The Hayes Stack Chronograph
From the days when "real time clock" meant the thing hanging on the wall in the kitchen (and nobody had heard of Microsoft) comes the Hayes Stack Chronograph. With the same distinctive styling as the original Hayes modem, it was basically a digital clock with a serial port on the back and a battery-backup system. Using a special set of Hayes "AT" commands from a computer, you could set or read the day, date, and time, or set an alarm (which generated a "Ring Indicate" signal on your computer's serial port). With its silver and black brushed-aluminum case and blue fluorescent display, it was a serious "shiny thing" for any computer buff. Unfortunately, it was very expensive at the time, in the triple-digit price range. (I later bought mine, new in the box, for $10 in a computer surplus store in Kansas City in 1986.)
A scanned copy of the manual is available.
