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The Sinclair ZX80 /
ZX81 |
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The ZX80 was very quickly followed by the
ZX81, as the specifications show,
there was very little technical difference between the two
computers, the most significant difference was in the
construction. Whereas the ZX80 was built using discrete
components, the ZX81 features a
Ferranti
uncommitted
logic array (ULA) chip - allowing the functions of many
individual logic ICs to be integrated into a single component.
This significantly reduced the chip count from 21 to 4 and
allowed Sinclair to greatly reduce the price of the ZX81
compared to the ZX80.
|
Specifications |
| |
ZX80 |
ZX81 |
| Launch price (kit / built) |
£79.95 / £99.95 |
£49.95 / £69.95 |
| Processor |
Zilog
Z80A (or NEC 780-C a Z80A
clone) |
Zilog
Z80A |
| Clock Speed |
3.25 MHz |
3.25 MHz |
| ROM |
4 KBytes |
8 KBytes |
| RAM - fitted |
1 KBytes |
1 KBytes |
| RAM - maximum |
16 KBytes (external expansion) |
64 KBytes (external expansion)
56KBytes useable |
| Display |
24 lines of 32 characters per line |
| Colours |
Monochrome |
| Sound |
None |
| I/O Capability |
Z80 Bus, RF
Out (TV),
Cassette Interface |
| Data Storage |
Cassette Tape |
| Built in language |
Sinclair BASIC
See how Sinclair
BASIC compared against competitor machines of the time
when running PCW Benchmark tests
here. |
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