RETROTRONICS.info
English Bulgarian


   Welcome at RETROTRONICS.INFO - the web site for computer history and vintage computers. Here you will find many pictures, historic facts and technical information about:
  • the personal computers and IT products made in Bulgaria;
  • the early models made by "Apple Computers Inc." - Apple I, Apple ][, Apple /// and Apple Lisa;
  • early examples of hardware emulation;
  • many unusual personal computers, developed between 1975 - 2000 year.
Enjoy a travel in time when computer memory was measured in kilobytes, the speed in megaherz and the storage was a paper tape or audio cassette ...



 









In October 1979 the State Committee for Science and Technical Progress (SCSTP) contacted the Institute of Technical Cybernetics and Robotics (ITCR) with the task to "create a small computer based on microprocessors". The development of the computer was undertaken by a team led by Ivan Marangozov and including Kancho Dossev, Georgi Zhelyazkov and Petar Petrov.



The first three experimental units of the computer, which was called IMCO-1 (Individual Micro COmputer 1), were completed in late 1980 and approved by SCSTP. They were based on a little-known foreign model with Intel 8080 8-bit microprocessor. The computer had a built in BASIC and instead of having floppy disk drives, a cassette tape recorder was used as external memory. In 1981 The experimental base of ITCR produced around 50 units from this computer. They were given to institute and university laboratories to get acquainted with the capabilities of the personal microcomputers.
In the same year a robot controlled by IMCO-1was demonstrated at Robotics Forum in England. The decision to controll a robot by a microcomputer was a novelty at that time. It reduced costs and simplified maintenance compared with commonly used minicomputers to control robots.






News
Microprocessor systems Pravetz - Buyers guide 1989. Part IV 2013/4/15


The last part of the guide lists the software products, distributed by the Microprocessor systems Pravetz.



New in the collection
Floppy disk drive ISOT 5071E / ES 5074 Technical Description and Table of Signals 2018/7/8


As part of the documentation for Bulgarian 8 inch floppy disk drive model ISOT 5071E / ES 5074 we add C13.060.216 TO (Technical Description) and C13.060.216 TS (Table of Signals).






Pravetz 82
Rally 2022/12/13

"RALLY" is a bulgarian version of Activision's game Speedway Classic from 1984. The game was distributed by Disk Packs Plant - Pazardzik.


Pravetz 16
Chinese puzzle 2022/12/13







This part of the web site is under constriction.








IMCO 1