---
title: Hobbit
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- Russia
years:
- '1990'
cpus:
- UA800
params:
  name: Hobbit
  company: /companies/hobbit
  company_name: HOBBIT
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Hobbit
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Hobbit
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Russia
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1990'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Sinclair BASIC
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full stroke 88 keys with function keys and numeric keypad. 33 reprogrammable keys, supports cyrillic/roman/arabic alphabets
  - label: CPU
    value: UA800 (Russian Z80A clone)
  - label: SPEED
    value: 3.58 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 Kb (could be switched in 48 Kb mode)
  - label: VRAM
    value: 6.5 Kb
  - label: ROM
    value: 16 Kb
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 32 chars. x 24 lines (80 x 24 in CP/M mode)
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 256 x 192 dots
  - label: COLORS
    value: '16'
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: System bus, Parallel, Serial RS232, 3 joystick ports (1 x Kepston, 2 x Sinclair), socket for language ROMs, TV out, TTL monitor out
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: None
  - label: OS
    value: BETA (CP/M clone), network drivers (100 Kbaud)
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: External power supply unit - 5v, 1.5A, 220-240v
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: Up to 4 5.25'' FDD, tape recorder, printer, joystick, lightpen, mouse, HDD with special patch, later version came with built in 3,5'' FDD
  - label: PRICE
    value: About $170 equivalent
  oc_id: 955
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230324124846/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=955
    date: '2023-03-24'
---

Many Spectrum clones were designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union or Russia, among them **Spektr 48**, **Moskva**, **Robik** and **Sprinter**. Some of them greatly surpassed the features of the original Sinclair [Spectrum](/museum/sinclair-zx-spectrum/).

The Hobbit was one of the most famous Speccy clones. It was a quite powerful system, mainly used in education, and also known in some Western European countries.

Like in many Eastern clones, the processor was a Russian version of the Z80A (UA800). However, the Hobbit had several powerful additional features: CP/M mode, Shadow mode allowing numerous BASIC extensions, various EEPROM configurations with additional languages like LOGO, Pascal, C or FORTH, network capabilities...

The early version of the Hobbit was a very limited edition and stoped being manufactured around early 1990. But at that time, another manufacturer called **InterCompex** changed it into the later version with numeric keypad and more features.

The Rage Hard magazine wrote about the Hobbit: "The Hobbit is a Soviet Spectrum clone that does everything Uncle Clive built into the original Speccy, plus lot of the things he forgot..." :-)

After switching on the Hobbit, you could see classic Sinclair screen, but in the Russian Cyrillic language. Furthermore, there was a special key allowing the user to switch between the Cyrillic or Latin alphabets.

One of the most amazing features was something like the early RAID system. In a Hobbit network, if some Hobbit in the network crashed during work, the "master" Hobbit could recover files and data from it.

Thanks to **Vladimir Kopacek** for information and **Dimitri Kokken** for the picture

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>