Computer [Commodore PET 2001]
Maker and role
Commodore Electronics Limited, Manufacturer
Production date
1978
See full details
Object detail
Accession number
2014.161.1
Production period
Description
Commodore PET 2001 Series personal computer. Cream painted metal box with built-in monitor and keyboard. Monitor has trapezoidal housing and is on top of a case which opens up from hinges at the reverse to reveal inner workings. Black plastic keys with markings on top and front. Make and model information on black label on front. Attached black power cord, and separate grey cable for linking to disc drive.
Brief History
The PET, launched in January 1977, was Commodore’s first mass-market personal computer. Appearing before either the Apple II or the Radio Shack TRS80, the PET 2001 can be considered the first all-in-one home computer. It was developed by Commodore International’s founder, Jack Tramiel, and the company chief designer, Chuck Peddle.
The PET 2001 was based on a MOS 6502 processor (which also powered the Apple II) and equipped with a cassette recorder as a mass memory device, a keyboard with 53 buttons, a 20-button numeric keypad, and a 9-inch monochrome CRT monitor (manufactured by Sony). This model, bought in Auckland in 1978, does not feature the integrated cassette drive which was removed a year after the computer’s release.
The default RAM amounted to only 4 KB but Commodore quickly released a version with 8 KB to improve the performances of the machine.
PET stands for Personal Electronic Transactor although it seems that the name was not originally an acronym. Commodore wanted the name to be a three-letter one (a reference to IBM) and ‘pet’ seemed appropriate and friendly.
This computer and its accessories: a standalone cassette drive, a floppy disk drive, and printer, were used in a grocer's in Tauranga where the owner wrote a program to keep track of sales, in addition to writing programs for a couple of local clothing companies.
The PET 2001 was based on a MOS 6502 processor (which also powered the Apple II) and equipped with a cassette recorder as a mass memory device, a keyboard with 53 buttons, a 20-button numeric keypad, and a 9-inch monochrome CRT monitor (manufactured by Sony). This model, bought in Auckland in 1978, does not feature the integrated cassette drive which was removed a year after the computer’s release.
The default RAM amounted to only 4 KB but Commodore quickly released a version with 8 KB to improve the performances of the machine.
PET stands for Personal Electronic Transactor although it seems that the name was not originally an acronym. Commodore wanted the name to be a three-letter one (a reference to IBM) and ‘pet’ seemed appropriate and friendly.
This computer and its accessories: a standalone cassette drive, a floppy disk drive, and printer, were used in a grocer's in Tauranga where the owner wrote a program to keep track of sales, in addition to writing programs for a couple of local clothing companies.
Marks
commodore PET / 2001 Series personal / computer
Media/Materials
Credit Line
Commodore Electronics Limited. 1978. Computer [Commodore PET 2001], 2014.161.1. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
![Disk Drive [Commodore CBM 4040]; Commodore Electronics Limited; 1978](https://collection.motat.nz/records/images/medium/35741/55c598cd6101b65148fe16ca865c1385e7ab4503.jpg)
![Cassette Drive [Commodore Datasette]; Commodore Electronics Limited](https://collection.motat.nz/records/images/medium/35745/9b4e505e76bb5babc826034972bf4b0aed792a28.jpg)
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