{{Infobox company | name = Percom Data Corporation | type = [[Limited company]] | logo = percom.svg | founded = [[Garland, Texas]] (1976) | key_people = | fate = Purchased by Esprit Systems in 1984<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=MMSvi567BMUC&dq=Percom+Data+Esprit+Systems&pg=RA1-PA101 Mergers and Acquisitions], Computerworld, 5 Mar 1984, Page 101, ''...Esprit Systems, Inc., Melville, N.Y., has announced an agreement in principle to acquire Percom Data Corp. of Dallas, a manufacturer of hardware and software for local-area networks....''</ref> | revenue = | industry = [[Electronics]], [[microcomputer]] | products = [[floppy disk]] systems }}
'''Percom Data Corporation''' was an early [[microcomputer]] company formed in 1976 to sell peripherals into the emerging microcomputer market. They are best known for their [[floppy disk]] systems, first for [[S-100 bus|S-100]] machines, and the later for other platforms like the [[TRS-80]] and [[Atari 8-bit computers]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=LjAEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Percom+Data%22&pg=PA48 Hardware Reviews: Percom double-density disk drive for Atari micros], By Robert DeWitt, InfoWorld, 26 Jul 1982, Page 48,</ref> The company was purchased by [[Esprit Systems]] in 1984.
==Origins== [[File:PerCom Cassette Interface Dec 1977.jpg|thumb|right|PerCom Data Company's cassette tape interface]] Percom started after the meeting that produced the [[Kansas City standard]] for storing data on [[cassette tape]]s. The final version of the standard was written in February 1976, co-authored by [[Lee Felsenstein]] and Harold Mauch. Mauch published an article on the technical aspects of the standard in the next month's ''[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]'' magazine, entitled "Digital Data on Cassette Recorders".<ref>Harold Mauch, [https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1976-03/1976_03_BYTE_00-07_Cassette_Interfaces#page/n41/mode/2up "Digital Data on Cassette Recorders"], ''Byte'', March 1976, pp. 40-46</ref>
Mauch and his wife Lucy started what was originally '''PerCom Data''' that same month, selling the ''CIS-30'' adaptor allowing any portable cassette player to be connected to the [[Motorola 6800]]-based micros from [[SWTPC]]. The CIS-30 was a success, and soon followed by similar devices for other platforms. Floppy disk drives followed, along with rapid growth. Percom incorporated (dropping the capital C in the name) in 1978.
In 1979, the company branched out into the [[TRS-80]] market, starting with the ''Percom Separator'', and add-on device that corrected deficiencies in [[Radio Shack]]'s own floppy disk interface. In 1980 they introduced the ''Percom Doubler'', the first double-density floppy disk for the TRS-80 platform. They later introduced ''Electric Crayon'', a color graphics system that communicated with the TRS-80 through the printer port and output to a separate composite monitor or color television. In 1981 they moved all operations to Dallas, Texas except technical services and repair which stayed in Garland, Texas.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Kj0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA5 Percom to Move], InfoWorld, 28 Sep 1981, Page 5</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=swMFz8ewggoC&pg=PA98 Contracts], Computerworld, 13 Apr 1981, Page 98, ''...Micro Peripherals, Inc. has received an order worth nearly $2 million from Percom Data Co. for 10,000 miniature flexible disk drives. The MPI drives will be used in minidisk storage systems manufactured by Percom...''</ref>
Percom introduced a drive for the [[Atari 8-bit computers]] in 1982.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Robert |last=DeWitt |title=Percom double-density disk drive for Atari micros |magazine=InfoWorld |date=26 July 1982 |page=48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LjAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA48}}</ref> In contrast to the [[Atari 810]], the only drive on the platform at that time, the RFD40 drive offered double-density formatting and higher performance. Its onboard controller also allowed three additional "dumb" drives, lacking the controller, to be connected and thereby lowering the cost of a multi-drive system. A drive with the controller cost $799, additional drives were $399. The standard 34-pin connector also allowed for the use of 8-inch drives on the same controller. The system did not ship with a compatible DOS, instead, it shipped with a utility that modified an existing copy of [[Atari DOS]] to add double-density support. The 1983 AT-88 model was a single-density version otherwise the same as the RFD40.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Winson |last=Lawrence |title=An Alternative to the Atari 810 |magazine=Creative Computing |date=June 1983 |pages=114, 116 |url=https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputing198306/page/n115/mode/2up}}</ref>
Harold died suddenly in August 1982 and the company began to focus on the business market. This resulted in the creation of the Visionnet, an early [[Ethernet]] card for the [[IBM PC]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=uNETix |date=20 June 1983 |first=John |last=Markoff |magazine=InfoWorld |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zC8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA4 |page=4}}</ref> [[Western Digital]] licensed the design and sold it under the name Ethercard Plus.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MTwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18 |title=Western Unveils Ethernet Adaptor, Starlan Server Card |magazine= InfoWorld |date=23 March 1987 |page=18}}</ref>
==After Mauch== Harold Mauch's sudden death in August 1982 upset the company considerably. Focussing on business products, leaving the [[home computer]] field, the company started branching out into new product lines. ''PerComNet'' for the IBM PC was licensed by [[Western Digital]] and was sold under the name ''PC-LAN''.
In 1984, Esprit Systems purchased Percom and folded many of their product lines. Esprit made video terminal systems; the company folded around 2003.
==References== {{reflist}}
{{refbegin}} * Matthew Reed, [http://www.trs-80.org/percom-data-company/ "Percom Data Company"] * Roger Arrick, [http://www.rogerarrick.com/percom/ "Percom Data Corp. 1976-1986"] * [https://books.google.com/books?id=erK4_MHuqP8C&dq=Percom+Data+corp&pg=RA1-PA59 Percom Software Goes On Two Vendors Disks], Computerworld 30 Jul 1979, Page 59, ''...Percom Super Basic;...'' * [https://archive.org/details/Percom_Peripheral_1979-10_Percom_Data_Company_US Percom Peripheral (1979-10)], Percom Data Company(US) * [https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22percom%22 Percom] tagged media {{refend}}
[[Category:Computer companies established in 1976]] [[Category:Early microcomputers]] [[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]] [[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]