Sinclair ZX80
Sinclair ZX80 Specifications
| Manufacturer: | Sinclair Research |
| CPU: | Z80 @ 3.25-3.55 MHz |
| Memory: | 1 KB (16 KB max.) |
| Medium: | Cassette tape |
| Display: | Monochrome display on UHF television |
The Sinclair ZX80 was a home computer brought to market by Sinclair Research in 1980. It was one of the earliest personal computers available, and it is commonly regarded as the first mass-market home computer. The ZX80 was designed to be affordable, with a price tag of just £99.95 (equivalent to around £400 today).
The ZX80 featured a Zilog Z80 processor running at 3.25 MHz, 1 KB of RAM, and 4 KB of ROM containing the operating system and BASIC programming language. The computer used a black-and-white television set as a display, and users had to connect a cassette recorder to load and save programs.
The ZX80 was advertised as the first personal computer for under £100 and received praise for its value and documentation. However, it faced criticism for screen blanking during program execution, small RAM size, and the keyboard design. It was very popular straight away, and for some time there was a waiting list of several months for either version of the machine.
The ZX80 was named after the Z80 processor with the 'X' meaning "the mystery ingredient".
Despite its limitations, the ZX80 was a commercial success, selling tens of thousands of units. It was followed by the Sinclair ZX81, which added more features and improved performance, and ultimately paved the way for the hugely popular Sinclair Spectrum.