website/content/museum/kaypro-ii.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Kaypro II	Computers	Transportable	U.S.A.	1982	Z80	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts emulators links docs related oc_id source Kaypro II /media/museum/photos/kaypro_2-83_1.jpg /companies/kaypro Kaypro label value NAME Kaypro II label value MANUFACTURER Kaypro label value TYPE Transportable label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR august 1982 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None (M-BASIC and S-BASIC on diskette) label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke 70 key typewriter style keyboard with 18 programmable keys label value CPU Z80 label value SPEED 2.5 Mhz label value RAM 64 KB label value VRAM 2 KB label value ROM 2 KB label value TEXT MODES 80 chars x 25 lines (character matrix : 5 x 8) label value GRAPHIC MODES None label value COLORS built-in 9'' non-glare green phosphor screen label value SOUND Beep only label value SIZE / WEIGHT 45 x 36 x 21 cm / 13 Kg label value I/O PORTS RS232c serial port, label value BUILT IN MEDIA two 5.25'' SS/DD full-height floppies (190k) label value OS CP/M 2.2 label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS 400 KB or 800 KB 5.25'' floppy drives, 10 MB hard disc, battery pack/charger label value PRICE $1795 (USA, 1982) - £1259 (U.K., 1983) photos adverts emulators links docs 544 title subtitle text image KAYPRO LABEL The kaypro label is painted on the back of the case. /media/museum/photos/kaypro_ii_label_1.jpg title subtitle text image KAYPRO BAG /media/museum/photos/kaypro_ii_bluebag_1.jpg title subtitle text image MACPRO 2X? This is what happens when a Kaypro 2X get married with a Macintosh! This is a Kaypro 2X portable computer case, with the electronic parts of a Macintosh Plus installed in it. It includes an 80 mb hard drive, as well. The keyboard has storage room for the mouse... Thanks to **J. Forbes** and his [site](http://www.mindspring.com/~jforbes2/) /media/museum/photos/kaypro_ii_macinside_1.jpg title subtitle text image ANDREW KAY Andrew Kay, Non-Linear Systems/Kaypro Corporation's founder, was quite a dynamic character. The son of Eastern European immigrants, he was a graduate of MIT, and a very progressive thinker for his time. He employed four generations of his family at the plant while I worked there, and was a Patriarchal figure to a lot of us employees. I believe that Non-Linear Systems is still in business in San Diego, and his son, David Kay, the former head of sales and marketing for Kaypro, runs a business that makes computerized teaching aides in town. I look back on my experience at Kaypro, the people who worked there, and the people who did business with us, with great affection. **Garr Farrell** /media/museum/photos/kaypro_ii_andrewkay_1.jpg title subtitle text image ARTHUR C. CLARKE Arthur C. Clarke working on his Kaypro II computer. He was the author of "2001, Space Odyssey" and its sequel. /media/museum/photos/sv818_arthur-c-clarke.jpg title subtitle text image NLS ADVERT An advert from Non-Linear Systems, dated July, 1982 for the KAYCOMP II that was not still called KAYPRO. Advert said: **A WORD ABOUT NLS**\ Non-Linear Systems, inc. is the originator of the digital voltmeter and an innovative leader in the field of electronic test equipment.\ Organized in 1952, NLS has been a major supplier of digital voltmeters and ratiometers to large corporations in the aerospace industry. Since 1972, NLS has been consumer directed, providing small, portable multimeters, oscilloscopes, counters, frequency meters, temperature meters. And now, NLS has entered the world of computers with one though - to provide the best value in a small, business, scientific and family computer. Standard software delivered with the KAYCOMP II: - **CP/M 2.2** - operating system\ - **S/BASIC** - Structured Basic compiler\ - **PROFIT PLAN** - Electronic worksheet\ - **SELECT** - Complete word processing system\ - **TEACH** - A self-teaching guide to SELECT /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_ii_kaycompad_1.jpg title subtitle text image DISPLAY SIZE ARGUMENT CLOSE-UP The Osborne 1 was the major competitor of the KAYCOMP in the portable computers field. /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_ii_kaycompad_2.jpg title subtitle text image US AD. 1983 #1 Dual floppy drive version. /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_ii_kaycompad_3.jpg title subtitle text image US AD. 1983 #2 Hard disk version "No matter how you look at it, KAYPRO is the best value you will see anawhere..." /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_ii_kaycompad_4.jpg title subtitle text image U.S. AD. JUNE 1983 /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_ii_kaycompad_5.jpg title subtitle text image GERMAN ADVERT (1983) 1983 Hannover show advert. Advert said that 30,000 Kaypro II systems were already sold in the U.S.A. /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_ii_germanad_1.jpg title subtitle text image U.K. ADVERT (1983) /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_ii_kaycompad_6.jpg title subtitle text image UK ADVERT, OCT. 1983 /media/museum/pubs/kaypro_ii_ukpub_s1.jpg title url platform text Kaypro II emulator http://www.yoy.org/kaypro/html/kayproii1.html Other platform Simpla Java emulator. title url platform text MESS http://www.mess.org Multiplatform The MESS emulator (multiplatform) can emulate the Kaypro IIx title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com title url cover text KAYPRO II USER'S GUIDE null /media/museum/docs/couvs/kaypro_2_users_guide.jpg **KAYPRO II USER'S GUIDE**\ written by Kaypro  compiled/archived by Unknown\  type of document : Online reader **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** title url cover text KAYPRO TECHNICAL MANUAL null /media/museum/docs/couvs/kaypro_technical_manual.jpg **KAYPRO TECHNICAL MANUAL**\ written by Kaypro  compiled/archived by Unknown\  type of document : Online reader **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** /museum/kaypro-1 /museum/kaypro-10 /museum/kaypro-2x /museum/kaypro-4 /museum/kaypro-iv /museum/kaypro-robie 550 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230603122659/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=550 2023-06-03

Despite its name, the Kaypro II was the first Kaypro model. The name was KAYPRO II, because the Apple II was the most popular system (besides the IBM PC) around back then, and Kaypro decided to follow in the image.

It was conceived by Non Linear Systems inc., a company with over 30 years' experience of producing small portable aerospace electronic equipment, which would later become Kaypro.

The Kaypro systems were known to be square-built ! All the hardware is packed into a solid aluminum case. These computers can resist to a lot of trouble as they proved when ten of them (Kaypro IV & 10) were used by doctors for the Paris-Dakar 84's edition. Non of them failed despite extreme conditions.

One asset of the Kaypro, over the Osborne 1 which was available at about the same time, is the 9" built-in monitor, easily twice the size of the Osborne's. Though the Kaypro 2 has no graphic features, it can display 80 x 24 characters. There are two single-sided / double-density full-heigth 5.25'' disk-drives (190k each). One can be used to boot CP/M and the other to run the software.

The Kaypro II is a real "luggable" system. Even if it weights more than 10kg, it can be easily moved with the handle found at the back.

At the rear of the system, one can find a serial port, a parallel port, a keyboard connector, a brightness control knob and reset button.

Perfect Writer, Perfect Calc, Perfect Filer, Perfect Speller, S-Basic, CP/M and Profitplan were bundled with the system. Later WordStar was also available.

As usual with Kaypro, the model names logic is quite dramatic to resolve. Several Kaypro "2" were marketed :
- In 1984 a new Kaypro 2 (refered as Kaypro 2'84) is introduced. It has two SS/DD half-height floppy drives, a Z-80A running at 4.0 MHz, 2 serial ports and rudimentary graphics (through graphic characters).
- The same year, the Kaypro 2X is released. Very similar to a Kaypro 2'84 but with DS/DD half-height drives.
- Still in 1984, in order to be compatible with IBM software, a special version was marketed with an Intel 8088 CPU instead of the Z80A. It was called the Kaypro II Plus 88!
- In 1985 another Kaypro 2 refered as "New 2" is sold. It is basically an old 2X motherboard, with one or two DS/DD floppy drives, but no 300 baud modem previously found on the 2X. It comes with just CP/M and Wordstar for software.
- And to spice up a bit things, Kaypro decides to rename its Kaypro 4'84 as Kaypro 2X (sometimes also known as 2X MTC), thus dropping the previous 2X model!

See ! I told you...

Trivia :
In 1985, Arthur C. Clarke published a sequel to 2001 : 2010 Odyssey Two. He worked with Peter Hyams in the movie version of 2010. Their work was done using a Kaypro computer and a modem, for Arthur was in Sri Lanka and Peter Hyams in Los Angeles. Their communications turned into the book The Odyssey File - The Making of 2010.
_________

Thanks to Bolo's Computer Museum for the picture.