---
title: Olivetti P6040
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Transportable
origins:
- Italy
years:
- '1977'
cpus:
- Intel 8080
params:
  name: P6040
  image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_p6040_system_1.jpg
  company: /companies/olivetti
  company_name: Olivetti
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: P6040
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Olivetti
  - label: TYPE
    value: Transportable
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Italy
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1977'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Tiny BASIC interpreter
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Alphanumeric 72 keys with calculator keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: Intel 8080
  - label: SPEED
    value: Unknown
  - label: RAM
    value: 2 KB expandable to 4 KB (1 to 3 KB of user RAM)
  - label: ROM
    value: 16 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 16 chars x 1 line diode display
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 36 (W) x 40.6 (D) x 11.6 (H) cm. / 7.8 kg.
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: '2.5'
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: RS232 adapter and specific Olivetti interface called IPSO
  - label: PRICE
    value: |-
      $4,500 (USA)\
      About $60,000 including specific software developement according to custommers needs
  tabs:
  - photos
  photos:
  - title: KEYBOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: A complete keyboard, but it was probably not easy to type text as the letter keyboard layout was alphabetical order
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_p6040_keyboard_1.jpg
  - title: DISPLAY & PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: Red diode 16 character display and alphanumeric printer
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_p6040_dispprinter_1.jpg
  - title: DISK DRIVE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Olivetti disk drive with a 2.5" mylar minidisc
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_p6040_minidisc_1.jpg
  comments:
  - author: Geoff Greig (Australia)
    date: Sunday 11th November 2012
    text: Just before I left Olivetti in the dealers division in Australia, the manager of that section had all the state reps fly to Sydney for the release of the P6040 to be used as a low end Ledger machine (combined with a small printer) to replace the A2. This was just around the time when screen based PC''s were coming out, hence few P6040''s were ever sold
  - author: Ned (USA)
    date: Thursday 28th July 2011
    text: As I recall, the selling price in the US was around $4,500.
  - author: Mark Schmitt (USA)
    date: Friday 3rd March 2006
    text: This was the first "computer" I ever touched. It was my senior year in high school, 1978-79, so I would guess this was made in 77 or 78. Our public high school suddenly had one of these, and no teacher knew what to do with it. Four or five of us got hold of a BASIC book and tried to figure out if we could make any of the programs work. I think we might have programmed some sort of dice game. I think we had to write our own random number generator, though.
  - author: Bluecher2000 (Germany)
    date: Saturday 5th July 2003
    text: Hello, does anybody know where to get a new rubber band for the P6040 disk drive? The original one has lost its elasticity.
  oc_id: 836
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608073134/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=836
    date: '2023-06-08'
---

Although the P6040 was very like a calculator, it was a real computer featuring 16 KB ROM, 2 KB RAM and a tiny BASIC programming language.

A three position selector allowed to enter a BASIC program (LOAD position), execute (EXECUTE) or debug by running one instruction at a time (STEP). Sadly, out of the 2 KB of available RAM, only one was available for BASIC program and variables. Hopefully, an optional 2 KB RAM extension was available.

Programs could be listed or executed using the red diode display or the built-in alphanumeric printer. They was saved on Olivetti specific 2.5" 3 KB mylar minidiscs through the built in disc drive.

Three versions of the P-6040 were sold. The first allowed programs to be created, edited and executed; the second only allowed programs to be read from the minidisc and executed; the third, stangely, allowed programs to be created and saved but not executed.

Thanks to **Steven Williams** for the donation of his P6040!\
Thanks to **Gérard Touitou** for information and pictures