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Bulgarian IT history : Small Educational Computer MUK-600 / MUK-601
 


The MUK-600 (MUK - short for "Small Educational Computer" in Bulgarian) computer has been developed at the Department of "Computing" in the Higher Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering "Lenin" - Sofia (today Technical University - Sofia) by prof. Bojan Yankov, his assistant Hristo Shoilev and graduates as an aid in training. In institutes Education-experimental plant (school plant) several units were build.

The computer is based on the Bulgarian microprocessor family SM600 and can be used for:

  • Calculations and to solve engineering problems and tasks;

  • Management - as a system for automation of production;

  • System for collecting and processing data signals and information;

  • Terminal to more complex computer systems;

  • Training in the basics of computer programming in BASIC, Assembler, etc .;

  • Games, entertainment and more.

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Bulgarian IT history : Bulgarian made Pravetz 82 expansion cards catalog 1.03
 
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Bulgarian IT history : Paldin 601


In 1987. Bulgarian Telecommunication Company examined the possibility of developing a small computer that can be used for data collection from lab and test equipment working in industrial environment. This determined the choice of membrane keyboard and potential producer - Factory for Sensors and Sensor Devises (ZSSU) in Plovdiv.

Recognizing the complexity of the project, BTC renounces it. The director of ZSSU Slavey Papachev turned for help to the State Committee for Science and Technical Progress (DKNTP) to find a partner and continue the development of the computer. DKNTP suggested a partnership between ZSSU and Research and Production Laboratory "Software" (NIPL "Programno osiguriavane") with director Nedyalko Todorov - a small company at Sofia University formed in late 1984. ZSSU and NIPL agree to jointly develop the computer and the system software. For this purpose, the two companies created "Abacus" Association. Two more companies joined the association - Science and Manufacturing Laboratory "Programme" (NPL "Programa") and the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy. The future computer was called "PALDIN" - old name of the town of Plovdiv. Trade name of the new computer is the property of the Association. Computer "PALDIN" is the first Bulgarian patent pure computer protected copyright for Bulgaria, both the hardware and the software of the system.

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Bulgarian IT history : IMCO





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.

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