website/content/museum/datavue-spark.md

---
title: DATAVUE Spark
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Portable
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1987'
cpus:
- Intel 8088
params:
  name: Spark
  company: /companies/datavue
  company_name: DATAVUE
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Spark
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Datavue
  - label: TYPE
    value: Portable
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: June 1987
  - label: END OF PRODUCTION
    value: '1993'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full stroke 76 Key IBM Style. No Keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: Intel 8088, later Nec V20 & V30
  - label: SPEED
    value: 9.77 MHz.
  - label: RAM
    value: 640 KB
  - label: VRAM
    value: Suspected to be 128 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 384 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 40-80 chars. x 25 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 320 x 200, 400 x 320 dots
  - label: COLORS
    value: 16 blueish greyscales
  - label: SOUND
    value: PC Speaker
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 13 (W) x 13 (D) x 18 (H) Inches / 6.5 Kg. (14 lb)
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: 9 Pin RS232C, 9 Pin RGBI, RF Port, 25 Pin Centronics, 16 Pin External Floppy Port
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: One or two 3 ½ 720K Floppy Disk Drives - Hard disc version came later
  - label: OS
    value: MS-DOS
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: External power supply unit
  - label: PRICE
    value: |-
      $1000-$1200 (USA, 1988)\
      AU$10999 (Australia, 1987)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - links
  photos:
  - title: TOP VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: This case design would be used by dozens of laptop PC manufacturers for several years.
    image: null
  - title: CLOSED
    subtitle: ''
    text: Along with its power supply unit.
    image: null
  - title: DISPLAY
    subtitle: ''
    text: The display could be turned down when the computer was used with an external monitor.
    image: null
  - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP
    subtitle: ''
    text: A complete PC-type keyboard with separate arrow keys. The BIOS allowed to shitch between letter or numeric keys (in red).
    image: null
  - title: PROFILE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Notice the 'Line' and 'Tel' RJ11 sockets of the built-in modem.\
      The second floppy disk drive is available on the right side of the Spark.
    image: null
  - title: SPARK CARRYING BAG
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: SPARK LABEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: BOTTOM LABEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: ORIGINAL DOS DISKETTE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Original Datavue DOS 2.11 and utilities diskette.
    image: null
  - title: REAR CONNECTORS
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From left to rignt:\
      • Reset button\
      • Serial RS-232 DB9 connector\
      • RGBI connector for external CGA monitor\
      • Monochrome Composite video output jack\
      • Parallel printer DB25 connector\
      • External floppy drive DB15 connector\
      • Extension bus connector (covered).
    image: null
  - title: INSIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** 256 KB Expansion RAM card (8 x 4464 Dip IC's)\
      **(2)** Dual 3.5" 720 KB floppy disc drives\
      **(3)** Modem card\
      **(4)** Power regulation card
    image: null
  - title: MAIN BOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** Expansion RAM card connector\
      **(2)** A faster NEC V20 replaces the original Intel 8088\
      **(3)** The rare and expensive 8087 math co-processor option has been added\
      **(4)** Modem and power regulation card connectors\
      **(5)** Battery pack housing\
      **(6)** Keyboard cable\
      **(7)** RAM banks. 12 x 4464 chips hold 384 KB of RAM
    image: null
  - title: CUSTOM CHIPSETS
    subtitle: ''
    text: Each custom chip has different and enigmatic figurines painted on it!
    image: null
  - title: MODEM AND RAM CARDS
    subtitle: ''
    text: Internal Modem and 256 KB RAM expansion cards
    image: null
  - title: CHARLY
    subtitle: ''
    text: We also found this 'Charly 286' which case is strictly the same as the Spark. Was it a copy? or was it manufactured under licence? We don't know the story.
    image: null
  links:
  - title: Good pictures of the Spark, manual, bag,...
    url: http://sbibuilder.free.fr/spark/
    text: ''
  comments:
  - author: Simon Templar (Finland)
    date: Monday 19th April 2021
    text: 'To Harie Elkiess: I''''ve sold one for 15€ without a power supply. Still have another to sell, hope to get a bit more.'
  - author: Harie Elkiess (Uk)
    date: Tuesday 19th January 2021
    text: Just wondering what they are worth now as I have one in great working condition
  - author: Tony Logan (USA)
    date: Friday 29th May 2020
    text: Hello, I would like to thank you for sharing this useful material. I appreciate reading it. What is more, the material provided here will be useful for a lot of people
  - author: Stewart (New Zealand)
    date: Tuesday 21st January 2020
    text: |-
      This was our first family computer when I was at high school. Mum and dad got it second hand when the local polytechnic sold off their fleet (probably because hard drives were just coming in as an essential...)\
      Many assignments were done using First Choice. Many hours were spent playing Bill and Ted''s Excellent Adventure, and Lemmings. (All in glorious blue monochrome.)\
      in the end it got trashed by a virus and I could never get another boot diskette to work...
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    date: Wednesday 26th December 2018
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    date: Tuesday 18th December 2018
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    date: Tuesday 21st August 2018
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  - author: NY Charlie (United States)
    date: Monday 7th May 2018
    text: I just bought one of these at an estate sale in Albany NY. It was part of the estate of a former editor of the Washington Post. Boots right up to MSDOS 2.11. It came with a disk that launches Wordperfect.
  - author: Ketan Jawale (Mumbai)
    date: Tuesday 28th November 2017
    text: This very unique info related to PCs
  - author: Ketzilla (India)
    date: Monday 13rd November 2017
    text: Thats Great.
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    date: Monday 13rd November 2017
    text: Linkcue is an online platform for comparing best broadband in Mumbai and searching list of internet service providers in Mumbai.
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  - author: Joe C Buckner (USA)
    date: Friday 6th January 2017
    text: Have one of these for sale email me if interested pyajoe@earthlink.net
  - author: Kelvin Walter (Boston,United States)
    date: Tuesday 6th September 2016
    text: Time really flies, some years ago, floppy disks were all over. I am personally a computer lover but good things keep disappearing. Anyway they sparkle good memories.
  - author: Ronald Harper (USA)
    date: Tuesday 10th November 2009
    text: I bought about 15 of these in the late ''80s and wrote Turbo Pascal programs for our field salesmen to use. First, the price was about $1000-$1200, depending on the amount of memory and whether 1 or 2 drives. The "tiny" screen was about 5" high by 10" wide, which was HUGE for 1987. Plus, it was backlit, which made it very bright and readable. The screen was bright white with blue text and graphics. (No color) The closest (decent) competitor to the Spark was the Toshiba T-1000. A very well-made laptop, but its screen was only about 3-1/2" x 7" and much less readable.
  - author: Keith (Philadelphia PA)
    date: Thursday 25th October 2007
    text: |-
      Wow this brings back memories. I had one of these while I was in grammar school. (mid 90s)\
      I had a small box of floppies I would carry with it, as it had 2 low density 3 1/2 floppies built into it (no hard drive). I would keep a boot disk with a DOS menu system in drive A, and insert the appropriate floppy for the program before I selected it off the menu, into drive B. I remember spending hours on dial-up AOL searching for free DOS software for this laptop, and giving a presentation on it for the science fair (external CGA monitor. presentation written in Q-BASIC) Great times. Wish I still had it, but it broke while in high school.
  - author: Michael Reilly (Ft. Walton Beach, FL)
    date: Friday 21st April 2006
    text: |-
      Does anyone know how long it takes the battery to charge?

      Or, more importantly, the amperage required on the transformer?

      Also, mine says Fivestar Express on the top, and Datavue Spark on the bottom on the label. Remanufactured?
  - author: Michael Buchan (Perth, Australia)
    date: Sunday 29th June 2003
    text: |-
      Hello Ken

      You could do this, but It may be expensive. You can probably only run A Maximum of windows 3.0 On it and Wordpad.

      Glad To Help!

      Michael
  - author: Ken Lopossa (Olympia )
    date: Thursday 12th June 2003
    text: I am interested in getting the Old Spark going and I see it has an exxternal floppy option could this be a hard drive instead? could it handle windows? word, or wpad? Where could one get a manual?
  oc_id: 808
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230531230529/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=808
    date: '2023-05-31'
---

The Datavue Spark was one of the First Laptops Ever Made. It Featured a Powerful (Back Then) Intel 8088 with a clock Speed of 9.77MHz.

It had a blue 5" x 10" screen (which was big for 1987) made by Epson that supported 16 shades of blueish grey. Plus, it was backlit, which made it very bright and readable.

DOS could be run on this system, but needed a boot disk to do anything.

Due to a very high retail price, very few Spark were sold (at least in Australia). In the US, the price was about $1000-$1200, depending on the amount of memory and whether 1 or 2 drives.

The closest (decent) competitor to the Spark was the Toshiba T-1000. A very well-made laptop, but its screen was only about 3-1/2" x 7" and much less readable.

Datavue made it up until 1993, then the company went under due to the many more powerful laptops on the market at the time. Datavue produced many other laptops.

Thanks to **Michael Buchan, Ronald Harper** for information.

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>