website/content/museum/luxor-abc-80.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Luxor ABC 80	Computers	Home Computer	Sweden	1978	Z 80	name image logo company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos hardware emulators links oc_id source ABC 80 /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_system_s1.jpg /media/museum/logos/luxor_abc80_logo.gif /companies/luxor Luxor label value NAME ABC 80 label value MANUFACTURER Luxor label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN Sweden label value YEAR 1978 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Luxor Basic label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke 55 keys label value CPU Z 80 label value SPEED 3 MHz label value RAM 16 KB (up to to 32 KB) label value ROM 16 KB label value TEXT MODES 40 x 24 (ViewData and Teletext compatible) label value GRAPHIC MODES 78 x 72 label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND 1 channel - Built-in speaker label value I/O PORTS V24 / RS232 label value BUILT IN MEDIA Optional 2 x 5.25'' disk-drives label value POWER SUPPLY Unknown label value PRICE From $1400 photos hardware emulators links 56 title subtitle text image LEFT SIDE 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. /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_leftside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image COMPLETE SYSTEM 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. /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_completesystem_s1.jpg title subtitle text image FDD UNIT Complete system with single or dual 5'' 160 KB floppy drive unit. /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_fddunit_1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP Notice the specific Swedish characters. /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_keyboardcloseup_s1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD & LOGO /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_keyboardlogo_s1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR SIDE **(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. /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_rear_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE The keyboard was made in Japan by Keytronic /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_inside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MAIN BOARD EXPLAINED **(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. /media/museum/photos/luxor_abc80_mainboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image ABC-821 Tape recorder The nice and sophisticated Luxor tape recorder with sensitive keys. /media/museum/hardware/luxor_abc80_taperecorder_s1.jpg title url platform text ABC 80 Emulator by Erik Isaksson http://www.lysator.liu.se/~exon/archive.html MS DOS works also with Windows title url platform text WinABC80 http://www.lysator.liu.se/~exon/archive.html Windows ABC-80 emulator by Erik Isaksson title url platform text MESS http://www.mess.org Multiplatform MESS also emulates the ABC-80 computer title url text Gorän Lundberg's web site http://www.hultsfred.org/luxor.htm Good information about Luxor computers (Swedish) 37 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230604072542/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=37 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 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.