TK-3000 was the local version of Apple IIe manufactured in Brazil.
There were two models:
• The full size one, very similar to American Apples
• A "Compact" one, which included following on-board devices:
- Floppy disk controller,
- Parallel and serial interfaces
- A 256Kb memory module.
Despite Microdigital efforts, TK-3000 lost the battle wih MSX models, mainly due to lack of software in Brazil.
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Contributors: Roberto Isiri (info & pix)
About the Brazilian regulation that allowed local manufacturers to copy US and U.K. computers, Roberto clarifies:
The "clones" made in Brazil during the 80's actually were licensed products.
Although Brazilian Government forced us to manufacture our hardware, the technology and some main components such as processors and printer heads were imported from the American and European manufacturers.
By that time, we had no user assembled (w/o brand) PC's. This situation changed in early 90's, when the laws became softer and the Chinese boards and cheap refurbished components arrived. It was the end of locally branded computers...
but Ernesto Hublard corrects:
Most of the Brazilian manufacturers copied US and UK computers without neither licence nor agreement from the brands they copied. Sinclair sued Microdigital for this reason. Another company made an Apple Macintosh clone without any agreement from Apple.
Gabriel Graça replies:
Ernesto forgets that the clones were not illegal under brazilian law. The WTO did not yet exist, and foreign computer companies were barred from Brazil. The only foreign company that obtained a licence to sell in Brazil was HP (they sold the HP85B). Apple only managed to stop the production of the Mac clone because the US threatened Brazil with trade sanctions.
We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system,
please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.
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.).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v$zsjTpFR0oYQ
please help we have zx spectrum 48k and one 128k program running at 6mhz using external ram and snapper discs from velesoft site
All softwares that was avaliable to this computer were provided by "applemaniacs" and it was hard to find something usefull.. I had one of this and it was lost ... I used the computer like a write machine ... I still have the 5"1/4 floppy drivers and a box of floppy disks never opened cuz we bought a 286 and after a 386...
Friday 18th August 2006
Raphael Andrade Lima Leite (World)
The Z80 processor was actually used to manage advanced keyboard functions, like type ahead buffer, hot key macros, etc. In order to use CP/M it was necessary to install a separate board in one of the slots. With this board you had three CPUs (one 65C02 and two Z80) in one micro, not very common on those days.
Saturday 20th September 2003
Marcio (Brazil)
NAME
TK-3000
MANUFACTURER
Microdigital
TYPE
Professional Computer
ORIGIN
Brazil
YEAR
1985
END OF PRODUCTION
1988
BUILT IN LANGUAGE
BASIC interpreter
KEYBOARD
Full stroke 77 key with numeric keypad and arrow keys
CPU
65C02 + Z80A (solely for keyboard and Portuguese characters management)
SPEED
1.023 MHz
RAM
64 KB (IIe) or 320 KB (Compact)
ROM
32 KB
TEXT MODES
40 or 80 chars. x 25 lines
GRAPHIC MODES
40 x 48, 280 x 192 and 560 x 192 dots
COLORS
6 or 16 colors
SOUND
Internal speaker
SIZE / WEIGHT
39 (W) x 45.7 (D) x 11 (H) cm. (IIe), 37.6 (W) x 32 (D) x 6.7 (H) cm (Compact)
I/O PORTS
7 expansion slots, composite video (PAL-M), joystick, tape recorder In/Out. Compact has 1 expansion slot
BUILT IN MEDIA
None
OS
(Apple) DOS 3.3, ProDOS or CP/M (with an optional CP/M expansion card)
POWER SUPPLY
Built-in switching power supply unit (110/220V)
PERIPHERALS
All Apple and third sources expansion cards & peripherals
