TK-80
TK-80 (assembled)
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| Developer | Tomio Goto, Akira Kato |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NEC |
| Type | Single-board computer |
| Release date | August 3, 1976 |
| Introductory price |
¥88,500 (equivalent to ¥144,372 in 2013) |
| Units sold | 17,000 (as at October 1977) |
| CPU | NEC μPD8080A 2.048 MHz |
| Memory | ROM 768 bytes、RAM 512 bytes |
| Display | 8 hexadecimal digits; 7-segment display |
| Input | 25 keys |
| Connectivity | 110 bps Serial I/O、3 x 8 bits Parallel I/O |
| Power | DC +5V 1.0 A, +12V 0.15 A |
| Dimensions | 310(W) x 180(D) mm |
The TK-80 (Training Kit μCOM-80) was an 8080-based single-board computer kit developed by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1976. It was originally developed for engineers who considered using the μCOM-80 family in their product. It was successful among hobbyists in late 1970s in Japan, due to its reasonable price and an expensive computer terminal not required.
On February 1976, NEC formed the Microcomputer Sales section in the Integrated Circuit division, and begun to provide development environments for their microprocessors. However, they visited customers and explained, but it was difficult for them to understand how to use a microprocessor. At the same time, NEC received an order from a laboratory in the Yokosuka Communication Institute (横須賀通信研究所?) of NTT that they want an educational microcomputer product for their new employees. Tomio Gotō (後藤富雄?), a member of the section, proposed to his manager Kazuya Watanabe (渡辺和也?) that developing an educational kit.
Goto mainly designed the TK-80, and Akira Katō (加藤明?) did the detailed design work. Goto got an idea from a photo of the KIM-1. The KIM-1 can monitor and show the current address by the software, but the display disappers when the CPU is hanging. The TK-80 has the Dynamic Display using the 555 timer IC and interrupt the CPU, it can always show the current address. In addition, the TK-80 has a CMOS battery. He decided to document its manual with a circuit diagram and assembly code of the debug monitor, influenced by the PDP-8 which was an open architecture.
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