 Sanyo MBC-555 on display at the Living Computer Museum | |
| Developer | Sanyo Electric |
|---|---|
| Type | Personal computer |
| Release date | March 1984 |
| Lifespan | 1984–1988 |
| Introductory price | <$1000 |
| Discontinued | 1988 |
| Units sold | 10,000+ |
| Operating system | MS-DOS 2.11 (optional: CP/M 86, Concurrent CP/M-86) |
| CPU | Intel 8088 at 3.58 MHz |
| Memory | 128 KB |
| Removable storage | floppy disks |
| Display | RGB Color Monitor CRT-70; Monochrome Monitor CRT-36; 40×25 or 80×25 text modes; 144×200, 576×200 or 640×200 graphic modes with 8 colors |
| Graphics | HD46505 CRTC, RGB graphics adapter |
| Sound | Buzzer (single buzztone sound, fixed duration) |
| Input | Keyboard |
| Controller input | Apple compatible Joystick |
| Connectivity | 1 parallel port |
| Power | 120 V AC (North American model) |
| Dimensions | 380 × 112 × 360 mm |
| Predecessor | MBC-1000 |
The MBC-550 series, also known as the MBC-550/555,[1][2] is a series of personal computers sold by Sanyo. It was unveiled at the COMDEX/Spring '83 in April 1983 and first released to market in March 1984.[3][4]: 12 All models in the MBC-550 series featured pizza-box-style cases and Intel 8088 microprocessors and run versions of MS-DOS. On its release in 1984, the MBC-550 was the least expensive IBM PC compatible released to date, at a price of US$995 (equivalent to $2,920 in 2023).[5][6] The MBC-550 series followed Sanyo's MBC-1000 line of CP/M computers.[7]
- ^ MBC-550 Series User's Guide (Rev 1.0 ed.). Sanyo Electric. November 1983 – via the Internet Archive.
- ^ Blechman, Fred (1985). Sanyo MBC-550/555: Beginner & Intermediate Guide. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. p. 361. ISBN 9780030001871 – via Google Books.
- ^ Shea, Tom (July 11, 1983). "Sanyo developing IBM PC clone". InfoWorld. 5 (28). IDG Publications: 1, 7 – via Google Books.
- ^ Derfler, Frank (March 1984). "Sanyo Makes Its Move". Kilobaud Microcomputing. 8 (3). CW Communications: 12–14 – via the Internet Archive.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
bytewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Geist, Jon (September 1984). "Sanyo 555, small business computers". Creative Computing. Vol. 10, no. 9. p. 12.
- ^ Myer, Edwin W (November 29, 1982). "Hardware Review: Sanyo MBC 1000 Small Business Computer". InfoWorld. p. 102.