In 1986, the development of the first laptop computer in the USSR began. Soviet engineers created their laptop on the basis of the T1100 Plus model from the Japanese manufacturer Toshiba. The device consisted only of domestic elements, and the computer itself was distinguished by high technical characteristics for that time.
History of creation
The development of the first Soviet laptop was carried out in the city of Minsk on the basis of the state organization "Integral". "PK-300", as the computer was originally called, was engaged in a young team of engineers. To participate in the project, graduates of prestigious Moscow institutes even moved to the Belarusian capital.
By Soviet standards, developer salaries were high. A young specialist could count on a salary of 160-180 rubles, and the salary of highly qualified employees reached 250 rubles. All elements of the PK-300, from microcircuits to the case, were created at the Minsk Integral. For the first time, the layout of printed circuit boards was automated, which made it possible to carry out the procedure in two days, and not as before in a month.
Regarding the name for the new technology in the USSR, they did not particularly bother and the market version of "PK-300" was given the name "Electronics MS 1504" The main achievement was not that a portable computer was assembled, which was a copy of a Japanese device, but that young Soviet specialists managed to reproduce all its details on their own.
Technical characteristics of the Soviet laptop
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The computer case was made of gray plastic. When assembled, the laptop was a suitcase with a carrying handle. Together with the battery, it weighed 4.4 kilograms. The main elements were the KR1834VM86 processor, similar in parameters to the Intel 80C86 with a clock frequency of 4.77 MHz, 640 KB of RAM and a CGA adapter that displays an image with a resolution of 640 × 200 pixels and 16 colors.
Information storage was provided by two 3.5-inch drives for 720-KB floppy disks. Parallel ports could be used to connect a printer, an external drive, and a TV to the laptop. The "Speed" button allowed the processor to be overclocked to 7.16 MHz, which ensured quick response of the operating system. The LCD screen had a resolution of 80 × 25 divisions, and the BIOS was Russified.
Serial production of the Soviet laptop began in 1991 and cost $ 550. However, the device was not very popular. At the same time, the market was flooded with more prestigious equipment from the USA and Japan. Domestic laptop with outdated name "Electronics" could not stand the competition with foreign fashion brands.
Alexander Brazhnik