The Intellec Microcomputer Development Systems (MDS) were complete computers intended for the development of Intel microcomputer based products. They included a main unit with CPU, RAM, ROM, I/O and interrupt circuitry, as well as all necessary software: Assembler, linker, and debugger.

Optional EPROM programmer and In-Circuit Emulator (ICE) allowed real-time emulation and diagnostics into user configured system before saving final program into an EPROM.

Intellec 4 and 8

The Intellec 4 was first model, introduced in 1973. It was intended for software development for the 4004, first Intel 4-bit processor. The same year, Intel also launched the Intellec 8 for the 8008 - the first Intel 8-bit processor.

Intellec MDS

The Intellec MDS was launched in around 1975. It featured an 8080 processor and could implement MCS-80 (8080) based computers and Intel Series 3000 systems.

The main unit needed a Serial video terminal or an ASR-33 Teletype to be connected, as well as a paper tape puncher/ reader and/or floppy drive unit.

Siemens sold in Germany a local version of the first Intellec called SME-800.

Series II

The Intellec series II Model 230 included a 2000 character CRT, a detachable full ASCII keyboard and dual double- density 8" diskette drives providing over 1 MB of data storage.

ISIS-II Diskette Operating Software allowed the Model 230 to be used for assembly and/or compilation and debugging of programs for Intel's MSC-80 (8080), MCS-85 (8085), or MCS-48 (8048) microprocessor families. ISIS also supported FORTRAN and PL/M languages.

Series III

As Intel's customers upgraded their designs from the 8085 to the 8086, Intel upgraded its 'Intellec' development system from Series-2 to Series-3 by plugging in a new 16 bit board called "RPA-86" (Resident Processor Assembly) with 8086 CPU and 16 bit wide RAM and ROM.

The Series-3 boots up in 8 bit mode with the 8085 running under ISIS-2 like before, but when 16 bit software has to be executed, then the 8085 hands over the control to this new board which becomes bus master, and the rest of the Intellec MDS just serves as an I/O subsystem.