Robotron KC 87
Encyclopedia
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
.
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 language
s. 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.
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...
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...
released in 1987 and produced in East Germany by the VEB
Volkseigener Betrieb
The Volkseigener Betrieb was the legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany...
Robotron-Meßelektronik "Otto Schön" Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, part of the Kombinat
Combine (enterprise)
Combine has several related meanings:* A big industrial enterprise that combines several different enterprises that are related to each other by a technological process or through an administration....
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
KC 85
The KC 85 were models of microcomputers built in East Germany, first in 1984 by Robotron and later by VEB Mikroelektronik "Wilhelm Pieck" Mühlhausen ....
series produced by the VEB Mikroelektronik "Wilhelm Pieck
Wilhelm Pieck
Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck was a German politician and a Communist. In 1949, he became the first President of the German Democratic Republic, an office abolished upon his death. He was succeeded by Walter Ulbricht, who served as Chairman of the Council of States.-Biography:Pieck was born to...
" Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen is a city in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...
.
The Robotron KC series used an U880
U880
The U880 was an 8-bit microprocessor manufactured in the German Democratic Republic. It was manufactured in NMOS logic technology and encased in a DIL40 package....
microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
, a clone of the Zilog Z80
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...
, which was clocked at 2.5 MHz. The keyboard was integrated into every machine. Software could be loaded from cassette tapes
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, a separate cassette deck
Cassette deck
A cassette deck is a type of tape recorder for playing or recording audio compact cassettes. A deck was formerly distinguished from a recorder as being part of a stereo component system, while a recorder had a self-contained power amplifier...
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
Random-access memory
Random access memory is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order with a worst case performance of constant time. Strictly speaking, modern types of DRAM are therefore not random access, as data is read in...
or allowing to connect the KC to a printer, but also included applications
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
and programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s. The KC 87 had the BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
interpreter
Interpreter (computing)
In computer science, an interpreter normally means a computer program that executes, i.e. performs, instructions written in a programming language...
in ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
, 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
Extracurricular activity
Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education...
use of home computers was often allowed for students at institutions and organizations.