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/
