TK-80
From NEC Retro
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The TK-80 (Training Kit μCOM80) is a hobbyist microcomputer released in 1976 by NEC. It is considered NEC's first meaningful foray into the home computer market.
Hardware
The TK-80 is a simple device designed to help Japanese consumers learn how to use computers. By default it is merely just a printed circuit board with eight seven segment VFD displays and twenty-five keys, however with expansions it can be given a full stroke keyboard, a cassette loader and can be hooked up to a television to run rudimentary software.
The TK-80, like many NEC home computers that succeeded it, had a limited western release in the form of the the TK-80A, available in the North American market.[2] the TK-80 was also available in Australia through Tecnico Electronics.[3]
Due to its suprising success, the TK-80 had many later revisions, such as the cheaper TK-80E, the TK-80BS expansion kit, the TK-85 and The COMPO BS/80, and even copycats, eventually culminating in NEC releasing its first real home computer, the PC-8001.
Technical Specifications
Promotional material
TK-80A Print Advert
| μCOM Training Kit series hardware |
|---|
| TK-80 (1976) | TK-80E (1977) | COMPO-BS/80 (1979) | TK-85 (1980) |
| Components and Expansion Units |
| TK-M20K | TK-80BS (μCOM Keyboard) |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://support.nec-lavie.jp/support/product/data/spec/cpu/b366-1.html (Wayback Machine: 2021-12-07 08:44)
- ↑ TK-80A Print Advert.jpg
- ↑ https://wiki.theretrowagon.com/w/images/5/56/Tk80.pdf (Wayback Machine: 2024-07-24 15:19)