website/content/museum/triumph-adler-alphatronic-pc.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
TRIUMPH ADLER ALPHATRONIC PC	Computers	Professional Computer	Germany	1983	Zilog Z80	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware oc_id source ALPHATRONIC PC /media/museum/photos/ta_alphatronic-pc_1s.jpg /companies/triumph-adler TRIUMPH ADLER label value NAME ALPHATRONIC PC label value MANUFACTURER Triumph Adler label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN Germany label value YEAR 1983 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Microsoft Basic 5.11 label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard, 6 function keys, arrow keys and separated numeric keypad, 85 keys label value CPU Zilog Z80 label value SPEED 4 MHz label value RAM 64 KB (28 156 bytes free in Basic!) label value ROM 32 KB label value TEXT MODES 40 or 80 chars. x 24 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 80 x 72 / 160 x 72 dots label value COLORS 8 label value SOUND 1 voice, built-in speaker label value SIZE / WEIGHT 40.5 (W) x 25.5 (D) x 7.3 (H) cm / 3,5 kg label value I/O PORTS RGB video out, Tape interface, Serial RS232c/V24 port (from 300 to 9600 baud), Centronics/Parallel port, Disk-drive connector, Cartridge/Rompack slot label value BUILT IN MEDIA optional one or two 5.25'' disk-drives (320 kb each) label value OS CP/M 2.1 (then 2.2) with diskdrives label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS 5''1/4 disk-drives, printers (DRH 80/1 and TRD-170) label value PRICE 1500 DM (Germany, 83)\ £347 (U.K., 1984)\ $498 (USA, 1985) photos adverts hardware 251 title subtitle text image ALPHATRONIC PC Thanks to Steve Buniak for this picture /media/museum/photos/ta_alphatronic-pc_1.jpg title subtitle text image ROYAL ALPHATRONIC PC This model was sold in the USA by Royal null title subtitle text image REAR Thanks to Steve Buniak for this picture /media/museum/photos/ta_alphatronic-pc_rear.jpg title subtitle text image LEFT SIDE Thanks to Steve Buniak for this picture /media/museum/photos/ta_alphatronic-pc_l-side.jpg title subtitle text image ABOVE /media/museum/photos/triumph-adler_alphatronic-pc_2.jpg title subtitle text image UNDERNEATH null title subtitle text image FRENCH ADVERT #1 "The family advice" /media/museum/pubs/triumph-adler_alphatronic-pc_pub_1.jpg title subtitle text image FRENCH ADVERT #2 The personal computer at the top of its form. /media/museum/pubs/triumph-adler_alphatronic-pc_pub_2.jpg title subtitle text image END OF LIFE At the end of 1985, the entire stock of Alphatronic PC and peripherals is sold to brokers which sold them at 25% of the original price. /media/museum/pubs/triumphadler_alfatronicpc_pub_3.jpg title subtitle text image FRENCH AD (JUNE 1986) In 1986, the Alphatronic PC was bargained in many broker shops for a low price. /media/museum/pubs/triumph-adler_alphatronic_pc_pub_alpax.jpg title subtitle text image TV ADAPTOR /media/museum/hardware/ta_alphatronic-pc_tv-adaptor.jpg title subtitle text image EXTERNAL DISK DRIVE Thanks to Steve Buniak for this picture /media/museum/hardware/ta_alphatronic-pc_disk-drive.jpg title subtitle text image F1 AND F2 DISK-DRIVES These are 5''1/4 diskdrives (320kb each). F1 has the disk-controller built-in and can be connected directly to the computer, whereas F2 is a stand-alone disk-drive and has to be linked to F1 (thus the disk controller) to be used. /media/museum/hardware/triumph-adler_alphatronic-pc_disks_1.jpg 241 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230324214131/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=241 2023-03-24

Triumph was originally Triumph-Adler - the merger company of the 2 typewriter manufacturers Triumph and Adler, to which Triumph (which also produced mechanical calculators and sewing-machines) was the bigger one. Later they got US-typewriter Royal merged into it and had the best years between 1975 and 1988, when they even build competiting machines to IBM System /34 and /36 ... but they did neither understand nor learn the business and ran out of the financial power.

The technical part of TA is today a subsidary of Olivetti which tells it all about the downfall of TA. The operational part is a Holding in Nuremberg, which deals with offices, buildings and health-care.

The Alphatronic was mainly sold in Germany and was intended as a 'hybrid' Business / Home machine. For Business it was sold as either a 'dumb' Terminal or as a stand-alone Word Processor 'package' (consisting of base unit, WP Cartridge and (Centronics) printer.

For home the base unit had a 'built in' Basic ROM - it was also available with either a single or dual Floppy Disks (which included CP/M and Disk basic).

It never sold very well in either market - it was much too expensive for home use.

Thanks to its Z80 CPU, the Alphatronic PC can run CP/M and quite a few software packages available for it. There were two external disk-drives available: F1 and F2. F1 had the controller built-in. You had to have F1 to use F2, the second one.

Sometimes, the Alphatronic PC was sold as a complete wordprocessing package with a daisy-wheel printer (Triumph-Adler TR-170) and a word-processing cartridge inserted into the ROM-pack slot (top left part of the case).

Towards the end of it's life, the British Company, MATMOS sold off the final 'batch' or single & dual floppy packages together with a RGB-PAL convertor box.

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Contributors: Steeve Buniak