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---
title: Ice-Felix HC-85
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Romania
years:
- '1985'
cpus:
- Z80
params:
name: HC-85
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_system_1.jpg
company: /companies/ice-felix
company_name: Ice-Felix
specs:
- label: NAME
value: HC-85
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Ice-Felix
- label: TYPE
value: Home Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: Romania
- label: YEAR
value: '1985'
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: Spectrum Basic interpreter
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Mechanical 40 keys + Reset switch
- label: CPU
value: Z80
- label: SPEED
value: 3.5 Mhz.
- label: RAM
value: 48 KB
- label: ROM
value: 16 KB
- label: TEXT MODES
value: 32 columns x 24 lines
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: 256 x 192 pixels
- label: COLORS
value: 16 (8 colours in mormal or bright modes)
- label: SOUND
value: Beeper (10 octaves)
- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
value: 34 (W) x 25 (D) x 4 (H) cm.
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Tape recorder, Joystick x 2, RGB, TV aerial, AC adaptor
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: External AC adaptor. Built-in power regulation
- label: PRICE
value: 15000 LEI / 300$ (Romania, 1987)
tabs:
- photos
- hardware
- links
- docs
forum_thread: 616
photos:
- title: 'EARLY MODEL #1'
subtitle: ''
text: This picture was found by **Grecu Cristi** in a Romanian math book released in 1989. It was probably the very first case version.
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_early_s1.jpg
- title: 'EARLY MODEL #2'
subtitle: ''
text: |-
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.
image: /media/museum/photos/ice-felix_hc85_early_1.jpg
- title: COMPLETE SYSTEM
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Photo taken from first HC-85 brochure.
Thanks to **Zeno Mateescu** from Romania
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_earlyad_1.jpg
- title: HC-85 LOGO
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/icc_hc85_logo_1.jpg
- title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP
subtitle: ''
text: |-
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.
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_keyboard_1.jpg
- title: MOTHERBOARD
subtitle: ''
text: |-
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
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_motherboard_1.jpg
- title: PROCESSOR & ROM CLOSE-UP
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_procrom.jpg
- title: REAR CONNECTORS CLOSE-UP
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Inside the TV-UHF modulator.\
RGB and joysticks connectors.
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_insideconnec.jpg
- title: REAR CONNECTORS
subtitle: ''
text: |-
**(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
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc8591_back_2.jpg
- title: WARRANTY SEAL
subtitle: ''
text: |-
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!
image: /media/museum/photos/felix_hc85_seal.jpg
hardware:
- title: ICE JOYSTICK INTERFACE
subtitle: ''
text: |-
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**
image: /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_joyinterf_s1.jpg
- title: ICE SINCLAIR COMPATIBLE JOYSTICK
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to **Grecu Cristi**
image: /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_joystick_s1.jpg
- title: ICE TAPE RECORDER
subtitle: ''
text: |-
The mecanical part of this tape recorder looks strongly "inspired" with the one from Spectrum +2.
Thanks to **Grecu Cristi**
image: /media/museum/hardware/felix_hc85_cassetterec_s1.jpg
- title: ICE LIGHT PEN
subtitle: ''
text: |-
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**
image: /media/museum/hardware/icc_hc91_lightpen_s1.jpg
links:
- title: Bucharest university
url: http://www.csit-sun.pub.ro/research/history/
text: Technical files about some computers manufactured by Ice-Felix (Romanian)
- title: Ice-Felix company
url: http://www.felix.ro
text: Website and history of the Ice-Felix company (Romanian)
- title: Romanian users group
url: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RomanianHomeComputer/
text: They have rare documentations, programs and useful PC utilities for Romanian computers
docs:
- title: INTERFATA 1 HC - USER'S MANUAL
url: http://george.chirtoaca.googlepages.com/
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/ice-felix_hc91_if1_manual.jpg
text: |-
[**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/)
related:
- /museum/ice-felix-hc-2000
- /museum/ice-felix-hc-91
oc_id: 629
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20221203204323/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=629
date: '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.