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

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Texas Instruments COMPACT COMPUTER 40 (CC40)	Computers	Portable	U.S.A.	1983	Texas-Instrument TMS-70C20	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts links oc_id source COMPACT COMPUTER 40 (CC40) /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_system_s2.jpg /companies/texas-instruments Texas Instruments label value NAME COMPACT COMPUTER 40 (CC40) label value MANUFACTURER Texas Instruments label value TYPE Portable label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1983 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Special version of TI Extended Basic label value KEYBOARD Calculator (chicklet) style keyboard with separated numeric keypad, 4 function keys (BREAK, RUN, ON, OFF)\ CTL, SHIFT, ENTER and large SPACEBAR label value CPU Texas-Instrument TMS-70C20 (CMOS 8-bit) label value SPEED 2.5 Mhz label value RAM 6 kb (up to 18 kb) label value ROM 34 kb (up to 128 kb) label value TEXT MODES 1 line of 31 characters (5 x 8 character matrix) label value COLORS monochrome LCD display (31 characters, scrollable to 80 chars) label value SOUND Beeper label value SIZE / WEIGHT 9.25'' x 5.75'' x 1'' label value I/O PORTS HexBus connector, cartridge port label value POWER SUPPLY Four AA batteries or AC Adapter label value PRICE $249.95 (USA, 1984) photos adverts links 247 title subtitle text image LARGE VIEW Notice the numerous system state indicators on the LCD screen. /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_system_s3.jpg title subtitle text image TOP VIEW The chicklet keyboard is here covered by the Basic plastic overlay, which indicates the Basic statements you get when pressing the keys. /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_frontscan_s1.jpg title subtitle text image SOFTWARE CARTRIDGE Several specialized software cartridges were available from Texas Instruments. /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_cartslot_s1.jpg title subtitle text image BOTTOM SIDE Batteries housing cover, and removable plastic stand allowing to use the CC40 in tilted position. /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_backside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image CONNECTORS External power jack, Hexbus connector and LCD contrast adjustment. /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_connectors_s1.jpg title subtitle text image COMPLETE SYSTEM With printer/plotter and wafertape drive units. /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_printer_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE **(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 /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_inside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image BOX /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_box_1.jpg title subtitle text image CC40 PLUS 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). /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_cc40plus_s1.jpg title subtitle text image PROTOTYPE 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** /media/museum/photos/texasins_cc40_proto_s1.jpg title subtitle text image U.S. AD (1983) 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... /media/museum/pubs/texasins_cc40_pub_1.jpg title url text The TI-99/4A Home Computer Page http://www.99er.net/cc40.html Rich has a quite complete CC40 page title url text TI-99 Forerver ! http://www.ti99.com/ Fabrice has made up a very complete page bout the CC40 ! 237 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230529182752/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=237 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'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.

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). 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.