Modular Micros Zorba GC-200

[Vin101]

Introduced by Modular Micros (a Modcomp subsidiary) as one of the last “luggable” CP/M portables, the 22 lb Zorba GC-200 featured a Z80A CPU, a detachable full-stroke keyboard, twin 5.25-inch floppy drives and terminal-emulation firmware that let it read a remarkable range of rival disk formats: Kaypro, Osborne, Xerox 820 and more. Its claim to fame was arriving at the very end of the CP/M era with unusually broad compatibility, positioning itself as a universal bridge machine just as MS-DOS portables (e.g., Compaq Portable) were taking over; consequently only about 6,000 units were ever built and sales were short-lived before surplus stock was liquidated.

Manufacturer: Modular Micros
Type: Luggable (portable) computer
Release Date: 1983
Cost at release: $1,595 (~$5,500 adjusted for inflation)
MIPS: 0.1 (100 KIPS)

Hardware Specifications

CPU: Zilog Z80A microprocessor running at 4MHz
RAM: 64K bytes
ROM: 4K bytes (expandable to 16K)
Screen: 7-inch green CRT monitor
Resolution: 80 characters × 25 lines text-only display
Graphics: 64 graphics characters available
Floppy drives: Two internal 5.25-inch floppy disk drives with a capacity 410K bytes per drive
Serial ports: 2 full asynchronous RS-232 ports
Parallel port: 1 Centronics-compatible parallel port
IEEE-488 port: 1 IEEE-488 interface port
Detachable 95-key keyboard

Operating System & Programming Languages

Operating System: CP/M 2.2
Supported Languages:
- BASIC: Multiple BASIC interpreters and compilers were available for CP/M
- Pascal: CP/M Pascal implementations
- COBOL: Business-oriented programming language
- FORTRAN: Scientific and engineering applications
- C: C compilers were available for CP/M systems
- Assembly Language: Z80 assembly language programming
- PL/M: Intel’s programming language (CP/M itself was originally written in PL/M)

Notables

The Zorba was one of the very last CP/M portable computers ever manufactured, arriving at the market just as MS-DOS and the IBM PC compatible era was beginning. It represented the end of an era for 8-bit portable computing, making it historically significant as a “last of its kind” machine.
The Zorba’s most remarkable feature was its ability to read and write an unusually wide variety of CP/M disk formats, including Osborne 1, Kaypro II, Xerox 820, Cromemco 520, DEC VT 180, IBM PC, Compaq, and TeleVideo 802 formats. This made it a universal “bridge machine” between different CP/M systems – an extremely rare capability for the time.
The computer had a turbulent ownership history: originally manufactured by Telcon Industries, then sold to MODCOMP for $5 million, and finally liquidated through surplus dealer Gemini Electronics for just $799 (down from the original $1,595 price). This represents one of the most dramatic price drops in vintage computing history.
Only approximately 6,000 total units were ever manufactured across all variants, making it one of the rarest commercially produced portable computers of the 1980s
The Zorba arrived “too late to the party” – by the time it launched in late 1982/early 1983, the Compaq Portable running MS-DOS was already dominating the portable market, sealing the fate of CP/M portables. This timing makes it a perfect example of how quickly the personal computer market was evolving in the early 1980s.

Donated by: Arlen Michaels

Vintage Computing Collection