Luxor  ABC 806
Previous System
luxor_abc806
Next System

Luxor ABC-806

The ABC 806 is a more advanced version of the luxor ABC 800. It features a main board, with a separate screen and keyboard. The memory has been upgraded to 164kByte RAM, with 128 kByte as RAM disk. The graphics have been upgraded as well with a maximum resolution of 512x240 in 16 colors.

The BASIC supplied with the ABC machines is a semi-compiling basic, many routines are compiled to machine language before executing, and the interpreter as a whole is faster than most other BASICs used in popular machines of that time, especially when integer variables are used. The Luxor easily outperforms the IBM PC, the Apple III, the Vic-20 and the ZX81 in "fast mode".

Luxor ABC-806 Programmers Reference Card

Zilog Z80 CPU Family

The Z80 quickly became popular in the personal computer market, with many early personal computers, such as the TRS-80 and Sinclair ZX80, using the Z80 as their central processing unit (CPU). It was also widely used in home computers, such as the MSX range, SORD, and the Amstrad CPC, as well as in many arcade games. Additionally, it was also used in other applications such as industrial control systems, and embedded systems. The Z80 was widely used until the mid-1980s, when it was gradually replaced by newer microprocessors such as the Intel 80286 and the Motorola 68000.

The Z80 microprocessor was developed by Zilog, a company founded by Federico Faggin in 1974. The Z80 was released in July 1976, as a successor to the Intel 8080. It was designed to be fully compatible with the 8080, but also included new features such as an improved instruction set, more powerful interrupts, and a more sophisticated memory management system.

The Z80 quickly became popular in the personal computer market, with many early personal computers, such as the TRS-80 and Sinclair ZX80, using the Z80 as their central processing unit (CPU). It was also widely used in home computers, such as the MSX range, SORD, and the Amstrad CPC, as well as in many arcade games. Additionally, it was also used in other applications such as industrial control systems, and embedded systems. The Z80 was widely used until the mid-1980s, when it was gradually replaced by newer microprocessors such as the Intel 80286 and the Motorola 68000. The design was licensed to Synertek and Mostek as well as the European SGS.

The Z80s instruction set is binary compatible with the Intel 8080, so that 8080 code such as the CP/M Operating System and Intel's PL/M compiler for the 8080 can run unmodified on the Z80. The Z80 had many enhancements over the 8080 such as 16-bit data movement instructions, block copy and block I/O instructions, single bit addressing of all registers, IX/IY offset registers, better interrupt system and a complete duplicate register file for context switching during an interrupt.

Source: WikiPedia
Technical Details
Released 1981 Brand Luxor Type Luxor ABC Name ABC 806 CPU Class Z80 CPU Z80 @3.58MHz Memory RAM: 164k
ROM: 32kb
VRAM: 16kb Shared
128kB is reserved as RAM disk
Sound Chip unknown Sound Beeps Display Chip unknown Display 80x24 4bpp
240x240 2bpp
256x240 4bpp
512x240 4bpp
Best Text 80x24 color Best Color 16 colors (4bpp) Best Graphics 512x240 Sprites None System OS BASIC
Related Systems
 
Luxor ABC
» 
ABC  806 (1981)
Related Media
World Wide Web Links
 
Wikipedia: The Z80 CPU
Wikipedia page on the very popular Z80 8-bit CPU used in many computers of the 1980's era.