website/content/museum/gem-1000-junior-computer-charlemagne-999.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
GEM 1000 Junior Computer / Charlemagne 999	Computers	Home Computer	Belgium	1983	Zilog Z80A	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos oc_id source GEM 1000 Junior Computer / Charlemagne 999 /media/museum/photos/gem_1000_1.jpg /companies/gem GEM label value NAME GEM 1000 Junior Computer / Charlemagne 999 label value MANUFACTURER GEM label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN Belgium label value YEAR 1983 label value END OF PRODUCTION Maybe 1984 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Basic (in French for the Charlemagne !) label value KEYBOARD 50 rubber keys (blue for the Charlemagne)\ QWERTY with Basic statements (MC-1000)\ RESET, CTRL, SPACE, SHIFT, RETURN label value CPU Zilog Z80A label value SPEED 3.58 MHz label value CO-PROCESSOR Motorola MC 6847P (video) label value RAM 16 Kb, upgradable to 64 Kb label value ROM 8 Kb label value TEXT MODES 32 x 16 label value GRAPHIC MODES 256 x 192 label value COLORS 8 label value SOUND AY-3-8910 from General Instruments, 3 channels (8 octaves) + white noise label value SIZE / WEIGHT 270 x 175 x 72 mm\ 600 gr label value I/O PORTS Tape interface (1200 baud), expansion port, 2 x joystick ports, RF Video output label value OS CP/M with vaporware 5''1/4 disk-drive label value POWER SUPPLY External PSU, 9V DC 1A label value PERIPHERALS RAM expansions (16 Kb/64 Kb)\ Joysticks\ Centronics printer interface\ Floppy disk (96 Kb)\ Coleco & Atari VCS carts adaptater ! label value PRICE 304 (winter 83)\ 165 (april 84) photos 417 title subtitle text image GEM 1000 This is one of the versions of the GEM-1000. The case is particular and the 50 rubber keys are blue. Note the power led at the top-right side... /media/museum/photos/gem_1000.jpg title subtitle text image THE GEM-1000 - JUNIOR COMPUTER - CHARLEMAGNE 999 This is the same computer but the case seems different, and it has 3 names ! /media/museum/photos/gem_junior_computer.gif title subtitle text image THE GEM FAMILY /media/museum/photos/gem_family.gif title subtitle text image MC-1000 COLOR COMPUTER This is the MC-1000 computer from CCE, a brazilian company. It is strangely similar to the GEM Charlemagne... The keys are black and Basic statements are written above them. /media/museum/photos/gem_mc1000.jpg 420 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230608214752/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=420 2023-06-08

A quite little strange computer, which appeared under different designs...

The original model seems to be the Rabbit Computer RX83 announced at the 1983 CES. It looks like the computer was produced in Hong-Kong and then proposed to several companies in the rest of the world to market the computer under their own brand.

However no such computers have been found so far, maybe proving that the original company failed to produce the computer, or that it canceled the project at last minute, or that so few were sold that it's difficult to find a specimen today...

But if you look at the pictures section, you'll notice the that the computer evolved in different plastic cases. The "Charlemagne" picture, shows a case and keyboard identical to the CCE MC1000 computer. This means that the project was finally marketed in Brazil, exclusively for CCE, and that the CCE MC1000 is indeed an incarnation of the GEM 1000/Rabbit Computer RX83.

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.