website/content/museum/sord-m23-mark-iii.md

---
title: Sord M23 Mark III
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- Japan
years:
- '1982'
cpus:
- Z80A
params:
  name: M23 Mark III
  image: /media/museum/photos/sord_m23-markiii_1.jpg
  company: /companies/sord
  company_name: Sord
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: M23 Mark III
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Sord
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Japan
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1982'
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke keyboard with numeric keypad, function keys and arrow keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Z80A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 4 Mhz
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: APU (Am9511) arithmetic processor
  - label: RAM
    value: 128 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: Unknown
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 x 25
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 640 x 256
  - label: COLORS
    value: 8 colors
  - label: SOUND
    value: Unknown
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 420 x 107 x 300 / 3.8 Kg
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: 2 x RS232c ports (75 - 19200 baud), Centronics/Parallel port, 3 x bus slots
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: Two optional 5.25'' disk-drives (330 KB)
  - label: OS
    value: Sord DOS, CP/M, UCSD Pascal
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: 110, 230 V AC +/- 15%
  - label: PRICE
    value: Unknown
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  photos:
  - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/sord_m23-m3_complete.jpg
  - title: FRENCH DOCTOR
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Sord M23 complete configuration used in a french doctor office in 1982. The M23 was used to search and display the right medications related to the symptoms.

      Source: Micro Ordinateurs, N°3, June 1982
    image: null
  adverts:
  - title: PROMOTIONAL LEAFLET
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/sord_m23-m3_leaflet.jpg
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT (FEBRUARY 1982)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/sord_m23-markiii_pub_datronic.jpg
  comments:
  - author: Candice (France)
    date: Monday 21st September 2020
    text: How does it cost ? I find this computer at my house
  - author: Candice (France)
    date: Monday 21st September 2020
    text: J''ai retrouvé un ordinateur identique à celui ci dans mon grenier. Une idée de combien ça vaut ?
  - author: David (UK)
    date: Tuesday 10th December 2019
    text: SORD was imported into the UK by Exleigh Business Machines (EBM) of Penzance. A small number of machines were re-exported to Cyprus. There is further information on SORD, mainly M5, on this page http://www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk/Museum/Sord/index.php
  - author: Simon (New Zealand)
    date: Tuesday 11th July 2017
    text: I worked for Broadlands Finance (NZ) in the early ''80s. Broadlands acquired a small number of SORD''s and had a simple programme written to assist with the promotion of repayment insurance for dealer written HP agreements. I smuggled the Christchurch machine home and over many nights nutted out how to programme the PIPS platform to do stuff that was really useful for the business! First and very fond memory of harnessing this brave new technology!!
  - author: Gerry (New Zealand)
    date: Tuesday 21st July 2015
    text: |-
      I used a Sord for several years for work. The PIPS_III spreadsheet would do something in one operation that Excel still won''t - Sort and Sub total in one operation.\
      I think the spreadsheet was ahead of its time.\
      My boss bought it in Singapore where we had business interests.\
      Eight years ago when moving and downsizing I reluctantly gave away two Sord models - one with 5.25 and the other an 8 inch disc and all the manual etc.\
      There never were any good old days but I think nostalically about my Sord my first computer.\
      Gerry
  - author: Pecoramatta (Italy)
    date: Saturday 4th October 2014
    text: The price in Italy was Lire 4,900,000 + IVA (14$?) in 1982 (found in an old computer magazine ad), about 5 months of salary of an employee at the time.
  - author: Shane Doyle (Australia)
    date: Tuesday 17th July 2012
    text: I remember writing all this software for an Insurance Agent I knew, who had one of these Sord M23''s. Can''t remember which variant it was now. Anyway, he ran his agent business on this machine with the apps I wrote for him.
  - author: Lorna (New-Zealand)
    date: Wednesday 11th July 2007
    text: |-
      I still have one. I've just dragged it down from the attic!\
      It was still able to go when packed away, not sure I have any discs for it.

      I remember that it had a great pacman game
  - author: Richard (Sparta New Jersey)
    date: Friday 20th April 2007
    text: |-
      I am looking for someone who can copy and printout\
      the programs for a reel to reel tape made in 1979 and ran on the GE timeshare Mark III computer. The\
      programs are in fortran 77 and the out put is in ascii. I would like to have the programs converted for use on PC or unix machines. Please e-mail reply
  oc_id: 212
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230605043337/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=212
    date: '2023-06-05'
---

The Sord M23 Mark III was available with 12" green monitor or a 14" color monitor.

Despite the M23 featured a cartridge port, all of its important software came on floppies, including the ground-breaking PIPS-III and several BASIC compiler variants developed by Sord and running on their own OS. A lot of good business software and games were written with these.

There were later Mark systems released, including a Mark I with the world's first 3.5 inch floppies deployed, and the Mark V with eight inch drives -- the Mark III had 5.25'' floppies. There was also the Mark X with a 10MB hard drive.

Around 1983 or so the "M23EX" was released - this was basically an M23 with the mk41 drives (5.25" DSHD) housed in an [M68](/museum/sord-m-68-m-68-mx/) case (more PC-style with separate keyboard and floppies in the main case). It was a low cost option contemporary with the more expensive and better spec'd M68.

Graphics required an upgrade - from memory it was a chip, and also an upgrade from "FDOS" to "GDOS" (the graphics DOS). Graphics on this and the M68 were operated in a weird way from CBASIC or BASIC-II (a structured BASIC) - you put it into graphics mode and then issued specially formatted PRINT commands to access graphics - for example:

10 PRINT CLEAR\
20 GRAPH 1\
30 PRINT "GINIT"\
40 PRINT "COLOR 7"\
... other code ....\
50 GRAPH 0

---

**Contributors:** Andrew Joll

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>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.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>