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title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params
title categories types origins years cpus params
LAMBDA ELECTRONICS LTD PC 8300
Computers
Home Computer
Hong Kong
1983
NEC D780C-1
name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware screenshots emulators links docs related oc_id source
PC 8300 /media/museum/photos/power-3000_1s.jpg /companies/lambda-electronics-ltd LAMBDA ELECTRONICS LTD
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NAME PC 8300
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MANUFACTURER Lambda Electronics Ltd
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TYPE Home Computer
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ORIGIN Hong Kong
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YEAR 1983
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BUILT IN LANGUAGE Basic
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KEYBOARD Flat membrane rubber keyboard, 42 keys, QWERTY
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CPU NEC D780C-1 (Z80A clone)
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SPEED 3,25 MHz
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RAM 2 KB
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ROM 8 KB
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TEXT MODES 32 x 24
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GRAPHIC MODES 64 x 48 (through semi-graphic symbols)
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COLORS Black & white
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SOUND 1 voice sound generator
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SIZE / WEIGHT 295 x 150 x 55 mm / 700 gr
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I/O PORTS DC Power in, Tape interface (EAR & MIC), Composite video output, RF TV video output, expansion bus, joystick connector
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POWER SUPPLY External power supply (12v) - -(o- +
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PERIPHERALS 16 KB & 32 KB RAM memory upgrades, Color Kit expansion, joystick, printer
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PRICE $29.95 (USA, 198x)
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PC 8300 Thanks to Riotutgut for this picture /media/museum/photos/power-3000_1.jpg
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BACK OF THE SYSTEM From left to right : - Power in from external PSU (12v, - -(o- +)\ - Tape interface (EAR & MIC)\ - Video composite output\ - Expansion bus used here by a 16 KB RAM memory upgrade\ - joystick connector\ - RF TV video output Thanks to Riotutgut for this picture /media/museum/photos/power-3000_back.jpg
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US ADVERT (1985?) This is an advert for the Power 3000 released in the USA. Thanks to [Adam's Lambda 8300 page](http://hem.passagen.se/clab/adam/lambda/) for this picture. /media/museum/pubs/lambda_8300_pub_1.jpg
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32 KB RAM EXPANSION This expansion turns your PC 8300 into a 32 KB RAM computer ! Was priced $19.95 in 1985 (?) Thanks to [Adam's Lambda 8300 page](http://hem.passagen.se/clab/adam/lambda/) for this picture. /media/museum/hardware/lambda_8300_32k_1.jpg
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COLOR KIT This expansion gives colour (and hires graphic ?)possibilities to the PC 8300. It connects to the expansion bus of the system AND to the video output of the computer, as it replaces the video hardware of the PC 8300. It was priced $19.95 in 1985 (?) More info needed ! Thanks to [Adam's Lambda 8300 page](http://hem.passagen.se/clab/adam/lambda/) for this picture. /media/museum/hardware/lambda_8300_color-kit_1.jpg
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64 KB from Suntroncis Suntronics T/S 1000 & ZX81 64K Memory Pack (Male Socket on Back, Female Socket on Front). /media/museum/hardware/timex_1000-suntronics-64k_1.jpg
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TIMEX SINCLAIR 1016 16k RAM extension /media/museum/hardware/timex_sinclair-1000_16kram-1016.jpg
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BOOT SCREEN /media/museum/software/lambda_8300_boot_ss.gif
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EightyOne http://www.chuntey.com/eightyone/ Windows Excellent emulator emulating nearly all ZX computers (80, 81, Spectrums, Timex, etc.). As well as emulating the machines themselves, numerous addon cards are supported, including hi-res graphics, custom character sets, sound and colour cards.
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VB81 http://freestuff.grok.co.uk/vb81/ Windows Sinclair ZX81 Emulator (with Visual Basic sources). Excellent emulator
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X-Tender http://www.delhez.demon.nl/ Windows The best ZX emulator for PC compatibles
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ZX 81 Homepage http://www.maxon.de/homes/r_kurz/ Windows
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ZX81 http://www.w-4.de/~kurz/ Apple
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XZ81 http://www.zx81.nl/ Unix / Linux And other ZX-81 emulators there...
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ZX-81 Emulator 2.1 http://www.hh.schule.de/hhs/mjaap/ftp/zx81_v21.zip Atari
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Java ZX81 Emulator http://home.clara.net/rsergeant/ Other platform Java emulator
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Timex/Sinclair 1000 Emulator (Java) http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html#ts1000 Other platform With this JAVA emulator, you'll be able to run a Timex/Sinclair 1000 in your browser window
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zx81emu http://www.tlienhard.com/ap800.shtml Other platform ZX-81 Emulator for the SonyEricsson P800 Smart Phone
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MESS http://www.mess.org Multiplatform MESS emulates the ZX-81, Lambda 8300, Power 3000 and other clones !
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Achromic's ZX81 Site http://zx81.achromic.co.uk/ A small, ZX81 fan site. With games and links to some emulators
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DOCUMENTATION http://www.8bit.ht.st/ The Lil Old Sinclair Computer Technical Information Repository
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DOCUMENTATION http://web.ukonline.co.uk/sinclair.zx81/ ZX-81 on-line manual. Great work !
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Jame's Sinclair ZX-81 Page http://james.istop.com/zx81/ Some technical infos and links
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Lambda 8300 page http://hem.passagen.se/clab/adam/lambda/ The only website dedicated to this system !
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Planet Sinclair http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/computers/zx81/zx81.htm Planet Sinclair has very interesting information on the ZX-81
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Sinclair ZX Hardware Website http://www.xs4all.nl/~echorod/zx/index.htm Features designs to build your own Sinclair computer
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The ZX81 Hardware and Software Collection http://zx81.atspace.com/ Online museum for ZX81 hardware, software and literature
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TS1000.US http://www.ts1000.us/ Documentation, software, hardware tips and more
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Zebra Systems, Inc. http://www.zebrasystems.com/zebrasystems/zx81/index.html Website where you can buy Timex/Sinclair products including ZX-81 kits !
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ZX81 Collection http://www.zx81stuff.org.uk/ Online collection of ZX81 tapes, books and hardware
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ZX-81 forum http://zx81.tlienhard.com/ A new ZX-81 forum. cool.
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ZX81 Home Page http://www.honneamise.u-net.com/zx81/ FAQ and ZX81 Charts.
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ZX-81 The Archive http://www.imarshall.karoo.net/zx81/zx81technical.htm Lot of info here
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ZX-81 webring http://www.zx81.de/webring/index.htm Very useful to explore other ZX-81 related sites
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ZX-Team Homepage http://www.zx81.de/ Quite a reference for the ZX-80, ZX-81, TS1000-1500, PC8300, Lambda and Jupiter Ace !
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ZX-TEAM-homepage & ZX-81 Web-Ring http://www.zx81.de/ Logically useful
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Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com Sinclair computers
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SINCLAIR ZX-81 BASIC PROGRAMMING ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/books/ZX81BASICProgramming.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/sinclair_zx81_basic-programming.jpg [**SINCLAIR ZX-81 BASIC PROGRAMMING**](ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/books/ZX81BASICProgramming.pdf)written by Sinclair Research Limited / Steven Vickers  compiled/archived by Robin Stuart\  type of document : PDF\  size : 5,2 MB\  source : [www.worldofspectrum.org](http://www.worldofspectrum.org/) **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :**
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TIMEX SINCLAIR 1000 - USER MANUAL http://www.ts1000.us/usermanuals.htm /media/museum/docs/couvs/timex-sinclair_1000_user-manual.jpg [**TIMEX SINCLAIR 1000 - USER MANUAL**](http://www.ts1000.us/usermanuals.htm)written by Timex / Sinclair / Steven Vickers  compiled/archived by Bill Hicks\  type of document : PDF\  size : 3.5 MB\  source : [www.ts1000.us](http://www.ts1000.us/) **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :**
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THE COMPLETE TIMEX TS1000 & SINCLAIR ZX81 ROM DISASSEMBLY null /media/museum/docs/couvs/sinclair_zx81_rom-disasembly.jpg **THE COMPLETE TIMEX TS1000 & SINCLAIR ZX81 ROM DISASSEMBLY**\ written by Dr. Ian Logan & Dr. Frank O'Hara  compiled/archived by Bill Hicks\  type of document : PDF\  size : 5 MB\  source : [www.ts1000.us](http://www.ts1000.us/) **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :**
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TIMEX SINCLAIR 2020 COMPUTER PROGRAM RECORDER null /media/museum/docs/couvs/ts2020_tape-recorder_manual.jpg **TIMEX SINCLAIR 2020 COMPUTER PROGRAM RECORDER**\ written by Timex Computer Corporation  compiled/archived by Bill Hicks / www.ts1000.us\  type of document : Online reader **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :**
/museum/czerweny-cz-1000
/museum/czerweny-cz-1000-plus
/museum/microace
/museum/sinclair-zx-80
/museum/sinclair-zx-81
/museum/timex-sinclair-1000
/museum/tonel-pc
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url date
https://web.archive.org/web/20230608083336/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1168 2023-06-08

The Lambda 8300 is basically a ZX-81 clone. Made in Hong-Kong (by Lambda Electronics LTD? DEF?), it was designed as a cheap computer for initiation and was licenced to many companies throughout the world. This explains why the same computer can be found under many different brands and names (DEF 3000, Power 3000, Basic 2000, Basic 3000, PC 2000, PC 8300, Marathon 32K, IQ 8300, Futura 8300, Your Computer, etc.). But on all mainboards is written a generic "PC 8300", which explains why 8300 or 3000 are often used in licenced names.

The system is thus a cloned ZX-81 with a modified ROM (to avoid legal problems), a better keyboard, more RAM (2 KB), sound features, a composite video output and even a joystick connector (Atari compatible). These represent in fact all the upgrades ZX-81 users usually wanted to add first to their system, but all bundled for a cheaper price.

With its modified ROM, the PC-8300 was only ZX-81 compatible with Basic programs. But soon, a ZX-81 ROM was available to turn your system into a real Sinclair ZX-81 machine, being able to run all software including machine code.

Different addons were available : 16 KB and 32 KB RAM upgrades, color (and high resolution graphics ?) expansion, joysticks, printers... The expansion bus is supposed to be compatible with the ZX-81 one (to be confirmed).


Lambda in Norway, by Knut-Ivar Robertsen:
I do believe that the Lambda was marketed in Norway by some sort of "order through mail company" with the name Marathon. A friend of mine had one. He had a memory expansion pack plugged in the bus on the back of it which gave it a total amount of memory of 32kB. It was as far as I can rememberer completely compatible with the ZX 81. We typed in some ZX 81 games in BASIC from magazines on it and they worked fine.

Lamda in Denmark, by Michael Hansen:
In Denmark it was sold as the "Lambda". It was in the shops and a hell of a lot better than the ZX-81 - if you can use the term "better" about a machine that has less computing power than today's average shaver :-)
The main advantage of this machine was the "ghost" and "car" keys... It gave the games an unreal feel of reality, hehe!