website/content/museum/iptvt-traian-vuia-polytechnical-institute-microtim.md

---
title: IPTVT (TRAIAN VUIA POLYTECHNICAL INSTITUTE) MicroTim
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Romania
years:
- '1986'
cpus:
- Z80 clone
params:
  name: MicroTim
  image: /media/museum/photos/timisoara_microtim_1.jpg
  company: /companies/iptvt-traian-vuia-polytechnical-institute
  company_name: IPTVT (TRAIAN VUIA POLYTECHNICAL INSTITUTE)
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: MicroTim
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: IPTVT (Traian Vuia Polytechnical Institute)
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Romania
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1986'
  - label: END OF PRODUCTION
    value: early 90
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Basic
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Strange keyboard. 40 keys. Functions & statements labeled next to the keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Z80 clone
  - label: SPEED
    value: 2 MHz, later improved to 3.5 MHz in the TimS
  - label: RAM
    value: 32, 64 or 128 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 16+4 KB BIOS, later improved to 32+4
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 32 columns x 24 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None, text mode only
  - label: COLORS
    value: '8'
  - label: SOUND
    value: 1 voice
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Power in, parallel port, serial port, cassette interface, RGB video output, RF TV output, expansion port
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: External power supply
  - label: PRICE
    value: About 18,000 lei ($900)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - links
  forum_thread: 609
  photos:
  - title: MICROTIM
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Note that the keyboard of this model is slightly different from the one pictured on the main page (larger spacebar for example).

      Thanks to the [HomeComputer.de museum](http://www.homecomputer.de/) for this picture
    image: /media/museum/photos/timisoara_microtim_2.jpg
  - title: BEIGE VERSION
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/microtim_system_1.jpg
  - title: BOTTOM LABEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to **Daniel Ioan**
    image: /media/museum/photos/iptvt_microtim_label_1.jpg
  - title: REAR
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/timisoara_microtim_rear.jpg
  - title: INSIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to **Daniel Ioan**
    image: /media/museum/photos/iptvt_microtim_inside_1.jpg
  links:
  - title: HomeComputer Museum
    url: http://www.homecomputer.de/
    text: Stefan has very intersting pages dedicated to east-european home computers
  - title: IONICOL
    url: http://www.ionicol.com/
    text: These guys sometimes sell east-european computers!
  - title: ThinkingDeep.com
    url: http://www.thinkingdeep.com/site_en/history.html
    text: A nice Romanian computing history...
  oc_id: 622
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230528144537/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=622
    date: '2023-05-28'
---

The MicroTim is a Romanian unlicenced [ZX Spectrum](/museum/sinclair-zx-spectrum/) clone. It is one of the first models made at the factory in Timisoara, western Romania in the early 1980s. MicroTim stands for "Micro" and "TIMisoara". It was designed at Polytehnica University from Timisoara (former TUT - Technical University of Timisoara, former IPTVT - "Traian Vuia" Polytechnical Institute), but its large scale fabrication started and continued at the Fabrica de Memorii Timisoara (the Computer Memory Factory).

When the ZX Spectrum appeared in the early 80's, three unlicenced Romanian clones were developped almost independently. These were developped in three main university centres from Timisoara, called initially microTim, and then TimS (from TIMisoara and Spectrum), Cluj-Napoca called Prae (which means "beginning" in latin) and Bucharest called aMIC (translated as "aSMALL"). These were developped using a combination of the "black box" principle and illegally obtained desings. The "Black Box " approach was widely developped and used in Eastern Block for developping electronic devices. The same principle was used in Eastern Germany to make the best PC in the east called "Robotron". Unformally, "Black Box" means replacing a chip or a groups of chips that I do not know (or do not have) with another group that has same input and output signals.

The Cluj group dissapeared quite quickly, but Timisoara and Bucharest continued making spectrum based computers until early 1990s. Timisoara choose to further integrate and extend the model (as Sinclar did). The main designer behind TimS is eng. Dumitru Panescu who reached quite a mastery skill in integrating spectrum designs. His last prototype of TimS (it was never produced) integrated all spectrum firmware into one computer including a CP/M option. At start-up the user would select by pressing a key what does he or she wants to use.

It has an original & small keyboard (40 keys) with statements and functions labeled next to the keys, like on the ZX Spectrum. The system is powered by an external power supply.

---

Further information from **Adrian Dragodan**:\
The prototype was called SpecTim. AFAIK, it was never industrially produced. TIM-S was the first production model, dual speed (3.5 and 6 Mhz) were available, using a Z80B.\
It had a flat, sensorial keyboard (In the later models it was a normal kbd, all the ones produced and labeled DataTIM were TIM-S's with normal keyboard).\
MicroTIM was the later, cost-reduced version. First issues had a numeric keypad, but the keyboard was really lousy, hardly usable for editing. The latest issues of Microtim included a better keyboard.\
Differences btw TIM-S and MicroTIM:\
\- Reduced number of IC's: TIM-S: about 80, MicroTIM: about 50\
\- TIM-S: 6 Mhz mode, 80 KB RAM, 16 KB ROM\
\- Microtim: only 3.5 Mhz, 64 KB RAM, 16 KB ROM\
\- In both models the ROM was copied into RAM, so it was possible to load other ROM from tape\
\- In TIM-S, the video memory was doubled.\
About the cases, there were MicroTIM's with numerical keypad. All used that same case, except some versions of M-TIM+, that had a separated keyboard and internal PSU.

M-TIM+ was not functionally different from earlier M-Tim's and my M-Tims+ have the case of M-TIM.

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>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.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>