Robotron K 1820
Encyclopedia
The K 1820 was a workstation
developed in East Germany. Its more exact name was "RVS (computer system with virtual memory) K 1820" and it's cipher in the SM EVM
of the former COMECON
countries was "SM 1720". VEB
Robotron Elektronik
Dresden
began development of the K 1820 in 1986 and it went into serial production in 1990.
The K 1820 was a clone of the MicroVAX II made by Digital Equipment Corporation
(DEC). The import of western 32-bit
computers to the COMECON area was impeded by the CoCom
technology embargo
. Moreover, the MicroVAX II CPU was one of the first semiconductor devices which was protected by the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984
. Therefore, independent development of modern CAD technology based on a 32-bit computer architecture
was required. Copies of the MicroVAX II were also created in Hungary
(MicroSTAR 32 or TPA-11/510) and the Soviet Union
(SМ 1702).
The K 1820 extended the VAX
-compatible computer line in the SM EVM and the models of the K 1820 achieved approximately 90% of the performance of the K 1840
(Robotron "RVS K 1840", compatible with the VAX 11/780
). The K 1820 was fully compatible with K 1840 software, so preexisting system and application software could be used.
The K 1820 is based on the VLSI U80700-microprocessor system, its 32-bit CPU U80701
was developed according to the MicroVAX 78032
. The Mainboard design and construction were original. A VT220
-compatible terminal
, the K 8941, was developed for the machine.
Approximately 10 K 1820 prototypes were built up to 1990. In the middle of 1990 development was stopped, because economic production was not possible under free-market conditions after the monetary, economic and social union between East and West Germany on 1 July 1990. Subsequent to this Robotron's traditional markets in the Soviet Union
and eastern Europe
collapsed.
At least one prototype of the K 1820 is owned by the Technical Collections Dresden.
Workstation
A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems...
developed in East Germany. Its more exact name was "RVS (computer system with virtual memory) K 1820" and it's cipher in the SM EVM
SM EVM
SM EVM was the general name for several types of Soviet and Comecon minicomputers produced in the 1970s and 1980s. Production began in 1975....
of the former COMECON
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
countries was "SM 1720". VEB
Volkseigener Betrieb
The Volkseigener Betrieb was the legal form of industrial enterprise in East Germany...
Robotron Elektronik
Robotron
VEB Kombinat Robotron was the biggest East German electronics manufacturer. It was based in Dresden and employed 68,000 people . It produced personal computers, SM EVM minicomputers, the ESER mainframe computers, several computer peripherals as well as home computers, radios and television...
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....
began development of the K 1820 in 1986 and it went into serial production in 1990.
The K 1820 was a clone of the MicroVAX II made by Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
(DEC). The import of western 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
computers to the COMECON area was impeded by the CoCom
CoCom
CoCom is an acronym for Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls. CoCom was established by Western bloc powers in the first five years after the end of World War II, during the Cold War, to put an arms embargo on COMECON countries.CoCom ceased to function on March 31, 1994, and the...
technology embargo
Embargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
. Moreover, the MicroVAX II CPU was one of the first semiconductor devices which was protected by the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984
Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984
The Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984 is an act of the US Congress that makes the layouts of integrated circuits legally protected upon registration, and hence illegal to copy without permission.-Background:...
. Therefore, independent development of modern CAD technology based on a 32-bit computer architecture
Computer architecture
In computer science and engineering, computer architecture is the practical art of selecting and interconnecting hardware components to create computers that meet functional, performance and cost goals and the formal modelling of those systems....
was required. Copies of the MicroVAX II were also created in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(MicroSTAR 32 or TPA-11/510) and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(SМ 1702).
The K 1820 extended the VAX
VAX
VAX was an instruction set architecture developed by Digital Equipment Corporation in the mid-1970s. A 32-bit complex instruction set computer ISA, it was designed to extend or replace DEC's various Programmed Data Processor ISAs...
-compatible computer line in the SM EVM and the models of the K 1820 achieved approximately 90% of the performance of the K 1840
Robotron K 1840
The K 1840 was a minicomputer from the German Democratic Republic . Its full name is "RVS K 1840"...
(Robotron "RVS K 1840", compatible with the VAX 11/780
VAX-11
The VAX-11 was a family of minicomputers developed and manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation using processors implementing the VAX instruction set architecture . The VAX-11/780 was the first VAX computer.- VAX-11/780 :...
). The K 1820 was fully compatible with K 1840 software, so preexisting system and application software could be used.
The K 1820 is based on the VLSI U80700-microprocessor system, its 32-bit CPU U80701
U80701
The U80701 was a 32-bit microprocessor developed from 1986-1990 in the German Democratic Republic. It was manufactured by VEB Mikroelektronik "Karl Marx" Erfurt in NMOS technology and encased in a CQFP-68 package....
was developed according to the MicroVAX 78032
MicroVAX 78032
The MicroVAX 78032 is a microprocessor developed and fabricated by Digital Equipment Corporation that implemented a subset of the VAX instruction set architecture . The 78032 was used exclusively in DEC's VAX-based systems, starting with the MicroVAX II in 1985...
. The Mainboard design and construction were original. A VT220
VT220
The VT220 was a terminal produced by Digital Equipment Corporation from 1983 to 1987.-Hardware:The VT220 improved on the earlier VT100 series of terminals with a redesigned keyboard, much smaller physical packaging, and a much faster microprocessor...
-compatible terminal
Computer terminal
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that is used for entering data into, and displaying data from, a computer or a computing system...
, the K 8941, was developed for the machine.
Approximately 10 K 1820 prototypes were built up to 1990. In the middle of 1990 development was stopped, because economic production was not possible under free-market conditions after the monetary, economic and social union between East and West Germany on 1 July 1990. Subsequent to this Robotron's traditional markets in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
collapsed.
At least one prototype of the K 1820 is owned by the Technical Collections Dresden.
