website/content/museum/sharp-mz-80k.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Sharp MZ 80K	Computers	Home Computer	Japan	1979	Sharp LH-0080	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos hardware screenshots emulators links videos related oc_id source MZ 80K /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_system_1.jpg /companies/sharp Sharp label value NAME MZ 80K label value MANUFACTURER Sharp label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN Japan label value YEAR 1979 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Sharp Basic available on tape label value KEYBOARD Strange transparent square keys. 78 keys. Numeric keypad label value CPU Sharp LH-0080 (Zilog Z80 A compatible) label value SPEED 2 MHz label value RAM 20 KB (up to 48 KB)\ MZ-80K2 & K2e: 32 KB label value ROM 4 KB label value TEXT MODES 40 x 25 (8 x 8 character matrix) label value GRAPHIC MODES 80 x 50 label value COLORS built-in 10'' black & white monochrome monitor label value SOUND one channel label value SIZE / WEIGHT 410 (W) x 470 (D) x 270 (H) mm / 13 kg label value I/O PORTS Expansion bus label value BUILT IN MEDIA Tape recorder label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in PSU label value PERIPHERALS RAM expansions, printer, Floppy drives unit, color display label value PRICE MZ-80K: 198,000 yen (1978, japan)\ MZ-80K2: 198,000 yen (1980, japan)\ MZ-80K2e: 148,000 yen (1981, japan) photos hardware software emulators links videos 184 title subtitle text image MZ 80K2 /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k2.jpg title subtitle text image MZ 80K2E /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k2e.jpg title subtitle text image MZ 80K2E - FRONT VIEW /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k2e_1.jpg title subtitle text image MZ 80K2E - PLAYING A GAME /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k2e_2.jpg title subtitle text image FRONT VIEW /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_system_2.jpg title subtitle text image TOP VIEW /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_topview_1.jpg title subtitle text image SIDE VIEW #1 /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_leftside_1.jpg title subtitle text image SIDE VIEW #2 /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_rightside_1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP Notice the MZ logo that will be used in all of the computers of the MZ series. About this logo, MZ 80K user manual says: From ancient times people have been fascinated by the lights from outer space.\ That's why through times people would have the lad in Greek mythology dreamt of lights spreading over the vistas of space.\ Then he sailed for the Golden Fleece, aiming at a bright future. Indeed, Argo Navis is such a constellation clearly shining over the horizon in the south. This constellation is symbolized by the ship sailing with youth; the ship representing courage, future, search and longing.\ Just like the ship of youth, the MZ 80K will sail before long. To realize your dreams in such a manner, we have created this Sharp's original mark. /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_keybcloseup_1.jpg title subtitle text image IN USE MZ 80K running a demo program delivered with the BASIC cassette. /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_inuse_1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR VIEW Except the power switch and mains plug **(1)**, only one expansion connector **(2)** was available on the MZ-80K, mainly intended for the Sharp I/O unit, although several interfaces were built by third companies. /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_back_1.jpg title subtitle text image OPENED **(1)** Tape recorder mechanism\ **(2)** Power supply and transformer\ **(3)** Video board and adjustment knobs\ **(4)** Keyboard /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_opened_1.jpg title subtitle text image MAINBOARD **(1)** Video connector\ **(2)** Expansion connector\ **(3)** Tape recorder connectors\ **(4)** I/O chip. Manages video, cassette I/O and expansion bus\ **(5)** Characters generator 2 KB ROM\ **(6)** Z80A microprocesseur, a Sharp version\ **(7)** 2 KB monitor ROM\ **(8)** RAM memory area. 3 x 16 KB banks (8 x 4116 chips each) /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_mainboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image USER MANUAL Actually, a very pedagogic BASIC course for beginners. /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_manual_1.jpg title subtitle text image THE BOX Special thanks to **B. Clayton** who gave us this box... along with a MZ-80K inside /media/museum/photos/sharp_mz80k_box_1.jpg title subtitle text image MZ-80FB - DOUBLE 5.25" FDD It uses 5.25" floppy disks drives (143 KB, double side, 35 tracks, 16 sectors per track, 128 bytes per sector /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80k_floppy2.jpg title subtitle text image MZ-80FB - DOUBLE 5.25" FDD - INTERNAL VIEW /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80k_floppy1.jpg title subtitle text image FLOPPY DISK INTERFACE This card is plugged into the IO Expansion box. The MZ-80FB FDD is connected to this card. /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80k_floppy_card.jpg title subtitle text image MZ 80SDF 5.25" FDD The single FDD uses 143 KB floppy disks. /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80k_sfd143.jpg title subtitle text image IO EXPANSION BOX - VIEW #1 The MZ 80K has only one bus extension. To remedy to this problem, Sharp developped the MZ80 I/O Port device. This heavy device can support up to five boards (floppy controller, EPROM programmer, Centronics, etc...). A parallel interface was developped by Sharp to use the Seikosha printers. /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80k_iobox.jpg title subtitle text image IO EXPANSION BOX - VIEW #2 /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80k_iobox2.jpg title subtitle text image CENTRONICS INTERFACE CARD This card is plugged into the IO Expansion box. It allows any Centronics printer (the MZ80P3 for example) to be connected onto the MZ 80K. /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80k_printer_card.jpg title subtitle text image FRENCH FDD UNIT Instead of selling the original Sharp FDD unit, the Sharp French subsidiary (Sharp Burotype Machines) preferred to made their own unit. The case could hold up to 4 drives. The drives were Canon models. /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80b_frenchfdd_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MZ 80P3 - DOT MATRIX PRINTER /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80k_printer.jpg title subtitle text image MZ-P4 PRINTER /media/museum/hardware/sharp_printer_80b.jpg title subtitle text image MZ-P6 PRINTER /media/museum/hardware/sharp_mz80_gp6.jpg title subtitle text image BUG FIRE /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_bugfire_1_ss.gif title subtitle text image COSMIC CRUISER 1 /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_cosmic-cruiser1_ss.gif title subtitle text image CRAZY CLIMBER /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_crazy-climber_ss.gif title subtitle text image CROSS RALLY /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_cross-rally_ss.gif title subtitle text image RANGER SPECIAL /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_ranger-special_ss.gif title subtitle text image SPACE DRIVE /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_space-drive_ss.gif title subtitle text image SPACE MOUSE /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_space-mouse_ss.gif title subtitle text image UFO HUNTER /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_ufo-hunter_ss.gif title subtitle text image VIEW FINDER /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_view-finder_ss.gif title subtitle text image WESTERN /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80k_western_ss.gif title subtitle text image BOXING /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80_boxing.jpg title subtitle text image ZIGZAG /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80_zigzag.jpg title subtitle text image SPACE INVADERS /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80_space_invaders.jpg title subtitle text image PENGUIN This game uses the optional graphic card. /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80_penguin.jpg title subtitle text image STAR TREK /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80_startrek.jpg title subtitle text image RALLYE X /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80_rallyex.jpg title subtitle text image CUBIX MAZE /media/museum/software/sharp_mz80_cubicmaze.jpg title url platform text EMUZ-2000 http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~object/ Windows SHARP MZ-80B / 2000 / 2200 emulator for Windows title url text Sharp Games http://sharpgames.atspace.com Some homebrew games in develoment for the MZ title url text The Sharp Users Club http://sharpusersclub.org Very useful web site done by the UK Sharp Users Club title url text www.sharpmz.org http://www.sharpmz.org THE website for all MZ fans !! title url text Pac-Man played on Sharp MZ-80K2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJZSODc_lNg Length: 28 s /museum/sharp-mz-2000 /museum/sharp-mz-2200 /museum/sharp-mz-2500 /museum/sharp-mz-2800 /museum/sharp-mz-3500 /museum/sharp-mz-5500-5600 /museum/sharp-mz-700 /museum/sharp-mz-800-mz-1500 /museum/sharp-mz-80a-mz-1200 /museum/sharp-mz-80b /museum/sharp-mz-80c 174 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230608163530/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=174 2023-06-08

The MZ-80K was, alongside the Apple II, the Commodore PET and the Tandy TRS 80’s one of the best known computer in the early 80's. Its name stands for "M" from MICRO and Z-80 from the computer it uses.

It has no language in ROM, and BASIC has to be loaded from tape. Sharp called this "clean design", as you could choose what you wanted to put in your computer, the MZ-80K being delivered clean... Though a 5.25" floppy disk unit was later available, most people never used anything else than the built-in tape recorder (1200 bps).

There is no colour, no high resolution and characters sets can't be redefined. But the pre-defined characters set was very complete offering a lot of different graphical symbols, and people (mainly japanese) created great games, overcoming the main flaw of the MZ-80 serie... A graphic card was later designed for this computer, allowing to redefine the characters set resulting in a virtual "high resolution" of 320 x 192 pixels.

The MZ-80K is equiped with a real clock and a built-in speaker.

First MZ-80K were sold in Japan as assembly kits (1978). In 1980, Sharp released the MZ-80K2 which is basicaly a MZ-80K with 32 KB RAM, a non-reflective keyboard and and a volume control at the rear of the system. One year later, a cost reduced version, the MZ-80K2e, was marketed as an anniversay model when MZ serie sales reached one hundred thousand machines.