Sinclair ZX80
Sinclair's first computer: on sale for under £100, with a screen that went blank whenever it was thinking.
Launched in early 1980, the ZX80 was the first computer on sale in the UK for under £100: £79.95 as a kit, £99.95 assembled. It paved the way for the ZX81 and the Spectrum.
Under £100
In early 1980, Clive Sinclair's company, then called Science of Cambridge, launched the ZX80 for £79.95 as a kit or £99.95 assembled. It was the first computer on sale in the UK for under £100, at a time when personal computers cost several hundred.
It sold mainly to electronics hobbyists and the curious: according to the Computer History Museum, about 50,000 were sold in the UK.
Inside
The hardware was designed by Jim Westwood. The processor is a Z80A-compatible (an NEC µPD780C) at 3.25 MHz, surrounded by about 20 standard logic chips: unlike the ZX81, there is no ULA.
It has 1 KB of memory, expandable to 16 KB, and a 4 KB ROM with an integer-only BASIC written by John Grant of Nine Tiles. Sinclair later sold an 8 KB ROM, the ZX81's, which gave the ZX80 its successor's BASIC.
The processor generates the picture and can't do both at once: whenever a key is pressed or a program runs, the screen goes blank. The ZX81 solved this with SLOW mode.
The legacy
The ZX80 proved there was a market for a very cheap computer sold by mail order. The formula (few components, membrane keyboard, TV output and cassettes) carried over to the ZX81 and then to the Spectrum.
There were clones at the time, such as the MicroAce in the US and Microdigital's TK80 in Brazil.
Trivia
- 10 REM
The white case and blue membrane keyboard make the ZX80 the only machine in the family without Sinclair's usual black.
- 20 REM
Because the screen blanks with every key press, typing a program on a ZX80 means working with a flickering picture.
- 30 REM
The 8K ROM upgrade came with a new keyboard overlay showing the keywords of the ZX81's BASIC.
- 40 REM
As on the ZX81, a whole keyword is entered with a single key.
The family: Sinclair
- 1977 Science of Cambridge MK14
- 1980 Sinclair ZX80
- 1981 Sinclair ZX81
- 1982 ZX Spectrum 16K / 48K
- 1984 ZX Spectrum+
- 1984 Sinclair QL
- 1985 ZX Spectrum 128
- 1986 ZX Spectrum +2
- 1987 ZX Spectrum +3
- 1987 ZX Spectrum +2A / +2B
- 2017 ZX Spectrum Next
Compared with the other models
| Model | Year | Processor | Memory | Video | Sound | System |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science of Cambridge MK14 | 1977 | SC/MP · 4,43 MHz | 256 B | LED 7 segmentos | — | Monitor 512 B |
| ▶ Sinclair ZX80 | 1980 | Z80A · 3,25 MHz | 1 KB (16 KB) | TTL · 32 × 24 mono | — | 4K BASIC |
| Sinclair ZX81 | 1981 | Z80A · 3,25 MHz | 1 KB (16 KB) | ULA · 32 × 24 mono | — | 8K BASIC |
| ZX Spectrum 16K / 48K | 1982 | Z80A · 3,5 MHz | 16 / 48 KB | ULA · 256 × 192 | Beeper 1 bit | 48 BASIC |
| ZX Spectrum+ | 1984 | Z80A · 3,5 MHz | 48 KB | ULA · 256 × 192 | Beeper 1 bit | 48 BASIC |
| Sinclair QL | 1984 | 68008 · 7,5 MHz | 128 KB | ZX8301 · 512 × 256 | 8049 · beeper | QDOS + SuperBASIC |
| ZX Spectrum 128 | 1985 | Z80A · 3,55 MHz | 128 KB | ULA · 256 × 192 | AY-3-8912 · 3 ch | 128 BASIC |
| ZX Spectrum +2 | 1986 | Z80A · 3,55 MHz | 128 KB | ULA · 256 × 192 | AY-3-8912 · 3 ch | 128 BASIC |
| ZX Spectrum +3 | 1987 | Z80A · 3,55 MHz | 128 KB | Gate array · 256 × 192 | AY-3-8912 · 3 ch | +3 BASIC + +3DOS |
| ZX Spectrum +2A / +2B | 1987 | Z80A · 3,55 MHz | 128 KB | Gate array · 256 × 192 | AY-3-8912 · 3 ch | +3 BASIC |
| ZX Spectrum Next | 2017 | Z80N (FPGA) · até 28 MHz | 1 MB | FPGA · HDMI / VGA | 3 × AY + DAC | NextZXOS |
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