--- title: GRUNDY NEW BRAIN categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - United Kingdom years: - '1980' cpus: - Zilog Z80 A params: name: NEW BRAIN image: /media/museum/photos/grundy_newbrain_pub.jpg company: /companies/grundy company_name: GRUNDY specs: - label: NAME value: NEW BRAIN - label: MANUFACTURER value: Grundy - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: United Kingdom - label: YEAR value: '1980' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Basic interpreter - label: KEYBOARD value: QWERTY, calculator style, 62 keys - label: CPU value: Zilog Z80 A - label: SPEED value: 4 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: COP 240 (I/O) - label: RAM value: 32 KB - label: ROM value: 29 KB (8 KB for Basic, 4 KB for graphics, 4 KB for OS/characters set/editor) - label: TEXT MODES value: 80 columns x 25-30 lines / 40 columns x 25-30 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: From 256 x 10 to 640 x 220 pixels - label: COLORS value: Monochrome - label: SOUND value: unknown - label: I/O PORTS value: Tape (two - 1200 bauds); RGB, UHF, RS232c (two - 9600 bauds, one was used as a printer one was cut down in lacking an 'in' line.), Z80 Bus - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External power supply unit - label: PERIPHERALS value: Expansion interface featuring 2 serial ports, 2 parallels, 1 DAC, 1 joystick port, and a light pen port. - label: PRICE value: $325 - £229 tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - links forum_thread: 186 photos: - title: THE FIRST NEWBRAIN subtitle: '' text: This is the first model of the Newbrain, without the 1 line display of the Newbrain AD. image: /media/museum/photos/grundy_newbrain.jpg - title: NEWBRAIN AD subtitle: '' text: Notice the 1 Line x 16 characters display. image: /media/museum/photos/newbrain_pub_0.jpg - title: EXPANSION & CONNECTION SCHEME subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/newbrain_connection_scheme.jpg adverts: - title: 'NEWBURRY BROCHURE #1' subtitle: '' text: |- First Newburry brochure cover Courtesy of **www.oldcomputers.freeserve.co.uk** image: /media/museum/pubs/grundy_newbrain_leaflet_3.jpg - title: 'NEWBURRY BROCHURE #2' subtitle: '' text: |- According to this brochure, Newbury had four models: Model M: Main Only\ Model MB: Main and with Batteries and display\ Model MD: Mains only with display\ Model MBS: Main and with Batteries and display with special low power consumption. Courtesy of **www.oldcomputers.freeserve.co.uk** image: /media/museum/pubs/grundy_newbrain_leaflet_newburry_inside.jpg - title: 'NEWBURRY BROCHURE #3' subtitle: '' text: Courtesy of **www.oldcomputers.freeserve.co.uk** image: /media/museum/pubs/grundy_newbrain_leaflet_5.jpg - title: NEWBRAIN BROCHURE subtitle: '' text: |- The first Newbrain brochure only offered two models: Model AD: with display\ Model A: without Display Courtesy of **www.oldcomputers.freeserve.co.uk** image: /media/museum/pubs/grundy_newbrain_leaflet_4.jpg - title: ADVERT subtitle: '' text: |- New Brain complet package with FDD´s and peripherals... (the dot matrix printer was connected to the RS232 port)... The main box you see in the photo is the "school network controller" that permitted that "n" computers were plugged in as a network sharing one "5Mb hard drive" Thanks to Rui Santos for this picture image: /media/museum/pubs/newbrain_completo.jpg hardware: - title: DISK-DRIVE UNIT subtitle: '' text: |- Under the Newbrain is also a neon-digit readout expansion (!). Thanks to [Allard's Computermuseum Groningen](http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/computermuseum/index.html)for this picture ! image: /media/museum/hardware/grundy_newbrain_disk-unit.jpg - title: BATTERY EXPANSION subtitle: '' text: Grundy's marketing literature showed the NewBrain being used on a train. This battery expansion allowed remote operation. It connected in series with the regular NewBrain power supply unit. image: /media/museum/hardware/grundy_newbrain_batterypack_s1.jpg links: - title: Wikipedia url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundy_NewBrain text: Grundy Newbrain entry - title: www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk url: http://www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk/Museum/Grundy/gerald.php text: Very detailed info from an insider oc_id: 176 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230320213423/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=176 date: '2023-03-20' --- "When the NewBrain was announced to the world, in 1980, the design concept was significantly in advance of anything that had been seen in the field of handheld computing." (Dick Pountain - *Personal Computer World*) In fact, the company that created it, Newburry Labs, sold the desing to its current owner, Grundy Business Systems Ltd.\ It also seems that a small part of the original design came from Sinclair Radionics which designed later the [ZX-80](/museum/sinclair-zx-80/). At one time, the NewBrain was in line to be the BBC computer, but design problems and the change in ownership caused the BBC to look elsewhere. In 1982, the machine was advertised as a compact but powerful microcomputer with advanced hardware and software features. The **NewBrain AD**, which contains a 1-line, 16-character fluorescent display, was complemented by a no-display cheaper version sold £30 less, the **NewBrain A**. There was no reset button and no ON/OFF switch either. A third model, called **Newbrain M** included a battery-backup option (and the LCD screen) so it can be used as a handheld computer. An expansion interface was available, providing 2 serial ports, 2 parallels, 1 DAC, 1 joystick port, and a light pen port.\ A network was also available and allowed to connect 24 computers together through RS-232/V24 bidirectional serial ports.\ The New Brain used a special management memory system which allows to expand memory up to 2 Mb (IMPRESSIVE!).\ The character set contained 512 letters, numbers and graphics as well as VideoText symbols. The Character set was divided into two 256-character banks, only one of which could be selected at a time.\ An optional VideoText module enabled NewBrains owners to access British TeleText and Prestel services It could run under CP/M.