Skip to content

Other European computers (niche)

The rare / niche European machines that don't (yet) have a dedicated page. They share the electronics and faults of the 8-bits of their era → generic repair & modernisation at the bottom, with a pointer to the repair Methods hub.

The Memotech MTX 500 and its extruded aluminium case.
The Memotech MTX 500 and its extruded aluminium case. Photo: Bilby, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Catalogue

Machine Country / year CPU Notable for
Olivetti M20 🇮🇹 1982 Z8001 16-bit with a Z8010 MMU, 512 KB; ⚠️ MAME notes it lacks a proper Z8001 core
VTech CreatiVision 🇭🇰 1982 6502 console/computer hybrid (Rockwell R6502AP), rebadged Funvision in Australia
Memotech MTX 500 / 512 🇬🇧 1983 Z80A sturdy aluminium case, TMS9918A + SN76489, expandable (FDX, CP/M)
Camputers Lynx 🇬🇧 1983 Z80A ambitious (96 KB, hi-res), a commercial failure
Tangerine Microtan 65 🇬🇧 1979 6502 expandable single-board kit (TANEX/TANBUS bus)
Grundy NewBrain 🇬🇧 1982 Z80 optional built-in fluorescent display, tied to the BBC Micro's history
Philips P2000 T / M 🇳🇱 1980 Z80 answering-machine-style mini-cassette, Videotex-oriented
Thomson Micromega / others 🇫🇷 various FR variants/prototypes (see Thomson for MO/TO)

British machines already detailed: SAM Coupé, Enterprise 64/128, Jupiter Ace, Oric, Dragon.

Repair & modernisation (generic 8-bit)

These machines follow the 8-bit canon — apply the hub methods:

  • Recap (external PSU + board) → Recap; the mains-filter RIFA that smokes → replace.
  • Socketed RAM / ROM: substitution on a dead screen → PCB diagnosis.
  • Keyboard (membrane / contacts): clean / remake.
  • Custom chips (e.g. TMS9918A on the Memotech): diagnose by substitution; the VDP is shared with MSX/Coleco → RGB mods are possible.
  • Modern storage: Gotek + FlashFloppy or HxC for floppy configs; cassette → audio from a PC/phone; community SD interfaces on the expansion bus.
  • Video: RF output → composite mod; RGB → SCART then OSSC / RetroTINK or RGB2HDMI for crisp digital.

⚠️ Do not host ROMs/games — method only. A machine deserves its own page? Just ask.

Archived documentation ✅

Manufacturer documentation for machines in this catalogue, archived locally.

  • Olivetti M20 — PDF
  • Olivetti PC1 — PDF
  • Olivetti M10 — PDF
  • Acorn System 1 — PDF
  • Acorn System 5 — PDF
  • Spectravideo SVI-328 — PDF
  • Videoton TVC 64 — PDF
  • VTech Laser 200 — PDF
  • VTech CreatiVision — PDF
  • Funvision (CreatiVision australien) — PDF

Status

Manufacturer documents with no explicit licence, kept for preservation.

See also

Sources & attribution

  • Wikipedia — Memotech MTX, Camputers Lynx, Microtan 65, Grundy NewBrain, Philips P2000 — CC-BY-SA — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memotech_MTX
  • Established retro community knowledge (recap, RIFA, Gotek) — synthesis.

Image:

Review & corrections

How this space is used

Spotted a wrong value, an outdated procedure, a chip reference that does not match your board? Say so here, with what you observed (model, board revision, serial number, measurement). Every report is cross-checked against a source before anything changes — an unverifiable correction is published as “reported by …, not cross-checked” rather than silently applied.

Reading is open to everyone; posting requires signing in with Discord. Reports from the wiki's declared reviewers are handled first; anyone else's are read too, but go through a human before anything is changed.