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

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Pravetz 8C	Computers	Home Computer	Bulgaria	1990	CM630	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos screenshots links oc_id source 8C /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_system_s1.jpg /companies/pravetz Pravetz label value NAME 8C label value MANUFACTURER Pravetz label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN Bulgaria label value YEAR 1990 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1994-95 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE AppleSoft BASIC label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke 63 key - Latin and cyrillic characters label value CPU CM630 (Bulgarian 6502 clone) label value SPEED 1 MHz label value RAM 128 KB label value ROM 16 KB label value TEXT MODES 40 or 80 characters x 24 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 40 x 48 (16 col) / 80 x 48 (16 col) / 280 x 160, 280 x 192, 560 x 192 (8 colours) label value COLORS Max 16 label value SOUND Built-in speaker label value SIZE / WEIGHT 40.7 (W) x 47 (D) x 8.8 (H) cm label value I/O PORTS 34 exp. slots, external FDD, Parallel printer, RGB, RS232, Joystick label value BUILT IN MEDIA None label value OS DOS 3.1, DOS 3.2, DOS 3.3, ProDOS label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in switching power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS All Apple and compatible cards label value PRICE $1160 (1450 levs) photos software links 1030 title subtitle text image LARGE VIEW /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_system_s2.jpg title subtitle text image TOP VIEW /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_topview.jpg title subtitle text image FRONT VIEW /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_frontview_s1.jpg title subtitle text image SIDE VIEW /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_sideview_s1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR PANEL Only one Composite video connector was available in this version. Provision was made for a RGB and two joystick connectors. /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_rearside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP The keyboard allowed to type either latin or cyrillic characters. /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_keyboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image PRAVETZ LOGO Pravetz logo engraved on the plastic case. /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_label_s2.jpg title subtitle text image BOTTOM LABEL 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. /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_label_s1.jpg title subtitle text image OPENED Same internal design as the original Apple II. /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_opened_s1.jpg title subtitle text image BULGARIAN PSU AND SPEAKER 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 -( /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_psu_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MAINBOARD 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. /media/museum/photos/pravetz_8c_mainboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image BOX Thanks to Milen Krastev for this picture /media/museum/software/pravetz_8c_soft_pojarut_box.jpg title subtitle text image BOX Thanks to Milen Krastev for this picture /media/museum/software/pravetz_8c_soft_shtastlivetza_box.jpg title url text Bulgarian Computers Information File http://www.geocities.com/todprog/spis/bulgarian_computers_v102_11102003.txt Detailed information and timeline of Bulgarian computers title url text Chip Identificator (.ZIP file) http://www.old-computers.com/binaries/chipid.zip Useful program to find similar references between East European and Western ICs 1057 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20221208015627/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1057 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. 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.