--- title: Ice-Felix HC-85 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - Romania years: - '1985' cpus: - Z80 params: name: HC-85 image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_system_1.jpg company: /companies/ice-felix company_name: Ice-Felix specs: - label: NAME value: HC-85 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Ice-Felix - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: Romania - label: YEAR value: '1985' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Spectrum Basic interpreter - label: KEYBOARD value: Mechanical 40 keys + Reset switch - label: CPU value: Z80 - label: SPEED value: 3.5 Mhz. - label: RAM value: 48 KB - label: ROM value: 16 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 32 columns x 24 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 256 x 192 pixels - label: COLORS value: 16 (8 colours in mormal or bright modes) - label: SOUND value: Beeper (10 octaves) - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 34 (W) x 25 (D) x 4 (H) cm. - label: I/O PORTS value: Tape recorder, Joystick x 2, RGB, TV aerial, AC adaptor - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External AC adaptor. Built-in power regulation - label: PRICE value: 15000 LEI / 300$ (Romania, 1987) tabs: - photos - hardware - links - docs forum_thread: 616 photos: - title: 'EARLY MODEL #1' subtitle: '' text: This picture was found by **Grecu Cristi** in a Romanian math book released in 1989. It was probably the very first case version. image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_early_s1.jpg - title: 'EARLY MODEL #2' subtitle: '' text: |- The case is different from the more common HC-85. But are they internal differences? Thanks to the [Pocket Computer Museum](http://pocket.free.fr/) for this picture.\ This model is Arthur's property. image: /media/museum/photos/ice-felix_hc85_early_1.jpg - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: |- Photo taken from first HC-85 brochure. Thanks to **Zeno Mateescu** from Romania image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_earlyad_1.jpg - title: HC-85 LOGO subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/icc_hc85_logo_1.jpg - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: |- Even if the key were not very well aligned, the quality of the keyboard was better than that of the Spectrum.\ The keys arrangement and the functions of each key was exactly the same as those of the Spectrum but in only one colour, which was not very convenient.\ Note the reset switch located beside the 'Zero' key. image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_keyboard_1.jpg - title: MOTHERBOARD subtitle: '' text: |- All the active components (chips) mounted on this board seem to have been manufactured in Eastern Europe. **(1)** Tape recorder audio signal filter area\ **(2)** 32 KB RAM memory area\ **(3)** 16 KB RAM memory area\ **(4)** Video signals management area\ **(5)** TV-UHF modulator\ **(6)** Video RGB connector\ **(7)** 2 x joystick connectors\ **(8)** 16-pin keyboard connector\ **(9)** Z80-A processor\ **(10)** Expansion / Bus connector\ **(11)** 16 KB ROM area\ **(12)** Power connector\ **(13)** Tape recorder DIN plug image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_motherboard_1.jpg - title: PROCESSOR & ROM CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_procrom.jpg - title: REAR CONNECTORS CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: |- Inside the TV-UHF modulator.\ RGB and joysticks connectors. image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_insideconnec.jpg - title: REAR CONNECTORS subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Tape recorder DIN plug\ **(2)** Expansion / bus connector\ **(3)** 2 x joystick DB-9 connectors\ **(4)** RGB video output DB-15 connector\ **(5)** TV-aerial output plug image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc8591_back_2.jpg - title: WARRANTY SEAL subtitle: '' text: |- This small cup filled with pink wax covers one of the six screws used to close the case.\ If the cup is empty, the warranty is void! image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_seal.jpg hardware: - title: ICE JOYSTICK INTERFACE subtitle: '' text: |- ICE Felix made several peripherals for its HC series, among them:\ • this joystick interface,\ • A Sinclair comptatible joystick,\ • A tape recorder\ • And even an optical pen. The joystick interface is Sinclair Kempston compatible; it uses port 1 of the computer. The jack is used to plug in an optical pen. Thanks to **Grecu Cristi** image: /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_joyinterf_s1.jpg - title: ICE SINCLAIR COMPATIBLE JOYSTICK subtitle: '' text: Thanks to **Grecu Cristi** image: /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_joystick_s1.jpg - title: ICE TAPE RECORDER subtitle: '' text: |- The mecanical part of this tape recorder looks strongly "inspired" with the one from Spectrum +2. Thanks to **Grecu Cristi** image: /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_cassetterec_s1.jpg - title: ICE LIGHT PEN subtitle: '' text: |- The light pen is a very simple device, containing a photodiode. It is connected to the jack of the joystick interface. When the electron beam is crossing the area of the screen where the light pen is positionend, it sends a signal to the interface, that resets bit 1 of port 191 of the HC. Thanks to **Grecu Cristi** image: /media/museum/hardware/icc_hc91_lightpen_s1.jpg links: - title: Bucharest university url: http://www.csit-sun.pub.ro/research/history/ text: Technical files about some computers manufactured by Ice-Felix (Romanian) - title: Ice-Felix company url: http://www.felix.ro text: Website and history of the Ice-Felix company (Romanian) - title: Romanian users group url: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RomanianHomeComputer/ text: They have rare documentations, programs and useful PC utilities for Romanian computers docs: - title: INTERFATA 1 HC - USER'S MANUAL url: http://george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com/ cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/ice-felix_hc91_if1_manual.jpg text: |- [**INTERFATA 1 HC - USER'S MANUAL**](http://george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com/)written by Ice-Felix  compiled/archived by George Chirtoaca\  type of document : PDF\  size : 3 MB\  source : [george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com](http://george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com/) related: - /museum/ice-felix-hc-2000 - /museum/ice-felix-hc-91 oc_id: 629 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20221203204323/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=629 date: '2022-12-03' --- In 1985, despite of the severe limitations of the political system, the Romanian computer company ICE-Felix, located in Bucharest, started to design and produce Sinclair Spectrum compatible computers. The company was founded in 1970 and became the main computer equipments manufacturer in Romania. Several mini and microcomputers were developed, based initially on the French C.I.I. company licence. The HC-85 was the first manufactured model. It was primarily intended for the Romanian schools and universities. As the engineers could not use the Spectrum / Feranti gate-array chip, they replaced it by a whole of logical chips that carried out exactly the same tasks. The plastic case and the keyboard were of poor manufacture quality. However, the machine looked solid and the motherboard printed circuit was same quality level as the Western productions of the time.