List of home computers

Home computers were a class of microcomputer that existed from 1977 to about 1995. During this time it made economic sense for manufacturers to make microcomputers aimed at the home user. By simplifying the machines, and making use of household items such as television sets and cassette recorders instead of dedicated computer peripherals, the home computer allowed the consumer to own a computer at a fraction of the price of computers oriented to small business. Today, the price of microcomputers has dropped to the point where there's no advantage to building a separate, incompatible series just for home users.

While many office-type personal computers were used in homes, in this list a "home computer" is a factory-assembled mass-marketed consumer product, usually at significantly lower cost than contemporary business computers. It would have an alphabetic keyboard and a multi-line alphanumeric display, the ability to run both games software as well as commercial and user-written application software, and some removable mass storage device (such as cassette tape or floppy disk).

This list excludes smartphones, personal digital assistants, pocket computers, laptop computers, programmable calculators and pure video game consoles. Single-board development or evaluation boards, intended to demonstrate a microprocessor, are excluded since these were not marketed to general consumers.

Pioneering kit and assembled hobby microcomputers which generally required electronics skills to build or operate are listed separately, as are computers intended primarily for use in schools. A hobby-type computer often would have required significant expansion of memory and peripherals to make it useful for the usual role of a factory-made home computer. School computers usually had facilities to share expensive peripherals such as disk drives and printers, and often had provision for central administration.

Attributes

Attributes are as typically advertised by the original manufacturer. Popular machines inspired third-party sources for adapters, add-on processors, mass storage, and other peripherals.

"Processor" indicates the microprocessor chip that ran the system. A few home computers had multiple processors, generally used for input/output devices. Processor speeds were not a competitive point among home computer manufacturers, and typically the processor ran either at its maximum rated speed ( between 1 and 4 MHz for most processor types here), or at some fraction of the television color subcarrier signal, for economy of design. Since a crystal oscillator was necessary for stable color, it was often also used as the microprocessor clock source. Many processors were second-sourced, with different manufacturers making the same device under different part numbers. Variations of a basic part number might have been used to indicate minor variations in speed or transistor type, or might indicate fairly significant alterations to the prototype's capabilities. In the Eastern Bloc countries, manufacturers made functional duplicates of Western microprocessors under different part number series.

TV indicates the factory configuration produces composite video compatible with a home TV receiver. Some computers came with a built-in RF modulator to allow connection to the TV receiver antenna terminals; others output composite video for use with a free-standing monitor or external RF modulator. Still others had built-in or proprietary monitors. Often a composite video monitor (monochrome or color) would be substituted for the family TV. Some standard types of video controller ICs were popular, but see the very detailed List of home computers by video hardware for a discussion of video capabilities of different models. Memory and TV bandwidth restrictions meant that typical home computers had only a few color choices and perhaps 20 lines of 40 characters of text as an upper limit to their video capabilities. Where the same model was sold in countries using PAL or NTSC television standards, sometimes there would be minor variations in the speed of the processor, because NTSC and PAL use different frequencies for the color information and the crystal for the video system was often also used for the processor clock.

Base mass storage was whatever came in the basic configuration. Some machines had built-in cassette drives or optional external drives, others relied on the consumer to provide a cassette recorder. Cassette recorders had the primary virtue of being widely available as a consumer product at the time. Typically a home computer would generate audio tones to encode data, that could be stored on audio tape through a direct connection to the recorder. Re-loading the data required re-winding the tape. The home computer would contain some circuit such as a phase-locked loop to convert audio tones back into digital data. Since consumer cassette recorders were not made for remote control, the user would have to manually operate the recorder in response to prompts from the computer. Random access to data on a cassette was impossible, since the entire tape would have to be searched to retrieve any particular item. A few manufacturers integrated a cassette tape drive or cassette-like tape mechanism into the console, but these variants were made obsolete by the reduction in cost of floppy diskette drives.

Floppy disk drives were initially very costly compared to the system purchase price. Plug-in ROM cartridges containing game or application software were popular in earlier home computers since they were easier to use, faster, and more reliable than cassette tapes. Once diskette drives became available at low cost, cartridges declined in popularity since they were more expensive to manufacture than reproducing a diskette, and had comparatively small capacity compared to diskettes. A few cartridges contained battery-backed memory that allowed users to save data (for example, game high scores) between uses of the cartridge.

Typically there were several models or variants within a product line, especially to account for different international video standards and power supplies; see the linked articles for variants and consequences of variations. "Compatibility" indicates some measure of compatibility with a parent type, however, sometimes incompatibility existed even within a product family. A "clone" system has identical hardware and is functionally interchangeable with its prototype; a few clone systems relied on illicit copies of system ROMs to make them functional.

Manufacturers and models

Home computer models and manufacturers
Origin	Manufacturer	Model	Processor	Year	Video type	Mass storage	Video chip (see list)	Compatibility	Remarks	Ref
UK	Acorn Computers	Acorn Atom	6502	1980	TV	Cassette	6847			^[1]
UK	Acorn Computers	BBC Micro	6502	1981	TV, RGB, composite video	Cassette, diskette option	6845, SAA5050 Teletext		Optional processor boards; Several models, see article	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Acorn Computers	Electron	6502	1983	TV, RGB, composite video	Cassette, cartridge option, diskette option	Custom ULA "Aberdeen"	BBC Micro		^{[citation needed]}
UK	Acorn Computers	BBC Master	65SC12	1986	TV, RGB, composite video	Diskette, cassette, cartridge	6845, SAA5050 Teletext	BBC Micro	Several models, also sold as Olivetti Prodest PC128S	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Acorn Computers	Acorn Archimedes	ARM RISC	1987	RGB Monitor	Diskette, hard drive			several models	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Acorn Computers	A7000	ARM RISC	1995	RGB Monitor	Diskette, hard drive		Acorn Archimedes		^{[citation needed]}
UK	Amstrad	CPC 464, 664, 6128	Z80	1984	dedicated mono or RGB monitor	cassette, diskette	6845 and custom LSI "Gate Array"		Several models	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Amstrad	464 Plus, 6128 Plus	Z80	1990	dedicated mono or RGB monitor	cassette, diskette, cartridge	Custom ASIC	Amstrad CPC 464	Several models	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Amstrad	PCW	Z80	1985	dedicated integrated monochrome	diskette			Several successive models	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Amstrad	PC1512	8086	1986	dedicated mono or RGB Monitor	Diskette, hard drive		IBM PC	PC compatible aimed at the home market	^{[citation needed]}
China	Tsinghua University and other department	CEC-I Zhonghua teaching machine	6502	1986	TV	cassette, 5.25-inch floppy		Apple	64 KB RAM, 32 KB ROM (BASIC, LOGO)
USA	APF Electronics, Inc.	Imagination Machine	6800	1979	TV	Cassette, optional floppy, cartridge			Expansion pack for a video game console that provided programmability	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Apple Computer	Apple II	6502	1977	Monitor, TV	Cassette, optional floppy			Several models, several descendants, and many third-party clones	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Apple Computer	Apple IIe	6502	1983	Monitor, TV	Cassette, optional floppy		Apple		^[2]
USA	Apple Computer	Apple IIc	65C02	1984	Monitor, TV	floppy disk drive		Apple	Portable, but not integrated like a modern laptop	^[2]
USA	Apple Computer	Apple IIc Plus	65C02	1988	Monitor, TV	floppy disk drive		Apple	Portable, but not integrated like a modern laptop	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Apple Computer	Apple II Plus	6502	1979	Monitor, TV	floppy disk drive		Apple		^{[citation needed]}
USA	Apple Computer	Apple IIGS	65C816	1986	Monitor, TV	floppy disk, optional hard drive		Apple		^{[citation needed]}
USA	Apple Computer	Apple Macintosh	68000	1984	Monitor	diskette, optional CD ROM
UK	Apricot Computers/Applied Computer Technology	Apricot F1	8088	1984	Monitor	floppy disk		MS-DOS	Ran MS-DOS but not IBM compatible; several descendant models	^[2]
Netherlands	Aster Computers	CT-80	Z80	1982	Monitor	floppy disk		TRS-80	Newdos-80 CP/M Videotex terminal, Various models	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Atari, Inc.	Atari 8-bit computers	6502B, -- late 400/800s and XL/XEs use a Custom 6502 variant called "Sally"	1979–1987	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk, cartridge	ANTIC+CTIA/GTIA custom LSI		Also used as cartridge video game consoles	^[2]
USA	Atari Corporation	Atari ST	68000	1985	Monitor, TV	Floppy disk, optional hard disk	Custom LSI		Several related models	^[3]
USA	Atari Corporation	Atari TT	68030	1990	Monitor	Floppy disk, hard disk	Custom LSI	Atari ST	Several related models
USA	Atari Corporation	Falcon	68030 + 56001	1992	Monitor, TV	Floppy disk, hard disk	Custom LSI	Atari ST Compatibility modes	Some models has been modified and sold under license with C-Lab brand
USA	Bally Consumer Products	Bally Brain video game/home computer	Z80	1979	TV	Cassette, cartridge			A video game console with programmability	^[4]
USA	Bally Consumer Products	Bally Astrocade	Z80	1977	TV	Cassette, cartridge			A video game console with programmability, several models and revisions	^{[citation needed]}
Romania	Brasov Computer	CoBra	Z80	1986	Monitor	Cassette, diskette		ZX Spectrum	CP/M	^[5]
UK	Camputers	Lynx	Z80	1983	Monitor	Cassette	6845		Several related models	^{[citation needed]}
Various	Various manufacturers	Various models	Z80	1983	TV	Cassette, optional floppy, cartridge	TMS 9918	MSX standard		^{[citation needed]}
USA	Coleco	Coleco Adam	Z80	1983	Monitor, TV	Cassette (custom built-in), optional floppies	TMS9928A	Colecovision console, Applesoft BASIC, Optional CP/M		^[2]
USA	Commodore	PET	6502	1977	Built-in monochrome monitor	Cassette			Several 6502 descendants, more or less compatible	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Commodore	VIC-20	6502	1980	TV	Optional cassette, optional floppy, cartridge	VIC custom LSI		PET-style BASIC, extended	^[1]
USA	Commodore	Commodore 64	6510	1982	TV	Optional cassette, optional floppy, cartridge	VIC II custom LSI		Optional dual processor in cartridge could run CP/M plus version 3.0	^[2]
USA	Commodore	Commodore SX-64	6510	1982	Built-in color monitor	Built-in floppy, optional cassette, cartridge	VIC II custom LSI	Commodore 64	Portable with keyboard that attached to cover monitor and disk drive	^[2]
USA	Commodore	MAX Machine	6510	1982	TV	Optional cassette, cartridge	VIC II custom LSI	VIC-20		^{[citation needed]}
USA	Commodore	Commodore 16 and 116	8501 (6502)	1984	TV	Optional cassette, optional floppy, cartridge	TED custom LSI			^[2]
USA	Commodore	Plus/4	8501 (6502)	1984	TV	Optional cassette, optional floppy, cartridge	TED custom LSI	Commodore 16		^[2]
USA	Commodore	Commodore 128	8502 (6502)/ Z80	1985	TV	Optional cassette, optional 5.25-inch floppy, optional 3.5-inch floppy, cartridge	VIC II and MOS 8563 custom LSI	C64 compatibility mode	Dual processor could run CP/M plus version 3.0	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Commodore	Amiga	68000	1985	Monitor, composite video	Diskette, optional hard drive	Custom LSI		Several models with 680X0 family processors	^[6]
Hong Kong	Comx World Operations	Comx-35	RCA 1802	1983	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk	CDP 1879			^{[citation needed]}
Belgium	Data Applications International	DAI Personal Computer	8080	1980	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk	Programmable Graphics Generator custom LSI			^{[citation needed]}
Hong Kong	Vtech	VTech Laser 200	Z80	1985	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk	6847		Also sold by Dick Smith as the VZ200 and by others under other names	^{[citation needed]}
Hong Kong	EACA	Video Genie family	Z80	1980–1982	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk		TRS 80 Model 1 (mostly)	Rebadged and sold by others, see article	^{[citation needed]}
Hong Kong	EACA	Colour Genie	Z80	1983	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk, cartridge	6845	TRS 80 Model 1 (mostly)	Rebadged and sold by others, see article	^{[citation needed]}
Hong Kong	Rabbit	Rabbit RX83	Z80	1983	TV	Cassette	6847	GEM 1000	Rebadged and sold by others, see article
Czechoslovakia	Didaktik	Alpha, Beta	Z80	1986	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk		PMD 85		^{[citation needed]}
Czechoslovakia	Didaktik	Gama	Z80	1987	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk		ZX Spectrum	Also M and portable variants, see article	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Dragon Data	Dragon 32/64	6809	1982	TV, composite video	Cassette, optional floppy disk	6847	Radio Shack Color Computer		^{[citation needed]}
USSR	Dubna	Dubna 48K	Z80 (compatible)	1991	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk	Custom LSI	ZX Spectrum		^{[citation needed]}
USSR	Elektronika	BK-0010	PDP 11 (compatible)	1985	TV	Cassette, optional/homemade floppy disk	Custom LSI			^{[citation needed]}
USSR	AGAT	AGAT-9	Native/Apple II compatible	1984	TV/Monitor	Floppy disk	Custom LSI	Agat computer	Agat computer	^[7]
Serbia	Elektronska Industrija Niš	Pecom 32, Pecom 64	RCA 1802	1985	TV	Cassette	CDP 1869	COMX-35		^{[citation needed]}
France	Exelvision	EXL 100	TMS 7020	1984	Monitor	Cartridge, Cassette, Disquette optional	TMS 3556		Used infrared connection for keyboard and joystick	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Exidy	Exidy Sorcerer	Z80	1978	Monitor	Cassette, optional 3rd party expansion to diskettes				^{[citation needed]}
UK	Locurnals/Intelligent Software	Enterprise 64 and 128	Z80	1985	TV, monitor	Cassette,	Custom ASIC "Nick"			^{[citation needed]}
Hong Kong	Lambda Electronics	Lambda 8300	Z80	1985	TV	Cassette,		ZX80, ZX81	ZX81 compatible also sold as PC8300, Power 3000 and BASIC 2000	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Various manufacturers	Apple II clones	6502	1979	TV, monitor	Cassette, optional diskette		Apple II	Many anonymous or obscure companies made copies of the Apple II, some illegally duplicating the Apple ROM contents	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Franklin Computer Corporation	Franklin ACE series	6502	1982	TV, monitor	Diskette, cassette		Apple II		^{[citation needed]}
Japan	Fujitsu	FM Towns series	80386SX	1989	Monitor	CD ROM, optional hard drive		Semi Windows compatible	Almost a video game console	^{[citation needed]}
Japan	Fujitsu	FM-7 series	6809	1982	TV	Diskette		Radio Shack Color Computer	Several models	^{[citation needed]}
Belgium	GEM (Groupement européen d'études)	GEM 1000 also known as GEM 1000 Junior Computer, and the French Charlemagne 999	Z80	1985	TV, monitor	Cassette, cartridge	6847		French BASIC for the Charlemagne, but uses QWERTY	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Grundy Business Systems	Grundy NewBrain	Z80	1982	TV, monitor, built-in 1 line display	Cassette, Floppy diskette		Radio Shack Color Computer BASIC	Several models	^{[citation needed]}
Brazil	Gradiente	Gradiente Expert	Z80	1985	TV, RGB monitor	Cassette, cartridge, diskette expansion available		MSX compatible	Several models	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Honeywell	Honeywell 316#Kitchen Computer	DDP 16 Minicomputer	1969	Binary lights	None offered (contemporary systems would have used paper tape)	No video		Honorary home computer, marketed but never sold.	^[8]
USA	IBM	IBM PC	8088	1981	Monitor	Cassette, floppy diskette, Optional CD Rom	CGA, EGA, VGA
USA	IBM	PCjr	8088	1984	Monitor, composite video	Cassette, floppy diskette, cartridge	VGA	IBM PC		^[2]
USA	IBM	IBM PS/1	8088	1990	Monitor,	Floppy diskette, hard drive		IBM PC		^{[citation needed]}
USA	Interact	Interact Home Computer	8080	1979	TV	Cassette				^{[citation needed]}
USA	Intelligent Systems Corporation	Compucolor II	8080	1977	TV	Diskette ( I: 8-track)				^{[citation needed]}
USSR	Intercompex	Hobbit	Z80 compatible	1990	TV, monitor	Cassette, floppy drive		ZX Spectrum	Several models for export and home markets	^{[citation needed]}
USSR	Iskra	Iskra-1030	8086 compatible	1989		floppy drive				^[9]
Croatia	Ivasim	Ivel Ultra	6502 compatible	1984		floppy drive		Apple II		^[10]
Croatia	Ivasim	Ivel Z3	6502 compatible	1983+	Built-in monitor	floppy drive		Apple IIe		^{[citation needed]}
UK	Jupiter Cantab	Jupiter Ace	Z80	1982	TV	Cassette, 3rd party diskette	custom ASIC		FORTH instead of BASIC	^{[citation needed]}
Sweden	Luxor	ABC 80	Z80	1978	TV	Cassette, 3rd party diskette			also made in Budapest, ABC 800 office versions had disk drives	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Mattel	Aquarius	Z80	1983	TV	Cassette, cartridge				^{[citation needed]}
France	Matra	Matra Alice	6803	1983	TV	Cassette		Radio Shack TRS 80 MC 10		^{[citation needed]}
UK	Memotech	Memotech MTX500, MTX512, RS128	Z80	1983	TV, monitor	Cassette, diskette, hard drive, cartridge				^[2]
Australia	Microbee Systems	MicroBee series	Z80	1983	TV, monitor	Cassette, later models floppy diskette,	6545		Several models	^{[citation needed]}
Brazil	Comércio de Componentes Eletrônicos	CCE MC-1000	Z80	1985	TV, monitor	Cassette, cartridge	6847	GEM 1000	Probably based on Belgian GEM 1000 followed up by MC-4000	^{[citation needed]}
Brazil	Microdigital Eletronica	TK82C series	Z80	1985	TV, monitor	Cassette, cartridge		ZX80, ZX81	TK90X Several models	^{[citation needed]}
France	Micronique	Hector 1	8080	1979	TV	Cassette		Interact Home Computer
UK	Miles Gordon Technology	SAM Coupé	Z80	1989	Monitor, composite video	Floppy diskette,	Custom ASIC			^{[citation needed]}
Taiwan	Multitech	Microprofessor III	6502	1983	TV, Monitor	Floppy diskette, cassette		Apple IIe		^{[citation needed]}
USA	Mindset Corporation	Mindset	80186	1984	Monitor	Floppy diskette		IBM PC semi-compatible
USA	Montgomery Ward	CyberVision 2001	RCA 1802	1978	Monitor	Cassette
Japan	NEC	NEC PC-100	8086	1983	Monitor	Floppy diskette,		MS-DOS	Various models, many too costly for home market	^{[citation needed]}
Japan	NEC Home Electronics	PC-6000 series	Z80	1981	TV, Monitor	Cassette, cartridge			Several models	^[11]
Japan	NEC	PC-8000 series	Z80	1979	RGB Monitor	Cassette, later models with floppy diskettes,
Japan	NEC	PC-8800 series	Z80	1981	RGB Monitor	Cassette, later models with floppy diskettes,			Several models, also called PC-88	^{[citation needed]}
Japan	NEC	PC-9800 series	8086	1982	RGB Monitor	floppy diskettes, diskettes, CD ROM optional			Several models, also called PC-98
USA	Radio Shack	TRS-80 Color Computer CoCo, Coco 2, Coco 3	6809	1980	Monitor	Cassette, floppy diskette, cartridge			Several models	^[2]
USA	Radio Shack	TRS-80 Model I	Z80	1977	Monitor (built in)	Cassette, optional floppy diskette			See List of TRS-80 clones. Later models aimed more at hobby/small business, but this one was priced like a home computer.	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Radio Shack	TRS-80 MC-10	6803	1983	TV	Cassette,	6847		See also Matra Alice	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Radio Shack	Tandy 1000 series	8088 (depends on model)	1987	TV, Monitor	Cassette, floppy diskette		IBM PC Jr	Several models in series	^{[citation needed]}
USA	RCA	COSMAC VIP	RCA 1802	1977	Monitor	Cassette
Germany	Schneider Computer Division	Euro PC	8088	1988	Monitor	Floppy diskette	Hercules, CGA	IBM PC XT	Several descendant models including 80286 and 80386SX processor and EGA, VGA adapters	^[12]
UK	Oric Int'l/Tangerine	Oric-1	6502	1983	TV, Monitor	Cassette, optional floppy drive	semi-custom ASIC (ULA)			^[13]
UK	Oric Int'l/Tangerine	Oric Atmos	6502	1984	TV, Monitor	Cassette, optional floppy drive	semi-custom ASIC (ULA)	Oric-1		^[13]
UK	Oric Int'l/Tangerine	Oric Telestrat	6502	1986	TV, Monitor	Cassette, optional floppy drive, ROM based Cartridge	semi-custom ASIC (ULA)	Oric-1		^[13]
Croatia	PEL Varaždin	Galeb	6502	1981	TV, Monitor	Cassette				^{[citation needed]}
Croatia	PEL Varaždin	Orao	6502	1984	TV, Monitor	Cassette				^{[citation needed]}
Netherlands	Philips	P2000	Z80	1980	TV, Monitor	Cassette, optional floppy diskette, cartridge	Teletext chip		Several models, disk models fairly costly by home computer standards	^{[citation needed]}
Netherlands	Philips	G7480	Z80	1983	TV	Cassette, cartridge		Magnavox Odyssey 2	Home computer expansion module for G7400 game console
Netherlands	Philips	VG5000	Z80	1986	TV, Monitor	Cassette
Netherlands	Philips	Philips :YES	80186	1985	Monitor	Floppy diskette		IBM PC semi-compatible		^{[citation needed]}
Bulgaria	Pravetz	Pravetz series 8, including -83, -83, -84, -8M/E/A/S.	CM630 (6502 clone)	1985	TV, Monitor	Cassette, floppy diskette		Apple II	Several models, company later made IBM PC compatibles.	^[14]
Bulgaria	Pravetz	Pravetz 8D	6502	1982	TV, Monitor	Cassette, floppy diskette		Oric-1/Atmos		^[15]
Bulgaria	Pravetz	IMKO-1	6502	1980	TV, Monitor	Cassette, floppy diskette		Apple II	High cost compared to later Western home computers	^[14]
New Zealand	Progeni Systems / Polycorp	Poly-1	6809	1981	Built-in colour monitor	Floppy diskette	SAA5050 Teletext			^[16]^[17]^[18]
Brazil	Prológica	Prológica CP-400	6809	1984	TV, Monitor	Cassette, floppy diskette		Radio Shack Color Computer		^{[citation needed]}
East Germany	VEB Robotron	KC 85	Z80 compatible	1984	TV	Cassette			Theoretically available to consumers.	^{[citation needed]}
East Germany	VEB Robotron	KC 87	Z80 compatible	1987	TV	Cassette, cartridge			Theoretically available to consumers	^{[citation needed]}
East Germany	VEB Robotron	Z1013	Z80 compatible	1985	TV	Cassette			Order queue of one year and collection in person only.	^{[citation needed]}
South Korea	Samsung	SPC-1000	Z80	1983	dedicated mono or RGB monitor	cassette
Japan	Sega	SC-3000	Z80 compatible	1983	TV	Cassette, cartridge, optional floppy				^{[citation needed]}
Japan	Sega	AI Computer	NEC V20	1986	TV	cartridge
Japan	Sharp	MZ series	Z80 compatible	1979	TV	Cassette, cartridge, optional floppy			Many models in the series, escalating to small business systems	^{[citation needed]}
Japan	Sharp	Sharp X1	Z80 compatible	1982	TV, dedicated monitor	Cassette, cartridge, optional floppy			Several models	^{[citation needed]}
Japan	Sharp	Sharp X68000	68000	1987	Monitor	Floppy diskette, optional hard disk			Several models	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Sinclair Research	ZX80	Z80	1980	TV	Cassette	Custom ASIC		Initially also available as a kit, and see MicroAce for an unlicensed knock-off	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Sinclair Research	ZX81	Z80	1981	TV	Cassette	Custom ASIC	ZX80	See also List of ZX80/81 clones and Timex Sinclair	^[1]
UK	Sinclair Research	ZX Spectrum	Z80	1982	TV	Cassette, later models floppy diskette	Custom ASIC		See List of ZX Spectrum clones	^{[citation needed]}
UK	Sinclair Research:	Sinclair QL	68008	1984	TV, monitor	"Microdrive" tape	ZX8301 Custom ASIC		Spin-off to several related products, see List of Sinclair QL clones	^[2]
Japan	Sord Computer Corporation	Sord M200 Smart Home Computer	Z80	1977	TV	Floppy disk				^[19]
Japan	Sord Computer Corporation CGL Home Computers	Sord M5 CGL M5	Z80	1982	TV	Cassette, optional floppy disk				^{[citation needed]}
USA	Spectravideo	SV-318	Z80	1983	TV	Cassette, floppy disk	Custom ASIC
Taiwan	Tatung	Tatung Einstein	Z80	1984	dedicated monitor	floppy disk
New Zealand	Technosys	Aamber Pegasus	6809	1984	TV, monitor	Cassette			Educational network version made	^{[citation needed]}
USA	Texas Instruments	TI-99/4, TI-99/4A	TMS9900	1979	TV, monitor	Cassette, optional floppy disk drive	TMS9918		Several models, more common 4A in 1981; some compatibles made by others	^{[citation needed]}
Czechoslovakia	Tesla	PMD 85	8080	1985	TV, monitor	Cassette				^{[citation needed]}
Czechoslovakia	Štátny majetok Závadka š.p., Závadka nad Hronom	MAŤO	8080	1989	TV, monitor	Cassette		PMD 85	Also made as a kit	^[20]
France	Thomson	TO7	6809	1982	TV, monitor	Cassette, cartridge				^{[citation needed]}
France	Thomson	MO5 aka Olivetti Prodest PC128	6809	1984	TV, monitor	Cassette, cartridge			Successor model MO6 in 1986, and others	^{[citation needed]}
USA/ UK/ Portugal	Timex Sinclair	Timex Sinclair 1000 and 1500	Z80	1982	TV, monitor	Cassette, optional cartridge		ZX80, ZX81		^[2]
USA/ UK/ Portugal	Timex Sinclair	Timex Sinclair 2048	Z80	1984	TV	Cassette, cartridge	Custom ULA	ZX Spectrum		^{[citation needed]}
Portugal	Timex Sinclair	Timex Computer 2048	Z80	1984	TV	Cassette, cartridge	Custom ULA	ZX Spectrum		^{[citation needed]}
USA/ UK/ Portugal	Timex Sinclair	Timex Computer 2068	Z80	1983	TV	Cassette, cartridge	Custom ULA	ZX Spectrum	Several related models	^{[citation needed]}
Portugal/ Poland	Timex Sinclair	Komputer 2086	Z80	1986	TV	Cassette, cartridge, optional floppy diskette	Custom ULA	Sinclair 2068		^{[citation needed]}
Japan	Tomy	Tomy Tutor (US) /Grandstand Tutor (UK)	TMS9900	1986	TV	Cassette, cartridge, optional floppy diskette		TI-99/4A near-compatible		^{[citation needed]}
USSR	Vector	Vector-06C	8080 compatible	1987	TV	Cassette, 3rd party cartridge and floppy diskette				^{[citation needed]}
USA	Videobrain	VideoBrain Family Computer	Fairchild F8	1977	TV	Cartridge, optional cassette				^{[citation needed]}
Hungary	Videoton	TVC	Z80	1986	TV	Cassette, floppy diskette				^[21]
Hungary	Microkey	Primo	Z80 (compatible)	1984	TV	Cassette				^[22]
Norway	West Computer AS	West PC-800	6502, Z80	1984	TV, monitor	Cassette, floppy diskette		Apple II, CP/M		^[23]
Origin	Manufacturer	Model	Processor	Year	Video Type	Mass storage	Video Chip (see list)	Compatibility	Remarks	Ref

List of hobby, kit, or trainer computers

This type of microcomputer required significant electronics skills to assemble or operate. They were sometimes sold in kit form that required the user to insert and solder components in a printed circuit board. They may have had just blinking lights and toggle switches, or a hexadecimal display and a numeric keypad. While some units were possibly expandable to the "checkbook balancing/homework typing" stage, most were intended more for education on the use and application of microprocessors. See also Microprocessor development board, Single-board computer.

Altair 8800
Apple I and also Replica 1
Applix 1616
Compukit UK101
Dick Smith Super-80 Computer
Educ-8 non-microprocessor kit computer
Elektor Junior Computer
Elektor TV Games Computer
Ferguson Big Board
Galaksija, a build-it-yourself home computer that created a wave of enthusiasts
Heathkit H8 and relations
Heathkit H11
Heath ET-100 8088 trainer
Kenbak-1
KIM-1
LNW-80
MK14
Mark-8
Micro-Professor MPF-I
Nascom 1 and Nascom 2
Newbear 77-68
Processor Technology SOL 20
PSI Comp 80 (computer)
SCELBI
Sinclair ZX80 kit
Tangerine MICROTAN 65
TEC-1
Wave Mate Bullet
Z 1013

School computers

These were aimed at the class room, not the living room. Some types were popular in the centrally planned economies of eastern Europe where Western computers were scarce, or in the early days of computer education in Western schools. Popular home computers of the period^{[clarification needed]} were fitted with various types of network interfaces^{[clarification needed]} to allow sharing of files, large disk drives, and printers, and often allowed a teacher to interact with a student, supervise the system usage, and carry out administrative tasks from a host computer.

Acorn Archimedes (and derivatives)
Aster CT-80
BBC Micro
Commodore SuperPET/SP9000
Compis
IQ 151
LINK 480Z
Regency Systems R2C
Research Machines 380Z Industrial and school systems
Tiki 100
TIM-011
Unisys ICON
Chromebooks

Cardboard and demonstrator "computers"

Logic demonstrators illustrated some of the logical principles of computer circuits, but were incapable of automatic operation or non-trivial calculations. Some were literally cardboard, others used combinations of switches and lamps to show how logical operations worked. Some products demonstrated logical operations purely mechanically.

CARDboard Illustrative Aid to Computation cardboard computer logic demonstrator
Digi-Comp I, mechanical logic demonstrator
Digi-Comp II, mechanical logic using marbles
Geniac, non-electronic logic demonstrator
Minivac 601, logic trainer that demonstrated computer circuits

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Survey of 150 computers, Computing Now, September 1984 pp. 8-31
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Survey of 200 computers, Computing Now ISSN 0823-6437, April 1985 pp. 14-44,
^ Eric Jensen The Atari 520ST, BYTE Vol.11 No. 6 ISSN 0360-5280 pg. 233-238
^ What's New, BYTE Magazine July 1979 pg. 240
^ Walgenbach, Kerstin & Stefan. "HCM: East-European Home-Computer ..." www.homecomputer.de.
^ Bill Markwick, The Amiga 500, Electronics and Technology Today February 1988 pp. 18-20
^ Rezun, Miron (1996). Science, technology, and ecopolitics in the USSR. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 71–72. ISBN 0-275-95383-1.
^ [1] Paul Atkinson, The Curious Case of the Kitchen Computer: Products and Non-Products in Design History, from Journal of Design History, Vol. 23 No.2 doi:10.1093.jdh/epq010
^ "Iskra 1030 retrieved 2012 Dec 4". Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
^ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.
^ "ASCII EXPRESS : PC-8800・PC-6000 NECのニューマシン、遂にデビュー". ASCII (in Japanese). 5 (11). 1981.
^ "Schneider EuroPC II - MCbx". www.oldcomputer.info.
^ ^a ^b ^c "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.
^ ^a ^b "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.
^ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.
^ The Poly Preservation Project
^ "Kiwi Nuggets Forum: Poly 1 Educational Computer". www.creationz.co.nz.
^ ""Preserving our Heritage NZ-made Computers", Bob Doran, CS Dept. University of Auckland & Andrew Trotman, CS Dept. University of Otago" (PDF).
^ Japan, Information Processing Society of. "M200 Smart Home Computer Series-Computer Museum". museum.ipsj.or.jp.
^ "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.
^ "Videoton TV Computer". Retrieved March 27, 2011.
^ Képes, Gábor. "Computing is for everyone - computers for everyone!". Inventing Europe. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
^ Gulbrandsen, Eirik (April–May 1985). "West PC-800 en talentfull maskin" (PDF). Mikrodata (in Norwegian). Vol. 3, no. 3. Computerworld Norge. pp. 8–12. ISSN 0800-269X.

External links

Media related to Home computers at Wikimedia Commons

Obsolete technology website — Information about many old computers.
old-computers.com — Web Site dedicated to old computers.
oldcomputer.info — Web site with information about many old computers.
History of Computers — online magazine featuring pictures and information about many computers made between the 1970s and the early 1990s
epocalc The complete inventory of microcomputer manufacturers

[CN8409-1] Survey of 150 computers, Computing Now, September 1984 pp. 8-31

[CN8504-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Survey of 200 computers, Computing Now ISSN 0823-6437, April 1985 pp. 14-44,

[Jensen86-3] Eric Jensen The Atari 520ST, BYTE Vol.11 No. 6 ISSN 0360-5280 pg. 233-238

[4] What's New, BYTE Magazine July 1979 pg. 240

[Homecopmputers.de-5] Walgenbach, Kerstin & Stefan. "HCM: East-European Home-Computer ..." www.homecomputer.de.

[ET8802-6] Bill Markwick, The Amiga 500, Electronics and Technology Today February 1988 pp. 18-20

[rezun-7] Rezun, Miron (1996). Science, technology, and ecopolitics in the USSR. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 71–72. ISBN 0-275-95383-1.

[Atkinson-8] [1] Paul Atkinson, The Curious Case of the Kitchen Computer: Products and Non-Products in Design History, from Journal of Design History, Vol. 23 No.2 doi:10.1093.jdh/epq010

[RussianCalcs-9] "Iskra 1030 retrieved 2012 Dec 4". Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2012-12-04.

[OCCIvel-10] "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.

[11] "ASCII EXPRESS : PC-8800・PC-6000 NECのニューマシン、遂にデビュー". ASCII (in Japanese). 5 (11). 1981.

[12] "Schneider EuroPC II - MCbx". www.oldcomputer.info.

[Oric-13] "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.

[OCMPravetz-14] "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.

[OCMPravetz8D-15] "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.

[poly-16] The Poly Preservation Project

[17] "Kiwi Nuggets Forum: Poly 1 Educational Computer". www.creationz.co.nz.

[18] ""Preserving our Heritage NZ-made Computers", Bob Doran, CS Dept. University of Auckland & Andrew Trotman, CS Dept. University of Otago" (PDF).

[19] Japan, Information Processing Society of. "M200 Smart Home Computer Series-Computer Museum". museum.ipsj.or.jp.

[OCCMato-20] "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com.

[OCCTVC-21] "Videoton TV Computer". Retrieved March 27, 2011.

[Képes-22] Képes, Gábor. "Computing is for everyone - computers for everyone!". Inventing Europe. Retrieved 30 September 2024.

[Mikrodata_3/1985-23] Gulbrandsen, Eirik (April–May 1985). "West PC-800 en talentfull maskin" (PDF). Mikrodata (in Norwegian). Vol. 3, no. 3. Computerworld Norge. pp. 8–12. ISSN 0800-269X.

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