Z88 Specifications
- Dimensions
-
A4-size notepad (294mm x 210mm x 23mm). Weight 900g.
- Power supply
-
4xAA alkaline cells, providing up to 20 hours of use. AC mains adaptor (6.5v
DC @ 500mA) recommended for heavy indoor use. Internal capacitor provides
power while batteries are being replaced.
- Processor
-
CMOS Z80A running at 3.2768MHz
- Memory
-
The Z88 can address up to 4Mb of memory, subdivided into 256 banks of 16K
each. Internally there is 128K ROM and 32K, 128K or 512K RAM. Three card
slots at the front of the machine each allow up to 1Mb of ROM or RAM to be
added.
- Screen
-
640x64 pixel LCD display with adjustable contrast. The screen is typically
shared between a text area of up to 104x8 characters (on the left) and a
graphics area of up to 256x64 pixels (on the right). Additionally there is
a 16x64 pixel status information window at the far right.
- Keyboard
-
64 rubber-key QWERTY arrangement, including full-size spacebar.
- Sound
-
Miniature loudspeaker, used for alarms or warnings.
- Operating system
-
OZ, providing task-switching between multiple instances of applications. Any
application can be suspended at any time and re-entered when required. Machine
may be switched off at any time without loss of data.
- Applications
-
Five full applications are provided:
Diary, PipeDream (a
combined wordprocessor/spreadsheet package), Terminal, Printer Editor and BBC BASIC. Further applications may be added
on ROM cards and will be fully integrated by the operating system.
- Popdowns
-
Eight applets (or popdowns) are provided; these may be called up at
any time and cancelled when finished with. Included are Index (application/card manager), Filer (file/EPROM manager), Calendar, Calculator, Clock, Alarm, Import/Export (file transfer) and Panel (control settings). As with
applications, further popdowns may be added on ROM cards.
- Interfaces
-
9-pin RS232 port supporting rates up to 38400 baud. Cables available to
connect to printers (serial & parallel), modems and desktop computers.
Expansion bus at right side of computer available, but usually sealed.
- Expansion slots
-
Three slots at the front of the machine can take RAM, ROM, EPROM or Flash
EPROM cards of up to 1Mb in size. Only slot 3 can write to EPROMs and
Flash EPROMs, although they can be read in any slot.
- Cards available
- RAM: 32K, 128K, 512K and 1Mb sizes
- EPROM: 32K, 128K and 256K sizes
- Flash EPROM: 1Mb size only
Built-in applications and popdowns
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