---
title: ICL Personal computer
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1981'
cpus:
- Intel
params:
  name: Personal computer
  image: /media/museum/photos/icl_perscomp_system_1.jpg
  company: /companies/icl
  company_name: ICL
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Personal computer
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: ICL
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: United Kingdom
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1981'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke 102 keys with function keys and numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: Intel or AMD 8085A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 3 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 KB up to 512 KB
  - label: VRAM
    value: Depending on the video terminal used
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 characters x 25 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 50.5(W) x 40.5(D) x 14(H) cm.
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: 2 x serial ports. Serial printer and keyboard on terminal
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: 2 x 5.25'' 256 KB Double sided / Double density FDD
  - label: OS
    value: CP/M or MP/M
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in power supply
  - label: PRICE
    value: From £1,800
  tabs:
  - photos
  forum_thread: 735
  photos:
  - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: Complete running system with an ICL dot matrix printer, actually an Oki Microline 82, and a Maplin 300 baud modem.
    image: /media/museum/photos/icl_perscomp_compsystem_1.jpg
  - title: BACK
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** Keyboard connector\
      **(2)** Parallel printer DB25 connector\
      **(3)** Host/serial DB25 connector\
      **(4)** 2 x serial port. The upper one is dedicated to the video terminal
    image: /media/museum/photos/icl_perscomp_back_1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** The backplane features 8 connectors and uses a specific RAIR format\
      **(2)** Serial board\
      **(3)** 64 KB memory board. Uses 32 x 4116 RAM chips\
      **(4)** Processor board\
      **(5)** Floppy disk controller board\
      **(6)** Switching power supply unit and large fan\
      **(7)** 2 x 5.25" Tandon FDD. Double side, double density, 48TPI, 780 KB models.
    image: /media/museum/photos/icl_perscomp_inside_1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE VIDEO TERMINAL
    subtitle: ''
    text: The video terminal features a complete computer board including a 8085 processor, ROM an RAM memory, and programmable I/O ports.
    image: /media/museum/photos/icl_perscomp_insideterm_1.jpg
  oc_id: 752
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230607225818/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=752
    date: '2023-06-07'
---

In the early 70s, the British government whished an English computer company could compete with the world major manufacturers. Some years later, the ICL company became one of the larger manufacturer of computers in Europe and did really compete with U.S. companies.

In 1980, before the ICL Personal Computer was born, the company met serious financial problems, the English government paid several million pounds and ICL asked the British RAIR CIE to provide the ICL-PC hardware.

This ICL Personal Computer is thus exactly the same machine as the [RAIR Black Box](/museum/rair-microcomputer-black-box/) system, a backplane 8085 based system using a serial video terminal as video display, and CP/M (single user) or MP/M (multi-user) operating systems.

Two series were released. The **PC1** series is the model pictured here. The **PC2** series was the same design case as the [ICL PC Quattro](/museum/icl-quattro/). This used an Intel or AMD 8085AH-2 CPU at 5MHZ

The model numbers for the PC1 series were:\
**Model 10** (pictured here) - 64 KB RAM, 2 x 5.25" FDD, CP/M O.S.\
**Model 30** with a 5 MB hard disc, CP/M O.S.\
**Model 31** 64 KB RAM, three users, 5 MB hard disc, MP/M O.S.\
**Model 32** 256 KB RAM, three users, 10 MB hard disc, MP/M O.S.

Those of the PC2 series were:\
**Model 15** 64 KB RAM, 2 x 5.25" FDD, CP/M O.S.\
**Model 25** with a 5 MB hard disc, CP/M O.S.\
**Model 26** 64 KB RAM, three users, 5 MB hard disc, MP/M O.S.\
**Model 35** 256 KB RAM, three users, 10 MB hard disc, MP/M O.S.

**Agnus WR Gulliver** reports us:\
There were a few simple games written for it, mostly text based (what do you expect, it uses CP/M), but it's main use was of course as an office machine.\
I recall it being a slow machine to use, even boot-up took about a minute. You had to be very careful with the hard disk because it didn't have auto-parking heads. After it was switched off you had to wait about a minute to switch it on again.

According to **K.-L. Butte**,there were 3 different models of it marking the 3 major development steps: The first incarnation wit 8085 and MP/M, the second with 8088 and Concurrent CP/M and the third with 8086 and Concurrent CP/M.