--- title: Sord IS 11 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - Japan years: - '1983' cpus: - Zilog Z80A CMOS params: name: IS 11 image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_system_2.jpg company: /companies/sord company_name: Sord specs: - label: NAME value: IS 11 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Sord - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: Japan - label: YEAR value: '1983' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Spreadsheet, Wordprocessor, Communication software - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke keyboard, QWERTY/AZERTY, 72 keys, 4 arrow keys, 6 function keys - label: CPU value: Zilog Z80A CMOS - label: SPEED value: 3.4 MHz - label: RAM value: 32 kb (non volatile RAM, up to 64 kb) - label: ROM value: 64 kb (up to 128kb via ROM cartridge) - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 chars x 8 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 256 x 64 dots - label: COLORS value: monochrome LCD screen - label: SOUND value: built-in Beeper - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 30 (W) x 21.5 (D) x 4.8 (H) cm / 2 kg - label: I/O PORTS value: RS232C, Serial (TTL level), Parallel Centronics, Barcode reader, Expansion port (PPI), External tape-recorder, , external keypad, ROM cartridge slot (64kb max.) - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: Built-in microcassette recorder (128kb, 2000 baud) - label: OS value: PIPS - label: POWER SUPPLY value: 12v DC or Ni-Cd batteries (8h autonomy) - label: PERIPHERALS value: 3,5'' disk-drive, video interface, thermal printer, barcode reader, acoustic coupler, numeric keypad, car adapter - label: PRICE value: 1448 (France, 1984) tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - links forum_thread: 225 photos: - title: SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: A convenient full-stroke keyboard with arrows keys and six function keys. image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_system_1.jpg - title: 'CLOSE-UP #1' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_k7closeup_1.jpg - title: 'CLOSE-UP #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_k7closeup_2.jpg - title: REAR CONNECTORS subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** ROM module housing\ **(2)** External keypad connector\ **(3)** Parallel Peripheral Interface (PPI) connector\ **(4)** Trap door allowing ROM and RAM chips to be inserted/removed\ **(5)** Serial RS-232 DIN plug\ **(6)** Serial (TTL level) RJ-plug\ **(7)** Barcode reader jack\ **(8)** External AC adaptor plug\ **(9)** System reset switch\ **(10)** Continuous memory backup switch\ **(11)** LCD display contrast adjustment\ **(12)** Parallel printer connector image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_rearconnectors_1.jpg - title: MICROCASSETTE MODULE subtitle: '' text: |- Each microcassette could save about 64 KB and 9 files per side.\ Each tape side is managed like a diskette. An index at the tape start allows PIPS to have direct access to programs and data. image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_k7module_1.jpg - title: ROM MODULE subtitle: '' text: |- Here, the ROM module is filled with the word processor WP and the optional BASIC interpreter.\ Each program is holded in a 16 KB 27128 EPROM chip. image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_rommodule_1.jpg - title: MAIN BOARD subtitle: '' text: |- This board features\ \- 64 KB of built-in RAM\ \- 32 KB of optional socketted RAM\ \- 32 KB of ROM. Another 16 KB EPROM chip may be added **(1)** Parallel printer connector\ **(2)** 2 x 16 KB EPROM's holding PIPS and various utility software\ **(3)** 64 KB static RAM bank (1 x 32KB Sord chip, 4 x 5565 Toshiba chips)\ **(4)** 32 KB static RAM bank (4 x Hitachi 6264 chips)\ **(5)** External numeric keypad connector\ **(6)** Built-in keyboard connectors\ **(7)** Microcassette module remote control relay\ **(8)** Microcassette module connector\ **(9)** Built-in speaker connector\ **(10)** 3 x CPU card connectors\ **(11)** Relay allowing automatic switching beetwen internal batteries and external AC power\ **(12)** Memory backup switch\ **(13)** Microcassette module connectors image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_memoryboard_1.jpg - title: CPU BOARD subtitle: '' text: |- This card is fixed to the main board by means of three connectors. **(1)** BIOS ROM\ **(2)** Z80-A processor - Toshiba version - All the chips are CMOS versions\ **(3)** 8255 PPI chip (Programmable Peripheral Interface)\ **(4)** 6850 ACIA chip (Asynchronous Communication Interface Adapter). Here an Hitachi version\ **(5)** System clock quartz (3.3792 Mhz.)\ **(6)** AC power switch. Power is supplied by an external AC charger\ **(7)** System reset switch\ **(8)** AC adaptor connector\ **(9)** Barcode reader jack\ **(10)** Input/Output serial interface using TTL signal level\ **(11)** Serial RS-232C DIN plug\ **(12)** Parallel Peripheral Interface (PPI) connector image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_cpuboard_1.jpg - title: FRENCH USER MANUAL subtitle: '' text: |- The main purpose of the user manual is to explain integrated software use:\ \- **PIPS** Spredsheet and files manager\ \- **I-EDIT** text editor\ \- **I-CALC** calculator\ \- **I-COMM** Communication software through RS232 and serial TTL ports\ \- **I-WP** Word Processor However, it is very poor in technical information about the computer itself. image: /media/museum/photos/sord_is11_usermanual_1.jpg adverts: - title: FRENCH ADVERT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/sord_is11_pub_1.jpg - title: FRENCH ADVERT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/sord_is11_pub_2.jpg hardware: - title: CONNECTION SCHEMATICS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/sord_is11_hardware-sketch_1.jpg - title: COMPLET IS-11 subtitle: Thermal printer and numeric keypad text: |- Here both extensions are attached. The PT-11 thermal printer is a text and graphic printer. It is powered by the IS-11 batteries. It prints 40 characters a line at a rate of 10 c/s. The paper is 80mm wide. The right extension is the KB-11 numeric keypad. Apart from the classic numeric keys it has also 16 function keys on the top part. image: /media/museum/hardware/sord_is11_complete_1.jpg links: - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: '' related: - /museum/sord-is-11c oc_id: 215 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604051024/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=215 date: '2023-06-04' --- This is a nice portable computer ! It comes with a few built-in software (the 'IS' in 'IS-11' standed for 'Integrated Software'): \- P.I.P.S is a spreadsheet which can hold 45000 characters. The calculation results can be represented as graphics through pie-charts or histograms. It is also possible to declare macros which will do your common operations. Files created with PIPS can be transmitted to other computers.\ \- CALC is an intelligent calculator software which holds in memory all the operations for later reference.\ \- while EDIT is a simple editor, WP is a real processor with block editing functions and justify functions.\ \- COMM makes it possible to use the IS-11 as a terminal for another computer. You can thus consult databases, transfer files to or from the microcassette tape at a 9600 bauds rate. - there is also a tool to import files from Lotus-123, Wordstar or Supercalc to PIPS. An orignal feature is that the microcassette recorder is used as a disk-drive ! Files are indexed on the tape so you don't to have know where there are on the tape. Of course it's a bit slow but a C30 tape can hold as much as 128kb. Above the nice keyboard there are 6 functions keys which are used in most applications to navigate through the functions. To help you visualize these, F1 through F6 are written just below the screen. There is a ROM cartridge slot which can be used to plug-in new applications or extra ROM memory (up to 128kb). These ROM cartridges can hold from 8kb to 64kb. CREATIVE COMPUTING wrote in September 85 :\ "The operating system is so difficult to learn that by the time you get it down, the batteries run out." The IS-11 was followed by the IS-11B and [IS-11c](/museum/sord-is-11c/).