website/content/museum/telcon-industries-zorba.md

---
title: Telcon Industries Zorba
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Portable
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- Z80-A
params:
  name: Zorba
  image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_system_1.jpg
  company: /companies/telcon-industries
  company_name: Telcon Industries
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Zorba
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Telcon Industries
  - label: TYPE
    value: Portable
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1983'
  - label: END OF PRODUCTION
    value: '1984'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Detachable 95 keys with 19 function keys and numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: Z80-A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 4 Mhz.
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: Unknown
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 chars. x 25 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome. 7'' green CRT
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 11 Kg.
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Serial, Parallel, IEEE-488
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: 2 x 380 KB 5'' diskette drives, single or double density
  - label: OS
    value: CP/M
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in Power SupplyUnit (No batteries)
  - label: PRICE
    value: $1,595
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  photos:
  - title: LARGE VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_system_2.jpg
  - title: RIGHT SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_rightside_1.jpg
  - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP
    subtitle: ''
    text: A complete and good quality keyboard with a numeric keypad, arrow keys and 19 function keys. Three of them have a control LED
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_keyboard_2.jpg
  - title: FRONT SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Notice that the power plug is oddly located on the front panel.
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_frontside_1.jpg
  - title: FRONT SIDE UNCOVERED
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** Power switch and contrast button, like old radio sets\
      **(2)** 'logic' reset switch for warm boot\
      **(3)** Keyboard RJ11 connector\
      **(4)** 'Hard' reset switch. It simply disconnects the power supply from the main board!
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_frontuncover_1.jpg
  - title: REAR SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From left to right:\
      • Parallel or Serial connector. The selection was made by software\
      • Composite video RCA plug\
      • Second serial connector\
      • IEEE 488 connector
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_rearside_1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** Switching power supply unit\
      **(2)** Dual Canon double side single density floppy drives\
      **(3)** Video board
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_inside_1.jpg
  - title: MAINBOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **(1)** Western Digital floppy disc controller\
      **(2)** 64 KB RAM chips (Motorola 6665)\
      **(3)** Motorola 6821 PIA used for FD and Parallel interfaces\
      **(4)** BIOS ROM\
      **(5)** 3 x Intel 8251 UART used for keyboard, printer and communication ports\
      **(6)** Intel 8254 counter/timer\
      **(7)** Second 6821 PIA in charge of the IEEE-488 interface\
      **(8)** Z80 DMA, memory management chip\
      **(9)** Z80 processor, here a Mostek version\
      **(10)** Intel 8275 CRT controller and character generator ROM\
      **(11)** Composite video add-on card
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_mainboard_1.jpg
  - title: MANUFACTURER LABEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: This computer seems having been manufactured during the 46th week of 1983
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_label_1.jpg
  - title: CARRYING BAG
    subtitle: ''
    text: This bag was essential because of the thinness and fragility of the Zorba's plastic case.
    image: /media/museum/photos/telcon_zorba_bag_1.jpg
  adverts:
  - title: FIRST AD.
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      January 1983

      Telcon needed customers payments before manufacturing the systems:

      Upon receipt of your check, we will forward an end-user agreement. Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery of the units.
    image: /media/museum/pubs/telcon_zorba_pub_1.jpg
  comments:
  - author: nolan
    date: Monday 14th May 2018
    text: |-
      to: Mike McAuliffe\
      If still available, I am interested in your Zorba 7 computer. Please, contact me: nolan77 at gmail dot com
  - author: John Roberts (Bethesda, MD USA)
    date: Friday 9th March 2018
    text: |-
      I''ve been looking for a reasonably priced Gemini 9-inch Amber Zorba computer in excellent condition. The Zorba was a great computer, but the drives were the weak link. What I''d love to have is one of these with a USB port! The drive bays could be just for show.

      If anyone has a Gemini Zorba with working drives they''d be willing to sell, I''d love to have one to type a book on. Just $ me a line.
  - author: Mike McAuliffe (Brisbane, Australia 4061)
    date: Monday 5th November 2012
    text: |-
      Hi, I have inherited a Zorba 7 in excellent condition and complete with printed manual.\
      Any takers?\
      Make an offer.

      Cheers,\
      Mike
  - author: Pete Gandy (USA)
    date: Thursday 18th February 2010
    text: |-
      Actually after this model there was another.\
      It was the Gemini Zorba.\
      I have one in working condition. I purchased in February of 1985 a couple of weeks after a house fire destroyed the original as displayed on this site.\
      The Gemini Zorba I have has a nine inch amber monitor, two double density double sided drives with push in slot rather than the doors like this.\
      I also have bundled software, WortStar, DataStar, CalcStar.\
      I purchased a kit and added an Intel board with 8086 and 256K of ram mounted on the side of the inboard FD.
  oc_id: 637
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230331133809/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=637
    date: '2023-03-31'
---

The Zorba is one of the last 8 bits portable computer running the CP/M operating system. Its features were almost identical to the [Kaypro II](/museum/kaypro-ii/).

The Zorba was first manufactured and sold by Telcon, a company specialized in telecomunication equipments manufacturing.

For $190 more, the user could order the **Perfect Software Package** including the 'Perfect Writer' word processor, the 'Perfect Speller' spell checker, the 'Perfect Filer' database manager and the 'Perfect Calc' spreadsheet.

Having spent a lot of money designing the Zorba, Telcon was seeking for new investors to market its portable and settle a network sales. It was then bought up by **ModComp** (Modular Computer), a company specialized in mini-computer manufacturing. A group called **Modular Micro Group**, specialized in Zorba marketing was created. In spite of that, results were very bad and one year after its launch date, Zorba computers stock was sold to a company specialized in selling off surplus stocks, wich sold them at a very low price.

Zorba users were nevertheless very satisfied. They were able to read practically every existing CP/M floppy format. Its several video emulations (H19/Z19/VT52) allowed them to run virtually any existing CP/M software.