website/content/museum/elwro-800-junior.md

---
title: elwro 800 Junior
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Poland
years:
- '1986'
cpus:
- Zilog Z80 A
params:
  name: 800 Junior
  image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800_system_2.jpg
  company: /companies/elwro
  company_name: elwro
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: 800 Junior
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: elwro
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Poland
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1986'
  - label: END OF PRODUCTION
    value: February 1989
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Sinclair Basic
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full stroke 75 key with 5 function keys and arrow keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Zilog Z80 A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 3.5 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 24 KB (Basic & OS)
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 32 or 64 chars. x 24 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 256 x 192 dots
  - label: COLORS
    value: 8 with two tones each (normal and bright)
  - label: SOUND
    value: 1 voice / 10 octaves (Beeper)
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: Unknown
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: tape recorder, TV/RF modulator, video RGB, video mono, joystick (mouse, light pen), Parallel Centronics, serial RS-232C, FDD (in 800-3)
  - label: OS
    value: CP/J, CP/M 2.2
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: Floppy disc unit
  - label: PRICE
    value: Unknown
  tabs:
  - photos
  - hardware
  - software
  - emulators
  - links
  - docs
  photos:
  - title: ELWRO 800-2
    subtitle: ''
    text: The 800-2 was also available in red colour. The keyboard featured special Polish characters.
    image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800-2_system_s3.jpg
  - title: ELWRO 800-3
    subtitle: ''
    text: www.pawel.tpi.pl
    image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800_system_1.jpg
  - title: SIDE VIEWS
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800-2_sides_s1.jpg
  - title: REAR CONNECTORS
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From left to right:\
      • Monochrome monitor output\
      • Colour RGB video output\
      • Tape recorder DIN socket\
      • Reset switch\
      • Dual Junet network DIN socket\
      • Printer connector (bottom)\
      • Joystick connector.
    image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800-2_rear_s1.jpg
  - title: OPENED
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800-2_opened_s1.jpg
  - title: MAINBOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** 8055 and 8035 I/O chips used for joystick, Parallel and network ports\
      **(2)** Three 2764 EPROMs hold the Sinclair BASIC and operating system\
      **(3)** Z80A CPU\
      **(4)** FDD controller card connector\
      **(5)** Keyboard connectors\
      **(6)** 64 KB RAM chips - 8x4164\
      **(7)** Character generator EPROM
    image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800-2_mainboard_s1.jpg
  - title: 'MAINBOARD #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ICs came from various countries, former USSR for the CPU, I/O and some logic chips, Japan and Korea for EPROMs and other ICs.
    image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800-2_mainboard_s2.jpg
  - title: ELWRO MODEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      2400-baud Elwro modem. Needs an external power source.

      Thanks to **Tomasz Droszcz**
    image: /media/museum/photos/elwro_800_modem_s1.jpg
  hardware:
  - title: DISCOVERY SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: 'The Discovery system uses the new Sony 3.5'''' diskette to save in full safety the programs and data of the Spectrum or Spectrum+. The diskette has a capacity of 180 KB and a second drive can be installed. The commands of the operating system are similar to those of Sinclair Microdrives. The case includes a power supply and various Spectrum expansion connectors. In short, a lot of hardware qualities, but an incomprehensible defect: the data transfer speed is slower than Microdrives, whereas a disk drive is able to be ten times faster than a tape reader. Discovery did not meet success, certainly for this reason, but also because of its high price, not compatible with the Spectrum''s young users'' purse.'
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_fddiscovery_1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE DISCOVERY
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** Metallic case.\
      **(2)** Centronics parallel printer connector.\
      **(3)** Spectrum expansion connector.\
      **(4)** Discovery to Spectrum connector.\
      **(5)** EPROM memory chip holding drive management routines and OS commands.\
      **(6)** Sony 3.5'' disc drive. A double side, single density version.\
      **(7)** A strange location for the power transformer, under the disk drive and not protected against magnetic fields.\
      **(8)** This empty socket receives a 2 Kb. RAM chip when a second disc drive is installed.\
      **(9)** 6821 Circuit, in charge of disc drive control.\
      **(10)** Each disc drive uses an internal RAM area to avoid using Spectrum RAM.\
      **(11)** Atari standard joystick connector.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_fddiscovery_ins.jpg
  - title: INSIDE WAFADRIVE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** The Wafadrive unit includes two specially designed cartridge drives.\
      **(2)** Each cartridge drive has its own motor and electronic control system.\
      **(3)** The Wafadrive offers three expansion ports. Unfortunately, they are not compatible with the Spectrum ones and need special cables.\
      **(4)** Centronics parallel printer connector.\
      **(5)** Spectrum expansion connector for additional peripherals.\
      **(6)** 8 Kb. EPROM holding operating system and Basic drives commands.\
      **(7)** The Wafadrive is connected to the Spectrum expansion port. It also uses the computer's power supply.\
      **(8)** Power Leds.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_wafadrive_2.jpg
  - title: WAFADRIVE CARTRIDGE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_wafadrive_3.jpg
  - title: CHEETAH JOYSTICK INTERFACE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to Peter James for the picture
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_cheetahjoyinterf_1.jpg
  - title: KEMPSTON JOYSTICK INTERFACE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Peter says:\
      I'm not sure if this was the first joystick interface for the Spectrum but it defined a standard that was never displaced. Most games carried the words 'Kempston joystick compatible' Says it all really! They later revised the interface to offer 2 joystick connectors

      Thanks to Peter James for the picture
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_kempstonjoyinterf_1.jpg
  - title: DK'TRONICS SPEECH SYNTHESIZER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_zx-spectrum_dktronics-speech_synth_1.jpg
  - title: MAGECO MONITOR
    subtitle: ''
    text: It cost 75fr in january 85 (France).
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_dessas.jpg
  - title: VTR VOCAL SYNTHESIZER
    subtitle: ''
    text: 470fr (France, january 85)
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_vocal.jpg
  - title: CURRAH SPEECH
    subtitle: Vocal synthesizer
    text: Just type on the keys and the Spectrum "speaks" with two tones, high and low. There is also a sofware support.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_vocal2.jpg
  - title: CHEETAH SPECDRUM
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      About the Specdrum, Peter says:\
      This was the most fun add-on I ever bought for the Spectrum. You had to connect it to a phono input on a stereo amp, load up the software and away you went. You could enter the rhythm in real time or step time and it had 8 sounds it could play at once. The sound was perfect and still sounds good today. They released some extra drum kit sounds to expand the Specdrum's sound library, Afro Kit and Electro Kit are the ones I remember and purchased. I don’t think any Spectrum should be without this Add-on, it rocks!!

      Price: About £30 around 85-86

      Thanks to Peter James for the picture
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_specdrum_1.jpg
  - title: ALPHACOM 32
    subtitle: ''
    text: 'Alphacom 32 is the well-known and the cheaper printer for the Spectrum, offering exactly the same features as the ZX Printer : full Spectrum characters set, 32 char. / line and silver plated thermal paper. Alphacom 32 uses its own power supply. june 84 price : 181 -E- (France).'
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_alphacom.jpg
  - title: FLOYD 40
    subtitle: ''
    text: 'Floyd 40, from the manufacturer Shiva Marketing, doesn''t seem to be very reliable with its very thin plastic case and its wooden paper axis ! However Floyd features are better than Alphacom ones: use of white thermal paper more readable and less expensive, only one cable to connect it to the Spectrum (power and data) and better printing quality. Moreover, Floyd 40 has larger characters set and printing options : double height and width, text printing in the four directions and more advanced and accurate graphic abilities (5 x 7 dots head). On the other hand, the printing is rather slow and the print width doesn''t exceed 8 cm.'
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_floyd40_1.jpg
  - title: ZX-81 THERMAL PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      This is a small thermal printer (of very poor quality !). It can print all the graphical characters of the Spectrum and can print 9 lines of text per inch. It was possible to make a hard copy of the screen thanks to the "Copy" command.

      This tiny thermal printer can also be used with the ZX-Spectrum.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_zx81_printer.jpg
  - title: ZX THERMAL PRINTER
    subtitle: Box
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_zx81_zx-printer_box_1.jpg
  - title: ZX INTERFACE 1
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      This interface offers an RS232 connector, a Microdrive connector and a network socket to connect up to 64 Spectrums !

      This marvel cost 895fr in june 84 (France).
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_intrfc1.jpg
  - title: MICRODRIVES
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Sinclair Microdrives for use with the ZX Interface 1. Up to 8 microdrives can be connected.

      Micro-tape Capacity: 80k\
      Speed: 5k/s\
      Average access time: 3,5s\
      Integrated power supply (through computer)\
      Micro-tape price: 79fr

      940fr (June 84)
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_microdrive.jpg
  - title: INSIDE A MICRODRIVE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** Tape driving roller.\
      **(2)** Read/write magnetic head, basically the same as a standard tape recorder.\
      **(3)** Read/write protection switch.\
      **(4)** Cartridge housing.\
      **(5)** Power led.\
      **(6)** Extension connector allowing up to 8 microdrives to be serial connected.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_insidemdv_1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE A MICRODRIVE CARTRIDGE
    subtitle: ''
    text: The support used in the cartridge is a videotape of 2 mm in width, and 8 meters in length. The video support was chosen for its biggest mechanical resistance. In running mode, the full tape length is covered in about 7 seconds and the information is transferred at 6 Kb. per second (1.5 Kb./sec. for a standard cassette). The recording is made simultaneously on two parallel tracks with a density of 200 bytes per centimeter. The information is organized in sectors of 512 bytes. Any program can be stored or loaded in 15 sec. Maximum. Each cartridge can store up to 100 Kb, but only 85 - 90 are available for the user.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_insidecartmdv_1.jpg
  - title: ZX INTERFACE 2
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      This interface offers 2 joystick plugs and 1 cartridge slot.

      It cost 351fr in june 84 (France).
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_intrfc2.jpg
  - title: CARTRIDGE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Sinclair Cartridge for use with the ZX Interface 2. Very few cartridges were produced (less than 10).

      It cost 185fr in june 84 (France).
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum_cartridge.jpg
  - title: NUMERIC KEYPAD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      This numenic keypad can be used with the Spectrum +2 and Spectrum 128.

      Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com**
    image: /media/museum/hardware/sinclair_spectrum128_keypad_2.jpg
  screenshots:
  - title: ALIEN 8
    subtitle: ''
    text: Excellent isometric game
    image: /media/museum/software/alien8.gif
  - title: ANT ATTACK
    subtitle: ''
    text: Avoid the giant ants and save the girl in this 3D maze
    image: /media/museum/software/antattack.gif
  - title: ARC OF YESOD
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/arcofyesod.gif
  - title: ATIC ATAC
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/aticatac.gif
  - title: BACK TO SKOOL
    subtitle: Skooldaze ?
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/backtoskool.gif
  - title: BOMBJACK
    subtitle: ''
    text: Classic game !
    image: /media/museum/software/bombjack.gif
  - title: BRUCE LEE
    subtitle: ''
    text: One of the best game ever
    image: /media/museum/software/brucelee.gif
  - title: CHASE HQ
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/chasehq.gif
  - title: CHUCKIE EGG
    subtitle: ''
    text: Who never played this ??
    image: /media/museum/software/chuckie-egg.gif
  - title: COMMANDO
    subtitle: ''
    text: Excellent conversion
    image: /media/museum/software/commando.gif
  - title: DAILEY'S THOMPSON DECATHLON
    subtitle: ''
    text: The best olympic game on the Speccy
    image: /media/museum/software/dailey-thompson-decathlon.gif
  - title: DAN DARE III
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/dandare3.gif
  - title: DOUBLE DRAGON
    subtitle: ''
    text: A bit messy...
    image: /media/museum/software/doubledragon.gif
  - title: DUN DARACH
    subtitle: ''
    text: The guys are walking so smoothly
    image: /media/museum/software/dundarch.gif
  - title: ELITE
    subtitle: ''
    text: The mythic space game ! The father of all other space-games such as Wing-Commander.
    image: /media/museum/software/elite.gif
  - title: FANTASY WORLD DIZZY
    subtitle: ''
    text: One of the many games based on the egg-man Dizzy.
    image: /media/museum/software/fantasy-world-dizzy.gif
  - title: GAUNTLET
    subtitle: ''
    text: Conversion of the classic arcade game
    image: /media/museum/software/gauntlet.gif
  - title: GUNFRIGHT
    subtitle: ''
    text: 3D isometric western game. A must-have !
    image: /media/museum/software/gunfright.gif
  - title: IKARI WARRIORS
    subtitle: ''
    text: As good as Commando !
    image: /media/museum/software/ikari-warriors.gif
  - title: IK+
    subtitle: International Karate +
    text: 3 players fight
    image: /media/museum/software/ikplus.gif
  emulators:
  - title: EightyOne
    url: http://www.chuntey.com/eightyone/
    platform: Windows
    text: Excellent emulator emulating nearly all ZX computers (80, 81, Spectrums, Timex, etc.). As well as emulating the machines themselves, numerous addon cards are supported, including hi-res graphics, custom character sets, sound and colour cards.
  - title: GLECK
    url: HTTP://GLECK.EMUUNLIM.COM
    platform: Windows
    text: Spectrum emulator. Runs on Windows 95 and up, and requires DirectX. Includes a debugger, and emulates also some Southamerican clones
  - title: RealSpectrum
    url: http://www.ramsoft.bbk.org/realspec.html
    platform: Windows
    text: complete and innovative Spectrum emulator for DOS and Windows
  - title: Spectaculator
    url: http://WWW.SPECTACULATOR.COM/
    platform: Windows
    text: Spectaculator emulates the 16K/48K/128/+2/+2A Spectrums and some additional hardware.
  - title: SPIN
    url: http://www.worldofspectrum.org/emulators.html
    platform: Windows
    text: Spectrum emulator running on any version of Windows from '95 onward up to and including XP
  - title: Warajavo
    url: http://www.void.jump.org/warajevo/
    platform: Windows
    text: an excellent bosnian emulator for PC compatibles by Zeljko Juric (DOS)
  - title: X128
    url: http://www.void.jump.org/x128/
    platform: Windows
    text: Spectrum 48 / 128 / +2 / +3 Emulator
  - title: ZX-32
    url: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bay/9932/
    platform: Windows
    text: Great Win32 Emulator. Very stable, very fast.
  - title: MacSpectacle
    url: http://little-bat.de/zxsp/download/mac_spectacle/manual.html
    platform: Apple
    text: One of the most powerful Spectrum emulator
  - title: ZXSP
    url: http://little-bat.de/zxsp/download/zxsp_mac/zxsp_mac.html
    platform: Apple
    text: Emulator for PowerMac
  - title: Ian's ZX Spectrum page
    url: http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/oucl/users/ian.collier/Spectrum/
    platform: Unix / Linux
    text: the official page of xz80, the emulator for XWindows
  - title: xzx
    url: http://www.zx-spectrum.net/xzx/
    platform: Unix / Linux
    text: an other emulator for Linux computers
  - title: ASp
    url: http://www.greew.freeserve.co.uk/ASp.html
    platform: Amiga OS
    text: ''
  - title: Spec128
    url: http://members.tripod.com/~JoeKelleher/Spec128/
    platform: RISC OS
    text: Emulates a Spectrum 128 for the Acorn
  - title: HOB Java Spectrum emulator
    url: http://www.twinbee.org/hob/
    platform: Other platform
    text: Fascinate yourself for hours with this portable Java Spectrum Emulator.
  - title: Java On-Line Emulator
    url: http://www.zxspec.freeserve.co.uk/java.html
    platform: Other platform
    text: Plays games on-line !
  - title: PocketClive
    url: http://pocketclive.emuunlim.com/
    platform: Other platform
    text: Spectrum 48k and 128k emulator for PocketPC !
  - title: QAOP
    url: http://wizard.ae.krakow.pl/~jb/qaop/
    platform: Other platform
    text: Qaop is a ZX Spectrum emulator Java applet
  - title: Sinclair Spectrum Emulator 1.1
    url: http://www.palmtop.nl/ce/hpc_spectrum.html
    platform: Other platform
    text: Handheld PCs and Palm-size PCs running Windows CE 2.0 or higher
  - title: TEZXAS
    url: http://tezxas.ticalc.org/
    platform: Other platform
    text: ZX Spectrum emulator for TI 89 and 92 calculators !
  - title: ZX68
    url: http://zx68.8k.com
    platform: Other platform
    text: Emulator for various 68000 based machines. First version is released for PalmOS
  - title: FUSE
    url: http://fuse-emulator.sourceforge.net/
    platform: Multiplatform
    text: Fuse (the Free Unix Spectrum Emulator) is a ZX Spectrum emulator for Unix and MacOS X
  - title: SPEC
    url: http://WWW.METHEDRINE.DEMON.CO.UK/spec.html
    platform: Multiplatform
    text: Spec is a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k emulator for the PC. There are two different versions, Spec (freeware for DOS) and SpecX (Shareware for Windows 95/98/NT4).
  links:
  - title: CRASH, the on-line edition
    url: http://www.crashonline.org.uk/
    text: Site dedicated to the old well-known magazine
  - title: DOCUMENTATION
    url: http://www.madhippy.com/8-bit/index.php?machine=sinclair
    text: Classic 8-bit Computers / lot of on-line documentations for Sinclair computers. USEFUL !
  - title: DOCUMENTATION
    url: http://www.worldofspectrum.org/documentation.html#manuals
    text: World of Spectrum's documentation page
  - title: Good Old Games
    url: http://speccy.altervista.org/
    text: ZX games and screenshots
  - title: Las Spectrum y TK en el Uruguay
    url: http://WWW.Z80.UY.TC
    text: The story of the ZX Spectrum line and TK line in Uruguay, South America
  - title: Number Cruncher
    url: http://www.8bit-museum.de/
    text: This german website has an excellent Sinclair section
  - title: Planet Sinclair
    url: http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/
    text: THE site to visit ! Everything you need.
  - title: Sinclair Nostalgia Products
    url: http://surf.to/zx
    text: Lot of speccy stuff here and long list of clones
  - title: Sinclair ZX Hardware Website
    url: http://www.xs4all.nl/~echorod/zx/index.htm
    text: Features designs to build your own Sinclair computer
  - title: Software Records on Vinyl
    url: 'http://www.kempa.com/blog/archives/000053.html '
    text: These records contained computer programs as part of the audio.
  - title: Speccy.com.ar
    url: http://www.speccy.com.ar/
    text: Argentine blog dedicated to the Spectrum
  - title: Speccyalista
    url: HTTP://WWW.SINCLAIR.HU
    text: Hungarian Sinclair page
  - title: Spectrum Screenshot Heaven
    url: http://members.tripod.com/ssh_web/
    text: Excellent ! Plenty of speccy screenshots here.
  - title: Speecy.CZ
    url: http://www.speccy.cz/
    text: Nice site with a lot of games, demos, maps, screenshots, cover arts, music, etc...
  - title: Steve's Spectrum Page
    url: http://ireland.iol.ie/~sjones/
    text: Steve collects speccy games and accept requests
  - title: Tape Loader Home Page
    url: http://perso.club-internet.fr/jgibart/spectl/spectl.html
    text: Utility to transfer your zx tapes to the PC
  - title: The Incomplete Spectrum ROM Assembly
    url: http://www.wearmouth.demon.co.uk/
    text: Spectrum ROM assembly text file. Very useful if you want to create your version of the Spectrum Operating System
  - title: The Ocean Experience
    url: http://www.theoceanexperience.cjb.net/
    text: A look into one of the biggest games developers of the 80's and 90's
  - title: The Tipshop
    url: http://www.the-tipshop.co.uk/
    text: A central archive for all Spectrum and SAM games hints, tips, cheats, maps, hacks and pokes. Impressive!
  - title: The World of ZX-Spectrum
    url: http://www.worldofspectrum.org/
    text: This is it. The site you MUST visit first :-)
  - title: Virtual TR-DOS
    url: HTTP://ZX.DA.RU
    text: Belarussian ZX-soft archive (in Russian)
  - title: Your Sinclair, a celebration
    url: http://www.yoursinclair.co.uk/
    text: Tribute to one of the best Spectrum dedicated magazine
  - title: z00m's Speccy corner
    url: http://zoom.czweb.org/
    text: DOCUMENTATION, PICTURES, emulators, AY CHIP
  - title: ZX Download page
    url: http://zxfiles.hut2.ru/
    text: The very best of new ZX Spectrum games both Europe and ex-USSR
  - title: ZX Forever
    url: http://www.zx-f.ru/
    text: Full with new Russian ZX Spectrum games (lots of them are in English language)
  - title: ZX Spectrum Games after 1993
    url: http://tarjan.uw.hu/zx_gamez_after_93_en.htm
    text: Nice article referencing ZX Spectrum games released after 1993!
  - title: ZX Spectrum in the 21st Century
    url: http://tarjan.uw.hu/zxclones_en.htm
    text: Nice info about a lot of ZX Spectrum clones and hardware
  - title: ZXSPECTICLE
    url: http://www.worldofspectrum.org/zxspecticle/
    text: News, Reviews, Interviews and the A to Z top ten games
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: Sinclair computers
  docs:
  - title: ZX SPECTRUM BASIC PROGRAMMING
    url: http://www.1000bit.it/support/manuali/sinclair/zxspectrum/start.htm
    cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/sinclair_zx-specrtum_basic-programming.jpg
    text: |-
      [**ZX SPECTRUM BASIC PROGRAMMING**](http://www.1000bit.it/support/manuali/sinclair/zxspectrum/start.htm)written by Steven Vickers

       compiled/archived by Chris Owen / Tiziano Garuti\
       type of document : HTML\
       source : [1000Bit](http://www.1000bit.net/)
  - title: ZX SPECTRUM INTRODUCTORY MANUAL
    url: http://www.worldofspectrum.org/ZXSpectrumIntroduction/
    cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/sinclair_zx_spectrum_introductory-manual.jpg
    text: |-
      [**ZX SPECTRUM INTRODUCTORY MANUAL**](http://www.worldofspectrum.org/ZXSpectrumIntroduction/)written by Steven Vickers and Robin Bradbeer

       compiled/archived by Colin Woodcock\
       type of document : HTML\
       source : [www.worldofspectrum.org](http://www.worldofspectrum.org/faq/resources/documents.htm)
  - title: ZX SPECTRUM SERVICE MANUAL
    url: http://members.lycos.co.uk/eightbitula/48kinfo.html
    cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/sinclair_zx-specrtum_service-manual.jpg
    text: |-
      [**ZX SPECTRUM SERVICE MANUAL**](http://members.lycos.co.uk/eightbitula/48kinfo.html)written by Sinclair Research Limited

       type of document : HTML\
       source : [The Lil Old Sinclair Computer Technical Information Repository](http://members.lycos.co.uk/eightbitula/)
  comments:
  - author: Marcin Kazmierczak (Poland)
    date: Friday 16th December 2016
    text: Please visit my website dedicated to Elwro 800 Junior only. I have the biggest collection of Elwro 800 Junior.
  - author: Marcin Ka$$378$mierczak (Poland)
    date: Friday 16th December 2016
    text: Please visit my website dedicated to Elwro 800 Junior only. I have the biggest collection of Elwro 800 Junior.
  - author: Szymon (UK)
    date: Friday 6th May 2016
    text: Just got myself one of these however, it seems like the 804 prototype looks somewhat similar to Olivertti Prodest, with the way they mounted the floppy drive :)
  - author: Marek (Netherlands)
    date: Friday 29th April 2016
    text: |-
      The funny thing is - they didn''t create a special encasing, but just utilised one from the electronic organ: Elwirka\
      http://legendy-prl.pl/elwirka-1.jpg
  - author: Roma (St Petersburg)
    date: Friday 13rd September 2013
    text: |-
      Hello, help me please to find som information about\
      M-241/EC 8013.01\
      NORTHERN TELECOM ELWRO\
      http://cs540108.vk.me/c540100/v540100349/438b/YAKZGBFK_yE.jpg
  - author: Marek (Poland)
    date: Wednesday 21st September 2011
    text: |-
      First, Elwro 804 was not similar to C128 at all, it was more similar to Didaktik Kompakt or Commodore 65/64DX (outside only).

      Now about 800. After sending to school, there were many problems with these computers. Some units were damaged, some even not assembled!. You opened a box, and - Voila! Case, mainboard, power supply and screws, separately. Do it yourself :D.\
      Someone from Elwro finally explained how manufacturing tests of mainboard look like: They put a program in and leave it running for a night. If it hanged, let''s try one more time :).\
      But the biggest pain in @ss was a floppy drive. They used poor quality hungarian drives, which were destroying system disks! Finally Elwro decided to replace every floppy drive with Teac or Robotron device.\
      These hungarian drives not only destroyed system disks, but ruined network drivers. Drivers were loaded wrong way, giving unexpected results. My IT teacher remembers a situation, in which grabbing a screen from student''s computer resulted in hanging student''s Junior \~1 minute after teacher''s look, and after two minutes, causing network fatal error on teacher''s unit, freezing OS and entire network. The only way out: Reset everything in network.

      The PC described by Maciek is probably Mazovia or Elwro 801/AT.\
      One more thing: When Elwro used all floppy drive cases from warehouse, they started to put these in Elwro 801/AT case, more than two times bigger than drives and their PSU.
  - author: Tomasz (Warszawa)
    date: Monday 11th October 2004
    text: |-
      I found some more technical specifications on Elwro 800 at:

      http://www.8-bit.interbit.com.pl/index.php?id_komp=50&fotka=elwro_800jr_04

      If someone needs a translation from polish, I can do it in the next weekend (right now I suffer from a lack of time).

      Bye!
  - author: Tomas (Swinoujscie, Poland)
    date: Thursday 2nd October 2003
    text: |-
      I used to play with theese Elwro 800 when i was in high school about 15 years ago. It really worked and CP/M and the network (DIN-5 cables in a daisy-chain) worked marvelous. Comparing to the PC/XT that i had, it worked really nice and the games stored on 5.25'' floppies loaded in a few seconds contrary to the old ZX Spectrum tapes.\
      My informatics teacher MR. Stefan Sroka was a great fan of theese computers, especially LOGO which was his favorite programming language.
  related:
  - /museum/czerweny-cz-2000
  - /museum/czerweny-spectrum
  - /museum/czerweny-spectrum-plus
  - /museum/sinclair-zx-spectrum
  - /museum/sinclair-zx-spectrum-128
  - /museum/sinclair-zx-spectrum-2
  - /museum/sinclair-zx-spectrum-3
  - /museum/sinclair-zx-spectrum-480
  oc_id: 951
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230208074220/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=951
    date: '2023-02-08'
---

The Elwro 800 series was designed in 1985 by people from the **Automatics Institute of Technical University** in Poznan, following the request of Polish Ministry of Education.

The final product had to be:\
• Cheap,\
• ZX Spectrum compatible,\
• Appropriate for school use.

The computer went into production in 1986 in **Elwro Electronic** Factory of Wroclaw, Poland. It was fully [Spectrum](/museum/sinclair-zx-spectrum/) compatible. Designers also added network capability to access the shared printers and floppy drives.

The operating system was **CP/J**, a modified version of CP/M allowing networks called **Junet** to be managed. The 800 Junior could could work under the CP/M 2.2.

The funny thing is the computer case was taken from a toy piano. The wire on the top of the case was used initially as a music stand...

Planned production volume for 1986 was 500 pieces.

Elwro 800 Junior was released in three different versions:\
**Elwro 800**, the "student" version had no disk controller,\
**Elwro 800-2**, the "teacher" version had a disk controller,\
**Elwro 800-3** was a off-line version students or teachers could use.

In 1990, a **Junior 804** prototype was built. It had a built-in 3.5" floppy disc drive and looked like a [Commodore 128](/museum/commodore-c128-c128d/).

Elwro factory closed its doors in late eighties. Assets were sold to Siemens.

Thanks to **Pawel Kubacki** from Poland for information and pictures.

---

**Maciek Goralski** adds:\
There was some kind of XT PC made by elwro - it was elwro own design and it could be used with Junet network - in my primary school we were using one Elwro PC with 8, maybe 10 Elwro's 800-3 Junior and 2 east german floppy disc drives - it was fantastic computer :)