Manufacturer | CompShop, MicroAce |
---|---|
Type | Home computer |
Release date | 1980 |
Introductory price | $149 |
Media | Cassette tape |
Operating system | Sinclair BASIC |
CPU | Z80 @ 3.25 MHz |
Memory | 1 KB |
Display | Monochrome display on UHF television |
Graphics | 24 lines × 32 characters or 64 × 48 block graphics mode |
Backward compatibility | Sinclair ZX80 |
The MicroAce was a 1980 Sinclair ZX80 home computer clone, designed and manufactured by CompShop and distributed in the USA by MicroAce of Santa Ana, California. [1] [2] [3]
It was also sold in Australia and was distributed by Dick Smith Electronics.
Advertised as "a microcomputer for everyone at a micro price ... a complete computer for $149.00 for 1K [RAM] kit" with optional 2K RAM, [4] [5] it was an unlicensed clone of the Sinclair ZX80 and had an identical, yet obfuscated copy of the ROM by means of a byteswap. [6] [7] Some time later, between 1980 and 1981, MicroAce settled with Sinclair and licensed the ROM of the ZX81. [8] [9]
BYTE stated that the assembly instructions were insufficient for those inexperienced in kit assembly, and suggested that beginners learn how to solder first. It found some fit and finish issues with the completed computer, and criticized MicroAce for being unresponsive to questions. The review stated that "if you recognize the limitations of the machine and don't expect too much, then I think you can buy the MicroAce kit with confidence", albeit strongly recommending the 2K RAM option. [8]
The Jupiter Ace by Jupiter Cantab was a British home computer released in 1982. The Ace differed from other microcomputers of the time in that its programming environment used Forth instead of the more popular BASIC. This difference, along with limited available software and poor character based graphic display, limited sales and the machine was not a success.
The Sinclair ZX80 is a home computer launched on 29 January 1980 by Science of Cambridge Ltd.. It is notable for being one of the first computers available in the United Kingdom for less than a hundred pounds. It was available in kit form for £79.95, where purchasers had to assemble and solder it together, and as a ready-built version at £99.95.
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
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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 single nontechnical user. These computers were a distinct market segment that typically cost much less than business, scientific or engineering-oriented computers of the time such as those running CP/M or the IBM PC, and were generally less powerful in terms of memory and expandability. However, a home computer often had better graphics and sound than contemporary business computers. Their most common uses were word processing, playing video games and programming.
The TC 3256 or Timex Computer 3256 was a 1987 computer created by Timex of Portugal, a branch of Timex Corporation.
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