website/content/museum/robotron-kc-85-1-z-9001.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Robotron KC 85/1 - Z 9001	Computers	Home Computer	Germany	1984	U880 D	name company company_name specs tabs photos links docs comments related oc_id source KC 85/1 - Z 9001 /companies/robotron Robotron label value NAME KC 85/1 - Z 9001 label value MANUFACTURER Robotron label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN Germany label value YEAR 1984 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1987 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE KC 85/1 OS, HC OS label value KEYBOARD QWERTZ-Layout, 65 keys. VERY hard to type with label value CPU U880 D (Z80 clone) label value SPEED 1,75 Mhz label value RAM 17 KB (16 KB free), expandable to 64 KB max. label value VRAM 2 KB label value ROM 6 KB (4 KB OS + 2 KB character map) label value TEXT MODES 40x24 characters (switchable to 40x20) label value GRAPHIC MODES Graphics only possible with 128 pre-defined graphic and 96 text symbols in text mode (8x8 pixels size) label value COLORS B/W, optional color module (then 8 foreground & 8 background colors) label value SOUND Integrated beeper; Mono sound module with 8 volumes & 6 octaves label value SIZE / WEIGHT 400x300x85 mm / 4,1 Kg label value I/O PORTS B/W TV output through HF-modulator, Tape interface (DIN), I/0 connector (DIN), 2 Joysticks connectors, 4 module slots\ After RGB-Upgrade: 1 connector for 2 Joysticks, 1 connector for RGB color output label value BUILT IN MEDIA none; external cassette player required (connected via DIN connector) label value OS KC 85/1 OS, HC OS label value POWER SUPPLY ca. 25 W label value PERIPHERALS Color upgrade, Sound module, Basic on ROM, 16 KB RAM modules, 10 KB module with room for self-programmed ROM’s, ADC module, DAC module label value PRICE 1500 Marks photos links docs title subtitle text image Z-9001 MODEL Thanks to [WWW.HEIMCOMPUTER.DE](http://www.heimcomputer.de) for this picture null title subtitle text image EXPANSION MODULES / CARTRIDGES This picture shows a Basic module and RAM module plugged into the two expansion slots. Thanks to [WWW.HEIMCOMPUTER.DE](http://www.heimcomputer.de) for this picture null title url text KC Club http://www.kc-club.de/ Nice german site full of info! title url text UPKA http://www.upka.de/ lots of documentations in PDF (German) title url cover text KC87 & Z9001 MANUALS AND DIAGRAMS, IN GERMAN null /media/museum/docs/couvs/vide.gif **KC87 & Z9001 MANUALS AND DIAGRAMS, IN GERMAN**\ written by Robotron  compiled/archived by Compiled/archived by Thomas Stein\  type of document : PDF\  source : Thomas Stein author date text Ron (Germany) Friday 19th December 2008 I remember this particular computer very well, as it was my first computer and I learned how to program BASIC and Assembler on it.\ The keyboard surely was a pain in the ass, not so much because of its form factor but rather because a lot of force was necessary to press down a key. Good training for a guitar-player like me, but horrible in general. Its former name was actually "Z 9001", not "HC9001", see here for an example:\ http://www.homecomputermuseum.de/comp/detail/111.jpg. author date text Josh Carlson (Gadsden, AL, USA) Friday 16th November 2007 Wow, who the hell would think designing a keyboard like that would be a "good" thing!?!?! Shoot some engineers :) /museum/r-f-t-kc-85-3 /museum/r-f-t-kc-85-4 /museum/robotron-kc-87 599 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230528042255/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=599 2023-05-28

The KC85/1 was originally introduced as the HC-9001, "HC" meaning "Home Computer". But as the industry demand for computers was so high, they even used these home computers, so the name was changed to KC85/1, "KC" standing for "KleinComputer", which could be translated to "Small Computer".

The machine had very limited graphical capabilities with 128 pre-defined graphic and 96 text symbols in text mode (8x8 pixels size). The BASIC language needs to be loaded from cassette every time you needed it (or you could also get it as an optional ROM Module). It has got an awful keyboard (3 x 10 mm plastic keys), which was quite a pain to type with for a long time.

There was probably no real reason to prefer it from the other available models, except its low price, compared to its bigger and more featured brothers.

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Info kindly provided by Stefan Goehler.