website/content/museum/compaq-portable.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Compaq Portable	Computers	Transportable	U.S.A.	1983	Intel 8088	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts links docs related oc_id source Portable /media/museum/photos/compaq_portable_2.jpg /companies/compaq Compaq label value NAME Portable label value MANUFACTURER Compaq label value TYPE Transportable label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR January 1983 (April 1984 European Release) label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke detachable keyboard with function keys and numeric keypad label value CPU Intel 8088 label value SPEED 4.77 Mhz label value CO-PROCESSOR Optional 8087 math coprocessor label value RAM 128 kb, up to 256 kb (and even 640k via IBM PC bus cards) label value TEXT MODES 80x25, 40x25 - 9'' Mono CRT Display Built-in label value GRAPHIC MODES CGA, MDA label value COLORS green phosphor monitor label value SIZE / WEIGHT 34 lbs label value I/O PORTS Parallel Port, RS-232 Serial Port, CGA and composite video output, 5 x 8-bit ISA expansion slots label value BUILT IN MEDIA 2 x 5.25'' floppies at 160 KB, 320 KB, and 360 KB. label value OS MS-DOS 1.1 label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in PSU, 130 Watt power supply (the smallest and most powerful per cubic inch made to that date) label value PRICE US$2995 photos adverts links docs 541 title subtitle text image COMPAQ FOUNDERS Compaq Computer Corporation was founded in February 1982 by Rod Canion, Jim Harris and Bill Murto, three senior managers who left Texas Instruments and invested $1,000 each to form their own company. Sketched on a paper place mat in a Houston pie shop, their first product was the portable personal computer able to run all of the software being developed then for the IBM PC. /media/museum/photos/compaq_founders.jpg title subtitle text image PORTABLE + This model has only one 5.25'' Floppy Disk Drive but a 10Mb Hard Disk mounted in the second bay. /media/museum/photos/compaq_portable_1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE PORTABLE **Robust but Heavy !** Compaq Plus was build without compromise: robust metal frame, shielding of all the radio waves sensitive parts, thick plastic body. Of course, quality weights a lot and Compaq Plus was intended for strong businessmen! The business women will have to wait for the next portable computers generation... **(1)** Serial interface card with its connector, for printers and modems.\ **(2)** Video card connector for a composite monochrome monitor.\ **(3)** RGB Connector for a colour monitor.\ **(4)** The metal frame has three functions:\ • To rigidify the case,\ • To absorb the heat emitted by the components and to act as a cooler,\ • To reduce the internal and external radio interference (Faraday screen room).\ **(5)** Interface slots and extension cards are protected by a plastic mask.\ **(6)** Compaq Plus was delivered in single / double floppy disk / 10 Mb. hard-disk versions.\ **(7)** The keyboard is a pure copy of the original PC one, with 10 function keys and numeric keypad, but without arrows block.\ **(8)** Ventilated power supply housing. The machine can't be used with batteries.\ **(9)** The motherboard includes 256 Kb. of Ram. Chip sockets are planned for a mathematical coprocessor 8087 and Rom BIOS extensions.\ **(10)** Video Card with C.G.A. standard display and connectors for monochrome or colour monitor.\ **(11)** Parallel interface card for any printer using the Centronics standard. /media/museum/photos/compaq_portableplus_inside_1.jpg title subtitle text image U.S. ADVERT April 1983 Advert said Simple Isn't it?. The COMPAQ portable computer can do what the IBM Personal Computer does. To go. It runs all the popular programs written for the IBM. It works for the same printers ans other peripherals. It even accepts the same optional expansion electronics that give it additional capabilities and fonctionality. There's really only one big difference. The COMPAQ computer is designed to travel.\ Carry the COMPAQ computer from office to office. Carry it home on the weekend. Or take it on business trips... /media/museum/pubs/compaq_portable_pub_1.jpg title subtitle text image FRENCH AD Advert said : ''The computer which carried away America" ''With its portable computers, Compaq became world number two on the market of the 16 bits computers. With a turnover of 240 million dollars in one year and a half, this young company established in Houston obtained the growth rate record of the American economic history." /media/museum/pubs/compaq_portableplus_pub_1.jpg title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com PDF document from the official Compaq FTP site title url cover text MAINTENANCE & SERVICE GUIDE FOR PORTABLE / PLUS / 286 null /media/museum/docs/couvs/vide.gif **MAINTENANCE & SERVICE GUIDE FOR PORTABLE / PLUS / 286**\ written by Compaq  type of document : PDF\  source : www.old-computers.com /museum/compaq-portable-386 /museum/compaq-portable-ii /museum/compaq-portable-iii 547 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230608223016/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=547 2023-06-08

Announced November 1982, the unit was actually shipped in January of 1983 (300 of them). This was arguably the system that destroyed IBM's monopoly on the PC market and created the situation we see today. It WAS the first compatible system that was LEGALLY made, though Columbia first copied the IBM BIOS and later paid the fatal price.

The system's BIOS was developed from scratch by using a team of 18 persons (only one guy was "dirty" and he was not allowed to do any part of the code and could only answer vaguely to questions). They took IBM's BIOS apart and made notes of the system calls contained within it. That way, Compaq was able to develop a PC compatible without any risk of a lawsuit from IBM, since the code was written from scratch (reverse engineering). It cost them $1 million to do it.

The system itself weighs a hefty 34 pounds and was dubbed a 'luggable' computer rather than a true portable. It contained a 9" green phosphor CRT display and both serial and parallel ports. The system did MDA graphics as well as CGA by switching the scan frequencies of the monitor (a first that is the basis for VGA).

The only difference between the standard and 'Plus' models was that the latter had a single 5.25" floppy drive and a 10Mb hard disk, while the original model had two 5.25" drives. All units supported two 5.25'' floppies at 160 KB, 320 KB and 360 KB. All units could have 10, 20, or 30 MB hard drives but Compaq only shipped 10MB Rhodime ruggedized drives (good for 40 G shock!). Some models also had a 20/40 MB tape drive. Compaq also shipped a brown nylon or brown leather carrying case and ONE blue case (Rod Canions unit).

In its first year of trading, Compaq took more than $111 million on this single product, which was a US business record. During that year (1983), more than 53,000 units were sold.

Museum entry added by David Wyn Davies
Thanks to the Computer Closet Museum for the picture.

Dave (Compaq insider) reports:
The portable was the first unit and had silver logo plates. It had the standard 1 or 2 floppy drives. The Plus was the unit with the Rhodime 10MB fixed disk and had gold labels. Many folks get them confused as the Portable was easily upgradable to a Plus and many thousands were. Just check the label color.

Oh here's a tidbit - to remove the case cover, simply lay the unit flat (fold up the bottom feet) and press your elbow into the middle of the top cover and the rear edge of that cover will pop out enough to grab and lift off. One of the test ladies taught me that and we were all muscling it around - she simply figures out how to use what she has.

The power supply can be a bugger to remove also. It had a special wrench to remove the lower lock screw and the whole thing kinda slides out where you can then remove the connectors.

My unit had 2 1/2 ht 20 Mg drives and 2 1/2 ht floppy drives. I later swapped a floppy for a tape drive. It is presently in the Compaq internal museum (the "hall of fame").

Paul Dixon (another Compaq insider) replies:
The cover actually can be removed with one hand if you know exactly where to slap the heel of your hand onto the cover and then catch the edge as it pops out with your fingers.
Graphic modes are shown here as CGA and MDA. Actualy can MDA be described as a graphics mode? I suppose if you count lines produced in text mode then it could be. However the Compaq portable did NOT support MDA (or Mode 7). It emulated MDA in CGA mode 3 which is the text mode for CGA.