Amiga 1000

Bondwell Model 2, 8, 200 and Pro 8T

Manufacturer	Bondwell Holding (Spectravideo?)
Model	2	8	Pro 8T	B200
Operating System	CP/M 2.2	MS-DOS	MS-DOS	MS-DOS
CPU	Z80L (low power Z80)	80C88	80C88	80C88
RAM	64K	?	640K	640K
Year Introduced	1985	1985	?	?
Price as introduced ($)	?	?	?	?

Talk about a ghost company! Bondwell Holding is just that. There is almost no information about them on the web. From what I could find, Bondwell Holding was based out of Hong Kong. There are several references showing they were closely tied to Spectravideo. It appears that Spectravideo was absorbed by Bondwell, operating semi-independently for several years, then shut down.

From what I've been able to glean, the Bondwell Model 12 came first followed by the 14. These 2 were actually the same machine with the 14 having a memory upgrade and double sided drives. These were "lugabbles" in the same genre as the Osborne family of computers.

The Model 2 was introduced in 1985 when CP/M was dying and MS-DOS was really starting to gain a foothold. From the looks of things, to hedge their bets, Bondwell also introduced the Model 8 at the same time.

The 2 and 8 look almost identical. A slightly different color of the plastic and the molded in model nomenclature on the screen fascia is about the only external differences. Inside is a different story.

The Model 2 is a CP/M laptop running CP/M 2.2 with 64K RAM and a 640 X 200 screen allowing for 80 X 25 display. The drive is a single sided double density with a capacity of 360K. There is an expansion port which supposedly allowed for an additional memory module to be added. Since CP/M 2.2 would not allow for bank switching, I think this was probably used as a RAM disk. The expansion port on the back was for an external floppy drive.

The Model 8, as I said earlier, is almost identical to the 2. Slightly different color plastic and the fascia molding on the display are the only external hints as to the differences inside. The 8 is based on an 80C88 and uses a standard MS-DOS boot disk.

Oh, another thing, The 2 and 8 use the same AC adapter, but the polarity is reversed! Heck the power modules are even interchangeable allowing for the polarity switch! I discovered this when my 2 blew it's power module. Picked up an 8 at an auction thinking it was a 2. Opened it up and compared the 2 and lo and behold, I'm back in business with a Model 2.8 (at least that's what I'd call it!). Still trying to find the time to repair the original power board. It's on the list of things to do.

The Pro 8T seems to have come next judging from the size of the case. Sometime after that, the B200 came on the scene.

Bondwell continued to make computers well into the 1990's as attested by the fact I've seen a few references for '486 laptops. As to if and when they finally closed shop, I haven't a clue.

The Model 2. The keyboard reminds me a LOT of the NEC 8500 with the diamond cursor keys.

The Model 8. Bet Bondwell saved a bunch of money on dies for the cases!

As you can see, the Model 2 logo is raised and the 8 is impressed into the plastic. Other than the color, this is the only outside difference.

The 2 and 8 floppy drive. Only one drive included.

The Pro 8T gives you a second drive!

The Pro 8T. Case is very similar to early Sharp DOS laptops.

The B200. Much slimmer case with one drive on each side allowing for a lower profile. This case case also used with the B310 which was essentially the same machine with one floppy removed and a hard drive installed.