04-02-2023, 03:36 PM
Time Office Computers specialised in the design and manufacture of microcomputers and office network systems. It was originally formed in 1971 as Electronic Control Systems Pty Ltd by Michael Roberts, an engineering and science graduate of the University of New South Wales. He formed the company and set up a manufacturing facility in his basement to make computer terminals to his own design. A small 500-square-metre factory was opened in 1975 in Chatswood, NSW to manufacture terminals and the following year an intelligent terminal was added to the product range.
A Melbourne branch was opened in 1977 and a contract for the supply of ECS intelligent terminals was awarded by Telecom. In 1981 a substantial contract for communicating word processors was received from the NSW Government Public Service and with an annual turnover in 1981/82 exceeding $3 million, the company moved into new head-office premises in North Sydney. During 1982 the brand name Time took on more significance. It was decided to retain the ECS name for the manufacturing operations, but to change the trading name to Time Office Computers. In 1984 Time Office bought Dulmont Electronic Systems and they then re-named the Dulmont Magnum laptop to the Kookaburra. See the Dulmont Magnum folder in the Vintage Repository for further information on this computer.
Some of the articles from magazines, particularly time_office_history_amc_83_10.pdf, explains their history in further detail. We don't have any Software, ROMs, disk images or Manuals unfortunately, but if anyone can help, that would be much appreciated. I actually found 2x Time Office disks in my own disk collection, but imaging them showed them to be blank disks, but their covers were scanned. We do have a few Brochures and pictures as well as a number of magazine & newspaper articles which all make interesting reading gathered from the internet including archive.org, facebook, ebay, trove, etc. These have been collected over sometime but now time to make them available and add to them hopefully in the future.
So in the Vintage Repository in the new Time_Office folder we placed
cp-m_registration_form.pdf
ecs4500_brochure.pdf
kookaburra_brochure.pdf
michael_roberts_chairman_time_office_amc_83_10.pdf
multi_port_tranceiver_amc_84_04.pdf
the_time_kookaburra_canberra_times_85_02_04.pdf
times_new_factory_amc_83_10.pdf
time_borrows_$1m_to_buy_dulmont_canberra_times_84_10_22.pdf
time_office_computers_amc_84_11_12.pdf
time_office_history_amc_83_10.pdf
time_office_moves_amc_84_11_12.pdf
time_office_takes_over_magum_amc_84_11_12.pdf
time_office_wins_grant_amc_84_08.pdf
x-lan_announcement_Todays_Computers_84_08.pdf
and in the Time_Office\Pictures folder we placed
ecs_4500.jpg
ecs_4500_front.jpg
ecs_4500_inside.jpg
ecs_4500_label.jpg
ecs_display_terminal_t-03.jpg
ecs_display_terminal_t-03_keyboard.jpg
floppy_sleeve_back.jpg
floppy_sleeve_front.jpg
kookaburra_laptop.jpg
time.office_cp-m_2.2_back.jpg
time.office_cp-m_2.2_front.jpg
time.office_dbase_II.jpg
time_office_badge.jpg
A Melbourne branch was opened in 1977 and a contract for the supply of ECS intelligent terminals was awarded by Telecom. In 1981 a substantial contract for communicating word processors was received from the NSW Government Public Service and with an annual turnover in 1981/82 exceeding $3 million, the company moved into new head-office premises in North Sydney. During 1982 the brand name Time took on more significance. It was decided to retain the ECS name for the manufacturing operations, but to change the trading name to Time Office Computers. In 1984 Time Office bought Dulmont Electronic Systems and they then re-named the Dulmont Magnum laptop to the Kookaburra. See the Dulmont Magnum folder in the Vintage Repository for further information on this computer.
Some of the articles from magazines, particularly time_office_history_amc_83_10.pdf, explains their history in further detail. We don't have any Software, ROMs, disk images or Manuals unfortunately, but if anyone can help, that would be much appreciated. I actually found 2x Time Office disks in my own disk collection, but imaging them showed them to be blank disks, but their covers were scanned. We do have a few Brochures and pictures as well as a number of magazine & newspaper articles which all make interesting reading gathered from the internet including archive.org, facebook, ebay, trove, etc. These have been collected over sometime but now time to make them available and add to them hopefully in the future.
So in the Vintage Repository in the new Time_Office folder we placed
cp-m_registration_form.pdf
ecs4500_brochure.pdf
kookaburra_brochure.pdf
michael_roberts_chairman_time_office_amc_83_10.pdf
multi_port_tranceiver_amc_84_04.pdf
the_time_kookaburra_canberra_times_85_02_04.pdf
times_new_factory_amc_83_10.pdf
time_borrows_$1m_to_buy_dulmont_canberra_times_84_10_22.pdf
time_office_computers_amc_84_11_12.pdf
time_office_history_amc_83_10.pdf
time_office_moves_amc_84_11_12.pdf
time_office_takes_over_magum_amc_84_11_12.pdf
time_office_wins_grant_amc_84_08.pdf
x-lan_announcement_Todays_Computers_84_08.pdf
and in the Time_Office\Pictures folder we placed
ecs_4500.jpg
ecs_4500_front.jpg
ecs_4500_inside.jpg
ecs_4500_label.jpg
ecs_display_terminal_t-03.jpg
ecs_display_terminal_t-03_keyboard.jpg
floppy_sleeve_back.jpg
floppy_sleeve_front.jpg
kookaburra_laptop.jpg
time.office_cp-m_2.2_back.jpg
time.office_cp-m_2.2_front.jpg
time.office_dbase_II.jpg
time_office_badge.jpg
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ChickenMan
ChickenMan