website/content/museum/sord-is-11.md

---
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/).