website/content/museum/ice-felix-hc-85.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Ice-Felix HC-85	Computers	Home Computer	Romania	1985	Z80	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos hardware links docs related oc_id source HC-85 /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_system_1.jpg /companies/ice-felix Ice-Felix label value NAME HC-85 label value MANUFACTURER Ice-Felix label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN Romania label value YEAR 1985 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Spectrum Basic interpreter label value KEYBOARD Mechanical 40 keys + Reset switch label value CPU Z80 label value SPEED 3.5 Mhz. label value RAM 48 KB label value ROM 16 KB label value TEXT MODES 32 columns x 24 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 256 x 192 pixels label value COLORS 16 (8 colours in mormal or bright modes) label value SOUND Beeper (10 octaves) label value SIZE / WEIGHT 34 (W) x 25 (D) x 4 (H) cm. label value I/O PORTS Tape recorder, Joystick x 2, RGB, TV aerial, AC adaptor label value POWER SUPPLY External AC adaptor. Built-in power regulation label value PRICE 15000 LEI / 300$ (Romania, 1987) photos hardware links docs 616 title subtitle text image EARLY MODEL #1 This picture was found by **Grecu Cristi** in a Romanian math book released in 1989. It was probably the very first case version. /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_early_s1.jpg title subtitle text image EARLY MODEL #2 The case is different from the more common HC-85. But are they internal differences? Thanks to the [Pocket Computer Museum](http://pocket.free.fr/) for this picture.\ This model is Arthur's property. /media/museum/photos/ice-felix_hc85_early_1.jpg title subtitle text image COMPLETE SYSTEM Photo taken from first HC-85 brochure. Thanks to **Zeno Mateescu** from Romania /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_earlyad_1.jpg title subtitle text image HC-85 LOGO /media/museum/photos/icc_hc85_logo_1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP Even if the key were not very well aligned, the quality of the keyboard was better than that of the Spectrum.\ The keys arrangement and the functions of each key was exactly the same as those of the Spectrum but in only one colour, which was not very convenient.\ Note the reset switch located beside the 'Zero' key. /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_keyboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image MOTHERBOARD All the active components (chips) mounted on this board seem to have been manufactured in Eastern Europe. **(1)** Tape recorder audio signal filter area\ **(2)** 32 KB RAM memory area\ **(3)** 16 KB RAM memory area\ **(4)** Video signals management area\ **(5)** TV-UHF modulator\ **(6)** Video RGB connector\ **(7)** 2 x joystick connectors\ **(8)** 16-pin keyboard connector\ **(9)** Z80-A processor\ **(10)** Expansion / Bus connector\ **(11)** 16 KB ROM area\ **(12)** Power connector\ **(13)** Tape recorder DIN plug /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_motherboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image PROCESSOR & ROM CLOSE-UP /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_procrom.jpg title subtitle text image REAR CONNECTORS CLOSE-UP Inside the TV-UHF modulator.\ RGB and joysticks connectors. /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_insideconnec.jpg title subtitle text image REAR CONNECTORS **(1)** Tape recorder DIN plug\ **(2)** Expansion / bus connector\ **(3)** 2 x joystick DB-9 connectors\ **(4)** RGB video output DB-15 connector\ **(5)** TV-aerial output plug /media/museum/photos/felix_hc8591_back_2.jpg title subtitle text image WARRANTY SEAL This small cup filled with pink wax covers one of the six screws used to close the case.\ If the cup is empty, the warranty is void! /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_seal.jpg title subtitle text image ICE JOYSTICK INTERFACE ICE Felix made several peripherals for its HC series, among them:\ • this joystick interface,\ • A Sinclair comptatible joystick,\ • A tape recorder\ • And even an optical pen. The joystick interface is Sinclair Kempston compatible; it uses port 1 of the computer. The jack is used to plug in an optical pen. Thanks to **Grecu Cristi** /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_joyinterf_s1.jpg title subtitle text image ICE SINCLAIR COMPATIBLE JOYSTICK Thanks to **Grecu Cristi** /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_joystick_s1.jpg title subtitle text image ICE TAPE RECORDER The mecanical part of this tape recorder looks strongly "inspired" with the one from Spectrum +2. Thanks to **Grecu Cristi** /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_cassetterec_s1.jpg title subtitle text image ICE LIGHT PEN The light pen is a very simple device, containing a photodiode. It is connected to the jack of the joystick interface. When the electron beam is crossing the area of the screen where the light pen is positionend, it sends a signal to the interface, that resets bit 1 of port 191 of the HC. Thanks to **Grecu Cristi** /media/museum/hardware/icc_hc91_lightpen_s1.jpg title url text Bucharest university http://www.csit-sun.pub.ro/research/history/ Technical files about some computers manufactured by Ice-Felix (Romanian) title url text Ice-Felix company http://www.felix.ro Website and history of the Ice-Felix company (Romanian) title url text Romanian users group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RomanianHomeComputer/ They have rare documentations, programs and useful PC utilities for Romanian computers title url cover text INTERFATA 1 HC - USER'S MANUAL http://george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com/ /media/museum/docs/couvs/ice-felix_hc91_if1_manual.jpg [**INTERFATA 1 HC - USER'S MANUAL**](http://george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com/)written by Ice-Felix  compiled/archived by George Chirtoaca\  type of document : PDF\  size : 3 MB\  source : [george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com](http://george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com/) /museum/ice-felix-hc-2000 /museum/ice-felix-hc-91 629 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20221203204323/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=629 2022-12-03

In 1985, despite of the severe limitations of the political system, the Romanian computer company ICE-Felix, located in Bucharest, started to design and produce Sinclair Spectrum compatible computers.

The company was founded in 1970 and became the main computer equipments manufacturer in Romania. Several mini and microcomputers were developed, based initially on the French C.I.I. company licence.

The HC-85 was the first manufactured model. It was primarily intended for the Romanian schools and universities. As the engineers could not use the Spectrum / Feranti gate-array chip, they replaced it by a whole of logical chips that carried out exactly the same tasks.

The plastic case and the keyboard were of poor manufacture quality. However, the machine looked solid and the motherboard printed circuit was same quality level as the Western productions of the time.