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About The Commodore CBM-II

CommodoreCommodore CBM-II

Written by

Matt James

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The Commodore CBM-II is the follow-up system to the Commodore PET.

System Overview

Launched in 1982 after the PET was discontinued, the CBM-II shipped in two different versions. Both the P & B series (Personal & Business) were produced for the two different markets. There are 6 models in total made of the CBM-II. Each had its own RAM configurations or an additional co-processor card in the high-end 630 & 730 models.

Commodore CBM-II
The Commodore CBM-II

Both versions utilised the MOS 6509 processor, the personal version clocked @ 1mhz and the business @ 2mhz. Two main RAM configuration options for both series came in either 128k or 256k versions. 64K and 192k versions of the CBM-II originally planned were dropped early in development.

The P series was canceled in the US before it became available, primarily due to the popularity of the Commodore 64 which launched also in 1982.

The CBM-II was a short-lived product, due to high manufacturing costs and being tricky to develop. The fact the C64 was released meant the P series would unlikely be adopted in high numbers.