---
title: Cromemco C10
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1982'
cpus:
- Z80-A
params:
  name: C10
  image: /media/museum/photos/cromemco_c10_system_1.jpg
  company: /companies/cromemco
  company_name: Cromemco
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: C10
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Cromemco
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: September 1982
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke 61 keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Z80-A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 4 Mhz
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 24 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 chars. x 25 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome. 12'' green CRT
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Second F.D. unit, Parallel and Serial ports
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: External 390 KB 5.25'' F.D. unit
  - label: OS
    value: CDOS - CP/M
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in Power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: No extensions capabilities
  - label: PRICE
    value: $1785
  tabs:
  - adverts
  adverts:
  - title: FIRST C-10 AD
    subtitle: ''
    text: February 1983
    image: /media/museum/pubs/cromemco_c10_pub_1.jpg
  comments:
  - author: Jerry Lopez (Alabama/USA)
    date: Saturday 10th December 2011
    text: |-
      I worked for Cromemco just before the\
      C10 was introduced. I ourchased one\
      and used it for a few years.\
      It had one Z80 cpu to run both the\
      video and the computer part.\
      It was shipped to run CDOS,\
      Cromemco''s version of C/PM.\
      Of course it could also run C/PM.

      It was used as a smart standalone\
      terminal and used with the larger\
      S-100 bus machines that ran CROMIX\
      the Unix look a like by Cromemco.
  - author: CRAIG
    date: Wednesday 20th July 2011
    text: At the time they were banking on a contract to sell the c-10 to the us post office.
  - author: Pete Fenelon (UK)
    date: Monday 29th December 2003
    text: |-
      It was very difficult to tell what Cromemco were trying to achieve with the C10. They'd made their name as a vendor of beautifully-engineered S-100 "crate" systems with excellent graphics boards available, and then came out with this stunted little terminal-lookalike with no graphical abilities at all - just at the point that CP/M was dying.

      The good point was that the build quality was, by the standards of the day, superb - it was much nicer to use than (say) a Superbrain. It really seemed to be in competition with the Xerox 820, although its relatively low-profile looks probably made it a slightly easier sell into executive/professional environments than the horrible boxy 820...

      But what it was missing was Cromemco's wonderful colour graphics....
  oc_id: 638
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604043552/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=638
    date: '2023-06-04'
---

The C-10 is Cromemco's only attempt to step in the market of personal and family oriented computers.

The goal was to compete with [Apple II](/museum/apple-ii/)'s and [IBM PC](/museum/ibm-pc-model-5150/)'s in small businesses as they started getting equipped with computer systems.

This standard CP/M based system featured a 12'' screen housing a single motherboard, without extension capabilities (no S-100 bus), a keyboard and floppy drive.

The CDOS operating system (a CP/M variant) came with several business software tools (spreadsheet, word processor, BASIC language).