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The educational computer LC80 was a
Homepage of Volker Pohlers
with LC80 section (in German)
(in German)
LC80 at homecomputermuseum.de
(in German)
Computer-related introductions in 1983 Z80-based home computers Computers designed in Germany Home computers Goods manufactured in East Germany Science and technology in East Germany Early microcomputers
The educational computer LC80 was a single-board computer
A single-board computer (SBC) is a complete computer built on a single circuit board, with microprocessor(s), memory, input/output (I/O) and other features required of a functional computer. Single-board computers are commonly made as demonstrat ...
manufactured in the German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
(GDR) and intended for teaching purposes. It was the first computer that retail customers could buy in the GDR.
History and development
The development of the LC 80 started in 1983. At theLeipzig Trade Fair
The Leipzig Trade Fair (german: Leipziger Messe) is a major trade fair, which traces its roots back for nearly a millennium. After the Second World War, Leipzig fell within the territory of East Germany, whereupon the Leipzig Trade Fair became o ...
in the spring of 1984 it was presented to the public. Early in 1985 the LC80 was on the market, making it the first computer available to retail customers in the GDR. The computers Z 9001 and HC 900 that had been shown at the same spring fair, could not be manufactured in sufficient quantity and were thus available only to educational institutions.
The production probably ended around 1986/87.
Technical details
The LC80 was programmed by entering hexadecimalmachine code
In computer programming, machine code is any low-level programming language, consisting of machine language instructions, which are used to control a computer's central processing unit (CPU). Each instruction causes the CPU to perform a ver ...
s via a built-in 25-key calculator
An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics.
The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-size ...
keyboard (16 hexadecimal keys, 7 function keys, NMI, Reset). Programs could be saved and loaded via cassette tape or EPROM
An EPROM (rarely EROM), or erasable programmable read-only memory, is a type of programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. Computer memory that can retrieve stored data after a power ...
. Beside the CPU the board contained two PIO and one CTC integrated circuits as well as 1 KB of RAM and 2 KB of ROM.
Interfaces:
* cassette tape interface
* 12 programmable input / output lines, 4 Handshake
A handshake is a globally widespread, brief greeting or parting tradition in which two people grasp one of each other's like hands, in most cases accompanied by a brief up-and-down movement of the grasped hands. Customs surrounding handshakes ...
lines, and 7 CTC lines
* CPU-bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
(unbuffered)
Export version
Based on a request from theUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, an export variant was developed. This version differed from the conventional LC80 in the following details:
* wooden cabinet
* 12 KB ROM
* 4 KB RAM
* keyboard template for chess program '' SC-80 '' (similar to the East German chess computer SC2)
As the order from abroad did not come through in the end, only samples were manufactured of this version.
Software and applications
Except for the operating system, no software was included. The manufacturer published a series of three booklets that contained software as hexadecimal machine code listings. Software and applications were published in journals such as ''Funkamateur
''Funkamateur'' (“amateur radio operator”) is a monthly amateur radio enthusiast magazine published in Germany. The magazine is published in German and draws its circulation of 34,700 primarily from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The mag ...
'' (Morse code
Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one ...
trainer) and ''Radio Fernsehen Elektronik'' (EPROM
An EPROM (rarely EROM), or erasable programmable read-only memory, is a type of programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. Computer memory that can retrieve stored data after a power ...
programmer, robot model control). Given the limited availability of computers in East Germany, the LC80 was even used to control scales underground in a potash
Potash () includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.
mine.
See also
Other microprocessor development systems with a hexadecimal display and hexadecimal program entry:MEK6800D2
The MEK6800D2 was a Microprocessor development board, development board for the Motorola 6800 microprocessor, produced by Motorola in 1976. It featured a keyboard with hexadecimal keys and an LED display, but also featured an RS-232 asynchronous se ...
(1976), KIM-1
The KIM-1, short for ''Keyboard Input Monitor'', is a small 6502-based single-board computer developed and produced by MOS Technology, Inc. and launched in 1976. It was very successful in that period, due to its low price (thanks to the inexp ...
(1976), TK-80 (1976), MK14
The MK14 (Microcomputer Kit 14) was a computer kit sold by Science of Cambridge of the United Kingdom, first introduced in 1977 for £39.95. The price was very low for a complete computer system at the time, and Science of Cambridge eventually ...
(1977), Acorn System 1 (1979), Micro-Professor MPF-I
The Micro-Professor MPF-I, introduced in 1981 by Multitech (which, in 1987, changed its name to Acer), was the first branded computer product from Multitech and probably one of the world's longest selling computers. The MPF-I, specifically design ...
(1981), PMI-80
The PMI-80 was a single-board microcomputer produced by Tesla Piešťany, Czechoslovakia, since 1982. It was based on the MHB 8080A CPU (a Tesla clone of the Intel 8080), clocked at 1.111 MHz. Instead of a raster graphic display output and c ...
(1982), TEC-1
The TEC-1 is a single-board kit computer first produced by the Australian hobbyist electronics magazine Talking Electronics in the early 1980s. The design by John Hardy and Ken Stone was based on the Zilog Z80
The Z80 is an 8-bit micropro ...
(1983)
References
{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , author=Volker Pohlers , title=Erinnerungen , trans-title=Memories , language=de , url=http://hc-ddr.hucki.net/wiki/doku.php/lc80/erinnerungen , date=2018-10-26 , accessdate=2019-11-02External links
Homepage of Volker Pohlers
with LC80 section (in German)
(in German)
LC80 at homecomputermuseum.de
(in German)
Computer-related introductions in 1983 Z80-based home computers Computers designed in Germany Home computers Goods manufactured in East Germany Science and technology in East Germany Early microcomputers