MBC-550
The Sanyo MBC-550 is a small and inexpensive personal computer in "pizza-box" style, featuring an Intel 8088 microprocessor and running a version of MS-DOS. Sold by Sanyo, it was the least expensive early IBM PC compatible[1] and followed Sanyo's MBC-1000 line of CP/M computers.[2]
The MBC-550 has much better video display possibilities than the CGA card (8 colors at 640x200 resolution, vs CGA's 4 colors at 320x200 or 2 colors at 640x200). Still, it is not completely compatible with the IBM PC.
The computer lacks a standard BIOS, having only a minimal bootloader in ROM that accesses hardware directly to load a RAM-based BIOS.[3] The diskette format (FM rather than MFM) used is not completely compatible with the IBM PC, but special software on an original PC or PC/XT (but not PC/AT) can read and write the diskettes, and software expecting a standard 18.2 Hz clock interrupt has to be rewritten.
The MBC-550 was also the computer for NRI training. Starting by building the computer, the NRI promised you would be "qualified to service and repair virtually every major brand of computer".[4] NRI was advertised in Popular Mechanics and Popular Science throughout 1985.[5]
The MBC-550 is less PC compatible than the IBM PCjr. Its inability to use much PC software was a significant disadvantage; [1] InfoWorld reported in August 1985 that Sanyo "has initiated a campaign to sell off" MBC-550 inventory. The company's newer computers were, an executive claimed, 99% PC compatible.[6]
