The Schneider Euro PC was a PC compatible home computer, introduced in 1988 by the Schneider Computer Division.

A follow-up to the success of the Schneider CPC series, the Euro PC offered an inexpensive entry into the emerging market for home PCs. The computer used a Siemens 8088 processor (clocked at 4.77, 7.15 or 9.54 MHz according to a BIOS setting or key combination), had 512 KB of RAM (expandable to 640 KB), and was shipped with MS-DOS 3.3 and Microsoft Works 1.0.

As with many other home computers of its time, the computer circuit board was built into the keyboard housing. A 12" amber monochrome monitor (MM12) and a 14" color monitor (CM14) were available for the system. The Euro PC had a graphics chip that could be switched between monochrome Hercules and color CGA modes. The power supply was external, an unusual feature for a PC.

A 3-inch floppy disk drive (720 KB) was installed as a mass storage device. An external 3-inch floppy disk drive with 720 KB (FD720), a 5-inch floppy disk drive with 360 KB (FD360), and a 20 MB hard disk (XT Attachment, similar to IDE / ATA ) were available as accessories. This could not be replaced by any other model, as the drive parameters were permanently programmed into the BIOS. However, it was possible to operate other hard drives with a corresponding controller in the expansion slot.

The computer was sold through large mail-order companies at a price of 1,800 DEM. The highly competitive PC market left little room for new machines, but the Euro PC was still sold in considerable numbers thanks to its very low price and slim, home computer-like appearance.

An updated version, the Euro PC II introduced in 1989, had 768 KB RAM and a 8087 mathematical coprocessor. Another version with further expansions was called EURO XT. The Euro AT offered a 80286 processor, 1 MB of RAM, and a EGA graphics card. The Euro SX, introduced in 1992, came with a 80386SX processor.

Technical details + Schneider Euro PC Series Euro PC Euro PC II Euro XT Euro AT Euro SXCPU 8088 80286 80386SXMax. Speed 9,54 MHz 12 MHz 20 MHzStandard Speed 7,17/4,77 MHz 6 MHzWait-State – 0Coprocessor (optional) – 8087 80287 80387SXExpandable in motherboard RAM 512 KB 512 KB* expandable 768 KB 640 KB + 128 KB RAM-Disk 1 MB4 MB Disk Drives – 768 KB* – Expandable in system – 16 MB ROM 32 KB BIOS with Setup 64 KB Phoenix-BIOS with Setup Disk drives 1 × 3,5 " Size 720 KB 1,44 MB Hard drives optional external (HD20) internal internal (Seagate ST-142A) internal Size – 21 MB 42 MB Speed – 157 kbit/s 664 kbit/s Access time – 68 ms 28 ms Interleave – 1:1 Video board Hercules, CGA EGA, CGA and Hercules compatibleVGA Video Memory 64 KB 256 KB RAM, 32 KB EGA BIOSGraphic modes 720 × 348720 × 348, monochrome CGA 320 × 200, 4 colors, 16 colors 320 × 200, 4 colors 640 × 200, 2 colors, 4 colors 640 × 200 monochrome EGA – 640 × 350, 16 from 64 colors Schneider HI-RES Graphics – 640 × 480, 16 from 64 colors – 752 × 420, 16 from 64 colors – 800 × 600, 16 from 64 colors Text (16 colors) 40 Columns × 25 Lines 80 Columns × 25 Lines 80 Columns × 21 or 43 Lines 100 Columns × 37 or 75 Lines 120 Columns × 21 or 43 Lines 132 Columns × 21 or 32 Lines Optional graphics EGA/VGA EGA, VGA, SVGA with EURO-VGA board VGA, SVGA with EURO-VGA boardVGAInterfaces Serial (RS-232) 1 Parallel 1 Mouse/Joystick 1 External disc drives 1 External hard drives 1 –Expansion slots Total 1 3 8 Bit 1 2 1 16 Bit 1 Schneider Expansion Port 1 1Optional drive expansions FD1200T – 5,25" disc drive with 1,2 MB FD360 5,25" disc drive with 360 KB FD720 3,5" disc drive with 720 KB HD 20 20MB hard drive 21MB hard drive STS40 Tape drive with 40 MB capacityKeyboard 86 Keys, QWERTZ MF2 compatible, 102 Keys, QWERTZOperating system MS-DOS 3.3, GW-BASIC, MS-WORKS MS-DOS 3.3, GW-BASICMonitor MM12 (Hercules), CM14 (CGA) MM12 (Hercules, EGA monochrome), CM14 (CGA), EM14 (EGA, CGA), MS14 (Multiscan)

See also PC AT Sinclair PC200

References