Tandon Technologies inside Positive Computers

 

POSITIVE COMPUTER

POSITIVE CORPORATION
Chatsworth, California.
1988 - 1993
Co-founded by Bryan Kerr (LinkedIn)

History of Quality Machines late 1980's - beginning of 1990's.

There is no found references about that corporation in California Department of the State, Delaware Corporation information, and or Nevada Corporations (Private registry system).
Products (Tandon Computer Lines) under logo of Positive Computers/Corporation.


Positive disappeared mysteriously, corporation became TSL Holding LLC then disappeared. Price Club then (Costco now) referred Positive PC owners to various telephone numbers in Moorpark, CA, Simi Valley, California. Tandon / Positive Chatsworth were closed.

Tandon Computers have more fans in Austria, Germany, Scotland, and United Kingdom than those in the USA. If you love to share your positive experience, please feel free and mail me at (catbastet@aol.com) . I have plenty of Tandon, Positive, PC Brand, Option & Option Pro, MCS 486/33. If you are restoring old vintage PC check e-Bay.

Tandon Computers were great products
Did Tandon try to build a pyramid assuming that computers would not get cheaper ???

Tandon Computers and PC Positive Corporation
http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/tandon-corp

It is just Computer Technology and History

The following paragraphs are property of Los Angeles Times.

Callers to Tandon Corp. Get Only Voice Mail

April 19, 1994 | Jack Searles

Apparently, you're going to have to settle for voice mail if you want to call Tandon Corp., the once high-flying Simi Valley computer maker. Callers to Tandon, which filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition last year, now hear the following taped message: "Tandon Corp. has discontinued all North American sales operations. Please send any future written claims to Tandon Corp., c/o TSL Holdings LLC.

, 405 Science Drive, Moorpark CA 93021." An official at Golden Systems Inc.

 

Ghost of Chapter 11 Doesn't Spook New Tandon Enterprise

November 12, 1993 | TOM PETRUNO

Just eight months ago, the shell of what was once giant Tandon Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection, ending one major chapter in the Tandon family of India's boom-to-bust experience in personal computer manufacturing. Now the Simi Valley-based Tandons are back in the public market: On Tuesday, Los Angeles brokerage Wedbush Morgan Securities underwrote a stock offering for Golden Systems Inc., a Tandon family enterprise that uses super-low-cost Indian labor to make parts for PCs.

 

 

Positive Corporation, Tandon Computers

Positive Computer

 

PC POSITIVE Corporation
POSITIVE Corporation
Think Positive!

Bryan Kerr, Co-Founder (LinkedIn)
P.O. Box 2101

Chatsworth, California 91313-2101
 

Telephone (800) 252-6345 (inside California)

Telephone (800) 452-6345 (outside California)

 Please do not mail any thing to this address (It was Positive Corporation)

References for those who love Tandon Products

Positive Computer Part number 703007-001 (Limited Warranty & Stamp; Purchaser Records)
Positive Corporation Part Number 703115-001 (Personal Computer System, Operation & Installation Guide (Great manual for the beginners who bought computers for the first time).


Positive Computer was one of Tandon Corporation (Formerly was known as Tandon Magnetics).
Positive Computers were designed by Tandon Corporation  in Simi Valley. Parts were manufactured all over the globe. The cases were made by sheet metal company in central California, motherboards were printed initially by Siemens (Germany) then later were sent to  Singapore. Because Tandon was know for his drive business, most machine came with 2 floppy drives and one hard drive. Later they designed a bracket for second hard drive that was attached to the power supply (Power supply was made by one of Tendon's companies in Simi (Golden). It was cool idea that you buy PC once and for future upgrades , you would buy only CPU with upgrade board.


Soon this blog will be loaded with detailed picture.
I will post the Purchaser's Record Card of my first Positive Computer (11/20/1991)

 

Tandon Option Pro 486 Series (25,33,66,100)

Although Tandon Computer does not exist in current list of computer makers. Without any doubt, the company and its founder left great impact on the development of storage media (hard drives, floppy drives, zip drive head, and the concept of upgrading computers and saving the user money during the upgrade process. They were build to last especially their chassis.

Now one knows the fate of the notebook computers, laptops, and desktops. There is a lot of uncertainty in the PC field. Look at Dell is doing listed for sale, HP performance in the stock market, Gateway, Tandom, Compaq, and many others. What happened to Tandon was very similar to IBM (International Business Machines) . IBM sold the PC branch to Chinese Investors and name changed to Lenovo. I am sure in future museums for technology you would see great details of Tandon impact on computers and development.

I have several computers from Tandon. I have PC Positive, Option Pro, Positive 846, PC Brand, and the concept of upgradable systems. Units were sold in Germany. If you are interested in systems or parts ( I have many brand new parts) . If you are interested in purchase or exchanges , please feel free to e-mail me at (Catbastet@aol.com)
Soon will post many pictures of systems and parts
.........................

POSITIVE Computers

Do you remember the PC Brand and PC Positive computers?
Do you remember the 386 that can be changed to 486 or even 586?
Do you have parts for these machines? Any hardware guy who likes
old stuff, please let us know what is your story with Tandon

Tandon Links

I had at least 12 Tandon Computers for my Veterinary Business. (www.catbastet.com) I have two left they are in parts, need too be restored as old history of the PC now and then. I liked the machines, they ran well, minimum problems. The company technical support was great until they could not compete then went out of the PC game.
The company made different series of PC desktops and Laptops. The Desktop motherboard was made in Germany by semines, then later was mass production in Asia.




Here some articles to remind you of Tandon Business
1. Tandon Press release
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NEW/is_1991_Oct_10/ai_11384737
Tandon Made the News
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE6D81630F93AA35754C0A960948260
2. Tandon in India
http://www.indiansources.com/software/html/tisp77r1.htm
http://www.rediff.com/computer/dec/26tandon.htm
3. Technical support (Microsoft Workgroup) for Tandon Machines.
upport.microsoft.com/kb/60782
4. Tandon 386 Home Page
http://stephan.win31.de/nb386sx.htm

Here some resources for Tandon Fans out there
1. Tandon Bios
www.bioscentral.com/postcodes/tandonbios.htm
2. Tandon Bios more information
www.bioscentral.com
3. Tandon Bios for Laptops
support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;88416
4. Clean Tandon Bios Listing
www.electrocution.com/computing/postcodes/tandon.asp
5. Tendon Technology & Development
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BRZ/is_5_20/ai_63013638

 



 

 

Tandon Computers

 

were good design during the late 1980's , early 1990's and even now. Tandon Corporation was developed after Tandon Magnetics. Tandon Corporation was located in Simi Valley, California. Tandon Corporation maintained it offices until now in Simi Valley. Tandon Corporation had its research and development plant in Moorpark, California. Tandon Corporation had technical support center and repair center were located in Chatsworth, California.

 

 

 Tandon Corp. sold its computers under various names. All Tandon PC names had almost the same great case design. It was sold through Price Club which late become COSTCO.  The brand name that was sold at Price club was called PC Positive. The same series were sold via mail orders were called PC Brand. The Computer Shopper magazine was a leading source for early computer buyers.

PC Positive was sold in 1990 first at Price Club as assembled systems of OEM parts . Shortly after few months, Tandon lunched its customized well done cases with riser board that can take up to 7 add on ISA Cards. The Tandon marketing pitch was " you buy our computer now and lasts you forever". The concept of cadged CPU board in a nice sleek drawer behind the front face was attractive to many.

Tandon sold their PC Positive Computer with Cyris 386 CPU, that shortly was running on Intel 486 CPU. The drawer was so slim that did not deal with  the heat that was generated by the CPU.  It was great computer that ran on MS DOS 5.0 (then 5.1, 5.2, 6.2. I tested it with Novel DOS 7.0 and Dr. DOS 6.0 without any glitches) . PC Positive was loaded with Microsoft DOS and Microsoft Windows 3.0 ). The computer ran greatly with both DOS and Windows 3.1). Tandon PCs came with Fax, Modem, Voice that ran with WinFax Pro (Canadian Developer that later became Norton Win Fax Pro )

PC Brand was sold directly via mail orders. The project ended with many lawsuits between Tandon and others. Tandon Corporation sold the same computers in United Kingdom (UK) under the name Option 486 and Option Pro. In Germany the machines were assembled in Vienna and sold under the name MCS Pro 486/33.

Tandon Corporation had very nice simple BIOS that ran with many languages (hold down ALT + Ctrl then hit Esc. to enter the BIOS). The most common problem with those systems were;
1. Battery 4.5 Volt (Duracell that broken and leaked inside)
2. BIOS file was lost and now way to get a binary file (after Tandon filed for bankruptcy in 1992-93.
3. Keyboard BIOS were damaged wasting motherboard.

Hard drives were 105 meg bite, Floppy 3.5 1.44 meg, and some with 5.25 me double sided.  Tandon Corporation sold its Hard Drive Division to Western Digital.

Customers who bought the desktops 386, 486 series went to buy Tandon Notebook that was very similar to Toshiba. Over all computer ran well. Customers were not very happy when their phone calls were not answered by Tandon. Price Club (Costco) told their members , you are on your own.

After Tandon Corporation going out of business. Its assets were located in one of their current two building in Simi Valley. Computers and parts were sold through Tandon Holding Limited Liability Company (TCL, LLC.).

Once I asked Mr. Paul Toma ( what is Tandon ?) . He responded that the company was started by Dr. Tandon the Drive Man.

To the followers of this blog , I will post pictures of some of Tandon Computers and its marketing materials over 22 years computer with Tandon name.


The picture on the left shows a tower was designed by Apple for Tandon. From some reason the company went out of business in the early 1990's. The founder is still working in the computer industry between the USA & India. There is a considerable number of the machines in the UK, Spain. Many people kept those machine in their storage (collectables).

http://www.theapplecollection.com/design/pcproto/RKS_Tandon.html