uninsured Sunnyvale facility, Ramtek recovered and went public in 1978. By then, their high-end display busines had succeeded, reducing the coin-op division's importance. The coin-op business was eventually sold to Charles's brother, Mel McEwan, and continued as Meltec until its sale in 2003. How do Hard Drives Work?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wteUW2sL7bc Systtem 370 & 3330 Hard Drive: https://youtu.be/oLnvvOoWnzU?t=430 Fujitsu 14" Winchester HDD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCtlcmzGCTk IBM 350 RAMAC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTkL4FQL2FI VHS Tapes - Were they as bad as we remember?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P00QS3lXJeI How X-Rays see through your skin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsV7SJDDCY4 Gama Camera Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q8MPBrGRqs Gamma (or Scintillation) Cameras Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEtYQaEwNwk Pong Prototype: https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=891 More Pong Prototype: https://www.flickr.com/photos/naotoj/15391150690 TCW 051 - Sons of Pong: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/sons-of-pong/ Ramtek Volly: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/volly Ramtek Soccer: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/soccer Ramtek Hockey: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/hockey Ramtek Wipeout Cabinet: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/wipe-out Ramtek Wipeout Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_TmOD0IHFM Ramtek Clean Sweep Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRzbgzKSdeo Ramtek Clean Sweep Cabinet: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/clean-sweep TCW 201 - Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 1: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/advanced-balls-and-paddles-part-1/ TCW 202 - Advanced Balls and Paddles Part 2: https://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/advanced-balls-and-paddles-part-2/ Ramtek's Baseball: https://x.com/GameResearch_E/status/1276734082240729088 Ramtek Trivia: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/trivia Ramtek Horoscope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibBFg4GQvSQ Ramtek Dark Invader: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Arcade/dark-invader Star Cruiser Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-NycOXE7pA Star Cruiser Flyer: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/star-cruiser Ramtek Sea Battle Flyer: https://www.arcade-museum.com/Videogame/sea-battle M79 Ambush Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFqubJx7wig M79 Ambush Flyer and Promotion: https://imgur.com/gallery/m-79-m79-ambush-videogames-advert-late-70s-ramtek-pLhiWGL Classic Boom Ball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UJ10Vuifdw Boom Ball Clowns: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsCwIYv6o5g New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month! TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com Twitter: @tcwpodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1 Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode Outro Music: RolemMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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1 hr and 40 mins