I have the main unit (NIB).
type computer
country Finland
year 1977
os
cpu RCA Cosmac CDP 1802
ram 2048 x 8 bit ram
rom 512 x 8 bit monitor rom
graphic tv
colors Black and white
sound tone generator
ports tv rf, video monitor, cassette, 40 -pin expansion, keyboard
The Telmac 1800 — Finland’s First Computer Kit
The Telmac 1800, introduced in 1977 by Telercas Oy — the Finnish importer of RCA microchips — was one of Finland’s earliest microcomputers and holds a remarkable place in Finnish computing history. Sold as a kit requiring assembly, it used the RCA 1802 (COSMAC) processor at 1.75 MHz with 2 KB of RAM expandable to 4 KB, and approximately 2,000 kits were manufactured over four years, sold primarily to electronics enthusiasts in Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Most significantly, the Telmac 1800 was the computer on which Finland’s — and one of the world’s — first commercial video games was developed.
Chesmac — Finland’s First Commercial Game
In 1979, Raimo Suonio developed Chesmac on a Telmac 1800 — a chess program that became the first commercially sold computer game developed in Finland, and one of the earliest commercial computer games in the world. Chesmac’s development on the Telmac 1800 gives this modest Finnish kit computer an extraordinary footnote in gaming history, predating the era when Finland would become globally renowned for game development through companies like Remedy, Housemarque, and Rovio.
The RCA 1802 — The Space Processor
The RCA 1802 COSMAC processor used in the Telmac 1800 was the same processor used in the Voyager space probes launched in 1977 — chosen for its radiation hardness and reliability in extreme environments. Its CMOS design made it highly power-efficient, and its radiation tolerance made it suitable for space applications. The 1802 was an unusual choice for a home computer kit, reflecting Telercas Oy’s position as the Finnish distributor for RCA’s semiconductor products rather than a company choosing the most mainstream architecture.