American Micro Technology

Tava Corporation
Company type	Private
Industry	Computer manufacturing
Founded	1983
Founder	Perry Lamba, Earl Perera
Defunct	1984
Headquarters	Irvine, California, United States
Products	IBM PC compatible computers, coin-operated Apple II clone, CompuShack retail chain

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article American Micro Technology, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 8 August 2025

Tava Corporation was a short-lived American computer manufacturer that operated from 1983 until 1984, headquartered in Irvine, California. It was among the pioneers in producing IBM PC compatible computers and managed the CompuShack franchise network of computer retail outlets throughout the United States.

History

Established in March 1983 by Perry Lamba and Earl Perera in Irvine, California, Tava Corporation initially introduced a coin-operated personal computer, essentially an Apple II clone equipped with a coin mechanism enabling users to buy computing time. Released in April 1983, this device aimed to offer affordable personal computing access primarily to public libraries, educational institutions, and colleges without requiring the expense of purchasing an Apple II. The coin-operated design also provided a revenue stream for both Tava and the host venues. These machines were installed in several Southern California libraries, charging users 50¢ for every fifteen minutes of usage.

By mid-1983, Tava had launched CompuShack, a retail chain specializing in computers, which expanded to 20 locations nationwide by December and began franchising operations. Around June 1983, the company commenced development of IBM PC-compatible systems, recruiting engineer Gene Lu and collaborating with Faraday Electronics for motherboard production. In October 1983, Tava unveiled two models: the desktop Tava PC and the portable Tava PC 1, both powered by Intel 8088 processors. The desktop model was initially priced below $1000 as a basic unit, while the portable version was offered for just under $2000. Subsequently, the base price of the desktop PC increased to $1995, which included doubled RAM capacity along with a monitor and keyboard. By June 1984, the Tava Turbo PC was introduced featuring an upgraded Intel 8088-2 processor running at 7.16 MHz. These computers were distributed through CompuShack outlets as well as other retail channels. According to Mini-Micro Systems, Tava was possibly the first retailer to market its own branded IBM PC clone.

From April through August 1984, Tava maintained monthly sales of approximately 2,500 PCs. However, after IBM reduced prices across its PC lineup in June 1984, sales momentum slowed considerably. Shipments dropped further following the late August launch of the Turbo PC model. Despite investing between $60,000 and $70,000 each month on advertising efforts, Tava was acquired in October 1984 by Replitech Inc., an East Coast distributor that intended to preserve the Tava name while broadening its offerings within the budget computer segment.

In 1985, Replitech rebranded itself as Tava USA Inc., introducing new IBM PC-compatible models ranging from the entry-level Megaplus—which featured a 4.77-MHz Intel 8088 processor, dual floppy disk drives, monitor, keyboard, and 256 KB of RAM—to the Sprite model equipped with a hard disk drive. Motherboards for both systems were manufactured domestically by Advanced Logic Research, a company founded by Gene Lu in Irvine. These computers were entirely produced in the United States and competitively priced against East Asian-made Turbo XT clones entering the marketplace.