TK 95
Encyclopedia
The TK 95 microcomputer
was the evolution of TK 90X
made in the 1980s by Microdigital Eletronica
, a company located at São Paulo
, Brazil
that manufactured some ZX81
clones before (TK 82, TK 82C
, TK 83 and TK 85
) and a ZX80
clone (TK 80). The first version was launched in November 1986.
The case suffered a redesign (copied from the Commodore Plus/4
) and the keyboard was said to be "semi-professional" (according to the Brazil
ian manufacturer), with the some additional commands that did not exist in the ZX Spectrum
s (for characters defined by the user — UDG), and more compatibility with the original ZX Spectrum (some games did not run in TK 90X but ran alright in the TK 95).
There was one version with 48 kilobyte
s of RAM. Inside, the same processor: Z80A
running at 3.58 MHz, a ROM chip, some RAM chips (old dynamic rams 4116 and 4416). Microdigital did some reverse engineering to develop a chip with the functions of the original ULA from Sinclair/Ferranti
. The modulator was tuned to VHF channel 3 and the TV system was PAL-M (60 Hz). The cassette interface ran at a faster speed than the Spectrum. Only two peripherals were released by Microdigital — a light pen
interface and a parallel printer interface. Some other small companies in Brazil released clone versions of interface 1, joysticks (Atari 2600
-compatibles) and interfaces for 5 ¼" PC
drives (360 KiB). The games are almost pirate copies of the originals and the fans of the ZX Spectrum computer in Brazil were counted in tens of thousands.
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
was the evolution of TK 90X
TK 90X
The TK 90X was the first Brazilian ZX Spectrum clone made in 1985 by Microdigital Eletronica, a company located at São Paulo, Brazil, that manufactured some ZX81 clones before and a ZX80 clones ....
made in the 1980s by Microdigital Eletronica
Microdigital Eletronica
Microdigital Eletrônica Ltda. was an influential Brazilian computer company in the 1980s, based in São Paulo.- History :Established in 1981 by the brothers George and Tomas Kovari , its first product was the TK80, a clone of the British microcomputer Sinclair ZX80.The company...
, a company located at São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
that manufactured some ZX81
Sinclair ZX81
The ZX81 was a home computer produced by Sinclair Research and manufactured in Scotland by Timex Corporation. It was launched in the United Kingdom in March 1981 as the successor to Sinclair's ZX80 and was designed to be a low-cost introduction to home computing for the general public...
clones before (TK 82, TK 82C
TK 82C
TK 82C was a Sinclair ZX81 clone made by Microdigital Eletrônica Ltda., a computer company located in Brazil.-General information:The TK 82C had the ZILOG Z80A processor running at 3.25 MHz, 2 KB SRAM and 8 KB of EPROM with the BASIC interpreter. The keyboard was made of layers of...
, TK 83 and TK 85
TK 85
The TK 85 was a ZX81 clone made by Microdigital Eletronica, a computer company located in Brazil. It came with 16 or 48 kB RAM, and had a ZX Spectrum-style case, more precisely a Timex Sinclair 1500 clone....
) and a ZX80
Sinclair ZX80
The Sinclair ZX80 is a home computer brought to market in 1980 by Science of Cambridge Ltd. . It is notable for being the first computer available in the United Kingdom for less than a hundred pounds...
clone (TK 80). The first version was launched in November 1986.
The case suffered a redesign (copied from the Commodore Plus/4
Commodore Plus/4
The Commodore Plus/4 was a home computer released by Commodore International in 1984. The "Plus/4" name refers to the four-application ROM resident office suite ; it was billed as "the productivity computer with software built-in"...
) and the keyboard was said to be "semi-professional" (according to the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian manufacturer), with the some additional commands that did not exist in the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
s (for characters defined by the user — UDG), and more compatibility with the original ZX Spectrum (some games did not run in TK 90X but ran alright in the TK 95).
There was one version with 48 kilobyte
Kilobyte
The kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
s of RAM. Inside, the same processor: Z80A
Zilog Z80
The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
running at 3.58 MHz, a ROM chip, some RAM chips (old dynamic rams 4116 and 4416). Microdigital did some reverse engineering to develop a chip with the functions of the original ULA from Sinclair/Ferranti
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. Known primarily for defence electronics, the Company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but ceased trading in 1993.The...
. The modulator was tuned to VHF channel 3 and the TV system was PAL-M (60 Hz). The cassette interface ran at a faster speed than the Spectrum. Only two peripherals were released by Microdigital — a light pen
Light pen
A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer's CRT TV set or monitor. It allows the user to point to displayed objects, or draw on the screen, in a similar way to a touch screen but with greater positional accuracy...
interface and a parallel printer interface. Some other small companies in Brazil released clone versions of interface 1, joysticks (Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
-compatibles) and interfaces for 5 ¼" PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
drives (360 KiB). The games are almost pirate copies of the originals and the fans of the ZX Spectrum computer in Brazil were counted in tens of thousands.