====== VEB Mikroelektronik KC Compact (1989) ======
===== Features =====
* CPU: UA880D 4MHz
* RAM: 64 KByte
* ROM: 32 KByte
* Text Modes: 20 x 25, 40 x 25, 80 x 25
* Graphic Modes: 160 x 200 (16 colors among 27), 320 x 200 (4 colors among 27), 640 x 200 (monochrome)
* Sound: U8912 3 channels
* Keyboard: QWERTY 69 keys
* OS: KC compact 1.3 and BASIC 1.1
===== Usage =====
Image loading is the same as for the Amstrad CPC series.
Requires full keyboard emulation. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the
scroll_lock key.
===== Known Issues =====
Z8536 CIO is not emulated
===== History and Trivia =====
"KC" stands for "KleinComputer", which could be translated to "Small Computer".
The KC Compact is a clone of the Amstrad CPC series, made in East Germany by VEB Mikroelektronik. It was made in 1989 to celebrate 30 years of the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, i.e. East Germany). Soon after the Berlin wall came down, east and west merged, and production stopped.
The system contains a hacked Amstrad CPC 6128 Operating System and the Amstrad CPC 6128 BASIC. Unlike the CPC, this system didn't come with a built in disc drive or cassette unit, and did not require a special monitor.
The base unit can connect to a TV through a aerial or scart lead.
Not many of these systems were produced and they are rare.
The Amstrad CPC had a gate array chip which contained the logic for the palette, mode display, ROM paging, RAM paging and interrupt
system. This is emulated in the KC Compact using a lot of TTL logic chips and a Zilog 8536 chip.
Hardware that was designed for the CPC systems should work on the KC Compact, however, since the KC Compact has a different expansion port layout, an adaptor must be made.
Generated on Sun Jul 19 10:17:28 2009