Commodore PC-1
The Commodore PC-1 was intended as an inexpensive entry-level PC for home use, but also as a terminal for larger computers in medium-sized data technology and was produced from February 1987 to the end of 1988.
history
The Commodore PC-1 was a model in a series of MS-DOS -compatible computers from Commodore International , which the then final production plant of the German Commodore Büromaschinen GmbH in Braunschweig was commissioned to build. In its ultra-compact form he was in competition for the PC-I of Atari thought. The introductory price at that time was around 900 DM. The price was quickly reduced to under 700 DM (in promotions through department stores and specialized computer retail chains). After less than two years, production of the Commodore PC-1 was discontinued and the focus was on the Commodore PC-10 and its successor models.
Technical data upon delivery
- Main memory: 512 KB, expandable to 640 KB
- Processor: Intel 8088 at 4.77 MHz
- Graphics: AGA graphics ( Advanced Graphics Architecture, not to be confused with the Amiga custom chips of the same name )
- Graphics modes: CGA and Hercules
- Interfaces: Serial: RS-232 for a mouse, among other things; Parallel: Centronics ( IEEE 1284 )
- Connections: keyboard, monitor, cinch video out, expansion port
- Software: MS-DOS 3.21 including GW-Basic
- Mouse: Not included in delivery, mice can be connected via serial interface
- Monitor: not included in delivery, can be connected via standard connection (color or monochrome)
Expansion options
- External floppy disk drives: A1010 / 1011 (720 KB, 3.5 ") and A1020 (360 KB, 5 1/4") from the Amiga series via expansion port
- Hard disks: Via an external housing including a cable connection, as the housing did not offer any space for another drive slot
- Expansion box: Two ISA slots via a riser card . The connections were available internally, but this box never made it into mass production, but was available on the market
- Processor: Intel 8088 can be replaced by NEC V20 (8 to 16 MHz) with simultaneous exchange of the crystal as clock generator.
- Co-processor: Intel 8087 (math co-processor)
Market situation
Although it was advertised and sold on the market for some time and through chains such as Vobis , this computer was never successful. The main reason for this was the ultra-compact, but very restrictive design, which was quite remarkable for the time. As a result, there was a lack of elegant expansion options in its own housing, such as the very successful Commodore PC-10 and its successor models. Furthermore, it was not possible to install ISA-compatible cards in the housing, as there were no ISA slots and these first had to be retrofitted via the expansion box. Another reason was the large number of IBM-compatible computers that pushed onto the market and were cheaper and cheaper. a. could be made in East Asia. The computer as a terminal in data centers found some, but never penetrating, distribution.
