So after the teaser last week, I was really happy when a donor who wishes to remain anonymous (Thank you! You know who you are.) sent me across another system for my collection. This one is a real doozy!
This is a Commodore PET model 4032. The evolution of the very first “real” computer produced by Commodore, and a direct descendant of the PET 2001, the first announced Personal Computer and a member of the “Trinity“.
This model comes with a whopping 32K of RAM, a 40 column display and a full keyboard plus numeric display. It comes with both an internal AND external tape “datasette” port as well as IEE488 compatible drive connectors.
Speaking of that, it came with a 2031 Floppy Disk Drive as well! I don’t have the special cable to go from the Commodore to the FDD, so I might have to make one up somewhere down the track. Or buy one of these.
I have not yet powered this on, simply because there’s so much to do before I can turn it on.
- The board will need a thorough clean and all the chips reseated. It’s filthy in there.
- The PSU will need investigating to make sure the transformer is fine, the diodes are OK and the capacitors are at least somewhat in spec.
- No idea where to start with the CRT. I’ll do a visual inspection at least.
Other than that, it looks to be in excellent shape. I’m really looking forward to getting this baby going, if I can. While mostly targeted towards business apps, there’s still games being produced for them today.
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