website/content/museum/kaypro-10.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Kaypro 10	Computers	Transportable	U.S.A.	1983	Z80A	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts links docs related oc_id source Kaypro 10 /media/museum/photos/kaypro_10_system_1.jpg /companies/kaypro Kaypro label value NAME Kaypro 10 label value MANUFACTURER Kaypro label value TYPE Transportable label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1983 label value KEYBOARD Detachable, 72 key typewriter style keyboard with 18 programmable keys. label value CPU Z80A label value SPEED 4 MHz label value RAM 64 KB label value VRAM 4 KB label value ROM 2 KB label value TEXT MODES 80 x 25 label value GRAPHIC MODES 160 x 100 label value COLORS built-in 9'' non-glare green phosphor screen label value SOUND Unknown label value SIZE / WEIGHT 450 x 200 x 385 mm / 12.5 Kg label value I/O PORTS One Centronics-type parallel port, two RS232C serial ports label value BUILT IN MEDIA One 5.25'' floppy disk drive (double-density, double sided, 390 KB) + optional 10 MB hard-disk label value OS CP/M, ZCPR (enhanced CP/M) label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in PSU label value PRICE $2795 photos adverts links docs 160 title subtitle text image KAYPRO 10 /media/museum/photos/kaypro_10_system_2.jpg title subtitle text image KAYPRO 10 /media/museum/photos/kaypro_k10_4.jpg title subtitle text image BACK From left to right :\ - on/off switch (black) and fuse,\ - Reset button (red),\ - Parallel printer output,\ - Serial printer output,\ - Modem,\ - Contrast knob. /media/museum/photos/kaypro_k10_back_1.jpg title subtitle text image D. A. KAY The "father" of the Kaypros, is proud of this Kaypro 10. /media/museum/photos/kaypro_da-kay.jpg title subtitle text image 84'S PARIS-DAKAR RACE A KAYPRO IV IN ACTION SOMEWHERE IN AFRICA 8 Kaypro IV and 2 Kaypro 10 were used by the doctors of the Paris-Dakar race 84's edition. The Kaypro IVs were used to store medical information about the 1000 participants. Power was provided by the Mercedes cars through the 12v cigarette lighters. The Kaypro 10s were kept in the "communication" plane during the day, and were used to centralize all the informations in the evening. At the end of the race, and after 12000 km of tracks, there were all running fine ! One of the Kaypro 10 is said to have been thrown out of the plane, mistaken with a common metallic tool box... And it still worked ! /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_paris-dakar_2.jpg title subtitle text image FRENCH ADVERT (1984) "Kaypro, it runs" ! "Kaypro, the computer which can be carried away" "Elected Transportable Computer of the year" /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_pub_camarche.gif title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com title url cover text KAYPRO TECHNICAL MANUAL null /media/museum/docs/couvs/kaypro_technical_manual.jpg **KAYPRO TECHNICAL MANUAL**\ written by Kaypro  compiled/archived by Unknown\  type of document : Online reader **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** /museum/kaypro-1 /museum/kaypro-2x /museum/kaypro-4 /museum/kaypro-ii /museum/kaypro-iv /museum/kaypro-robie 148 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230413211536/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=148 2023-04-13

The Kaypro 10 was a well known CP/M computer. It is one of the last portable under CP/M. Non Linear Systems had already changed their name to Kaypro when this PC shipped. The company changed its name in 82 and the K10 came out in 83.

There were two versions, including one with a real-time clock (National MM58167 chip) and a built-in modem (300 baud, Belle System 103 compatibility, uses Texas Instruments TMS-99531/TMS-99532).

The Kaypro 10 was supplied with a lot of great programs: CP/M 80, the Perfect software suite (Perfect Writer, Perfect Calc, Perfect Filer), WordStar (word processor), dBase II (database), Superterm (terminal emulator) and two BASICs (Microsoft's BASIC and SBASIC, which was a compiler version written by Gilbert, the head of Kaypro's software engineering.).

The great success of the Kaypro 10 led "Non Linear Systems" to change their name officially to Kaypro in 1982. The Non-Linear part continued making test equipment.

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Igor Pronin reports :
As a proud owner of K10 I have to back Rick Barlett: it was good design and the price was right. I paid about 20000 FIM (roughly 6500 USD then, which was about my 2 months salary as a software programmer) when I bought one (with 10 MegaByte hard disk) back in 1983. It still is in my garage.

Darrell Pittman reports :
It was the first luggable that had a built-in, shock-mounted hard disk. I once read a story about a guy who took one out to an oil-drilling site, left it on the ground and a pickup truck ran over it, and it still ran!

DOS versions by Gene Crick:
Although the Kaypro II was a CPM machine, at least some Kaypro 10s ran DOS. I know as I have two of them. Was there a midstream change from CPM to DOS?