website/content/museum/pravetz-8c.md

---
title: Pravetz 8C
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Bulgaria
years:
- '1990'
cpus:
- CM630
params:
  name: 8C
  image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_system_s1.jpg
  company: /companies/pravetz
  company_name: Pravetz
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: 8C
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Pravetz
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Bulgaria
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1990'
  - label: END OF PRODUCTION
    value: 1994-95
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: AppleSoft BASIC
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke 63 key - Latin and cyrillic characters
  - label: CPU
    value: CM630 (Bulgarian 6502 clone)
  - label: SPEED
    value: 1 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 128 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 16 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 40 or 80 characters x 24 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 40 x 48 (16 col) / 80 x 48 (16 col) / 280 x 160, 280 x 192, 560 x 192 (8 colours)
  - label: COLORS
    value: Max 16
  - label: SOUND
    value: Built-in speaker
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 40.7 (W) x 47 (D) x 8.8 (H) cm
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: 34 exp. slots, external FDD, Parallel printer, RGB, RS232, Joystick
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: None
  - label: OS
    value: DOS 3.1, DOS 3.2, DOS 3.3, ProDOS
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in switching power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: All Apple and compatible cards
  - label: PRICE
    value: $1160 (1450 levs)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - software
  - links
  forum_thread: 1030
  photos:
  - title: LARGE VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_system_s2.jpg
  - title: TOP VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_topview.jpg
  - title: FRONT VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_frontview_s1.jpg
  - title: SIDE VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_sideview_s1.jpg
  - title: REAR PANEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: Only one Composite video connector was available in this version. Provision was made for a RGB and two joystick connectors.
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_rearside_s1.jpg
  - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP
    subtitle: ''
    text: The keyboard allowed to type either latin or cyrillic characters.
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_keyboard_s1.jpg
  - title: PRAVETZ LOGO
    subtitle: ''
    text: Pravetz logo engraved on the plastic case.
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_label_s2.jpg
  - title: BOTTOM LABEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: In '90-'95 there was a crisis in Bulgaria and the Pravetz factory was on the edge of bankrupcy. To save costs, their last computers were thus build in same boxes as previous models - here a Pravetz 8M - with modified labels.
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_label_s1.jpg
  - title: OPENED
    subtitle: ''
    text: Same internal design as the original Apple II.
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_opened_s1.jpg
  - title: BULGARIAN PSU AND SPEAKER
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The PSU label mentions "Prof. Kr. Dobrev Factory - Harmanly - PSU Block". Harmanly is a Bulgarian city.\
      Notice that one of the screws was topped by a small container holding wax. When the wax was removed, warranty was void -(
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_psu_s1.jpg
  - title: MAINBOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Major part of the ICs was made in Bulgaria (CM series). Some standard logic and RAM ICs came from Japan.\
      **(1)** Apple II compatible expansion slots\
      **(2)** Parallel printer connector\
      **(3)** External floppy-disk drive connectors\
      **(4)** Some parts of this board version have no ICs soldered, here the RGB interface\
      **(5)** Empty joystick interface\
      **(6)** Empty Serial RS232 interface\
      **(7)** CM630 CPU - 6502 clone\
      **(8)** AppleSoft BASIC ROMs\
      **(9)** Cyrillic and Latin character generator ROMs\
      **(10)** 80-column and I/O chips\
      **(11)** Modified system clock\
      **(12)** 128 KB RAM composed of mixed Bulgarian and Japanese 4164 RAM chips\
      **(13)** Audio amplifier and loudspeaker connector.
    image: /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_mainboard_s1.jpg
  screenshots:
  - title: BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to Milen Krastev for this picture
    image: /media/museum/software/pravetz_8c_soft_pojarut_box.jpg
  - title: BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to Milen Krastev for this picture
    image: /media/museum/software/pravetz_8c_soft_shtastlivetza_box.jpg
  links:
  - title: Bulgarian Computers Information File
    url: http://www.geocities.com/todprog/spis/bulgarian_computers_v102_11102003.txt
    text: Detailed information and timeline of Bulgarian computers
  - title: Chip Identificator (.ZIP file)
    url: http://www.old-computers.com/binaries/chipid.zip
    text: Useful program to find similar references between East European and Western ICs
  oc_id: 1057
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20221208015627/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1057
    date: '2022-12-08'
---

The 8C was the last and most improved Apple II clone version produced by the Bulgarian Pravetz Co. The 8C was actually designed in Bulgaria but most of them were manufactured in Tasjkent, former USSR.

The 8C had had same capabilities as the [Apple IIc](/museum/apple-iic/). Its main board offered 64 KB of RAM expandable to 128 KB, only 3 expansion slots but had built-in 80-column card, floppy drives controller, parallel printer port and, depending on mainboard versions, RGB, RS232, Joystick interfaces and real time clock as well.

This computer was widely used by Bulgarian schools but also by numerous teenagers who wrote and sent to Western countries one of the first and famous Apple II virus called Dark Avenger.