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---
title: Sanco 8000
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- France
years:
- '1982'
cpus:
- Z80A
params:
name: '8000'
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_system_s1.jpg
company: /companies/sanco
company_name: Sanco
specs:
- label: NAME
value: '8000'
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Sanco
- label: TYPE
value: Professional Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: France
- label: YEAR
value: September 1982
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: Microsoft Basic and K-Basic on Master diskette
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Typewriter type. 98 keys with numeric keypad, arrow keys and 15 definable function keys
- label: CPU
value: Z80A
- label: SPEED
value: 4 MHz
- label: RAM
value: 64 KB + 4 KB character generator
- label: ROM
value: 4 KB
- label: TEXT MODES
value: 80 columns x 24 lines + 1 status line
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: None
- label: COLORS
value: Monochrome Green phosphore
- label: SOUND
value: Built-in speaker
- label: I/O PORTS
value: |-
8001: Serial and Parallel ports, Light pen\
Others: + second Serial port, external FDD
- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
value: 1 or 2 400 or 800 KB floppy-disk drives. 5 or 10 MB hard disk drives
- label: OS
value: CP/M 2.2
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: Built-in switching power supply unit
- label: PERIPHERALS
value: up to 192 KB of RAM by 64 or 128 RAM expansion
- label: PRICE
value: From 3,000
tabs:
- photos
- adverts
forum_thread: 1042
photos:
- title: SANCO 8001
subtitle: ''
text: All the computers of the 8000 series had the same design, 12" display and keyboard.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_system_s2.jpg
- title: TOP VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_topview_s1.jpg
- title: 'SANCO 8160 #1'
subtitle: ''
text: The 8160 featured only one slim size floppy drive, and one 10 MB NEC hard disk drive.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_systemhd_s1.jpg
- title: 'SANCO 8160 #2'
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_side_s1.jpg
- title: RUNNING
subtitle: ''
text: System running the CP/M Operating System and the K-BASIC interpreter.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_running_s1.jpg
- title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP
subtitle: ''
text: Note that the function keys were equipped with transparent key caps, allowing personalized key labels to be inserted.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_keyboard_s1.jpg
- title: REAR PANEL
subtitle: ''
text: Rear panel of an extended version, here the 8160.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_rearpanel_s1.jpg
- title: INSIDE THE 8001
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Only in the 8001 version the light mainboard is mounted vertically, behind the CRT.\
The floppy drives are connected to the left connector, the right one is a Z80 bus expansion.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_inside_s1.jpg
- title: INSIDE THE 8003
subtitle: ''
text: In all other models, the mainboard is located under the case.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_inside_s2.jpg
- title: INSIDE THE 8160
subtitle: ''
text: The HDD controller card is mounted vetically and connected to te mainboard through a piggyback I/O card.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_inside_s3.jpg
- title: 8003 MAINBOARD
subtitle: ''
text: |-
**(1)** Floppy disk drives connector\
**(2)** 8251 USART (Universal Synchronous-Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) used for serial transmissions\
**(3)** 64 KB RAM bank, 8 x 4164 chips\
**(4)** Two sockets, on each side of the RAM bank allow to connect a 64 or 128 KB RAM expansion module\
**(5)** The content of the character generator EPROM is transferred into RAM during the boot sequence so the user can personalize each character\
**(6)** NEC D780C, Z80A compatible CPU\
**(7)** NEC D765 floppy disk controller\
**(8)** NEC D8257 addresses bus controller\
**(9)** Z80 SIO Serial Input/Output controller\
**(10)** Z80 CTC Counter/Timer Circuit\
**(11)** NEC D8255 Programmable Peripheral Interface. This chip has 24 programmable I/O pins.\
**(12)** Hitachi video controller\
**(13)** Z80 bus expansion connector\
**(14)** 12 KB video RAM chips (6x6116 chips)\
**(15)** Real time clock battery. If you plan to store your Sanco for a long time, remove this battery, otherwise, its acid will eat into all of the neighbouring components.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_mainboard_s1.jpg
- title: 8160 MAINBOARD
subtitle: ''
text: Same board as the 8003 but with a piggyback 64 KB expansion RAM module and an I/O card providing data transfer with the hard disk controller card.
image: /media/museum/photos/sanco_8000_mainboardhdd_s1.jpg
adverts:
- title: FRENCH ADVERT, JAN. 1984
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Seductive Sanco computing.
Treat you to a star for less than 3,000 Euros
image: /media/museum/pubs/sanco_8000_pub_s1.jpg
oc_id: 1069
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608220558/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1069
date: '2023-06-08'
---
The Sanco 8000 series followed the [7000](/museum/sanco-7000/). Like its predecessor, it was actually conceived by the French company **SFCE** (Sanyo France - Calculatrices Electroniques) and manufactured by Logic Systems International Inc. (LSI), a small Japanese company which would later release some PC compatible systems.
Sanco name came from the summary of Sanyo (SFCE was a Sanyo calculators distributor) and Cofelec, a subsidiary of the Thomson co., which made the first Sanco 5000 computer.
Sanco 8000s were robust machines, based on the CP/M Operating System and intended for professional use. They were only sold along with business management software packages dedicated to each branch of industry, from the lawyer to the plumber. SFCE sold about 70% of the Sanco machines to French customers, the remaining machine were sold in various European countries.
The Sanco 8000 range was comprised of the following versions:\
• **8001** Economical version with light mainboard and 2 x 400 KB FDD,\
All the following version featured the normal mainboard which memory could be expanded up to 192 KB\
• **8001** and **8102** with respectively one or two 400 KB FDD,\
• **8003** Two 800 KB FDD,\
• **8150** 800 KB FDD + 5 MB HDD,\
• **8160** Same as 8150 but 10 MB HDD.
---
Sanco in the UK and Zimbabwe, by **Mike Hopkins**\
The Sancos 7000 and 8000 were also sold in the UK by Memory Computer. Their subisidiary in Zimbabwe sold the Memory 7000 range. There were sub-models, called the 7001 (2x5/25" floppy disks), the 7102 (2x8" floppies).\
Many of the Zimbabwe sales were to accounting firms, and ran the Peachtree accounting software. Also to farms for farm accounting.