An internet community known as the Chornobyl Family, dedicated to locating and restoring electronics from the Soviet era, has achieved a significant milestone. They successfully built a functional PC using hardware sourced from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The project was inspired by the Minsk Mainframes, and the computer incorporated cloned versions of the highly sought-after Intel 8086 processors. The specific processor utilized was a military variant of the ES-1841 CPU frequently used by the KGB [source].
In terms of software, the computer runs on alphaDOS, a Soviet-copied version of DOS. Acquiring the necessary hardware and software components proved challenging due to their rarity and lack of compatibility. The mainframe was equipped with individual processing boards that could be inserted into two modules, each with its own power supply subsystem. Processor boards, a graphics processor, COMs boards, and RAM boards were added to fill the open spaces, with RAM capacities ranging from 128 KB to 512 KB.
During the restoration process, the team faced obstacles in sourcing suitable COM cables and reverse engineering the communication and hardware design system. However, they managed to connect a 12-inch Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) monitor for graphical output. The resulting PC interface showcased a black and yellow color scheme reminiscent of its time within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone [source].
To assess the trustworthiness of the article, it is important to evaluate its content and tone. From a political standpoint, there is no mention of political figures or policies, therefore indicating neutrality. In terms of factual accuracy, the article includes technical details without personal opinion. As a result, I would rate this article as 95% likely factual news and only 5% likely editorial, potentially biased towards certain technologies. It is important to note that any perceived bias is minor and related primarily to technology rather than politics. Overall, this article can be considered as 0% politically slanted [source]. This article is 95% likely factual news based on my current analysis.
