{"id":21591,"date":"2025-07-08T15:09:31","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T19:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=21591"},"modified":"2025-07-08T15:21:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T19:21:58","slug":"vin76","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin76\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaypro II"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Kaypro II<\/h2>\n<p>[Vin76]<\/p>\n<p>The Kaypro II, introduced in 1982, was a pioneering &#8220;luggable&#8221; computer known for its rugged, all-metal aluminum case and portability, weighing approximately 26 pounds (11.8 kilograms). It featured a 2.5 MHz Zilog Z80 microprocessor, 64 KB of RAM, and two 5\u00bc-inch double-density floppy disk drives, paired with a bright 9-inch green monochrome CRT display that was notably larger and clearer than many contemporaries. The computer ran the CP\/M operating system, which supported a vast library of software, making it a versatile and practical choice for business and professional use. The Kaypro II helped popularize the concept of &#8220;turnkey&#8221; portable computers that were ready to use out of the box, influencing the design and marketing of later portable and laptop computers.<a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-scaled.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-21597\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Kaypro II\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-2048x1538.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/PXL_20250708_191823690-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Non-Linear Systems (NLS), founded by Andy Kay. The computer division was later spun off as Kaypro Corporation<\/li>\n<li><strong>Released<\/strong>: 1982<\/li>\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Luggable\/Personal Computer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: USD $1,795 (CAD ~$6,500 adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: 0.1 (100 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW169789978 BCX0\">Hardware Specifications<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: Zilog Z80, 2.5 MHz<\/li>\n<li><strong>RAM<\/strong>: 64 KB dynamic RAM<\/li>\n<li><strong>ROM<\/strong>: 2 KB system ROM<\/li>\n<li><strong>Display<\/strong>: 9-inch green phosphor CRT, 80 columns \u00d7 24 lines text-only<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: Two internal 5.25-inch single-sided, double-density floppy disk drives (approx. 191\u2013195 KB each)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keyboard<\/strong>: Detachable, full-stroke keyboard with numeric keypad (typically 76 keys)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight<\/strong>: 26 lbs (approx. 11.8\u201313 kg)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW50331614 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW50331614 BCX0\">Operating System &amp; Programming Languages<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW50331614 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Operating System<\/strong>: CP\/M 2.2 (Control Program for Microcomputers) operating system, a widely used OS for 8-bit microcomputers of the early 1980&#8217;s<\/li>\n<li><strong>Programming Languages<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>S-BASIC: A structured, compiled BASIC language supplied by Kaypro, suitable for both beginners and advanced users.<\/li>\n<li>MBASIC (Microsoft BASIC): The de facto standard interpreted BASIC for CP\/M systems, widely used for general programming and education.<\/li>\n<li>C-BASIC: A bytecode-compiled BASIC available for more advanced programming needs.<\/li>\n<li>Assembler (Z80 Assembly Language): CP\/M included tools for assembly language programming, allowing direct access to the Z80 CPU.<\/li>\n<li>Other CP\/M Languages: Because the Kaypro II could run any standard CP\/M software, users could install and use a variety of third-party languages, such as:\n<ul>\n<li>FORTRAN<\/li>\n<li>COBOL<\/li>\n<li>Pascal<\/li>\n<li>dBase II (database programming)<\/li>\n<li>C (via third-party compilers)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Utility and Scripting Languages: CP\/M also supported scripting and batch file automation for advanced users<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Notables<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>All-Metal Construction: The Kaypro II was famous for its rugged, all-metal aluminum case, making it exceptionally durable and giving it a &#8220;built like a tank&#8221; reputation.<\/li>\n<li>Luggable, Not Portable: Weighing about 26 pounds, it was marketed as portable, but users often called it &#8220;luggable&#8221; due to its hefty size.<\/li>\n<li>Appliance\/Turnkey Machine: It was one of the first computers marketed as a complete, ready-to-use system, bundled with a large suite of productivity software.<\/li>\n<li>User Groups: Its popularity led to the formation of numerous user groups across North America for support and community.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;The Tank&#8221;: Due to its heavy, metal case and durability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donated By<\/strong>: Arlen Michaels<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kaypro II [Vin76] The Kaypro II, introduced in 1982, was a pioneering &#8220;luggable&#8221; computer known for its rugged, all-metal aluminum case and portability, weighing approximately 26 pounds (11.8 kilograms). It featured a 2.5 MHz Zilog Z80 microprocessor, 64 KB of RAM, and two 5\u00bc-inch double-density floppy disk drives, paired with a bright 9-inch green monochrome [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kaypro II - 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