CP 500 was a Brazilian family of

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

s designed and manufactured by Prológica.

General information

The CP 500 range is compatible in terms of software and hardware with the American

TRS-80 Model III The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer developed by American company Tandy Corporation and sold through their Radio Shack stores. Launched in 1977, it is ...

, using the BASIC Level II language. All models, as well as virtually all of Prologica's computers, have their enclosures made of polyurethane resin, designed by Luciano Deviá.

Models

CP 500

Early model, released in April 1982. Sold in configuration without or with one or two full-height 5" 1/4, 178 KiB disc drives. There was also a graphite variation of this model released shortly before the release of the CP 500/M⁸⁰.

CP 500/M⁸⁰

Released in 1985, the cabinet color was changed from beige to graphite. Besides this aesthetic change, the machine could operate under SO-08, a clone of

Digital Research Digital Research, Inc. (DR or DRI) was a privately held American software company created by Gary Kildall to market and develop his CP/M operating system and related 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit systems like MP/M, Concurrent DOS, FlexOS, Multiuser ...

CP/M CP/M, originally standing for Control Program/Monitor and later Control Program for Microcomputers, is a mass-market operating system created in 1974 for Intel 8080/Intel 8085, 85-based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Dig ...

, being able to access up to 64 KiB of

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

and use the vast software library of existing CP/M software. With an RS-232 port (via an adapter connected to the proprietary CP532C port), it was also able to access the incipient

videotex Videotex (or interactive videotex) was one of the earliest implementations of an end-user information system. From the late 1970s to early 2010s, it was used to deliver information (usually pages of text) to a user in computer-like format, typi ...

t systems of the time.

CP 500/M^80C

Released in 1986 in white, it was 30% more compact than its predecessor (hence the "C" in the name), thanks to the use of 5" 1/4 slim height drives, now placed in a vertical position in the cabinet. This model no longer had the cassette recorder port, although there was the corresponding hole in the metal back panel and the appropriate spaces for the cassette circuit components on the main board. It remained in production until September 1988, even after the release of the CP 500/Turbo.

CP 500/Turbo

Last release of the range in 1987. Similar to the CP 500/M^80C, but in graphite color and with a faster 4 MHz

CPU clock Clock rate or clock speed in computing typically refers to the frequency at which the clock generator of a processor can generate pulses used to synchronize the operations of its components. It is used as an indicator of the processor's spee ...

Data Storage

Data storage was done in

audio cassette The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...

tapes at 300

bits per second In telecommunications and computing, bit rate (bitrate or as a variable ''R'') is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time. The bit rate is expressed in the unit bit per second (symbol: bit/s), often in conjunction ...

. Audio cables were supplied with the computer for connection with a regular tape recorder.

Bibliography

* ABREU, Carlos Alberto C. 77 programas para linha TRS-80. Rio de Janeiro: Microkit, 1985.

References

{{Prológica Prológica computers Computer-related introductions in 1982 Goods manufactured in Brazil Personal computers Products introduced in 1982