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Don Lancaster (1940–2023) was an American inventor, author, and electrical engineer whose practical and accessible writings played a fundamental role in democratizing electronics and pioneering the home computer revolution. His books and articles, spanning from the 1960s onward, instructed generations of hobbyists and engineers, earning him a reputation as a "guru" of electronics.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Lancaster developed an interest in electronics early, becoming an amateur radio enthusiast before high school graduation. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Lafayette College in 1961 and an M.S. in Engineering from Arizona State University (ASU) in 1967, after which he did postgraduate work at Carnegie Mellon University. During the Vietnam War era, he worked as an aerospace engineer for Goodyear Aerospace outside of Phoenix, where he worked on classified long-range radar projects while continuing to write technical articles in his spare time. His MSEE thesis described his development of the first integrated-circuit-based metal detector, which became a cover story in Popular Electronics magazine.
Lancaster's most significant contribution to the microcomputer world was the TV Typewriter, a low-cost video display terminal that debuted in a 1973 Popular Electronics article. This revolutionary design allowed users to display text on a standard television set using a custom keyboard, paving the way for affordable home computing. The design was later sold as a kit by Southwest Technical Products and influenced early personal computer designs, including the keyboard layout for the Apple II.
As a prolific author, Lancaster's seminal works simplified complex digital electronics for the layperson. His "Cookbook" series, published in the 1970s, became essential reading:
TTL Cookbook (1974): An international bestseller, reportedly selling over one million copies, this book provided practical guidance on using transistor-transistor logic circuits.
CMOS Cookbook (1977)
Active Filter Cookbook (1975)
RTL Cookbook (1969)
TV Typewriter Cookbook (1976)
In total, Lancaster published some 35 technical books, including titles on the Apple II assembly language and PostScript, and contributed over 1,800 articles to magazines such as Popular Electronics, Radio-Electronics, and Computer Shopper. He was also an early advocate and developer of print-on-demand technology, using his own custom setup involving an Apple II to transfer PostScript code directly to a laser printer for his self-published books through Synergetics Press.
Beyond electronics, Lancaster taught microcomputer fundamentals and desktop publishing at Eastern Arizona College for 16 years. He also pursued interests in archaeology, documenting a massive prehistoric irrigation system known as the bajada "hanging" canal system in southeastern Arizona.
Don Lancaster died on June 7, 2023, at the age of 83. His legacy endures through his accessible writing, his pioneering work on the TV Typewriter, and his website, where he generously provided free PDF versions of his books.
