Camputers Lynx
Encyclopedia
The Lynx was an 8-bit
British
home computer
that was first released in early 1983 as a 48 kB
model. The designer of the Lynx was John Shireff and several models were available with 48 kB, 96 kB or 128 kB RAM. It was possible reach 192 kB with RAM expansions on-board.
The machine was based around a Z80A
CPU
clocked at 4 MHz, (6 MHz for the 128/192 kB models) and featured a Motorola 6845
as video controller. It was possible to run CP/M
with the optional 5.25" floppy disk
-drive on the 96 kB and 128 kB modells.
The machine was quite advanced for the time, but the high price (48 kB : £225, 96 kB : £299, 128k : £345) compared to its competitors, the Sinclair
ZX Spectrum
and the Oric 1, and lack of software was probably the reason for its short life. Approximately 30,000 Lynx units were sold worldwide.
Camputers ceased trading in June 1984. Anston Technology took over in November the same year and a re-launch was planned but never happened. In June 1986, Anston sold everything - hardware, design rights and thousands of cassettes - to the National Lynx User Group. The group planned to produce a Super-Lynx but was too busy supplying spares and technical information to owners of existing models, and the project never came into being.
Unique features of this computer (compared to other home computers at the time) includes:
Compared to say the Commodore 64
the Basic was more extensive and faster and resolution of graphics was better; but computer games on the other hand suffered from the special implementation and lack of hardware for sound and sprites. Thus, it was better for exploring programming or working with maths.
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
that was first released in early 1983 as a 48 kB
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
model. The designer of the Lynx was John Shireff and several models were available with 48 kB, 96 kB or 128 kB RAM. It was possible reach 192 kB with RAM expansions on-board.
The machine was based around a Z80A
Zilog Z80
The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
CPU
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
clocked at 4 MHz, (6 MHz for the 128/192 kB models) and featured a Motorola 6845
Motorola 6845
The Motorola 6845 is a video address generator first introduced by Motorola and used among others in the Videx VideoTerm display cards for the Apple II computers, the MDA and CGA video adapters for the IBM PC, in the Amstrad CPC and the BBC Micro. Its functionality was duplicated and extended by...
as video controller. It was possible to run CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
with the optional 5.25" floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
-drive on the 96 kB and 128 kB modells.
The machine was quite advanced for the time, but the high price (48 kB : £225, 96 kB : £299, 128k : £345) compared to its competitors, the Sinclair
Sinclair Research Ltd
Sinclair Research Ltd is a British consumer electronics company founded by Sir Clive Sinclair in Cambridge. Originally incorporated in 1973 as Ablesdeal Ltd., it remained dormant until 1976, and did not adopt the name Sinclair Research until 1981....
ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and the Oric 1, and lack of software was probably the reason for its short life. Approximately 30,000 Lynx units were sold worldwide.
Camputers ceased trading in June 1984. Anston Technology took over in November the same year and a re-launch was planned but never happened. In June 1986, Anston sold everything - hardware, design rights and thousands of cassettes - to the National Lynx User Group. The group planned to produce a Super-Lynx but was too busy supplying spares and technical information to owners of existing models, and the project never came into being.
Unique features of this computer (compared to other home computers at the time) includes:
- A quite large Basic, including graphics commands, in line CODE sentence for inclusion of machine code in hex. Unlike most other computers interpreting from text, the lines were precompiled and stored in reverse polish binary format. All numbers were floating point BCD numbers (even line numbers).
- A monitor program allowed hex dumps, copy, compare etc.
- The computer always ran in "high" resolution graphics mode (256x252 pixels in eight colours) using 6 times 10 pixels characters. Only a few bytes of graphic memory could be manipulated during the horisontal sync period, and thus graphics were extremely slow compared to most other computers; but better looking!
- Up to 192 kB of RAM and 20 kB of ROM (16 kB on the smallest model) on a 16 bit address bus was implemented using special hardware. As a consequence, certain RAM areas shadowed by ROM could only be used for data storage and the video memory had a green and alternative green bank that could be switched by a hardware register.
- For sound it had a simple (4 bit ?) DAC. A comparator was included to serve as an ADC (primarily used for reading from tape drives).
Compared to say the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
the Basic was more extensive and faster and resolution of graphics was better; but computer games on the other hand suffered from the special implementation and lack of hardware for sound and sprites. Thus, it was better for exploring programming or working with maths.