Don Lancaster

Last updated
Don Lancaster
Born
Donald E. Lancaster
Died(2023-06-07)June 7, 2023, age 83 [1]
Mesa, Arizona, US
NationalityAmerican
Known forAuthor
Website tinaja.com

Donald E. Lancaster was an American author, inventor, and microcomputer pioneer. [1]

Contents

Background

Don graduated from North Allegheny High School in Wexford, Pennsylvania. [2] He received a BSEE degree from Lafayette College in 1961, and a MSEE from Arizona State University in 1967. [3]

Lancaster was a writer and engineer, who wrote multiple articles for computer and electronics magazines of the 1970s, including Popular Electronics , Radio-Electronics , Dr. Dobb's Journal , 73 Magazine , and Byte . He has written books on electronics, computers, and entrepreneurship, both commercially published and self-published. [1]

One of his early projects was "TV Typewriter" serial terminal. [1] The design was accepted by early microcomputer users as it used an ordinary television set for the display and could be built for around USD$200 in parts, at a time when commercial terminals were selling for over $1,000.

Lancaster was an early advocate and developer of what is now known as print-on-demand technology. Lancaster produced his self-published books by re-purposing the game port of an Apple II to transfer PostScript code directly to a laser printer, rather than using a Macintosh running PageMaker. This enabled continuous book production using an inexpensive Apple II, rather than tying up an expensive Macintosh until the print run was complete.

He formerly held a ham radio license (K3BYG).

Publications

IC books
Project books
Apple books
Programming books
Other

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References