The Lynx was an

8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit integers or other data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) architectures are those that are based on registers or data bu ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

home computer Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a s ...

that was first released in early 1983 as a 48 KB model. Several models were available with 48 KB, 96 KB or 128 KB

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

. It was possible to reach 192 KB with RAM expansions on board. John Shireff designed the hardware and Davis Jansons the

firmware In computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, h ...

Details

The machine was based around a

Z80A The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog that played an important role in the evolution of early personal computing. Launched in 1976, it was designed to be software-compatible with the Intel 8080, offering a compelling altern ...

CPU A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor, or just processor, is the primary processor in a given computer. Its electronic circuitry executes instructions of a computer program, such as arithmetic, log ...

clocked at 4

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

(6 MHz for the 128/192 KB models) and featured a

Motorola 6845 The Motorola 6845, or MC6845, is a display controller that was widely used in 8-bit computers during the 1980s. Originally intended for designs based on the Motorola 6800 CPU and given a related part number, it was more widely used alongside v ...

video controller A graphics card (also called a video card, display card, graphics accelerator, graphics adapter, VGA card/VGA, video adapter, display adapter, or colloquially GPU) is a computer expansion card that generates a feed of graphics output to a displa ...

. It was possible to run

CP/M CP/M, originally standing for Control Program/Monitor and later Control Program for Microcomputers, is a mass-market operating system created in 1974 for Intel 8080/Intel 8085, 85-based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Dig ...

with the optional 5.25"

floppy disk A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, a diskette, or a disk) is a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a ...

-drive on the 96 KB and 128 KB models. Unique features of this computer (compared to other home computers at the time) include: * All numbers were floating point BCD numbers (even line numbers). * The computer always ran in "high" resolution graphics mode (256x252 pixels in eight colours) using a 6 x 10 pixel font. Only a few bytes of graphic memory could be manipulated during the

horizontal sync Horizontal scan rate, or horizontal frequency, usually expressed in kilohertz, is the number of times per second that a raster-scan video system transmits or displays a complete horizontal line, as opposed to vertical scan rate, the number of ti ...

period, and thus graphics were extremely slow compared to most other computers. * Up to 192 KB of RAM and 20 KB of

ROM Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...

(16 KB on the smallest model) on a 16-bit

address bus In computer architecture, a bus (historically also called a data highway or databus) is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer or between computers. It encompasses both hardware (e.g., wires, optical ...

was implemented using special hardware. As a consequence, certain RAM areas shadowed by ROM could only be used for data storage and the video memory had a green and alternative green bank that could be switched by a

hardware register In digital electronics, especially computing, hardware registers are circuits typically composed of flip-flops, often with many characteristics similar to memory, such as: * Using an memory or port address to select a particular register in a ma ...

. * For sound it had a simple (6-bit) DAC. A

comparator In electronics, a comparator is a device that compares two voltages or currents and outputs a digital signal indicating which is larger. It has two analog input terminals V_+ and V_- and one binary digital output V_\text. The output is ideally ...

was included to serve as an ADC (primarily used for reading from

tape drive A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic-tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and long archival stability. ...

s). Compared to, for example, the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

, the

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was more extensive and faster and the resolution of the graphics was better; but computer games on the other hand suffered from the special implementation and lack of hardware for sound and sprites.

History

The machine was quite advanced for its time. A 48K machine cost £225, a 96K machine £299 and a 128K machine £345. When compared to its competitors, such as the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

and the

Oric 1 Oric was a brand of home computers sold in the 1980s by Tangerine Computer Systems. Tangerine was based in the United Kingdom and sold their computers primarily in Europe. All computers in the Oric line were based on the MOS Technology 650 ...

, it was also fairly highly priced. Camputers rebranded and relaunched each machine on several occasions, with the 48K machine renamed the Leisure, and the 128K machine renamed as the Laureate. The machine had very little software available, and survived only until Camputers ceased trading in June 1984. It is believed that approximately 30,000 Camputers Lynx units were sold worldwide. Anston Technology took over in November 1984 and a re-launch was planned but never happened. In June 1986, Anston sold everything - hardware, design rights and thousands of cassettes - to the National Lynx User Group. The group planned to produce a Super-Lynx but was too busy supplying spares and technical information to owners of existing models, and the project never came into being.

Reception

After seeing a preview of the Camputers Lynx at the

Personal Computer World ''Personal Computer World'' (''PCW'') (February 1978 - June 2009) was the first British computer magazine. Although for at least the last decade it contained a high proportion of Windows PC content (reflecting the state of the IT field), the m ...

Show, ''

BYTE The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable un ...

'' in January 1983 stated that it "offers more computing power for the money than any other machine I saw there". ''

Computing Today ''Computing Today'' was a computer magazine published by Argus Specialist Publications, it was printed in the UK from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. It began life as a supplement to '' Electronics Today International'' for four issues and be ...

'' in June 1983 criticized the manual as "put together in something of a hurry ... confusing" and criticized the computer for not meeting published specifications and having manufacturing defects. It concluded that the Lynx "could be seen as a flawed jewel ... If the less satisfactory aspects can be put to rights, it could prove to be a very popular machine. That, however, could entail some sacrifices."

Video games

There are 69 known commercially released game for the Camputers Lynx. Considering applications, demos, operating systems modern homebrew software and others, the library for this machine is around 120 titles.

References

{{Authority control Camputers Lynx Computer-related introductions in 1983 Computers designed in the United Kingdom