Daewoo CPC-300
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The Daewoo CPC-300 was a home computer based on the MSX standard, and produced by a Korean company Daewoo Electronics Co. Ltd. as one of several models of series of MSX computers. It also has the logo IQ 2000 on top of the case.
Contents
Description
The computer was made in the form of a keyboard. All the circuits of the computer are in the keyboard case. Two possible color versions exist - black with gray keys, and white with gray and blue keys. Both have a built-in power-supply. This version of an MSX computer does not have a floppy drive, and only one slot for cartridges on the top of the case.
Modifications
Two varieties of this computer exist - the CPC-300 and the CPC-300E. The CPC-300E is a cut-down version of the CPC-300 for educational purpose, so it doesn't have joystick port.
The CPC-300 also exists in two regional versions - Korean, and an export version (no information about export variant for CPC-300E is known). The Export version does not have a special name.
Korean version
The keyboard contains symbols of Hangul and a special key (with the label «Hangul» in hangul), which switches input mode between English and hangul. This key has a LED indicator (similar to the CAPS LOCK key).
The power-on splash screen is different from the standard MSX splash screen, and displays the label "IQ 2000" in hangul. In the case of the CPC-300, which does have a real-time clock, the current date and time is also shown. After the splash screen, the MSX BASIC version screen appears. It contains the labels MSX BASIC version 2.0 Copyright 1985 by Microsoft (in English) and MSX Hangul version 3.00 Copyright 1986 by Daewoo (where Hangul and Daewoo written in hangul). After that, the MSX BASIC prompt appears on the screen (there is no standard prompt with version strings).
MSX-BASIC on this computer has a special monochromatic high-resolution display mode, for displaying hangul symbols. This mode can be enabled by the command SCREEN 9. Technically, this mode is a software-modified SCREEN 6 mode. So, VDP of this computer is a standard Yamaha V9938. The Mode SCREEN 9 in many Korean computers is a reason for rumors that they used a custom VDP, unofficially named the "V9948".
Export version
The keyboard does not have hangul symbols. Instead diacritic marks are used. The input mode key in this version does not have an LED and is lettered 'CODE'.
No information about the power-on splash screen for the export version is known.
Technical specifications
These specifications are the same for all versions:
- TV standard: NTSC
- Outputs for connection with a TV set or computer display:
- RF modulator output
- Audio and video connector (sound output is mono)
- RGB
- «Monochromatic/Colour» switch
- RF modulator channel switch
- Connectors:
- Printer port
- Cartridge port
- Tape recorder in/out port
- Power supply voltage: 110/220 V, 60 Hz (voltage switch on the underside of the case)
- Power consumption: 21 W
CPC-300
CPC-300E
- RAM: 64 KB
- VRAM: 128 KB
- Other features:
- No real-time clock
- No joystick ports
- No light pen port
MSX-TUTOR
The Korean modification of the CPC-300 has a built-in tutorial program (아이큐 교실 in the Korean language, means "IQ Tutorial"), named MSX-TUTOR. This program starts automatically after the computer powers on. The program can be exited manually by pressing the SELECT key, after that the MSX BASIC prompt appears. To disable MSX-TUTOR, the command SET SYSTEM 1 can be used. This setting is stored in the real-time clock memory. To re-enable MSX-TUTOR the command SET SYSTEM 0 can be used.
The CPC-300E does not have the MSX-TUTOR SET SYSTEM command with any parameter the use of which just causes the message 'Syntax error' to be displayed.
Usage in Russia
A modified version of the Daewoo CPC-300E was one of the types of MSX-computers which had some distribution in Russia during the mid-1980s - 1990s. At the present time, in some cities, 10-15 new and sealed computers can be found (some owners sell them at Russian online auctions).[citation needed] These computers were a property of some schools. These computers were bought to replace older MSX-based computer in classes which used the Yamaha YIS503 and Yamaha YIS805 (Yamaha distributed these computers in the USSR during the mid-1980s). For example, the Daewoo-based computers were used in the schools of Primorsky Krai. However, Daewoo computers, used for this purposes, were the standard Korean versions, and they do not contain Russian letters on the keyboard, as Yamaha's models did. Also an English manual is packaged with these computers.
