{"id":23007,"date":"2025-12-10T14:45:40","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T19:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=23007"},"modified":"2026-06-22T15:05:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:05:26","slug":"vin180","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin180\/","title":{"rendered":"Zenith ZF 158-42"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n            <div class=\"cu-textmedia flex flex-col lg:flex-row mx-auto gap-6 md:gap-10 my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 max-w-5xl\">\n        <div class=\"justify-start cu-textmedia-content cu-prose-first-last\" style=\"flex: 0 0 100%;\">\n            <header class=\"font-light prose-xl cu-pageheader md:prose-2xl cu-component-updated cu-prose-first-last\">\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] pb-5 after:w-10 text-cu-black-700 not-prose\">\n                        Zenith ZF 158-42\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                \n                            <\/header>\n\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\">Vintage Computing Collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"zenith-zf-158-42\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Zenith ZF 158-42<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>[Vin180]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"160\" height=\"142\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-160x142.png\" alt=\"Carleton U Logo\" class=\"wp-image-20435\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-160x142.png 160w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-240x213.png 240w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-768x682.png 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-400x355.png 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-1536x1363.png 1536w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-2048x1818.png 2048w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/260\/B_Logo_V-RGBRedBlackonLight150_130821-360x320.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 160px) 100vw, 160px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Zenith ZF 158-42 was a notable early IBM PC-compatible portable computer from the mid-1980s, recognized for its robust build and business-oriented features, including an 8 MHz 8088 CPU, detachable keyboard, and dual 360K 5.25-inch floppy drives, making it suitable for extended work sessions and early mobile computing needs. Zenith Data System had a reputation for producing reliable, competitively priced PC clones that were widely adopted in government, education, and corporate environments, contributing to Zenith&#8217;s status as one of the top PC clone manufacturers of its era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Zenith Data Systems Corporation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Personal computer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Release Date<\/strong>: 1984<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: ~$7,500 (adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: ~0.3 (300 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"hardware-specifications\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hardware Specifications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: Intel 8088\u200b 8 MHz<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Memory<\/strong>: 256 KB RAM (expandable up to 640 KB)\u200b\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: Dual 5.25-inch 360 KB floppy disk drives (720 KB total storage)\u200b\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>RGB and composite video outputs\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Four ISA expansion slots\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two RS-232 serial ports and one parallel port\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Detachable keyboard\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Optional hard drive (up to 10.6 MB) and second floppy drive\u200b<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"operating-system-programming-languages\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW136206418 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW136206418 BCX0\">Operating System &amp; Programming Languages<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW136206418 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:0}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Operating System<\/strong>: Zenith Data Systems\u2019 version of MS-DOS, called ZDOS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Supported Languages<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Microsoft BASIC (often included with MS-DOS)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GW-BASIC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Turbo Pascal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Microsoft C and other early C compilers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assembly language for the Intel 8088 processor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"notables\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Notables<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Zenith ZF 158-42, produced by Zenith Data Systems (post-Heathkit acquisition), was an early 1985 IBM PC XT clone with a unique &#8220;luggable&#8221; portable design featuring detachable keyboard and pop-up floppy drives, epitomizing the transition from desktops to transportables.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It benefited from Zenith&#8217;s massive government contracts, including IRS and DoD deals that made ZDS the top US portable vendor by 1988, shipping over 433,000 units amid fierce clone competition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Notable quirks include the Ctrl+Alt+Ins &#8220;PAM-8&#8221; ROM monitor (from Heathkit roots) for diagnostics and a passive backplane cramming all logic onto one card, rare for XT clones<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Donated by<\/strong>: Carleton University&#8217;s ITS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\">Vintage Computing Collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zenith ZF 158-42 [Vin180] The Zenith ZF 158-42 was a notable early IBM PC-compatible portable computer from the mid-1980s, recognized for its robust build and business-oriented features, including an 8 MHz 8088 CPU, detachable keyboard, and dual 360K 5.25-inch floppy drives, making it suitable for extended work sessions and early mobile computing needs. Zenith Data [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[127,90,123],"class_list":["post-23007","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cu_page_type-pc","cu_page_type-vintage-computing","cu_page_type-vintage-inventory"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23007"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25168,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23007\/revisions\/25168"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=23007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}