History of computer hardware in Soviet Bloc countries
Encyclopedia
The history of computing hardware in the former Soviet Bloc
is somewhat different from that of the Western world
. As a result of the CoCom
embargo, computers could not be imported in a large scale from capitalist countries
. All computer hardware produced in the socialist countries was either designed locally or had been illegally copied from Western models by the intelligence agencies, tacitly studied, and reproduced
. This redevelopment led to some incompatibilities with IEC
and IEEE standards, such as Integrated circuit
pins on 2.5 mm (0.0984251968503937 in) spacing instead of 2.54 mm (0.1 in) spacing. This made Soviet chips unsalable on the world market outside the Comecon
, and made test machinery more expensive.
In the period from 1986 to 1997, there were also produced a series of PC-compatible desktop computers, called ПЭВМ ЕС ЭВМ (Personal Computers of ES EVM series); the newer versions of these computers are still produced under a different name on a very limited scale in Minsk.
from the Kiev Institute of Electrotechnology
in the Soviet Union
(now Ukraine
), at Feofaniya
. The computer was known as MESM (МЭСМ, Малая Электронно-Счетная Машина, Small Electronic Calculating Machine), and became operational in 1950. It had about 6,000 vacuum tubes and consumed 25 kW of power. It could perform approximately 3,000 operations per minute.
(Russian: Эльбрус, named after Mount Elbrus) is a series of Soviet supercomputer systems developed by Lebedev Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering (ITMiVT) since the 1970s. Since 1990s the development continued by MCST (Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies, ru:МЦСТ), a spin-off of the ITMiVT.
1953–1956, used 43-bit floating point
words, with a signed 35-bit mantissa
and a signed 6-bit exponent.
Seven Strelas were manufactured in Moscow
by a factory in the Ministry of Instrument Making and Automation Means of the USSR; they were the primary debugging
platforms for computing, and the most productive computers in the Soviet Union during this period. Strelas could process 2000 instructions per second. The last version of Strela used a 4096-word magnetic drum, rotating at 6000 rpm.
Other computers include, BESM-6, Ural
, Setun
, ES EVM
, Minsk
, and Elbrus
.
, ES-1845, and DVK
.
, Korvet, Elektronika BK
, UKNC
, Mikrosha, Raduga
, Poisk, Iskra, Irisha, and Dubna 48K
.
in the Soviet Union. Schematics and information were published in the popular local DIY electronic magazine Radio in 1983. It was complex, using an Intel 8080
-based system which contained about 200 ICs. This system gained low popularity, but set a precedent in getting attention of hobbyist for DIY computers, and later other DIY computers were published by Radio and other DIY magazines.
simultaneously. It gained limited popularity with hobbyists, though some factories produced DIY kits (Lik for example).
.
with an i8080 CPU clone which ran at 3 MHz, which is still used by some enthusiasts. It had color graphics (16 colors) with programmable palette, few resolutions. Some games were ported from MSX and ZX Spectrum computers (converting original code from Z80 to 8080 and replacing graphics output code).
(ES EVM) and SKR (SM EVM) development of a standard across Comecon
countries.
s—e.g. microprocessors U880
(Z80-clone), U80601
(80286-clone) and U80701
(MicroVAX 78032
-clone)—and also some series of home computers (KC85/2-KC85/4).
. They were manufactured at the Elwro
manufacturing plant in Wrocław, (the brand name comes from the Odra River that flows through the city of Wrocław) and exported to other communist countries. The production started in 1959–1960.
The last series of Odra computers—the Odra 1300—consisted of three models: the Odra 1304, 1305, and the 1325. Although the hardware was developed by Polish teams, the software for the above machines was provided by the British company ICL (that is, the Odra was ICL 1900
compatible).
was 16-bit minicomputer built by Jacek Karpiński
. It was faster and cheaper than the most of the world's production at this time, but the production was shunned because of political reasons; it was not compatible with the ES EVM
standard.
The "Minsk" family of computers Minsk 1, 2, 3 etc. are Soviet mainframe computers of the 60-ies, which compared very well with their Western analogs. At the end of 1960s, Soviets started manufacturing of the IBM-compatible computers in Minsk, and later Brest, Belarus. These computers were known as EC-1020, EC-1022, EC-1035, EC-1036, EC-1130. The EC-1060, EC-1061 and EC-1066 computers, developed in Moscow, were also manufactured in Belarus. The EC-1840,1841, 1842, 1863 - analogs of IBM PC - were developed in Belarus in the 80-ies.
manufactured computers according to an agreement within the COMECON
:
For example, the Pravetz-8M featured two processors (primary: Bulgarian-made clone of 6502
, designated SM630 at 1.018 MHz, secondary: Z80A at 4 MHz), 64KB DRAM and 16KB EPROM.
The largest computer factory was some 60 km (37.3 mi) from Sofia
, in Pravetz. Another big facility was the plant "Electronika" in Sofia. Smaller plants throughout the country produced monitors and peripherals, notably DZU (Diskovi Zapametyavashti Ustroistva — Disk Memory Devices) — Stara Zagora
made hard disks for mainframes and personal computers.
At its peak, Bulgaria supplied 40% of the computers in COMECON
. The electronics industry employed 300,000 workers, and it generated 8 billion rubles a year (US$13.3 billion). Since the democratic changes in 1989 and the subsequent chaotic political and economic conditions, the once blooming Bulgarian computer industry almost completely disintegrated.
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
is somewhat different from that of the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. As a result of the CoCom
CoCom
CoCom is an acronym for Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls. CoCom was established by Western bloc powers in the first five years after the end of World War II, during the Cold War, to put an arms embargo on COMECON countries.CoCom ceased to function on March 31, 1994, and the...
embargo, computers could not be imported in a large scale from capitalist countries
Western Bloc
The Western Bloc or Capitalist Bloc during the Cold War refers to the powers allied with the United States and NATO against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact...
. All computer hardware produced in the socialist countries was either designed locally or had been illegally copied from Western models by the intelligence agencies, tacitly studied, and reproduced
Reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
. This redevelopment led to some incompatibilities with IEC
IEC
-Organisations:* Independent Electoral Commission * Independent Electrical Contractors, a U.S. national trade association.* Institut d'Estudis Catalans , a Catalan academic institution....
and IEEE standards, such as Integrated circuit
Dual in-line package
In microelectronics, a dual in-line package is an electronic device package with a rectangular housing and two parallel rows of electrical connecting pins. The package may be through-hole mounted to a printed circuit board or inserted in a socket.A DIP is usually referred to as a DIPn, where n is...
pins on 2.5 mm (0.0984251968503937 in) spacing instead of 2.54 mm (0.1 in) spacing. This made Soviet chips unsalable on the world market outside the Comecon
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
, and made test machinery more expensive.
Soviet computers
List of Soviet Russian made CPU's & Support ChipsBESM
BESM (БЭСМ) is the name of a series of Soviet mainframe computers built in 1950-1960s. The name is an acronym for "Bolshaya Elektronno-Schetnaya Mashina" ("Большая Электронно-Счётная Машина"), literally "Large Electronically Computing Machine". The series began as a successor to MESM ("Malaya Elektronno-Schetnaya Mashina", "Small Electronically Computing Machine"). MESM was built between 1948 and 1951 and was one of the first electronic computers produced in the continental Europe.ES EVM
ES EVM (ЕС ЭВМ, Единая система электронных вычислительных машин, meaning "Unified System of Electronic Computers") was a series of clones of IBM's System/360 and System/370 mainframes, released in the Comecon countries under the initiative of the Soviet Union since the 1960s. Production continued until 1998. The total number of ES EVM mainframes produced was more than 15,000.In the period from 1986 to 1997, there were also produced a series of PC-compatible desktop computers, called ПЭВМ ЕС ЭВМ (Personal Computers of ES EVM series); the newer versions of these computers are still produced under a different name on a very limited scale in Minsk.
MESM
The first universally programmable computer in continental Europe was created by a team of scientists under the direction of Sergei Alekseyevich LebedevSergei Alekseyevich Lebedev
Sergey Alexeyevich Lebedev was a Soviet scientist in the fields of electrical engineering and computer science, and designer of the first Soviet computers....
from the Kiev Institute of Electrotechnology
Kiev Institute of Electrotechnology
Kiev Institute of Electrotechnology in Kiev, Soviet Union was a part of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. It is known primarily for the prominent achievements in the field of computer science, made in early 1950s by Sergei Alekseyevich Lebedev....
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), at Feofaniya
Feofaniya
Feofaniya , Theophania is a historical neighborhood on the southern outskirts of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The neighborhood is located in the administrative Holosiivskyi Raion amidst the neighborhoods of Holosiiv, Teremky, Pyrohiv and Khotiv. The park's total area is about...
. The computer was known as MESM (МЭСМ, Малая Электронно-Счетная Машина, Small Electronic Calculating Machine), and became operational in 1950. It had about 6,000 vacuum tubes and consumed 25 kW of power. It could perform approximately 3,000 operations per minute.
ELBRUS
ElbrusElbrus (computer)
The Elbrus is a line of Soviet and Russian computer systems developed by Lebedev Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering.In 1992 a spin-off company Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies was created and continued development....
(Russian: Эльбрус, named after Mount Elbrus) is a series of Soviet supercomputer systems developed by Lebedev Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering (ITMiVT) since the 1970s. Since 1990s the development continued by MCST (Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies, ru:МЦСТ), a spin-off of the ITMiVT.
Strela
The Strela computerStrela computer
Strela computer was the first mainframe computer manufactured serially in the Soviet Union, beginning in 1953.This first-generation computer had 6200 vacuum tubes and 60,000 semiconductor diodes....
1953–1956, used 43-bit floating point
Floating point
In computing, floating point describes a method of representing real numbers in a way that can support a wide range of values. Numbers are, in general, represented approximately to a fixed number of significant digits and scaled using an exponent. The base for the scaling is normally 2, 10 or 16...
words, with a signed 35-bit mantissa
Significand
The significand is part of a floating-point number, consisting of its significant digits. Depending on the interpretation of the exponent, the significand may represent an integer or a fraction.-Examples:...
and a signed 6-bit exponent.
Seven Strelas were manufactured in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
by a factory in the Ministry of Instrument Making and Automation Means of the USSR; they were the primary debugging
Debugging
Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware, thus making it behave as expected. Debugging tends to be harder when various subsystems are tightly coupled, as changes in one may cause bugs to emerge...
platforms for computing, and the most productive computers in the Soviet Union during this period. Strelas could process 2000 instructions per second. The last version of Strela used a 4096-word magnetic drum, rotating at 6000 rpm.
Other computers include, BESM-6, Ural
Ural (computer)
Ural is a computer series built in Soviet Union.- History :The Ural was developed at the Electronic Computer Producing Manufacturer of Penza in the Soviet Union and was produced between 1959 and 1964. In total 139 were made...
, Setun
Setun
Setun was a balanced ternary computer developed in 1958 at Moscow State University. The device was built under the lead of Sergei Sobolev and Nikolay Brusentsov. It was the only modern ternary computer, using three-valued ternary logic instead of two-valued binary logic prevalent in computers...
, ES EVM
ES EVM
ES EVM was a series of clones of IBM's System/360 and System/370 mainframes, released in the Comecon countries under the initiative of the Soviet Union since the 1960s. Production continued until 1998...
, Minsk
Minsk family of computers
Minsk family of mainframe computers was developed and produced in the Byelorussian SSR from 1959 to 1975. Its further progress was stopped by a political decision of switching to IBM System/360 clone family known as ES EVM during the brief period of détente....
, and Elbrus
Elbrus (computer)
The Elbrus is a line of Soviet and Russian computer systems developed by Lebedev Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering.In 1992 a spin-off company Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies was created and continued development....
.
Workstations
Workstations built in the Soviet Union include the SM EVMSM EVM
SM EVM was the general name for several types of Soviet and Comecon minicomputers produced in the 1970s and 1980s. Production began in 1975....
, ES-1845, and DVK
DVK
DVK is a Soviet PDP-11-compatible personal computer.The design is also known as Elektronika MS-0501 and Elektronika MS-0502.Earlier models of DVK series were based on K1801VM1 or K1801VM2 microprocessors with 16 bit address bus. In the later models, the KM1801VM3 microprocessor was used.-...
.
Personal and home computers
Personal computers include the Agat computerAgat computer
The Agat was a series of 8-bit computers produced in the Soviet Union. A clone of the Apple II with some modifications, it was only partially compatible with Apple. Commissioned by the USSR Ministry of Radio, for many years it was a popular microcomputer in Soviet schools...
, Korvet, Elektronika BK
Elektronika BK
The Elektronika BK was a series of 16-bit PDP-11-compatible Soviet home computers developed by NPO Scientific Center, the leading Soviet microcomputer design team at the time. It was also responsible for the more powerful UKNC and DVK micros...
, UKNC
UKNC
UKNC was a Soviet PDP-11-compatible educational computer, aimed at teaching school informatics courses. It is also known as Elektronika MS-0511...
, Mikrosha, Raduga
Raduga
Raduga can refer to :* MKB Raduga, a Russian maker of missile systems formerly known as OKB Raduga* VBK-Raduga, an unmanned reentry capsule used to return material from the Russian Mir space station...
, Poisk, Iskra, Irisha, and Dubna 48K
Dubna 48K
The Dubna 48K is a Soviet clone of the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was based on an analogue of the Zilog Z80 microprocessor...
.
Micro-80
The Micro-80 was the first DIY home computerHome computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
in the Soviet Union. Schematics and information were published in the popular local DIY electronic magazine Radio in 1983. It was complex, using an Intel 8080
Intel 8080
The Intel 8080 was the second 8-bit microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel and was released in April 1974. It was an extended and enhanced variant of the earlier 8008 design, although without binary compatibility...
-based system which contained about 200 ICs. This system gained low popularity, but set a precedent in getting attention of hobbyist for DIY computers, and later other DIY computers were published by Radio and other DIY magazines.
Radio-86RK
The Radio-86RK was the second DIY computer featured in Radio magazine, in an edition published in 1986. It was more popular than the Micro-80 because it was much simpler (29 IC's, i8080 @1.78 MHz with i8257 and i8275 based CRT terminal). Many factories started production of home computers based on this design (such as the Apogey BK-01, Mikrosha, Krista, Partner 01.01, and the Spektr-001). These computers had limited compatibility with the original software, although their schematics were very close to the original.Specialist
The "Specialist" was the first DIY computer which was published in a magazine other than Radio; it was published in Modelist-Konstructor, a DIY magazine which was not exclusively focused on electronics. The computer was named the Specialist, and the magazine detailing its specifications was published in 1987, although it was developed by one hobbyist two years earlier. It was much more advanced than previous DIY computers, because it had a higher graphical resolution (384x256) and a "transparent" video system, which did not slow down the CPU when both the CPU and the video system tried to access the RAMRam
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
simultaneously. It gained limited popularity with hobbyists, though some factories produced DIY kits (Lik for example).
UT-88
Yunij Technik (Young Engineer) magazine released details for one DIY home computer, the UT-88, which was published in 1988. It was a step back to the Micro-80 conception but was much simpler and used very widespread elements, which made it available for less skilled hobbyists. It was divided to few blocks, starting from single board microcomputer with LED display and HEX keyboard, and later adding more RAM, TV interface, and complete keyboard.Orion-128
The Orion-128 was the last DIY computer published in Radio magazine and the last i8080-based DIY computer in Russia. It used the same concepts as the Specialist and had similar specifications, with both advances and flaws. It gained more popularity because it was supported by a more popular magazine, though it was never produced by factories in any form. Much of the software for the Orion-128 was ported by hobbyists from the Specialist and the ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
.
Vector-06C
One of the last Soviet-designed, 8-bit home computers was the Vector-06CVector-06C
Vector-06C is a home computer that was designed and mass produced in USSR in the late 1980s.- History :Vector-06C was created by Soviet engineers Donat Temirazov and Alexander Sokolov from Kishinev, Moldovan SSR . On 33rd National Radio Exhibition the design was honoured with the grand...
with an i8080 CPU clone which ran at 3 MHz, which is still used by some enthusiasts. It had color graphics (16 colors) with programmable palette, few resolutions. Some games were ported from MSX and ZX Spectrum computers (converting original code from Z80 to 8080 and replacing graphics output code).
East German computers
 |
 |
 |
 |
VEB Robotron and ESER
In East Germany (German Democratic Republic), the main manufacturer of computer hardware was VEB Robotron. They were involved in the ESERESER
ESER is an abbreviation for Einheitliches System Elektronischer Rechenmaschinen , a term used in the GDR for ES EVM computers produced according to a treaty between the members of Comecon signed on December 23, 1968 covering the development of a standardized computing system.ESER was also the name...
(ES EVM) and SKR (SM EVM) development of a standard across Comecon
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
countries.
VEB Kombinat Mikroelektronik
Another important Kombinat beneath Robotron was the Kombinat Mikroelektronik Erfurt. It manufactured integrated circuitIntegrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s—e.g. microprocessors U880
U880
The U880 was an 8-bit microprocessor manufactured in the German Democratic Republic. It was manufactured in NMOS logic technology and encased in a DIL40 package....
(Z80-clone), U80601
U80601
The U80601 was a 16-bit microprocessor made in 1989-1990 in the former German Democratic Republic of East Germany and thus outside Intel's power to stop it being made or sold...
(80286-clone) and U80701
U80701
The U80701 was a 32-bit microprocessor developed from 1986-1990 in the German Democratic Republic. It was manufactured by VEB Mikroelektronik "Karl Marx" Erfurt in NMOS technology and encased in a CQFP-68 package....
(MicroVAX 78032
MicroVAX 78032
The MicroVAX 78032 is a microprocessor developed and fabricated by Digital Equipment Corporation that implemented a subset of the VAX instruction set architecture . The 78032 was used exclusively in DEC's VAX-based systems, starting with the MicroVAX II in 1985...
-clone)—and also some series of home computers (KC85/2-KC85/4).
Polish computers
 |
 |
 |
Odra
Some of the earliest computers created in Poland were the first Odra computersOdra (computer)
Odra was a line of computers manufactured in Wrocław, Poland.The production started in 1959–1960. Models 1001, 1002, 1003, 1013, 1103, 1204 were of original Polish construction. Models 1304 and 1305 were functional counterparts of ICL 1905 and 1906 due to software agreement...
. They were manufactured at the Elwro
Elwro
Elwro – was a Polish company that produced the Odra and ELWAT computers and two ZX Spectrum clones. The Elwro factory was sold to Siemens in 1993 and shut down shortly afterwards....
manufacturing plant in Wrocław, (the brand name comes from the Odra River that flows through the city of Wrocław) and exported to other communist countries. The production started in 1959–1960.
The last series of Odra computers—the Odra 1300—consisted of three models: the Odra 1304, 1305, and the 1325. Although the hardware was developed by Polish teams, the software for the above machines was provided by the British company ICL (that is, the Odra was ICL 1900
ICT 1900 series
ICT 1900 was the name given to a series of mainframe computers released by International Computers and Tabulators and later International Computers Limited during the 1960s and '70s...
compatible).
K-202
K-202K-202
K-202 was a 16-bit minicomputer, invented by Polish scientist Jacek Karpiński between 1971-1973 in cooperation with British companies Data-Loop and M.B. Metals. Approximately 30 units were produced. The later production was halted as it was not in line with the ES EVM causing the inventor to...
was 16-bit minicomputer built by Jacek Karpiński
Jacek Karpinski
Jacek Karpiński was a Polish pioneer in computer engineering and computer science.During WW2 he was a soldier of Batalion Zośka of Polish Home Army, awarded multiple times with a Cross of Valour...
. It was faster and cheaper than the most of the world's production at this time, but the production was shunned because of political reasons; it was not compatible with the ES EVM
ES EVM
ES EVM was a series of clones of IBM's System/360 and System/370 mainframes, released in the Comecon countries under the initiative of the Soviet Union since the 1960s. Production continued until 1998...
standard.
Belarussian computers
From 1959 till 1975, several types of general-purpose computers had been developed in Byelorussia. These machines had become a basis for the Soviet fleet of computers, and their large-scale production was organized.The "Minsk" family of computers Minsk 1, 2, 3 etc. are Soviet mainframe computers of the 60-ies, which compared very well with their Western analogs. At the end of 1960s, Soviets started manufacturing of the IBM-compatible computers in Minsk, and later Brest, Belarus. These computers were known as EC-1020, EC-1022, EC-1035, EC-1036, EC-1130. The EC-1060, EC-1061 and EC-1066 computers, developed in Moscow, were also manufactured in Belarus. The EC-1840,1841, 1842, 1863 - analogs of IBM PC - were developed in Belarus in the 80-ies.
Bulgarian computers
In the 1980s, BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
manufactured computers according to an agreement within the COMECON
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
:
- Mainframes: IZOT series and ES EVMES EVMES EVM was a series of clones of IBM's System/360 and System/370 mainframes, released in the Comecon countries under the initiative of the Soviet Union since the 1960s. Production continued until 1998...
series (abbreviation from Edinnaya Sistema Elektronno Vichislitelnih Machin, or Unified Computer System — created in 1969 by USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, GDR, Poland and Czechoslovakia). - Personal computers: IMKO, Pravetz-82/8M/8A/8E/8C/8DPravetz series 8Pravetz were Bulgarian computers, manufactured mainly in the town of Pravetz but also components and software were produced in Stara Zagora, Plovdiv and other.- History :...
— an 8-bit machine, based on Bulgarian-made 6502MOS Technology 6502The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
variants, IZOT 1030 — based on East German-made U880 (a Z80A clone), Pravetz-16/16A/16H/286 (16-bit) — based on Bulgarian clones of 8086/186/286.
For example, the Pravetz-8M featured two processors (primary: Bulgarian-made clone of 6502
MOS Technology 6502
The MOS Technology 6502 is an 8-bit microprocessor that was designed by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch for MOS Technology in 1975. When it was introduced, it was the least expensive full-featured microprocessor on the market by a considerable margin, costing less than one-sixth the price of...
, designated SM630 at 1.018 MHz, secondary: Z80A at 4 MHz), 64KB DRAM and 16KB EPROM.
The largest computer factory was some 60 km (37.3 mi) from Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, in Pravetz. Another big facility was the plant "Electronika" in Sofia. Smaller plants throughout the country produced monitors and peripherals, notably DZU (Diskovi Zapametyavashti Ustroistva — Disk Memory Devices) — Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
made hard disks for mainframes and personal computers.
At its peak, Bulgaria supplied 40% of the computers in COMECON
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
. The electronics industry employed 300,000 workers, and it generated 8 billion rubles a year (US$13.3 billion). Since the democratic changes in 1989 and the subsequent chaotic political and economic conditions, the once blooming Bulgarian computer industry almost completely disintegrated.
See also
- History of computer hardware in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- History of computing hardwareHistory of computing hardwareThe history of computing hardware is the record of the ongoing effort to make computer hardware faster, cheaper, and capable of storing more data....
- List of Soviet computer systems
- List of Soviet Russian made CPU's & Support Chips
- List of Soviet hardware engineers
- BESMBESMBESM is the name of a series of Soviet mainframe computers built in 1950-1960s. The name is an acronym for "Bolshaya Elektronno-Schetnaya Mashina" , literally "Large Electronically Computing Machine". The series began as a successor to MESM...
- HRS-100HRS-100HRS-100, ХРС-100, GVS-100 or ГВС-100, was a third generation hybrid computer developed by Mihajlo Pupin Institute and engineers from USSR in the period from 1968. to 1971. Three systems HRS-100 were deployed in Academy of Sciences of USSR in Moscow and Novosibirsk in 1971. and 1978...
— a hybrid computerHybrid computerHybrid computers are computers that exhibit features of analog computers and digital computers. The digital component normally serves as the controller and provides logical operations, while the analog component normally serves as a solver of differential equations.In general, analog computers are...
jointly designed by engineers from USSR and Mihajlo Pupin InstituteMihajlo Pupin InstituteMihajlo Pupin Institute is an institute based in Belgrade, Serbia notable for manufacturing numerous computer systems used in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - especially early CER and later TIM line of computers. It is named after Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin.The Institute is well known in...
and deployed in Russian Academy of SciencesRussian Academy of SciencesThe Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
in 1971.
External links
- Soviet calculators and computers collection by Sergei Frolov
- Pioneers of Soviet Computing
- Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines at the Moscow State Technical University.
- Bulgarian Computers
- Bulgarian Computers Information File
- Steal The Best, a microphotography of a Digital Equipment CorporationDigital Equipment CorporationDigital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
CVAXCVAXThe CVAX is a microprocessor chip set developed and fabricated by Digital Equipment Corporation that implemented the VAX instruction set architecture...
microprocessor used in the MicroVAXMicroVAXThe MicroVAX was a family of low-end minicomputers developed and manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation . The first model, the MicroVAX I, was introduced in 1984...
and VAX 6200VAX 6000The VAX 6000 was a family of minicomputers developed and manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation using processors implementing the VAX instruction set architecture...
systems. It contains "VAX — when you care enough to steal the very best" translated in broken Russian as a message to Soviet reverse engineers. - Soviet Block Computers with references to Romania
- Computing in East Germany (in German)