Insanity #05 28 февраля 2000

История

Brand Name - "Household Computer Companion" - the history of Izhevsk clone ZX Spectrum'a.

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                   "Brand name - Companion"
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(C) Dr.C0dex



                                     - In the light can be 
corrected 

                                        everything except death 
... 

                                      - In Whose? "

________________________________________________________________

It would seem, was most recently in 1982. But few of us
remember this year as part of his independent and adult
life: someone esche under the table at potted talk, and 
somebody else to be born:)


At the expense of the latter, I think it bluntly turned down 
because accepted Recent assume that the series is not 
spektrumistov replenished, and the latest generation of 
spektrumistov are people 1982-84 years of birth. I will not 
argue, and I know that there are pleasant exceptions.


All we are reaping the fruits of the very distant, unknown and 
this close to 1982. By the end of the second millennium someone 
a second time unsuccessfully got the proverbial 'treshka', some 
general 'Burned on the job', as he said Bender. But it can be 
safely say - there are still people in our villages, are not 
traded his native iron on a pile of metal that each day requires

New gigabytes of memory and miles ...


                              <...>

The will of fate, I was on educational matters in Izhevsk, where
continue to profile on this issue at the university.
I became acquainted with the local Spectrum tusovkoy long time, 
and it Time to make some material on the surface, so as not to

postpone it for the future. Iron World Izhevsk remains to
all (or maybe somebody in this matter greatly enlightened?)
covered with a misty veil, which I would like to dispel a few.

IMZ - IMZ. It's simple. He does not need
advertising, but we are not going to give. There does not 
produce only famous Kalashnikov assault rifles and machine 
guns, pistols system Makarova, sporting and hunting rifles, but 
also to recently performed cloning Spectrum.


Clone - that is, cloned. I noticed I do not know how everyone 
else but it seems to me that the term 'cloning' has started for 
the first time on hearing is not a geneticist with the 
biologists, while computer geeks. And long before the famous 
sheep Dolly. But we used and used in an abbreviated form of 
'clone'. Or to be more precise, even earlier - in science 
fiction. 

So. As long as people acquired in the early 90's their first
band Leningrad, the Baltic, Delta and others, appeared more
One sample of domestic Spectrum building. As now
I remember it was called "Magic". The people he once called them
"Magik" and it was from anything. Logically, of course, 
released him for IMZ. Although few are aware of the name. 
However, Spectrum was even fashionable to have at the time, 
because the purchase anything else in an already devastated the 
Soviet Union was unreal. Although not. That's me with the 
position backwoods think. The reason is simple - Why put an 
industrial flow the same Atari, Commodore, if You can easily 
collect thousands and tens of thousands of Spectrum Russian 
parts? Name - is one thing, but what's inside? 

Filling does not fundamentally different from the same Composit 
48, even housing was the same small - almost pocket. Firmware in

style "Sinclair Research Ltd". These clones were at one time
widely used in school educational field, because
relatively quickly they were equipped with dozens of schools. I 
even 've seen classes with computers "Magic", which were

equipped with light pens! But it was not already in the early 
light way, and commercials in a year 1995 when one such class 
has been decommissioned and imposed in the truest sense on the 
street! For me the interest was not in that is all endure, 
there, and how the actual software had to use to operate the LPs

for the Spectrum ... Attempts to bring information technology 
to clean water in comments, ended in divorce a simple hand and 
the reduction clavicular muscles.


Following the 'Magick' appears Household Computer Companion. 
Peak popularity in our region, it reaches in 1992-93. He

characterized by originality of design and the ability to 
connect the drive. Oh, it was gorgeous. Then another 286 and 
386 of iron is not loomed as the above-mentioned BC!


Can be called that, in principle, this machine was a copy of 
the Baltics with all of the bugs that machine. Now the user can

not only to use the tape as a carrier, but also to get
the prefix 'Victoria', entitled poyuzat drive. Prefix
plugs into a slot on the right side and was a
disk controller with access to the drive. Clumsiness
design is that we in Russia have always been
decided to make the product is thorough, especially in the 
factory Arms! Obtained in general pararodks - in the case of 
nuclear war in Russia will survive only spektrumisty, yes 
spektumy ... 

Drive is placed in a sarcophagus of metal
bullet-proof plates, making himself the drive controller
became so heavy noshoy that it had dutifully
haul, to whom it should have been:) Also, the drive under such
'Victorian housing' was unlonely. The area inside the occupied
power supply with a huge transformer. He worked as computer
pretty decent. Distinguishing features a metal
resonance produced by a wild roar of the Armenian drive MC5305,
almost turns into a locomotive whistle, making the actual
speaking, he received his second name 'Steam'. In addition to 
games, computer was used as a terminal or edakogo

rustling and roaring for the entire class ZX server.

A new step in the development of the Spectrum was the emergence 
of the new ZX monster! At this should be a little bit to focus, 
because is story to tell. The name of the new offspring was 
dadeno Kompanon-2. The main omen was the presence of an 
extended keyboard. All this looks like a pc keyboard, but any 
of his hatakteristikam is not. It appeared not only all kinds 
of caps lock, true video, inv.video, graf, but also exotic

f1, f2 ... f5, shorter - Function keys. There have even been 
made separate cursor and numeric series a la "to the 
accountant." By Compared with the previous model, Companion 2 
in the design could outperform not only all known Spectrum at 
the time, but even pass for a lump Masden. However, hiding 
under the keypad 48 kilobytes of RAM. Innovations have touched 
and add shadow RAM which gave an additional 16 kilobytes of 
memory and new RU'shki on the board. In addition, the legacy of 
a companion in property transferred to the built-in speaker 
beep'ami. K it, in as a kind of gadgets, was fastened regulyatr 
volume button in the functional series. It is next to reset, and

Sometimes, instead of turning off the sound turned off the 
program: (Fun began when the first version Kompanona-2 has been 
fastened all same-controller 'Victoria' with a resonating

bullet-proof box with nakpitelem at GMD. All of this has
in the collections of videos like a mythical monster era of 
Cubism! 

But all things have its own time. In this case, has become 
outdated flash ROM. Correct to say the following. After

the appearance of this 64-kilobyte Spectrum, was sharply
miss memory! This led to the installation of a similarity
skorpionovskogo ProfPZU. I believe that 'it' came first
namely on 64 kb'yh companion than 256 x scorpions! Judge
yourself - what kind of ProfPZU could talk to 93-94 on the
Scorpion, when it already was even on the tape Companion 2.
Maybe I'm exaggerating, but it is now possible to call your
favorite game from the ROM by pressing a button in the 
functional series. With a 64 Kbyte ROM I've seen a computer, 
which was sewn Exolon and Glue-glue. Along the way, there were 
sewed up any programs on request of the buyer, but reliable

the facts refute this I do not have.

Computer requires appropriate supplies, but to
Plant went on to manufacture ... Yes, yes! And it was! You have 
not yet understand what I mean? So. Digging deeper, I find out

for the awesome facts. Here they are: it turns out that the 
broad leg was supplied not only the production of circuit 
boards 48 x Spectrum c  that are 
internal Companion-2, but also the production of magnetic 
media! That produced CD cassettes, I can say with 100%

confidence in this, but at the expense of disk I'm not sure. 
I'm not the recording of programs on them, namely the creation 
of physical carriers. Widespread cassettes with labels

Izhevsk firms 'REKORD'. She produced a cassette cases,
podkassetniki. But as for the production of ferromagnetic
tape, so I doubt this because it would be better
order a dozen miles of iron oxide (3) at Kazan ON
'Tasma' than doing it here somewhere near by. My doubts about 
the production of CDs I do not hide because I saw a box of

discs, although 80 Tracks Single Side, but with local
manufacturing data. Even the envelopes have been made in the 
style MIG-130 from the 90-year Orinats - cardboard envelope 
does not allow to bend floppy disk. The relative cheapness, 
apparently, was, and production all the same has been adjusted:)


This is so to speak, was an official part of my story. More
cool stuff I could learn from Om ^ X-Team. Recalling
his narrative, I would say - except for the above products
everyday nature quite unknown fact and consequence
above is the birth of another miracle of the Udmurt
Engineering:) The popularity of 48-kilobyte machines was high. 
In proof of this assumption in favor of the fact that the plant

found strength and developed a new model of computer. Now he's 
gone further along the path of evolution. So there was a 
Companion 3. This fact did not even know until this moment the 
mass of local spektrumistov, nekovorya in the wider world.


Machine due to its relatively-late appearance (somewhere
1996-97) in the end was not included in the series, due to the 
fall demand. The result - all on the basis of project 
documentation was collected about <five> copies of the 
computer. The main Unlike the former companions of the park was 
that it was have an analog Spectrum 128 ...


Here lies a miracle survivor of one of five established by 
boards this computer before me ... What can I say. Work -

it works, but rather unreliable. There is nothing surprising.
Debugging process, apparently, has not been completed. Also, 
this sample clearly not intended for sale, as there is even the 
case for board. Arguing sensible manner, it is logical to 
assume that fee should be in the belly of all that the same 
rassshirennoy Keyboard Companion-2, the size is quite allow. 
Scheme differs from the Pentagon, but fundamental differences 
in the I I do not see. Memory assembled on some Taiwanese 
mikruhah that makes me suspicious about this, but assume that

or about the price of iron I will not undertake. Although it is 
used instead of the Z80 Soviet counterpart.



                             <...>

Computer Companion-3 will have no competition, 128-m
machines, but had a fundamental possibility of connecting the 
same of the unit 'Victoria'. It is not excluded that in 
addition to already standard availability AY8910/12 could dream 
about a semblance ProfPZU because it even had a tape version.


So kompanionizatsiya over. But what? The result of all this
swept boom and the incredibly high demand for products such
nature of 93-96 years. Even now, can still be seen on
Izhevsk radio market ads like "Buy a PC controller
Companion 2 buy monitor ...", printed on <Laser>
(Saw it myself!) Printer. Laughter with tears of patriotic
mass causes the decryption 'PC' - 'Pi ... th Computer'.

Popularity has been like any other computer ZX. I was so
at least one surprising suggestion. According to one
specialist - in our region almost every six apartments
has or had at least one computer companion. And add ka
here has the same 2.5 MHz nuclear Dubna-48k, duets and stuff.

This is only theoretical layout, but on the amount of output 
can be only guess. Overall poverty and relative deshivizna

pisishnogo scrap did their job - the same nick
Tape gladly switched to consoles and vsevzmozhnye
pisishki because there was no real opportunity to move to
disk systems - the parents did not want to buy second one
same computer, but would be happy to have played in all sorts
Sex Xonix with VGA graphics.

And even today, their testimony can be said that those people 
with the positive side, characterize their companionable 
childhood ...