website/content/museum/leanord-elan.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Leanord Elan	Computers	Professional Computer	France	1985	80286	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos oc_id source Elan /media/museum/photos/leanord_elan_system_s1.jpg /companies/leanord Leanord label value NAME Elan label value MANUFACTURER Leanord label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN France label value YEAR 1985 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None label value KEYBOARD Standard AT label value CPU 80286 label value SPEED 8.77 or 12 MHz (Turbo mode) label value CO-PROCESSOR Socket for a 80287 math co-processor label value RAM 128 to 640 KB label value TEXT MODES 40 or 80 columns x 25 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 640 x 200 (CGA) or 720 x 348 (Hercules) depending on the video card label value COLORS 16 label value SOUND built-in loudspeaker - Standard PC beeper label value I/O PORTS 2 x Serial, 1 x Parallel label value BUILT IN MEDIA 5.25 1.2 MB floppy disk drive - 20 MB hard disk label value OS MS-DOS 3.1 label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PRICE Unknown photos 987 title subtitle text image LARGE VIEW The machine is here equipped with an Hercules monochrome card and a monochrome composite monitor. /media/museum/photos/leanord_elan_system_s2.jpg title subtitle text image FRONT PANEL /media/museum/photos/leanord_elan_frontpanel_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE From left to right:\ • Serial/Parallel card. A second serial connector is screwed to the case\ • Monochrome graphics 'Hercules' compatible video card\ • CPU, ROM, RAM main card\ • FDD and HDD controller card. /media/museum/photos/leanord_elan_inside_s1.jpg 1013 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230413210516/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1013 2023-04-13

This Elan Challanger was probably one of the last computers made by Leanord before the company was bought by Siemens in 1989.

It is a standard AT compatible system. Although the hardware design was similar to some Bull Micral PC series: a passive backplane on which are connected several system boards, The Elan was developped fully by Leanord's design team, based in Haubourdin near Lille city.

Two utility programs delivered along with MS-DOS allowed to switch the CPU speed between 8.77 and 12 MHz, replacing the hardware "Turbo" switch, and to modify the ROM BIOS.
The colour version supports the EGA graphics standard but allows only 4 colours to be displayed simultanously.

The machine didn't meet a large success, apart from some French public services, and the French Department of Education where it was used in schools as a server for small networks called Nano-Réseau.

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Jacques Daniere was project leader on the Elan:
I was project leader (and accessory marketing boss) on the Elan at Leanord. The Elan was not conceived in cooperation with Bull in any way ( which was one of our main competitors). The Elan's team was also responsible for the programming of the BIOS and electronics within. The team also realized the nano network in collaboration with the Lille university. The Elan brand started in 1985 with one 8088, then the 286, and the first 386 in Europe, way ahead of Bull, Goupil, Tulip and others, presented at the SICOB'86.
Originally the BIOS at Leanord was developped by the same French team, responsible for the Olympia BIOS, Normerel(oplit) BIOS, Matra's MAX20 BIOS : the Didier Martinot team (3S company located at Montrouge).

Elan's in Czech Republic, by Martin Vlk:
We had a school network of about 10 Leanord Elan computers. It was around 1990 when I was in secondary shool.

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.