I the main unit (CIB).
type computer
country Netherlands
year 1983
os Basic
cpu CDP 1802
speed 2 MHz
ram 35 KB
rom 16 KB
graphic
colors 8
sound 1 channel
ports tape, RF, expander port
The COMX 35 — The Dutch Home Computer
The COMX 35 was a home computer produced by COMX World Operations Ltd., a Dutch company, in 1983. Using the RCA CDP1802 processor — the same chip used in the Voyager and Pioneer space probes — at 2.8 MHz with 35 KB of RAM (the ”35” in the name), the COMX 35 was a budget home computer targeting the European market, primarily the Netherlands and surrounding countries. Its BASIC interpreter, colour graphics, and sound capabilities placed it in competition with the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Commodore VIC-20 at a similar price point.
The RCA 1802 Processor
The RCA CDP1802 was an unusual processor choice for a home computer in 1983 — most competitors used the MOS 6502 or Zilog Z80. The 1802 was originally designed for applications requiring radiation hardness, which is why it was chosen for space missions. Its CMOS design gave it excellent power efficiency, but its architecture was quite different from the 6502 and Z80, making software development more challenging and limiting the available software library. The COMX 35 is one of very few home computers to have used the 1802 processor.
Dutch Origins
The COMX 35 was primarily sold in the Netherlands, Belgium, and other Dutch-speaking markets, where it developed a modest but loyal user community. Its relative obscurity outside the Benelux region makes it one of the more unusual and regionally specific home computers of the early 1980s — a reminder that the home computer market of that era was genuinely international, with machines developed and sold across Europe that never achieved wider recognition.
Rarity and Collectibility
The COMX 35 is today one of the rarer European home computers, with surviving examples difficult to find outside the Netherlands. Its unusual processor architecture, regional distribution, and modest production numbers make it a genuinely obscure collector’s piece that few collections outside the Benelux region include. The Computer Museum Ata’s example is a notable addition to what is primarily a Finnish and broadly European collection.