Tatung TPC-2000

The Tatung TPC-2000 was a professional Z80 desktop computer aimed at small businesses and technical users. Its three-piece design combined a processor and dual-floppy unit, detachable keyboard and 12-inch monochrome monitor, giving it a more conventional office appearance than Tatung’s Einstein computers.

With 64KB of RAM, twin high-density 5.25-inch drives and Tatung DOS or CP/M software, the TPC-2000 provided a capable disk-based working environment. Serial, parallel and system-expansion interfaces supported printers, industrial I/O, additional floppy drives and optional hard-disk or colour-graphics equipment.

Notable Features

• Two slimline 5.25-inch floppy drives provided as much as 720KB formatted capacity per drive, often marketed by unformatted capacity.
• The detachable 85-key keyboard included six function keys and a numeric keypad.
• Optional graphics and colour-display boards expanded the standard 80-column monochrome system.

Historical Significance

• Marked Tatung’s move into professional and small-business computing in 1984.
• Its expandable CP/M architecture targeted office and industrial work rather than the home-computer market.

Collector’s Notes

• The model is identified as TPC-2000 in Tatung’s own manual, although contemporary references often shorten it to PC-2000.
• Original Tatung DOS disks, the matching monitor and the unusual high-capacity floppy configuration are important for a complete system.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Tatung TPC-2000
Manufacturer	Tatung
Launched	Tuesday, May 1, 1984
Discontinued	Late 1980s
Launch Price	£1,699 in the United Kingdom
Country	Taiwan
CPU	Zilog Z80A at 4 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	Tatung DOS; CP/M-compatible software
I/O	RS-232C serial, Centronics parallel, system expansion and external storage interfaces
Keyboard	Detachable 85-key full-travel keyboard with six function keys and numeric keypad
Storage	Two 5.25-inch floppy drives, up to 720KB formatted per drive; external floppy and hard-disk options
Sound	Internal beeper
Graphics	Text display standard; optional graphics board and colour monitor
Display	12-inch green monochrome monitor, 80x25 text
ROM	4KB main ROM and 2KB display ROM
RAM	64KB main RAM and 4KB display RAM
CPU Speed	4 MHz