🇷🇺 Apogee PC 01 (Апогей БК 01): Part 1 (First Look) [

Описание: Let's have a look at the Soviet "Апогей БК 01" Бытобой Компьютер, or Apogee PC 01 Home Computer. The full description is "Персональная Электронная Вычислительная Машина" (ПЭВМ), which literally means "Personal Electronic Computing Machine" or, more simply, "Personal Computer".

It's another implementation of the Радио 86РК (Radio 86RK) home brew computer design based on the Soviet version of the Intel 808A, the КР580ВМ80А (KR580VM80A).

This version was manufactured in the Russian SFSR from 1988 to sometime shortly after Russian independence. This particular machine was built in November 1990 and, it appears, sold in 1992. The original price (Цена) was 560 Soviet Rubles in 1990 (about US$35 in 1990, or US$75-80 in 2026) but the selling price in 1992 was ... 904.32 Rubles (??), or about US$2. Need confirmation of the handwriting.

Some specs of this machine:
CPU: КР580ВМ80А at 1.78MHz
RAM: 64KB (up from the 86RK's original 32KB)
Video: B&W text, 64x25 characters

As it's an 8080-based machine it requires a tri-voltage power supply: ±5VDC and +12VDC. I didn't get the power supply with it. Interestingly it has a 7-pin DIN for the power input socket:

Pin 1, 2: +5V
Pin 3: +12V
Pin 4: -5V
Pin 5, 6: Ground (общий)
Pin 7: fault (авария)

I've not seen a "fault" input on a design before. It appears to trigger if the +5V input rises too high relative to the -5V input. This is fed back to the power supply which shuts off the КР142ЕН1Б (KR142EN1B, equivalent to the µA723 adjustable linear voltage regulator).

I have created a simple replacement power supply: +12VDC input which is passed through with a +5VDC and -5VDC switching regulator generating the other voltages. But I'm not sure whether I should try to incorporate this fault signal ... I think it's not really necessary in a modern PSU ... ?

My Github is here:
https://github.com/BrettHallen/Apogee...

Another interesting difference that I've not seen before is the inclusion of a УЗЧ (Усилителя Звуковой Частоты), or Audio Amplifier, interface.

It has quite a complete set of documentation:
[1] The schematics
[2] Руководство По Эксплуатации (User Manual)
[3] Приложение 1: Система Команд И Программирование На Ассемблере (Appendix 1: Command System and Assembly Language Programming)
[4] Приложение 2: Интерпретатор Языка Бейсик (Appendix 2: BASIC Language Interpreter)
[5] Приложение 3: Системные И Прикладные Программы (Appendix 3: System and Application Programs)

Regarding the JCUKEN layout keyboard, this is my understanding what the special keys are:
[ВК] = Возврат Каретки (carriage return)
[ЗБ] = ЗЗабой (backspace)
[СС] = Специальные символы (special characters)
[ПС] = Перевод Строки (line feed)
[СБР] = Сброс (reset)
[УС] = Управляющие символы (control characters)
[АР2] = Автоматический Режим 2 (automatic mode), or more recently Альтернативный Регистр 2 (alternate register)
[СТР] = Система Трансформации Реальности, or [CTRL]
[РУС/ЛАТ] = switch between Russian/Latin registers
[НР] = Набор Регистр (temporarily switch registers)
[ГТ] = Горизонтальная Табуляция (horizontal TAB)

00:15 ... Intro
01:10 ... Keyboard
03:05 ... Interface ports
04:20 ... Underneath the machine
06:30 ... Documentation
11:00 ... Schematics
14:15 ... Opening the machine
16:30 ... The motherboard
18:45 ... Power supply
25:35 ... Another close up of the motherboard
26:30 ... Keyboard closeup
29:15 ... Channel thanks & outro

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https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com
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