---
title: Sharp MZ 800 - MZ 1500
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Japan
years:
- '1984'
cpus:
- Zilog Z80 A
params:
  name: MZ 800 - MZ 1500
  company: /companies/sharp
  company_name: Sharp
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: MZ 800 - MZ 1500
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Sharp
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Japan
  - label: YEAR
    value: October 1984
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke 70 keys with 5 function keys, editing & arrow keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Zilog Z80 A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 3.5 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 KB
  - label: VRAM
    value: 16 KB (up to 32 KB)
  - label: ROM
    value: 16 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 40 x 25 / 80 x 25
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 320 x 200 / 640 x 200 - Hardware vertical scrolling accelerator
  - label: COLORS
    value: 4 (320 x 200 and 16 if extended VRAM), 2 (640 x 200 and 4 if extended VRAM)
  - label: SOUND
    value: 3 channels, 6 octaves + white noise generator
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 44 (W) x 30.5 (D) x 10.9 (H) cm. / 4.3 Kg.
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Centronics, Joystick (2), Z80 Bus, Tape, RGB
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: Tape recorder
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in PSU
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: Quick-Disc unit, external single or dual FDD unit
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - hardware
  - software
  - emulators
  - links
  photos:
  - title: MZ 1500 USER MANUAL
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-800
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-1500
    subtitle: ''
    text: Notice the QDD (Quick Disk Drive) instead of the tape-recorder.
    image: null
  - title: MZ-1500 IN USE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-1500 (FRONT)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ 1500 (TOP)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-1500 (REAR)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  adverts:
  - title: JAPANESE AD
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: JAPANESE AD
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: 'GERMAN LEAFLET #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      "The Personal Computer MZ-811 is a class of itself. Its infinite applications mark it."

      Courtesy of **www.sharpmz.org**
    image: null
  - title: 'GERMAN LEAFLET #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Preliminary/New product leaflet. For exhibitions only

      "The new Personal Computer from SHARP - particularly developed for personal use."

      Note the optional Quick Disc drive.

      Courtesy of **www.sharpmz.org**
    image: null
  - title: 'GERMAN LEAFLET #3'
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      "There music puts in it"

      Courtesy of **www.sharpmz.org**
    image: null
  - title: 'GERMAN LEAFLET #4'
    subtitle: ''
    text: Courtesy of **www.sharpmz.org**
    image: null
  - title: JAPANESE AD
    subtitle: ''
    text: An advertising for the MZ 1500 (with the Quick Disk drive) in a Japanese magazine.
    image: null
  - title: FRENCH PICTURE (APRIL 1987)
    subtitle: ''
    text: This picture was used for promoting Educatel, a French private computing school.
    image: null
  hardware:
  - title: DOUBLE FLOPPY DISK DRIVE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-1U05 BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: 'MZ-1U05 EXPANSION BOX - VIEW #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: The MZ-1U05 expansion box fits directly in the rear of the MZ 800 case. It provides 4 card connectors.
    image: null
  - title: 'MZ-1U05 EXPANSION BOX - VIEW #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-1F11 QDD BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-1F11 QUICK DISK DRIVE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The Quick Disk Drive uses 2.8" sequential floppy disks (64 Kb, two sides). The whole disk is read in about 9 seconds.\
      It was, contrary to the MZ 1500 (the japanese version of the MZ 800), an an optional device.\
      The QDD came with an enhanced version of the S-Basic (Sharp basic) to handle sequential files & directory. It can be used as a way to backup the RAM Disk card (a 64 KB RAM used only to store data).\
      The QDD can be connected also to a Sharp MZ 700, the interface card on the photo is the MZ 700 interface card.
    image: null
  - title: FRENCH FDD UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: Instead of selling the original Sharp FDD unit, the Sharp French subsidiary (Sharp Burotype Machines) preferred to made their own unit. The case could hold up to 4 drives. The drives were Canon models.
    image: null
  - title: MZ 80P3 - DOT MATRIX PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-P4 PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MZ-P6 PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  screenshots:
  - title: BASIC INTERPRETER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: FEIZER II
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: FLAPPY
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: KNIGHT
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: PACMAN
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: SPARROW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: TENNIS
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: THUNDER FORCE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: BURNIN RUBBER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: DEVIL LAND
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  emulators:
  - title: EMUZ-2000
    url: http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~object/
    platform: Windows
    text: SHARP MZ-80B / 2000 / 2200 emulator for Windows
  - title: MZ-800 Emulator page
    url: http://mz-800.aktualne.cz/
    platform: Windows
    text: MZ-800 emulator for Win 9x/Me/2000/NT
  - title: Zdenek Adler's MZ-800 Emulator page
    url: http://mz-800.xf.cz/
    platform: Windows
    text: MZ-800 emulator for Windows
  - title: Sharp MZ 800 Emulator Pages
    url: http://www.math.uni-magdeburg.de/~mkoeppe/mz800/mz800.html
    platform: Other platform
    text: ''
  - title: UMZE Project Site
    url: http://umze.nfo.sk
    platform: Other platform
    text: MZ-800's Java emulator
  links:
  - title: MZ 800 Arjan Habin's Hompage
    url: http://home.wanadoo.nl/neptunes/
    text: ''
  - title: MZ-800 Retro museum
    url: http://www.wagemann.li/subpages/mz800/
    text: A new German web site (in English) dedicated to the MZ-800
  - title: SHARP download centrum
    url: http://sharp.wz.cz/
    text: For downloading MZF files (now Czech only)
  - title: Sharp Games
    url: http://sharpgames.atspace.com
    text: Some homebrew games in develoment for the MZ
  - title: Sharp MZ-800 website
    url: http://mz-800.xf.cz
    text: Czech sharp mz-800 comunity
  - title: The Sharp Users Club
    url: http://sharpusersclub.org
    text: Very useful web site done by the UK Sharp Users Club
  - title: www.sharpmz.org
    url: http://www.sharpmz.org
    text: THE website for all MZ fans !!
  comments:
  - author: UmSchu (Germany)
    date: Wednesday 1st October 2014
    text: '@ian forshaw (uk): Correction - this are 2.8" Magnetic-Floppies'
  - author: UmSchu (Germany)
    date: Friday 26th September 2014
    text: '@ian forshaw (uk): After 10 years my answer - i have 10 pieces 2,8" Disk'
  - author: youkan (Japan)
    date: Thursday 30th June 2011
    text: It is misunderstanding that MZ-800 and MZ-1500 are almost identical. MZ-1500 is not just a Japanese version of MZ-800. They are both based on MZ-700 architecture but differently extended. MZ-1500 does not have 640x200/320x200 bitmap screen but has 8-color PCG screen (1024 PCGs consist 320x200 screen). MZ-1500 has two SN76489 while MZ-800 has one. Etc. You would easily understand it if you look at the motherboard of them.
  - author: Speedy-san (Netherlands)
    date: Monday 9th May 2011
    text: This was my very first real computer... what a great machine it was. The graphics were comparable to those on the Spectrum, but a bit more advanced I think. I have fond memories of the MZ-800 Basic, with its simple graphics commands (CIRCLE, BOX, PAINT). There were a few good games out for this machine at the time too, some that spring to mind are Zexas, Advoka, and Head Driver. The machine was quite big and heavy as I remember it, probably because of the extensive metal RF shielding on the inside, and the built-to-last tape drive. Audio wasn''t played through the TV''s speaker, but through an inbuilt speaker and was quite simple, like a PC''s beeper.
  - author: ian forshaw (uk)
    date: Wednesday 26th May 2004
    text: Can anybody tell me where to obtain quick disk 2.8"
  - author: lord (garvaland)
    date: Wednesday 14th January 2004
    text: does anyone have old mz-700/800 game called firefox?! could you please give me a link or send it? i desperately need it! thanks.
  related:
  - /museum/sharp-mz-2000
  - /museum/sharp-mz-2200
  - /museum/sharp-mz-2500
  - /museum/sharp-mz-2800
  - /museum/sharp-mz-3500
  - /museum/sharp-mz-5500-5600
  - /museum/sharp-mz-700
  - /museum/sharp-mz-80a-mz-1200
  - /museum/sharp-mz-80b
  - /museum/sharp-mz-80c
  - /museum/sharp-mz-80k
  oc_id: 208
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230606140754/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=208
    date: '2023-06-06'
---

The sharp MZ 800 was the successor of the [MZ 780](/museum/sharp-mz-700/). It was partially compatible with the 700 series and the old [MZ 80K](/museum/sharp-mz-80k/) series as well.

It was sold under three reference numbers:\
• **MZ-811** without tape drive,\
• **MZ-821** with built-in 1200-baud tape drive,\
• **MZ-831** with tape drive and built-in 4-colour printer-plotter.

The Tape drive could be substituted for a Quick-disk drive unit. The Quick-Disc was a small 2.8-inch disk with sequential access.

Like the MZ 700, there was no language in ROM, it had to be loaded from tape, quick disk or floppy disk. The ROM only contained boot code, OS calls and special code to allow the user to use the 64 KB RAM as a virtual disk.

A single or double 5.25" disk drive could be connected to the MZ 800. It then worked under a special version of CP/M called P-CP/M. Some great products like Wordstar, dBase II and Multiplan were adapted to it. Under CP/M, it was possible to read multiple disk formats from the 360 KB (Sharp format) to the 720 KB (CP/M IBM PC format).

The MZ 800 was sold in Japan under the name **SHARP MZ 1500**. The MZ 1500 had the same characteristics except its black case, a built-in Quick-Disc drive and a slighty different graphic video management.