Schneider PC

This time, the latest addition to my collection isn’t a home computer, but a PC. Schneider was already well known in Germany for marketing the popular 8-bit computers of the CPC series, as well as the JOYCE computers, which were developed by the British company Amstrad.

In the second half of 1985, Amstrad embarked on a new project to develop a PC-compatible computer. The internal project name spoke volumes: AIRO – Amstrad’s IBM Ripp-Off. The final product, the PC1512, was unveiled in 1986 and was once again marketed in Germany under the Schneider brand.

The name PC1512 stands for:

• Personal Computer
• 1 – first generation
• 512 – the then generous memory capacity of 512 KB

Variants

The PC1512 was available in two basic configurations:

• PC1512 SD: with a floppy disk drive
• PC1512 DD: with two floppy disk drives

The computer could be fitted with a 10 MB or 20 MB hard drive as an option. Buyers also had the choice between a colour monitor or a black-and-white monitor. With a starting price of around 2,000 DM for the cheapest model, the PC1512 was an extremely attractive proposition. This is also reflected in its success: with a market share of 25% in Europe, the PC1512 became a real bestseller.

Technical specifications and special features

Der Rechner basiert auf einem Intel 8086-Prozessor mit 8 MHz und zählt zu den ersten IBM XT-kompatiblen Geräten. Alternativ konnte der Prozessor durch einen NEC V40 ersetzt werden. Weitere Upgrades waren:

Erweiterung des Arbeitsspeichers auf 640 KB

Einsatz eines 8087-FPU-Coprozessors

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