Commodore Plus/4
Dublin Core
Title
Commodore Plus/4
Subject
hardware: home computer
Description
Historical context
Commodore International Ltd. (or Commodore) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic hand-held calculators as well as home, educational, and business microcomputers. It was best known for its popular personal computers including the PET line of personal desktops as well as the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and the Amiga computers. It was founded on October 10, 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later, the company incorporated its Commodore Business Machines subsidiary in New York. In 1976, Commodore reorganized its corporate structure as Commodore International Ltd. and moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and the operations headquarters to Pennsylvania. The restructured company encompassed several entities world-wide including Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada.
In 1947, the company's founder—Jack Tramiel—emigrated from Poland to the US. During his US army service (1948-51) he gained considerable experience in repairing office equipment which he turned into business in his civilian life, first in Bronx, New York, and later in Toronto, Canada, where he moved in 1955.
His Toronto business was initially focused on repairs and selling licensed typewriters, adding machines, and other office equipment. Initially located at 2 Toronto Street, in the city's downtown core, a short distance from the IBM Toronto Downtown Office, the company relocated several times before establishing its headquarters in Scarborough, Ont.
During the 1960s the scope of Commodore's business expanded to office furniture as well as to electric and eventually electronic calculators. The first Commodore-branded adding machine was the model C mechanical calculator manufactured by a Czechoslovakian company Nisa and sold by Commodore around 1960. The first exclusive Commodore adding machine—the 202—was announced in 1967. The following year, the company began to turn its focus toward electronic desktop and, soon after, hand-held calculators.
Commodore entered the market of hand-held electronic calculators in late 1970s with its CBM 110 device. Within months, the company introduced what would become a popular series of Minuteman calculators. That series, in turn, was followed by the "SR" and "SF" line of scientific and financial hand-held calculators. By the mid-1970s, Commodore was selling a wide range of electronic calculators, becoming one of the largest American manufacturers of these devices.
Commodore's entry into microcomputer market was, to a large degree, the result of fierce price war in the calculator market that started in late 1973, and the decision of Texas Instruments—one of the main suppliers of calculator chips—to enter the calculator market and to compete with its clients. To stay competitive and independent of third parties for the chips and displays that went into its products, Commodore purchased MOS Technology in 1976. With the acquisition came not only MOS integrated circuits (most notably the 6502 microprocessor) but also Chuck Peddle's—the 6502's chief designer's—considerable technical expertise and impeccable sense of changing trends in electronics market. While at MOS, he built the KIM-1 single-board computer that quickly became popular among computer hobbyists. Peddle urged Commodore not to underestimate the market potential for mass-manufactured microcomputers and his team got permission to go ahead with a project of designing a desktop computer around the 6502 processor. The all-in-one Commodore PET (or Personal Electronic Transactor) was introduced in 1977. It was successfully marked world-wide, which opened the door into the consumer electronics market for the company's next best sellers: the VIC-20 introduced in 1980, and the Commodore 64 unveiled in 1982.
By 1983, in just 25 years, a small downtown Toronto typewriter sales and repair shop was transformed into one of the most revered personal computer companies in the world, shipping more units world-wide than any other computer company. However, the departure of Tramiel from Commodore in 1984 marked the beginning of the company's downfall. Commodore was loosing grounds to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh platforms. The purchase of Amiga and the sales of its aging fleet of 8-bit computers sustained the company for a while but eventually, in 1994, Commodore began its liquidation.
Commodore Plus/4
In 1984, Commodore followed its successful VIC-20 and C64 computers with a series of low cost Commodore 16, 116 and Plus/4 computers designed to compete with the entry-level home computers manufactured by scores of companies around the world. In the end, none of these new Commodore computers could match the success of the VIC-20 or the C64 and their production was soon discontinued. While the Commodore 16 and 116 were rudimentary home computers, the Plus/4 came with ROM-resident office software suite consisting of a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a graphics program. Unfortunately, with the arrival of desktops offering a much richer and advanced applications (such as the Apple Macintosh and the IBM AT), the era of `computers-in-keyboard' was coming to an end. The Pus/4 was discontinued in 1985.
Some of the Plus/4 computers were manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada.
Commodore Plus/4 specifications
Commodore International Ltd. (or Commodore) was one of the world's largest manufacturers of electronic hand-held calculators as well as home, educational, and business microcomputers. It was best known for its popular personal computers including the PET line of personal desktops as well as the VIC-20, Commodore 64, and the Amiga computers. It was founded on October 10, 1958 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company Limited in Toronto, Ontario. Two years later, the company incorporated its Commodore Business Machines subsidiary in New York. In 1976, Commodore reorganized its corporate structure as Commodore International Ltd. and moved its financial headquarters to the Bahamas and the operations headquarters to Pennsylvania. The restructured company encompassed several entities world-wide including Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada.
In 1947, the company's founder—Jack Tramiel—emigrated from Poland to the US. During his US army service (1948-51) he gained considerable experience in repairing office equipment which he turned into business in his civilian life, first in Bronx, New York, and later in Toronto, Canada, where he moved in 1955.
His Toronto business was initially focused on repairs and selling licensed typewriters, adding machines, and other office equipment. Initially located at 2 Toronto Street, in the city's downtown core, a short distance from the IBM Toronto Downtown Office, the company relocated several times before establishing its headquarters in Scarborough, Ont.
During the 1960s the scope of Commodore's business expanded to office furniture as well as to electric and eventually electronic calculators. The first Commodore-branded adding machine was the model C mechanical calculator manufactured by a Czechoslovakian company Nisa and sold by Commodore around 1960. The first exclusive Commodore adding machine—the 202—was announced in 1967. The following year, the company began to turn its focus toward electronic desktop and, soon after, hand-held calculators.
Commodore entered the market of hand-held electronic calculators in late 1970s with its CBM 110 device. Within months, the company introduced what would become a popular series of Minuteman calculators. That series, in turn, was followed by the "SR" and "SF" line of scientific and financial hand-held calculators. By the mid-1970s, Commodore was selling a wide range of electronic calculators, becoming one of the largest American manufacturers of these devices.
Commodore's entry into microcomputer market was, to a large degree, the result of fierce price war in the calculator market that started in late 1973, and the decision of Texas Instruments—one of the main suppliers of calculator chips—to enter the calculator market and to compete with its clients. To stay competitive and independent of third parties for the chips and displays that went into its products, Commodore purchased MOS Technology in 1976. With the acquisition came not only MOS integrated circuits (most notably the 6502 microprocessor) but also Chuck Peddle's—the 6502's chief designer's—considerable technical expertise and impeccable sense of changing trends in electronics market. While at MOS, he built the KIM-1 single-board computer that quickly became popular among computer hobbyists. Peddle urged Commodore not to underestimate the market potential for mass-manufactured microcomputers and his team got permission to go ahead with a project of designing a desktop computer around the 6502 processor. The all-in-one Commodore PET (or Personal Electronic Transactor) was introduced in 1977. It was successfully marked world-wide, which opened the door into the consumer electronics market for the company's next best sellers: the VIC-20 introduced in 1980, and the Commodore 64 unveiled in 1982.
By 1983, in just 25 years, a small downtown Toronto typewriter sales and repair shop was transformed into one of the most revered personal computer companies in the world, shipping more units world-wide than any other computer company. However, the departure of Tramiel from Commodore in 1984 marked the beginning of the company's downfall. Commodore was loosing grounds to the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh platforms. The purchase of Amiga and the sales of its aging fleet of 8-bit computers sustained the company for a while but eventually, in 1994, Commodore began its liquidation.
Commodore Plus/4
In 1984, Commodore followed its successful VIC-20 and C64 computers with a series of low cost Commodore 16, 116 and Plus/4 computers designed to compete with the entry-level home computers manufactured by scores of companies around the world. In the end, none of these new Commodore computers could match the success of the VIC-20 or the C64 and their production was soon discontinued. While the Commodore 16 and 116 were rudimentary home computers, the Plus/4 came with ROM-resident office software suite consisting of a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a graphics program. Unfortunately, with the arrival of desktops offering a much richer and advanced applications (such as the Apple Macintosh and the IBM AT), the era of `computers-in-keyboard' was coming to an end. The Pus/4 was discontinued in 1985.
Some of the Plus/4 computers were manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada.
Commodore Plus/4 specifications
- CPU: MOS Technology 7501/8501 at approx. 1.8 MHz,
- RAM: 64 KB,
- ROM: 64 KB (with built-in Commodore BASIC 3.5, a machine language monitor, a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and graphics program),
- video processor: MOS Technology TED (TED 7360)
- display in text mode: 40×25 characters; three text modes: standard, extended color, and multicolor,
- display graphics mode: 160x200 (multicolor) and 320×200 (hi-resolution) with 121 colors (16 primary colors, 8 luminance levels),
- sound: two tone sound generators,
- keyboard: QWERTY-style, simplified, 59-key with additional 4 programmable function keys and four cursor keys,
- ports: serial bus (IEEE-488, port for a disk drive or printer), cassette tape storage port, user port (RS-232 general purpose serial/parallel port), memory expansion port (for various types of cartridges), two game ports (for use with joysticks), audio/video port (to connect a monitor,
- peripherals: disk drives (e.g. Commodore 1541 floppy disk drive), cassette drives (e.g. Commodore 1531 Datassette), monitors (Commodore 1801 and 1802), modems (e.g. Commodore Modem 300), printers (e.g. Commodore MPS-802 printer), game controllers, mouse (e.g. Commodore 1351).
- Commodore Plus/4, serial nr. CA1043221, manufactured by Commodore Business Machines Ltd., Canada
- Commodore Plus/4 basic documentation.
Creator
Commodore Business Machines Ltd.
Identifier
H.19
Coverage
world, 1984-1985
Contribution Form
Online Submission
No
Files
Citation
Commodore Business Machines Ltd., “Commodore Plus/4,” York University Computer Museum Canada, accessed April 26, 2024, https://museum.eecs.yorku.ca/items/show/24.