Robotron KC 87

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Kleincomputer robotron KC 87
VEB Robotron Margin.svg
Robotron-KC87-1.jpg
DeveloperVEB Robotron-Meßelektronik "Otto Schön" Dresden
TypeHome computer
Release date1987; 35 years ago (1987)
MediaCassette tapes
Operating systemBASIC interpreter in ROM
CPUU880 (Zilog Z80 clone) @ 2.5 MHz

The Robotron KC 87, fully known as the Kleincomputer robotron KC 87 (KC standing for Kleincomputer, lit. "small computer"), was an 8-bit home computer released in 1987 and produced in East Germany by the VEB Robotron-Meßelektronik "Otto Schön" Dresden, part of the Kombinat Robotron.

The first model in the series, the Robotron Z 9001, was introduced in 1984 and renamed Robotron KC 85/1 in 1985. Despite similar names, the Robotron home computers were not directly related to the KC 85 series produced by the VEB Mikroelektronik "Wilhelm Pieck" Mühlhausen.[1][2]

The availability of the Robotron KC series for private customers was very limited. The computers were mostly used at educational institutions, organizations, and enterprises. Therefore, the extracurricular use of home computers was often allowed for students at institutions and organizations.[1]

Design[]

The Robotron KC series used an U880 microprocessor, a clone of the Zilog Z80, which was clocked at 2.5 MHz. The keyboard was integrated into every machine. Software could be loaded from cassette tapes; a separate cassette deck was needed for doing so. All models featured module slots for up to four expansion modules, which allowed expansion of the hardware, such as by upgrading the RAM or allowing it to connect to a printer, but also included applications and programming languages. The KC 87 had the BASIC interpreter in ROM, (in earlier models, the user had to load it from tape or use a BASIC expansion module). In addition to the home computers, Robotron also offered cassette tapes with applications and games, modules, and other equipment.

References[]

  1. ^ a b Klaus-Dieter Weise (December 2005). "Erzeugnislinie Heimcomputer, Kleincomputer und Bildungscomputer des VEB Kombinat Robotron" [Product line home computers, small computers, and educational computers of the VEB Kombinat Robotron] (PDF) (in German). Förderverein für die . Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  2. ^ Peter Mühlbauer (3 October 2000). "Auferstanden aus Platinen" [Risen from boards] (in German). Telepolis. Retrieved 30 November 2009.

External links[]

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