website/content/museum/zenith-data-systems-z-171-pc.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Zenith Data Systems Z-171 PC	Computers	Portable	U.S.A.	1985	Intel 80C88	name company company_name specs tabs photos adverts links comments oc_id source Z-171 PC /companies/zenith-data-systems Zenith Data Systems label value NAME Z-171 PC label value MANUFACTURER Zenith Data Systems label value TYPE Portable label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1985 label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard. 76 mechanical keys and 14 touch-sensitive functions keys label value CPU Intel 80C88 label value SPEED 4,77 MHz label value RAM 256 KB (640 KB max.) label value ROM Unknown label value TEXT MODES 80 x 25 label value GRAPHIC MODES 640 x 200 (CGA) label value COLORS back-lighted monochome blue LCD display label value SOUND Sound 80 Ohm, 2-inch built-in speaker label value SIZE / WEIGHT 32,5(W) x 25,1(H) x 14,1(D) cm. Weight : 6 Kg. label value I/O PORTS Parallel connector, Serial connector, Monitor video output, RGB video output (located on the optional video board), phone (built-in modem), expansion bus label value BUILT IN MEDIA 2 x 5.25'' disk-drives (360 KB each) label value OS MS-DOS label value POWER SUPPLY External AC adapter or battery powered label value PRICE 27 500 F (France, september 1985) photos adverts links title subtitle text image Z-171 PC null title subtitle text image FRENCH ADVERT (1987) "Students have a heap particularity which we cared about" null title url text Nick Holland's web site http://www.nickh.org/warstories/floppy.html Funny story about a broken Z-171 ! title url text Review in Infoworld 1986 issue http://books.google.com/books?id=XC8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=quadram+corp+lunchbox+pc&source=bl&ots=uFb_tIFXdi&sig=iU7xiZSjbhmvu40dLZ6t5N0bCxc&hl=en&ei=KsVWTK_0O4u8sQP7jpjaAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false author date text 777 777 (St. Joseph Michigan) Friday 6th April 2012 When I transferred from HeathKit to ZDS, this was the first project I worked on. Spent a lot of time getting a HDD running it it. Then they canceled the project. author date text Daniel Goodland (Canada) Thursday 22nd September 2016 I''m trying to remember mine - I was pretty certain it was a Texas Instruments - and had a handle on the top. I know I was able to run WordPerfect 4.1 off the 5 1/4 on it. I could still turn it on when I left it (and my 8086) with the Oshawa computer museum long long ago... http://www.pcmuseum.ca/ author date text William Schaub (United States) Tuesday 1st May 2012 Me and my uncle got two of these at a flea market for 20$ a piece sometime in the mid 90s. I used a boot floppy with Procomm Plus to turn it into a nice portable dumb terminal. I introduced my uncle to BBSes with it. I also used it to get on the net using a dialup shell account. I had a 386 at home running FreeBSD at the time. but when I would go visit my uncle or go other places I would use this neat little machine to chat on IRC and check email using the built in 1200BPS modem. I may still have one of these in storage somewhere. I think the guy at the fleamarket was selling a whole pallet of them that were surplus from the IRS modernizing their systems. author date text Bob Cowart (USA) Thursday 9th September 2010 This machine was also successfully sold by Quadram, of Norcross, GA. They made memory cards and video boards for PC''s as well. The Quadram Datavue 25 had a 25-line LCD and detachable IR keyboard. It was available in several different models, with backlight LCD, reflective LCD, and orange gas plasma (as I recall). There was a RAM drive option that made the reflective LCD version very fast and energy efficient. I used these units for authoring several books. Using a task-switcher program such as Software Carousel, I could run dBase III, Wordstar, Sidekick, etc., which were all loaded into the RAM drive, and switch between them with a keystroke. This was before Windows, but allowed me to work in a multi-tasking style. I''d save my writing to floppy regularly, to avoid loosing my work if the battery died or there was a lockup. All the programs I used were loaded into the RAM drive when I booted from the 5-1/4" floppy. All-all, I hold that the Datavue was superior to the Osborne or Zenith clones of this first LCD lunchbox offering by Vandem, primarily because of the RAM drive and detachable, wireless keyboard. It also ran silent. There was no fan. author date text Thumper (Alabama, United States) Monday 24th May 2010 In honor of the Z-171''s older brother, the Osborne Encore receiving the Computer of the Day honor, I just scanned the literature for the Z-171 and added it to the archive at\ http://www.thecomputerarchive.com/2010-05-24/230 (click on the thumbnail to view a text-searchable PDF.) Enjoy! author date text Paula (USA) Thursday 13rd May 2010 My first Desktop Computer experience was with this model. I worked for the Navy. The older men were scared of it. I had learned FORTRAN with keypunch cards and a Mainframe in college therefore I had the most computer experience in the office. So they put one on my desk, told me to figure it out and then tell everyone how to use it. I did it and haven''t stopped working on computers ever since. author date text Mark Monday 3rd November 2008 i remember having to open up and resseat the memory chips on a regular basis. they were constantly working loose. author date text thomas (birmingham) Sunday 19th August 2007 i just got me one at a hamfest and i don,t know what version of dos to get with it author date text Galgo (Jerusalem,ISRAEL) Thursday 29th July 2004 I just took apart a working unit and used the Box frame for another project. All the "insides" are still in perfect working condition and i'm ready to donate any of the them as parts for the S&H cost only (from Jerusalem , ISRAEL). 897 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20221205121615/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=897 2022-12-05

This innovative portable computer was one of the first to have a LCD display which was back-lighted! It also was one of the very earliest battery powered portable IBM compatible computers.

This lunchbox system was in fact made by Vadem and OEM'd by Zenith (Z170/Z171), Morrow (the Pivot), Osborne (Encore), and maybe others.

It was an excellent IBM compatible portable system, and was sold in considerable quantities to the US government and Navy.
Amazingly, this machine was Year 2000 compliant. In fact, the internal clock goes up to 2015.

Read the Osborne Encore for more info.

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.