Vector-06C
Encyclopedia
Vector-06C is a home computer that was designed and mass produced in USSR in the late 1980s.
Shortly after that several factories started production of Vector-06C. In 1988 Vector was honoured a prize on
Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy
.
There were modifications adopting Zilog Z80
CPU or the unique Soviet KR580VM1 CPU. A commercial project called Vector Turbo+ with a Z80 CPU, clock frequency increased to 6 or 12 MHz, RAM sized up to 2 MiB and a variety of other improvements was in development. However, according to the InVector e-zine, a prototype of this system never left the work bench due to economical reasons.
Vector has gradually become less popular with the increasing flow of IBM PC
-compatible computers on Soviet and then CIS
markets. Presently Vector-06C enjoys loyal following of the few remaining fans.
(8080
clone), factory overclocked to 3 MHz (standard frequency was 2.5MHz);
Busses:8-bit data bus, 16-bit address bus
;
Memory: 64 KiB RAM
, up to 32 KiB can be used as video memory
; 2048 bytes of ROM
(512 bytes in earlier models);
The frame buffer of Vector-06C is unusual for home computers. The memory is organized as 4 bit planes, palette index of each individual pixel is formed from individual bits in 4 planes. Thus the highest colour mode has 24=16 simultaneously displayed colours. The bit planes are defined as follows: a byte represents a horizontal span of 8 pixels. Next byte in video memory represents a span of 8 pixels above it and so on. Thus a bit plane in 256×256 mode can be viewed as 8-pixel wide columns, growing bottom-to-top, left-to-right; whole screen is thus covered by 32 columns.
timer. Third party modifications allowed use of
General Instruments AY-3-8910 or YM-2149.
was used for persistent data storage. There were 2 modulation methods used, FSK
and PSK
. Standard 60-minute cassette
could hold:
FSK was primarily used in compatibility modes, which allowed reading data written on Microsha, Radio-86RK and ZX Spectrum
. Native tape format used by original software is PSK.
Vector-06C was sold with a tape containing system utility and game programs. Third party applications could be obtained through various companies. Original software titles were games, programming languages (BASIC
, Pascal
, a monitor
/debugger
, Assembler
), text and graphics editors, etc.
With optional floppy disk extension, CP/M version 2.2 was adopted. This allowed a broad range of CP/M software to be used on Vector.
It was also possible to run some Radio-86RK, Microsha, Specialist software items. Also, a method of low-level adaptation of ZX Spectrum and MSX titles was developed and some software items were ported. In particular, Vector User magazine mentions a software package consisting of a disassembler, a processor that substitutes Z80-specific instructions that 8080 was lacking with macros and a set of macros. The package was used to port several ZX Spectrum titles, namely Chess Master
, West Bank
, Jumping Jack
.
and its clones, it enjoyed a considerable loyal following of fans. Enthusiasts developed and produced software and hardware extensions for Vector. Among hardware extensions there are RAM-disk, floppy and HDD controllers, sound synthesizers, realtime clocks and others. Both commercial and public developments existed. There were electronic and hardcopy publications, most notably Invector, Vector User, Coman Info. Several software contests were held among Vector users, notably DemosFan that used to take place in St.Petersburg, Russia.
History
Vector-06C was created by Soviet engineers Donat Temirazov and Alexander Sokolov from Kishinev, Moldovan SSR (presently Chişinău). On 33rd National Radio Exhibition the design was honoured with the grand prize.Shortly after that several factories started production of Vector-06C. In 1988 Vector was honoured a prize on
Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy
All-Russia Exhibition Centre
All-Russia Exhibition Centre is a permanent general-purpose trade show in Moscow, Russia....
.
There were modifications adopting Zilog Z80
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...
CPU or the unique Soviet KR580VM1 CPU. A commercial project called Vector Turbo+ with a Z80 CPU, clock frequency increased to 6 or 12 MHz, RAM sized up to 2 MiB and a variety of other improvements was in development. However, according to the InVector e-zine, a prototype of this system never left the work bench due to economical reasons.
Vector has gradually become less popular with the increasing flow of IBM 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...
-compatible computers on Soviet and then CIS
CIS
CIS usually refers to the Commonwealth of Independent States, a modern political entity consisting of eleven former Soviet Union republics.The acronym CIS may also refer to:-Organizations:...
markets. Presently Vector-06C enjoys loyal following of the few remaining fans.
Hardware
CPU: KR580VM80AKR580VM80A
The KR580VM80A was a Soviet microprocessor, a clone of the Intel 8080 CPU. Different versions of this CPU were manufactured beginning in the late 1970s, the earliest known use being in the SM1800 computer in 1979. Production ceased with the fall of the USSR. Initially called the K580IK80 , it was...
(8080
Intel 8080
The Intel 8080 was the second 8-bit microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel and was released in April 1974. It was an extended and enhanced variant of the earlier 8008 design, although without binary compatibility...
clone), factory overclocked to 3 MHz (standard frequency was 2.5MHz);
Busses:8-bit data bus, 16-bit address bus
Address bus
An address bus is a computer bus that is used to specify a physical address. When a processor or DMA-enabled device needs to read or write to a memory location, it specifies that memory location on the address bus...
;
Memory: 64 KiB RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
, up to 32 KiB can be used as video memory
Video memory
Video memory is a term generally used in computers to describe some form of writable memory, usually RAM, dedicated to the purpose of holding the information necessary for a graphics card to drive a display device...
; 2048 bytes of ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
(512 bytes in earlier models);
Video
Video system supports following modes:- 256×256 pixels, 16 simultaneously displayed colours out of 256-colour palette
- 512×256 pixels, 4 simultaneously displayed colours out of 256-colour palette
- 256×256 or 512×256 monochrome (memory saving mode)
The frame buffer of Vector-06C is unusual for home computers. The memory is organized as 4 bit planes, palette index of each individual pixel is formed from individual bits in 4 planes. Thus the highest colour mode has 24=16 simultaneously displayed colours. The bit planes are defined as follows: a byte represents a horizontal span of 8 pixels. Next byte in video memory represents a span of 8 pixels above it and so on. Thus a bit plane in 256×256 mode can be viewed as 8-pixel wide columns, growing bottom-to-top, left-to-right; whole screen is thus covered by 32 columns.
Sound
3-channel sound system based around KR580VI53, Soviet clone of Intel 8253Intel 8253
The Intel 8253 and 8254 are Programmable Interval Timers , which perform timing and counting functions. They were primarily designed for the Intel 8080/8085-processors, but later used in x86-systems...
timer. Third party modifications allowed use of
General Instruments AY-3-8910 or YM-2149.
Storage
A generic household tape recorderTape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
was used for persistent data storage. There were 2 modulation methods used, FSK
Frequency-shift keying
Frequency-shift keying is a frequency modulation scheme in which digital information is transmitted through discrete frequency changes of a carrier wave. The simplest FSK is binary FSK . BFSK uses a pair of discrete frequencies to transmit binary information. With this scheme, the "1" is called...
and PSK
Phase-shift keying
Phase-shift keying is a digital modulation scheme that conveys data by changing, or modulating, the phase of a reference signal ....
. Standard 60-minute cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
could hold:
- at least 512 KiB using PSKPSKPSK may refer to:* Partiya Şoreşa Kürdistan, A Kurdish Separatist guerrilla group in Turkey* Property Solutions Korea, a real estate consulting and development company in South Korea* Phase-shift keying, a digital modulation technique...
(1500-2400 bit/s data rate) - at least 360 KiB using FSKFSKFSK can have alternative meanings:* Federal Counterintelligence Service, , Federal Counterintelligence Service of Russia)...
(1200 bit/s data rate)
FSK was primarily used in compatibility modes, which allowed reading data written on Microsha, Radio-86RK and 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...
. Native tape format used by original software is PSK.
Software
Vector-06C had no built-in software, the tiny ROM only contained a boot loader. The computer could thus only be used with external storage.Vector-06C was sold with a tape containing system utility and game programs. Third party applications could be obtained through various companies. Original software titles were games, programming languages (BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
, Pascal
Pascal (programming language)
Pascal is an influential imperative and procedural programming language, designed in 1968/9 and published in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth as a small and efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring.A derivative known as Object Pascal...
, a monitor
Machine code monitor
A machine code monitor is software built into or separately available for various computers, allowing the user to enter commands to view and change memory locations on the machine, with options to load and save memory contents from/to secondary storage.Machine code monitors became something of a...
/debugger
Debugger
A debugger or debugging tool is a computer program that is used to test and debug other programs . The code to be examined might alternatively be running on an instruction set simulator , a technique that allows great power in its ability to halt when specific conditions are encountered but which...
, Assembler
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
), text and graphics editors, etc.
With optional floppy disk extension, CP/M version 2.2 was adopted. This allowed a broad range of CP/M software to be used on Vector.
It was also possible to run some Radio-86RK, Microsha, Specialist software items. Also, a method of low-level adaptation of ZX Spectrum and MSX titles was developed and some software items were ported. In particular, Vector User magazine mentions a software package consisting of a disassembler, a processor that substitutes Z80-specific instructions that 8080 was lacking with macros and a set of macros. The package was used to port several ZX Spectrum titles, namely Chess Master
Chessmaster
Chessmaster is a chess playing computer game series which is now owned and developed by Ubisoft. It is the best-selling chess franchise in history, with more than five million units sold .-Timeline:...
, West Bank
Bank Panic
Bank Panic is an arcade game developed by Sanritsu and manufactured by Sega in 1984. West Bank is a clone of the game, released on several platforms.-Game description:...
, Jumping Jack
.
User Community
Although Vector-06C was foreshadowed by more mainstream home computers such as BK-0010, ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and its clones, it enjoyed a considerable loyal following of fans. Enthusiasts developed and produced software and hardware extensions for Vector. Among hardware extensions there are RAM-disk, floppy and HDD controllers, sound synthesizers, realtime clocks and others. Both commercial and public developments existed. There were electronic and hardcopy publications, most notably Invector, Vector User, Coman Info. Several software contests were held among Vector users, notably DemosFan that used to take place in St.Petersburg, Russia.
External links
- The most comprehensive resource about Vector-06C: software, emulators, documentation, publications archive
- Technical Description of Vector-06C by Alexander Timoshenko
- FORTH Programming Language for Vector-06C
- Archive of Vector User and Coman Info publications on the Emulator3000 site
- vector06cc: open source Vector-06C replica in FPGA