Robotron KC 87
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 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 to expand the hardware, such as by upgrading the RAM or allowing to connect the KC to a printer, but also included applications and programming languages. The KC 87 had the BASIC interpreter in ROM, while in case of the earlier models, the user had to load it from tape or to use a BASIC expansion module. In addition to the home computers, Robotron also offered cassette tapes with applications and games, modules, and other equipment. However, 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]
Robotron Z 9001
Robotron KC 85/1
Robotron KC 87 from side view
Running workplace for the Robotron KC 85/1, with cassette deck Geracord 6020 Portable, dot matrix printer Robotron K 6313 and Russian Junost-402B television set.
References
- 1 2 Klaus-Dieter Weise (2005-12). "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 Technischen Sammlungen Dresden. Retrieved 2009-11-30. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Peter Mühlbauer (2000-10-03). "Auferstanden aus Platinen" [Risen from boards] (in German). Telepolis. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robotron KC series. |
- Robotron KC series at robotrontechnik.de (in German)
- History of Robotron - Development of home computers (in German)