Like the HP-110 or the Sharp PC-5000, the Dulmont Magnum belongs to the first family of notebook computers with LCD screen (not yet back-lighted). Moreover, it was the first computer conceived and manufactured in Australia. It was also called Kookaburra (an Australian bird) for some export markets.
The Magnum was a PC-compatible system featuring an Intel 80186 processor, 96 KB of RAM, an 8 line LCD screen and several management software in ROM: word processor, spreadsheet, telecommunication, file manager, and appointment. Additional ROM software could be added thanks to two 128 KB cartridge slots.
A rechargeable Ni-Cad battery pack allowed ten to twelve hours of continuous use, and a lithium battery kept the content of the RAM memory when the system was turned off.
Due to various RAM/ROM configurations in the system, the drive letters assignation was specific to the Dulmont: drive A corresponded to the software in ROM, drives B and C, to each optional ROM expansion, D to the internal C-MOS RAM, E and F to the external floppy disc drives.
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Chris Todter adds:
I was the engineering manager for this project. Most of the information is accurate, although it actually came out about 2 years earlier, and definitely pre-dated the Sharp 5000, and the HP-110.
The speed got up to 8MHz, and the display was up to 40 lines by the time the company folded. It also contained patented power saving features whereby it would put the processor to sleep between keystrokes.
Please consider donating your old computer / videogame system to Old-Computers.com or one of our partners from anywhere in the world (Europe, America, Asia, etc.).
Together with Clive Mackness and Colin Morris we first conceived the idea that became the Dulmont Magnum in 1979 at which time I was the International Development Manager for Dulmison.
Tuesday 24th August 2021
Alex paine (Australia)
This computer has just been featured as part of a working teardown on YouTube in Australia by a guy called Dave. https://youtu.be/st7H_vqSaQc
Tuesday 29th November 2016
Ian (England, United Kingdom)
Somebody have schematic diagram Dulmont Magnum? Someone has a laptop in working condition?
Thursday 31st March 2016
Yuri
NAME
Magnum
MANUFACTURER
Dulmont
TYPE
Portable
ORIGIN
Australia
YEAR
1984
BUILT IN LANGUAGE
No language but a software package
KEYBOARD
Full-stroke 76 keys with function and arrows keys
CPU
Intel 80186
SPEED
Unknown
RAM
96 KB up to 384 KB
ROM
128 KB up to 384 KB
TEXT MODES
40-80 characters x 8 lines
GRAPHIC MODES
Unknown
COLORS
Monochrome
SOUND
Internal speaker
SIZE / WEIGHT
32(W) x 27,5(D) x 5,5(H) cm. / 4.8 Kg
I/O PORTS
2 x ROM cartridges, 2 x Serial, Parallel, Composite video, Expansion port
