Binary Dinosaurs Computer Museum
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A View From Hungary
Hungarian TVC Computer
Over to Zoltán Németh :)
The Videoton bought a computer plans from the Enteprise Computers!!! in 
1984.
This is redesigned for a "socialist" components. Until 1988 about 12000 
TVC sold. Mostly as school computer. After 1987-88 the TVC will be 
forgotten, because you can buy "capitalist" computers, Enterprise, 
Commodore...
Three version exist: 32K, 64K this versions have 32/64K RAM and 16K 
video RAM. And 64K+ this have 64K RAM and 64K video RAM.
Other specifications:
Z80 at 3.125 Mhz
Internal ROM 20K
Text mode 24x64, graphics modes: 512x240/2 colors, 256x240/4 colors, 
128x240/16 colors
1 channel sound
Keyboard with 66 keys and internal joystick. Two external joystick port.
Other connectors: TV, RGB monitor, centronics compatibe printer port, 
tape conncetors, cartridge connector (for 16K ROM), extension connector 
(8K ROM for each) the floppy controller card can be connected here.
The floppy controller have two version ROM: VT-DOS as MS-DOS like, and 
UPM, this is CP/M 2.2 compatible...
Such as the EXDOS and ISDOS on the Enterprise :-) and using same floppy 
disk drives, up to 720K.
The BASIC (1.1 or 1.2 version in the 32/64K, 2.2 in 64K+), System ROM, 
DOS ROM programs originaly come from the Enterprise, easy to found many 
similiarity. But you see this is a earlier versions.
This is the webpage of the TVC users:
tvc.homeserver.hu

In the "Galéria", you found many photos about this machines!
This is my favorite: 32K RAM expansion unit for TVC, with russian memory 
ICs, in a fantastic colors :-)
Click

Because the similiarity, the 'a' Studio released many own Enterprise 
games also for the TVC.

I promised more words about the hungarian Enterprise history:
Many Enterprise owner want to buy EXDOS card, but the official shops 
sold only few cards :( this is started the non official hardware 
developements. Many EXDOS clone will be born.
The most important EXDOS clone is the Microteam type EXDOS, this is not 
only floppy controller, it is have 512K RAM, and 3 socket for EPROM's. 
Link.
Many man copied this card pcb, and make very similiar cards. This is the 
most popular card in the early 90's.
Gyula Mészáros is the best hw developer for Ep at this time. He is 
developed the Bus Extension card, for attaching multiple card to the EP.
And many other cards: 1MB RAM extension, 6 socket EPROM/SRAM card, Real 
Time/Clock, hw RS232 port (can used with serial PC mouse), XT keyboard 
interface card, prototype cooprocessor card.
You can see most of this card at here:
Link.

The 6 Mhz Turbo Card, developed by the SMD Team. 
Link.

Only one official hungarian hw developed: the hw Spectrum Emulator Card, 
we talked enought about this :)

My other hw things: overclocking the Z80 to 7.12Mhz.
Overclocking the WD177x floppy disk controller chip, at 10Mhz you can 
format the DD disk up to 13 sectros/track. And at 16 Mhz: can work with 
HD floppy disks! (HD floppy drive, and WD1772 chip, and min 6Mhz Z80 
needed for this)
I replaced the 32K internal ROM to 64K EPROM, and modified and extended 
the EXOS with many extra functions, I named this version as EXOS 2.3, 
you can see in some configs in the EP32 emulator.

The most important programer is László Haluska (Hsoft), he is developed 
the great filemanager utility program, called as EPDOS:
Link.
This is the like a Norton Commander of the EP :-)
Other great programs of Hsoft: the Heass: editor and assembler. This 
program can use full of the avaiable memory! The previous assembler 
programs only use about 48-64K.
And the HWP, this is WYSWYG word processor program with many functions, 
and using full of the memory. (The internal WP only use 16K) This is the 
Word for EP :-)


Today projects:
Previously I sayed about the IDE card.
When started writing the driver software, then I started disassembling 
the EXDOS (because I not found the technical specifications :( , and 
discovered a very important things: the EXDOS from 1985, can handle 
logical disks (at this time: partitions) up to 32MB! without any 
modifications!!! Only the required low level driver program needed to 
extend the EXDOS.
This program is mostly completed, and working. You can use any EXDOS 
feature at hard disk partitions. Because the EXDOS limitations (program 
from 1985!), now only FAT12 filesystem supported, and max 65536 
sectors/partitions. But you can make 21 partition (drive F: to Z:), i 
think the total 672MB disk space, is more than enought :-)
Now some special hard disk utility (FDISK,etc) are under developing.
And I working with Hsoft, on the EPDOS, developing a hard disk 
compatible version.

All images and text © Adrian Graham 1999-2024 unless otherwise noted using words. Also on