The Probert Encyclopaedia of Science & Technology

ZX81

The ZX81 was a revolutionary computer invented by Clive Sinclair and released in 1981. It was based upon the Z80 microprocessor, and used only three other chips in the basic model which had just 1K of RAM (enough to hold a functional player v computer chess game). It had a built in BASIC interpreter and introduced mass computing for the first time to the masses by being affordable by any household. Video display was produced by a domestic television set which was connected by an aerial fly-lead to the computer. Peripherals could be fitter to an exposed slot of the PCB, the most popular being a 16K RAM extension (RAM pack). Most remarkable was the award winning manual which accompanied the ZX81 which taught computing basics and the BASIC programming language in a clear and popular language for the first time. It replaced the ZX80 and was replaced itself in 1982 by the far superior ZX Spectrum.
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