| RU Lvov 48K (Львов 48K)
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The beginning of cloning The Lvov 48K (Львов 48K) computer was developed between 1985 and 1986 at the Lvov Polytechnic Institute Experimental Research and Development Office (ОКБ Львовского Политехнического Института). The nowadays still operating office bears the NIKI ELVIT (НИКИ ЭЛВИТ) name now. The main contributor to the design was Jurij Dmitrievich Dobush (Юрий Дмитриевич Добуш), who implemented the ULA using discrete elements. He worked together with Evgenij Evgenevich Natopta (Евгений Евгеньевич Натопта), Oleg Vasilevich Starostenko (Олег Васильевич Старостенко) and Vitaly Lev (Виталий Лев). They obtained a significant amount of information from foreign students who resided in the institution's dormitory. The reason for the development was to create a simple computer with good graphics capabilities and a lot of software, which is reliable, compact, and affordable. They chose the ZX Spectrum over the IBM PC, of which they became familiar in the summer of 1984. At the end of 1984, Natopta consulted with colleagues from Kaunas who were also involved in cloning the ZX Spectrum. They agreed to exchange information, and the idea of commercial distribution also came up. In August 1985, Natopta and Dobush examined a borrowed computer for two hours using an oscilloscope. They were interested in the interaction between the ULA and Z80. Based on the results and the original circuit diagrams obtained from East German students, they began the development. The ROM firmware was typed from a West German magazine. The development was conducted not on paper, but on hardware, with live prototypes. The first version was completed by the end of September (October) 1985. Based on this, the first circuit diagrams were created, carefully considering the replication of the original machine. This was likely a 16K machine, as reports only mentioned testing with games that ran on this type of computer. This prototype was presumably taken to Novosibirsk, to the Novosibirsk Electrotechnical Institute, NETI (Новосибирский электротехнический институт, НЭТИ). Presumably from this, the NETI AiT (НЭТИ АиТ) clone was born in 1986 - it is clearly visible that 32K RAM was later added to the 16K model. Although the Kaunas clone designers had a working prototype earlier, they could only complete it until getting the Lvov version's circuit diagrams. However, they copied the 'memory card' from the Kaunas clone to the Lvov version. This probably means the extended memory of the 48K model. By the end of 1985, the actual version of the machine was taken to Harkov, and this became the basis of the Harkov 48K (Харьков 48K). using it as a currency for exchange, as they were already considering the development of an 8086 XT - for which they needed parts and money. Once the development was finished, by 1986, the developers began to prepare the serial production. Schemes were handed over to the Poljaron company at the end of the winter of 1986, and its Kulon complex began to manufacture the computer. These motherboards bore the inscription "1400HH" and were available for purchase in 1987. Starostenko took the documentations to Moscow and St. Petersburg, in 1986 too. This is how the Moscow 48K clone and the Leningrad 48K were born. The documentations may have leaked out from both the development office and the manufacturing plant, paving the way for further cloning of the clone. Later, the 128K expansion was also appeared for the machine. Its essence is to replace the 8 pieces of 2 kilobyte RU6 chips with 8K RU5 ones, as well solder the blocking capacitors.
↑date: 2023/03 |
több kép
1986. |
NETI AiT (НЭТИ АиТ)
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The first clone in Novosibirsk The Neti AiT (НЭТИ АиТ) from 1986 is the clone of the Novosibirsk Electrotechnical Institute (Новосибирского Электротехнического Института) Automation and Telemechanics department, based on the Lvov 48K machine. We have already read about the prototype arriving in Novosibirsk. Considered a successful clone, it provided about 70% of the local clones until the appearance of the smaller and cheaper Leningrad. It was produced in multiple versions, retaining the main design of the initial release. The machine boots with custom firmware displaying the logo АиТ НЭТИ. Between the Latin and Russian character sets, could be switched with the Move and Erase commands. [»] Three versions were released. The first had a motherboard fixable with 38 wires, directly derived from the prototype. The Kempston joystick controller was placed on a stripboard. The second version was the bug-fixed version, no wiring was needed, memory timings were handled by an RC circuit. The RGB output level could be adjusted via a trimmer. In the third version, an inverter chain was used for memory timings, and the RGB trimmer was removed. The sequence of DIN connectors soldered to the motherboard: power supply, Kempston joystick, black and white TV, RGB monitor, cassette unit. The BPK Sever and Sever-48/002 machines were developed from the clone. Their circuit diagram is the same, primarily the placement of the components differs on the motherboard. Another difference is, that the blocking capacitors of the RAM chips have separate soldering locations, and the motherboard DIN connectors have been replaced by soldered via wires. The successor of the developer department still functions today. The university is now called Novosibirsk State Technical University (Новосиби́рский госуда́рственный техни́ческий университе́т), and the department operates under the name of Automation (Автоматики) department. [»], [»]
↑date: 2023/04 |
1986. 
19??. 
19??. |
Baltik 48K (Балтик 48K)
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The first clone with extras Baltik (Балтик) is the first ZX Spectrum clone, which offers more extra features than the 48K base machine. It was developed between 1985 and 1987 and was ready by the end of 1987, according to the sources. Presumably it is the work of the staff of the Kaunas University of Technology (Kauno technologijos universitetas) or maybe the created by radio amateurs. It was primarily intended for industrial use, and later adapted to a Spectrum clone. This is confirmed by its lot of extra features and details, that increased incompatibility. Over the time, both the firmware and the hardware have been continuously developed. It is belongs to the single field memory machines, the total of 64K made up by 8 pieces of 8K RU5 RAM chips. From this, 16K can be used as Shadow RAM. The processor operates at the non-standart 4MHz speed. The machine is contains less than 50 microcircuits, and the ULA is emulated by К556РТ4 and К155РЕ3 ROM chips. It also has a parallel I/O port driven by the КР580ВВ55 chip. This was mostly used to control the Kempston joystick and printer. The storage of the firmware is provided by two ROM sockets. It has shadow screen, this is multicolor (8x1) compatible along with the standart one. It does not have a video output in the basic configuration, but this could be installed on the stripboard. The machine is commonly associated the most to the Minsk-based Sonet (Cонет) company. In Rostov-On-Don, the Splav Special Design and Technology Institute (ОКТБ СПЛАВ) also made machines. There are also several technical education institutions such as the Novopolotsk Polychnology Institute (Новополоцкий политехнический институт), and the students of Institute of Radio Engineers of Minsk (Минский радиотехнический институт) also dealt with it. In Grodno, in the mid-90s, an individual also made CP/M and TR-DOS based clones. Generally speaking, from both students and radio amateurs were able to buy machines. Almost all components were available in the Minsk radio amateur market. It was sold in this area till 1995-96. It was about 80% dispersed in the eastern part of Belarus. The first version was released in Moscow's agglomeration in early 1988, but it quickly fading into the background due to the Leningrad and Pentagon machines. The main reason for this was price and reliability. For example, the К556РТ4 and К155РЕ3 ROM chips had to be thermal stress tested. Sonet continuesly ran the machines for two days, which was obviously not the case for amateur assemblies, reducing the reliability of the machines. Besides, burning these ROMs also required a special tool. Sonet was manufactured them in the school building of Yanka Maur street, and the distribution took place on Amur street. The first series was made with a built-in power supply, the second batch with external ones. As for configurations, Baltic was the base clone with a cassette unit. The Baltic+ is the disk version, which was used the self-developed Disk monitor system. Baltic ++ is already compatible with CP/M. Baltic +2 got a printer beside these, Baltic +3 in addition a second floppy drive. Baltic +4 is the two floppy drive version without printer. The mainboards were ordered from the local factory. Beside the finished machines, they also distributed empty motherboards, floppy controller cards, computer cases, flashed ROMs, and CP/M floppies. Of course, here the video circuit has been pre-installed, often leaving out the chip responsible for controlling the parallel port. As for firmwares, the first one is the traditional Spectrum's, only here with bold font. The next one boots with the customized © 1988 BALTIC RUSSIAN text. A turbo loading firmware was also appeared. The line of 'simple' firmwares is closed with the Baltic (c) 1992 SONET v1.2 one. There were several ROM-disc versions containing multiple firmwares. Here you can choose from the menu activated when pressing the NMI button. Two main versions of this are known. One is © 1988 BALTIC RUSSIAN & CPM, which contains CP/M bootloader, copier and assembler. The other is the 1992 turbo firmware, which received a disk formatter and a cassette tester instead of the assembler. There were two subversions of this. The CP/M has 64 character/row screen and used 800K discs. Despite these improvements, CP/M machines have not been widespread thanks to the high price. The Radiojubel ( Радиолюитель ) magazine was regularly featured the machine, with promotional articles and advertising. These are primarily of the writings of the company founder V. Boreysho (В. Борейшо), which were published since the first issue of the magazine, 1991/1. Of course, the 128k RAM+AY+TR-DOS expansion was also available later to the clone. This means RU5 chips soldered to the top of the originals. The AY-chip is placed on a separate card. An optional ROM extension was also available. This expansion can be used with both 48K and 128K TR-DOS controllers. [»] Later, the 512K RAM expansion also was released from Micruho-Maklaj in the Lprint #23 diskmag released in October 1997. [»] The clone served as the basis Т34ВГ1, the КА1515ХМ1-216 integrated circuit. When designing the circuit, this clone was taken basis without its extra functions. This is confirmed by the 4MHz processor speed and the 5: 3 screen ratio instead of 4: 3. The solution of latter, together with the Int signal bugfix, can be found in the document of SPLAV. The machine was served as basis of several other clones. The Kompanon (Компаньон) is the 95% analogue of the Baltik, its ROM-disk is also roughly the same. [»] Of course, clones with minor or greater changes have also appeared, for example the Astra (Астра) [»], the Saulys-1 [»], the Nikos (Никос): [»], the Ikar (Икар) [»], the Riga variant: [»], Ural (Урал) [»] és a Raduga. (Радугa) [»] And then we didn't even talk about Т34ВГ1-based clones...
↑date: 2023/04 |
1987. |
| Таганрог 128K (Taganrog 128K)
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This computer is the clone of the Mius development office in Taganrog from 1989-91. The main developers: Сергей Магомедович Алхасов (Sergej Magomedovich Alhasov), Виктор Васильевич Коженякин (Viktor Vasilevich Kozhenjakin) and Виталий Михайлович Майсов (Vitalij Mihajlovich Maisov). It is one of the few clones - apart from Profi and Elara 128K - which has a modular structure. So, the manufacturer offered additional boards for the main motherboard. It was the most popular clone in the Rostov region in the first half of the 90's. This was due, among other things, to its small size, 128K RAM and Kempston port, as well as the expansion connector in addition to the favorable price. It is based on the modified scheme of Leningrad 1. The 24.9×14.3 cm motherboard contains 16 RU5 chips and 2 ROM sockets. Any ZX-standard expansion board can be connected to the system bus. In the spirit of the aforementioned modular structure, the developer also offered two combi cards. One is the floppy disk drive controller with serial and parallel ports, the other is a ROM-disk card with the sound chip and extended keyboard interface. In the latter, the 2x64K ROM was later replaced by a 4x128K unit, and also received a Kempston mouse controller. There was also a simple factory AY interface. Schematics for RAM expansion up to 1024K and turbo-charged disk controller were also published. The layout and connection of the plugs depended on the built-in configurations. The boards were assembled by hand. 'Of course', there was also a pirate version bearing the TS7M logo, with a slightly modified circuit.
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több kép
1989. |
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