It took quite a bit of time to continue with the CEC-I’s i have. The first one i got, just would not start up (the red one) and i was not able to fix or diagnose the PSU myself, so the whole matter was put aside for time being. Later i got an another CEC-I (beige) and also, had PSU non working condition.

However, luckily i was able to meet Mr. Djordje Mitic, the great inventor and builder of Spectrum ZX Omni 128HQ – computers in China. He happened to live in same city we stayed while our vacation so we could arrange meetup. Nothing’s better than have a retro meetup with likeminded people on your vacation!

Djordje was able to diagnose the PSU’s but with time in hand, could not fix them for me. He however very kindly, gave two of his own PSU’s from his CEC-I’s to me so i could get mine working. It was very kind of him! Xiexie ni Djordje!

When we got back home, i cleaned the cases and put them back together. I swapped the keyboards from Beige one to the Red one, as it was nicer less yelloewed. I somehow prefer the red model (feels more Chinese).

There seems to be (atleast) two revisions of the main board. The red i have, does not have any indications of revision numbering. The beige ones reads “Rev.B” in the PBC’s backside. The revision differences that i could spot were quite minor.

Rev.B

Floppy drive, 20pin-pin styled connector was replaced with real connector, not just pins. Also different DIP-switch (what’s it used for?) next to the floppy drive’s 20-pin idc-connector.

Keyboard connector, 20pin-connector was replaced with real connector, not just pins.

Made in Shantou, China. REV.B

Power supplies:

The power supplies i have, are made in different factories (these are replaced from different units but original CEC-I production line models):

SWENCO – South West Electronic (Shekou) Co, Ltd. Shenzen

WATT Manufacturing Co, Ltd. My previous Red unit had powersupply also from WATT: WP-4022, 180-260v, 47-63HZ.

Revision B

Earlier revision

Serial number from earlier red-colored version.

Serial number from later beige version.

Board schematics

Chips used.

Logic

Using the CEC-I:

Sadly for the red unit i have, i can not get it outout perfect colors. I tried trimming the colors from W1 and W2, but i could not get it perfect. This needs some work and diagnostics. The Disk II-drive worked fine with the CEC-I as well the half-height slim drives that i assume they were used originally. There were CEC-branded half-height 5.25″-floppy drives made as well joysticks.

The built quality of the CEC-I’s is.. how to put it, clone-a-like. The plastic used it hard and toy-a-like almost like balelite from the early 1900’s. The keyboard is quite decent actually, i’ve used much worse. Technically it’s localized clone with few interesting specialities like the slot in top (reminds of Laser 128 about in same time), built in casette (DIN) connector and joystick port.

Also the sdfloppy2 (a2heaven.com) worked fine with the CEC-I. Too bad the product is sold out. Hope more will be made, maybe even with .woz format support?

ProDos 2.4.2 would not boot either, the ROM id-code is different. John Brooks is looking into it and i hope it can be solved and added in the upcoming version 2.5?

What is handy is that there’s built-in RAM/ROM-test. CEC-I/E-models have LOGO-programming language in ROM as well different typing methods (ASCII, Chinese).

Booted up with Chinese typing method activated.

Booted up.

RESEARCH?

Different models: CEC-I (Rev.B), CEC-I (Rev.A?), CEC-E.

There’s research done about the CEC-computers in Hongkong, currently there’s 17 different (!) factories identified that made the CEC-computer models. This is stunning! Wonder how many of these were made then and where are they? CEC-I really WAS the Apple II of Chinese education, just like in USA.

It would be so interesting to learn more about the history of the CEC-computers and how and where they were used. I know there’s collectors in mainland China that collect and save these but they dont seem to have access to facebook or other places where international hobbyists share their information.

If you have more information about the CEC-computers, plase do contact me.

Xiexie ni!

FinApple 2018 (c)
Apple II Forever.

 

Most of us are aware of Apple ][ -clones made mainly in Taiwan, but also other countries like Bulgaria, Brazil etc but how many of us have heard of Apple //e clone made in Mainland People’s Republic of China? 

There are two models that i am aware of (Apple II clones that is) made by the Shaanxi Province Computer Factory and Huaming Computer Co.
– CEC-I – made in beige and red colors
– CEC-E – made in beige color, more rare of the two.

I’ve collected some information what i’ve been able to gather around with google/translate:

CEC-I Chinese learning machine is organized by the Ministry of Electronics Industry Computer and Information Bureau, Tsinghua University presided over the joint design, the electronics division six, state-owned 734 plant, Shaanxi Province Computer Factory and Huaming Computer Co.., Ltd. to participate in the development of a smart Type microcomputer. The CEC-I Chinese learning machine is compatible with the Apple IIe computer and has the same functionality as the Apple IIe.

The CEC-I Chinese learning machine is compatible with the Apple IIe computer, and its functionality is comparable to Apple IIe, which can run a variety of software running on the Apple II , including numerical and non-numerical software, primary and secondary school teaching software , As well as games and other software. Host has a solid monitoring program, BASIC language, Chinese BASIC language Words, and LOGO language , so a boot user can use these languages, without having to read from the floppy disk or tape memory.

CPU 6502, 8-bit microprocessor, 64K addressing space, 1MHz frequency.
Memory 64K bytes of RAM, two 50464 (64k x 4).
ROM 32K bytes, curing monitor and BASIC, LOGO (subset) language, one piece 27256.
Chinese character system GB2312 one, two Chinese character font (two one trillion ROM)
Chinese character management system (to provide location and Pinyin input method, another piece of 27256)
Display interface PAL system RF signal (RF), PAL system TV video signal (CVBS)
The recorder interface is used as a memory. Output voltage 25mV, output impedance 100O (MIC).
Input Signal Peak – Peak Voltage 1V, Input Impedance 12kO (EAR)
Keyboard 69 key, on the panel of the host
9-pin joystick interface.
5.25 “single-sided floppy drive interface. 0.25W, 😯 speaker.
A [apple] series of 50 lines of expansion slots compatible with APPLE II.
25W switching power supply.
Half of each clock cycle is read by the display interface for display, and the memory is refreshed at the same time.
The other half of the time by the processor to read and write memory.
ROM contains a small assembler. ROM in the BASIC is APPLESOFT, adding a few statements

I was lucky enough to find an CEC-I thru a collector in Mainland China.

“User’s Guide for the CEC-I”

Looks like some Chinese teacher investigating the CEC-I (red version of it).

Full class of CEC-computers. That does look like CEC-E model in the desk.

My CEC-I came in a box, however in really bad shape (possibly have mold on it, so i must throw it away). They seem to have produced the CEC-I’s in Red and beige colors.

End of the box. All wet at sometime.

So this is it: the CEC-I Chinese Education Computer 1 in it’s all RED glory. It does have an feeling of Japanise MSX computers at the time as the arrow keys are arranged in grid, like in some Sony MSX computers had. And there’s an slot opening in top for expansion cards/modules.

CEC-I XUE XI JI

Connectors in the right side are: Joystick (left) and “Casette player” (right). Oddly the casette port (DIN) have been covered by manufacturing sticker (or moved there).

And another side we have the switch for the power.

In the back we have connectors for : disk II drive, monitor and composite video input.

The bottom of the case is missing few rubber feet and there’s no serial badge either. The plastic is hard and i can imagine it breaks easily and scratches easily.

When opened, there’s just 6 screws to remove, we can see the keyboard and the logic board. There is one slot for expansion, but i am not sure how you can add any cards to it as the space so small.. it should fit outside the case. Some sort of module maybe?

Keyboard pcb from the bottom.

Model number, serial number and two ROM chips.

ROM chips.

Chips of the board.

Keyboard controller & other chips.

RF-1 modulator.

There’s the Disk II drive connector integrated on the logic board directly.

Close up of the power supply.

And of cos we need an speaker.

In Part 2 i’ll have the CEC-I cleaned up and will boot it up and see what happens….