--- title: Luxor ABC 80 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - Sweden years: - '1978' cpus: - Z 80 params: name: ABC 80 image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_system_s1.jpg logo: /media/museum/logos/luxor_abc80_logo.gif company: /companies/luxor company_name: Luxor specs: - label: NAME value: ABC 80 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Luxor - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: Sweden - label: YEAR value: '1978' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Luxor Basic - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke 55 keys - label: CPU value: Z 80 - label: SPEED value: 3 MHz - label: RAM value: 16 KB (up to to 32 KB) - label: ROM value: 16 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 x 24 (ViewData and Teletext compatible) - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 78 x 72 - label: COLORS value: Monochrome - label: SOUND value: 1 channel - Built-in speaker - label: I/O PORTS value: V24 / RS232 - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: Optional 2 x 5.25'' disk-drives - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Unknown - label: PRICE value: From $1400 tabs: - photos - hardware - emulators - links forum_thread: 56 photos: - title: LEFT SIDE subtitle: '' text: The monitor was a modified TV set produced by Luxor. The receiver module was replaced with a second power supply unit which supplied power to the computer. image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_leftside_s1.jpg - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: |- Complete system with Power supply unit and Luxor tape recorder.\ The power supply unit allowed to use a standard TV SET through the aerial plug. In addition to the supply unit, it contained a TV modulator and a loudspeaker. image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_completesystem_s1.jpg - title: FDD UNIT subtitle: '' text: Complete system with single or dual 5'' 160 KB floppy drive unit. image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_fddunit_1.jpg - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: Notice the specific Swedish characters. image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_keyboardcloseup_s1.jpg - title: KEYBOARD & LOGO subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_keyboardlogo_s1.jpg - title: REAR SIDE subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Tape recorder DIN plug\ **(2)** Tape recorder remote control jack\ **(3)** Power supply input and video output connector\ **(4)** This sliding index card could be pulled from underneath the computer to get commands summary of the Basic language\ **(5)** Z80 address and data lines bus connector, mainly intended for the floppy drive unit\ **(6)** Serial RS232 DB9 connector\ **(7)** Reset switch. image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_rear_s1.jpg - title: INSIDE subtitle: '' text: The keyboard was made in Japan by Keytronic image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_inside_s1.jpg - title: MAIN BOARD EXPLAINED subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** Keyboard connector\ **(2)** Z80 PIO Parallel Input/Output controller\ **(3)** Z80 processor\ **(4)** 4 x 4K ROM chips hold the Basic interpreter\ **(5)** Video RAM chips 2 x 2114 (1K x 4 bit static RAM)\ **(6)** 16 KB RAM chips. 8 x 4116 (16K x 1 bit)\ **(7)** TI-76477 sound generator. While it was a fairly competent sound generator, most of the chip's control inputs were analogue and thus "prohibitively expensive" to interface to a computer in the optimal way. Instead, it was hard-wired to a latch, which gave it only 256 sound settings, half of which were silent. image: /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_mainboard_s1.jpg hardware: - title: ABC-821 subtitle: Tape recorder text: The nice and sophisticated Luxor tape recorder with sensitive keys. image: /media/museum/hardware/luxor_abc80_taperecorder_s1.jpg emulators: - title: ABC 80 Emulator by Erik Isaksson url: http://www.lysator.liu.se/~exon/archive.html platform: MS DOS text: works also with Windows - title: WinABC80 url: http://www.lysator.liu.se/~exon/archive.html platform: Windows text: ABC-80 emulator by Erik Isaksson - title: MESS url: http://www.mess.org platform: Multiplatform text: MESS also emulates the ABC-80 computer links: - title: Gorän Lundberg's web site url: http://www.hultsfred.org/luxor.htm text: Good information about Luxor computers (Swedish) oc_id: 37 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604072542/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=37 date: '2023-06-04' --- In August 1978, first units of the "Advanced Basic Computer for the 1980s", in short ABC-80 left the Swedish Luxor factory. A few months earlier, Luxor contracted with two other companies, Scandia Metric and Data Industrier AB (DIAB), to build the first totally Swedish computer. Scandia Metrics which had previous experience of computer based products designed the main board, DIAB manufactured the chips, while Luxor, one of the biggest TV set manufacturers, built the monitor, case and keyboard and assembled the whole system in its assembly plant of Motala (Sweden, at the northeast shore of Swedens second largest sea, Vättern). Despite the fact that the technology behind the ABC 80 was very simple and technical features wasn't better than US competitors, the ABC80 was a quality machine and became a great success among early Swedish computer enthusiasts, who had been waiting for a long time a real local computer. More than 10.000 computers were sold within two years. For six years, the ABC80 and then its sequel the ABC800, were by far the most sold and used personal computers in Sweden, for home, hobby, and especially education. Many schools in Sweden had ABC 80 or [ABC 800](/museum/luxor-abc-800-series/) for the students. It was possible to connect together several ABC 80 thanks to a network called ABC NET. In 1984, the ABC1600 and ABC9000, two Unix systems, were launched with the slogan "Who needs to be IBM compatible?"... They were the last Luxor computers produced.