website/content/museum/texas-instruments-compact-computer-40-cc40.md

---
title: Texas Instruments COMPACT COMPUTER 40 (CC40)
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Portable
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- Texas-Instrument TMS-70C20
params:
  name: COMPACT COMPUTER 40 (CC40)
  company: /companies/texas-instruments
  company_name: Texas Instruments
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: COMPACT COMPUTER 40 (CC40)
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Texas Instruments
  - label: TYPE
    value: Portable
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1983'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Special version of TI Extended Basic
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: |-
      Calculator (chicklet) style keyboard with separated numeric keypad, 4 function keys (BREAK, RUN, ON, OFF)\
      CTL, SHIFT, ENTER and large SPACEBAR
  - label: CPU
    value: Texas-Instrument TMS-70C20 (CMOS 8-bit)
  - label: SPEED
    value: 2.5 Mhz
  - label: RAM
    value: 6 kb (up to 18 kb)
  - label: ROM
    value: 34 kb (up to 128 kb)
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 1 line of 31 characters (5 x 8 character matrix)
  - label: COLORS
    value: monochrome LCD display (31 characters, scrollable to 80 chars)
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 9.25'' x 5.75'' x 1''
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: HexBus connector, cartridge port
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Four AA batteries or AC Adapter
  - label: PRICE
    value: $249.95 (USA, 1984)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - links
  photos:
  - title: LARGE VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: Notice the numerous system state indicators on the LCD screen.
    image: null
  - title: TOP VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: The chicklet keyboard is here covered by the Basic plastic overlay, which indicates the Basic statements you get when pressing the keys.
    image: null
  - title: SOFTWARE CARTRIDGE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Several specialized software cartridges were available from Texas Instruments.
    image: null
  - title: BOTTOM SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Batteries housing cover, and removable plastic stand allowing to use the CC40 in tilted position.
    image: null
  - title: CONNECTORS
    subtitle: ''
    text: External power jack, Hexbus connector and LCD contrast adjustment.
    image: null
  - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: With printer/plotter and wafertape drive units.
    image: null
  - title: INSIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** Hexbus connector\
      **(2)**External pover jack\
      **(3)** 32 KB ROM chip holding the TI-Basic\
      **(4)** 3 x 6116 RAM chips (2K x 8-bit CMOS)\
      **(5)** TMX 70C20 processor\
      **(6)** I/O chip in charge of keyboard, display and ROM cartridges management\
      **(7)** Cartridges connector\
      **(8)** Beeper
    image: null
  - title: BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: CC40 PLUS
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Normal (right) and Plus versions of the CC40.\
      Thanks to **Curtis McCain** for this picture. For more information about the Plus version, visit his [CC40 page](http://members.cox.net/curtismc/cc40.htm).
    image: null
  - title: PROTOTYPE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      More information on this pre-release version on the **[McCain's Museum page](http://members.cox.net/curtismc/40_proto.htm)**.

      Thanks to **Curtis McCain**
    image: null
  adverts:
  - title: U.S. AD (1983)
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      This advert tried to convince computers newcomers that a pocket computer could do the same as a desktop computer...

      Now Texas Instruments brings you a cordless compact computer that solves the same sort of problems as the Apple or IBM Personal Computer...

      ...For most personal computer tasks, its 6K RAM and 34K ROM are ample...
    image: null
  links:
  - title: The TI-99/4A Home Computer Page
    url: http://www.99er.net/cc40.html
    text: Rich has a quite complete CC40 page
  - title: TI-99 Forerver !
    url: http://www.ti99.com/
    text: Fabrice has made up a very complete page bout the CC40 !
  comments:
  - author: Stefano
    date: Thursday 1st March 2018
    text: The Wafertape was never sold in Italy (see MC microcomputer 034 1984, page $10).. Was it available elsewhere ?
  - author: Steve (California)
    date: Saturday 9th July 2016
    text: I worked on the followup to the CC-40. I don''t remember anything about a CC40+, but I worked on the something called the CC80 (? I think that was the model). It had a larger display (several sizes were being worked on), it could take more than one of the modules plugged in at one time, and other enhancements. TI decided there was no market for compact computers, or really any consumer electronics and cancelled pretty much everything, even though a lot of it was complete and ready to go!
  - author: Edward Morgan
    date: Thursday 9th May 2013
    text: |-
      While I hate to disprove such a beautiful rumor...\
      My dad used to work for TI, and wound up in possession of one of the CC40+ prototypes when the home computer division was killed. Consequently, I can verify that the keyboard on the CC40+ is identical to the standard CC40 keyboard aside from coloration, and not improved at all.\
      Aside from a cost-reduced housing(in beige plastic to match the 99/8, 99/2, and late-model 99/4a) and the addition of a 99/ series cassette cable connector, there wasn''t any real difference between the two models.

      You MAY be thinking of the TI-74 Basicalc, which actually WAS released. Despite being a clear relative of the CC40 family, it WAS different in many respects, including the keyboard.
  oc_id: 237
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230529182752/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=237
    date: '2023-05-29'
---

The Compact Computer 40 is a cute little system which represents Texas-Instrument\`s first entry into the portable computer market. It can be considered in many ways as the [TI-99 4/A](/museum/texas-instruments-ti-99-4a/)'s little brother.

It includes a special version of the TI Extended Basic, where most of the graphical and sound statements has been discarded. But it is so close, than some TI-99 4/A can actually be executed on a CC40 !\
Basic statements can be accessed directly through specific key combinations (CTL + key). There is a reset button located to the right of the spacebar.

A lot of peripherals were available thanks to the Hexbus connector : a printer/plotter, a cheap and unreliable wafertape drive (a 8000 baud digital tape which can store about 48 kb) and an RS232c / Centronics interface.

Several software were available on cartridge. Titles released by Texas Instruments include : Memo Processor, Mathmatics, Games #1, Finance, and Electrical Engineering. Memory could also be expanded through special cartridges.

In some ways, the CC40 is the ancestor of the Exelvision [EXL 100](/museum/exelvision-exl-100/).

**David Vohs** report us :\
Texas Instruments planned to launch later a TI **CC40+**, it has the same text and graphics modes and the same operating system as the TI CC 40. This model was announced after TI realized that their cheap wafertape drive turned out to be cheap but unreliable (no other method of mass storage was ever adapted for the TI CC 40). So the cool part about the CC40+ was that it had connectors for a regular tape player to be hooked up to it (just like the [TI 99/4 & 4A](/museum/texas-instruments-ti-99-4a/)). It may also have sported a better keyboard (unconfirmed at this time).

But unfortunately, this computer was a casualty of bad planning, since TI was backing out of the computer market at this time, and the TI CC 40+ was never released.