computer science

Micro-80

Micro-80 is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Micro-80 rather than just read about it. In short: The Micro-80 (Russian: Микро-80) was the first do-it-yourself home computer in the Soviet Union. Overview Schematics and information were published in the local DIY electronic magazine Radio in 1983.

Key takeaways

Micro-80 belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Micro-80 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Micro-80 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Micro-80 (Russian: Микро-80) was the first do-it-yourself home computer in the Soviet Union.

Overview Schematics and information were published in the local DIY electronic magazine Radio in 1983. It was complex, using an KR580VM80A-based system (a clone of the Intel 8080) which contained about 200 ICs. This system gained low popularity, but set a precedent in getting the attention of hobbyists for DIY computers, and later other DIY computers were published by Radio and other DIY magazines.

History of creation The creation of the Micro-80 prototype began in 1978, when a package from the Kiev NPO Kristall arrived at the Moscow Institute of Electronic Machine Building (MIEM) by mistake. There were microcircuits in that package. Soon, MIEM specialists figured out that this was a domestic analogue of the i8080 microprocessor and peripheral controllers and decided to create their own PC. In 1979, the first sample of a microcomputer was launched. As in the first Western microcomputers, a terminal connected via a serial interface was used as a display device and keyboard, in this case the Videoton-340. There was also a punched tape reader FS-1500. 4 KB RAM was made on K565RU2 microcircuits with a 1K×1 organization (later the RAM was increased by another 8 KB). Initially, there was no ROM at all, and when the computer was turned on cold (as in one of the first American microcomputers Altair 8800 of 1975), it was necessary to manually enter the program for loading the block from punched tape with toggle switches. When i2708 chips (UV-ROM 1K×8) became available some time after the computer was running, they were used to store the ROM-BIOS and the monitor, eliminating the need to constantly load them from punched tape. Popov developed a text video adapter that works on a conventional household TV and a keyboard read through the PPA KR580VV55, which eliminated the bulky industrial terminal. After a data storage system based on a cassette recorder was developed, in 1980 a prototype of a full-fledged household computer was obtained. After bringing it into a presentable form, it was shown to the Deputy Minister of the Radio Industry N.V. Gorshkov, but did not meet his understanding regarding the implementation of the development:

”Guys, stop doing bullshit. There can't be a personal computer. There can be a personal car, a personal pension, a personal dacha. Do you even know what a computer is? A computer is 100 m² of floor space, 25 service personnel and 30 liters of alcohol every month!”

Resonance for journal publication The idea to build a computer on their own interested many radio amateurs. Letters began to come to the editors of the Radio magazine with requests to simplify the design of the Micro-80 and, to facilitate assembly, develop printed circuit boards for it. Therefore, soon, already in 1986, the same authors published a much simpler Radio 86RK computer, containing only 29 microcircuits.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Micro-80

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Micro-80 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Micro-80 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Micro-80 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Micro-80

In research: Micro-80 appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Micro-80 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Micro-80 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-related introductions in 1983, Computer hardware stubs, Soviet computer systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Micro-80 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Micro-80 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Micro-80 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Micro-80 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Micro-80 in simple terms?

The Micro-80 (Russian: Микро-80) was the first do-it-yourself home computer in the Soviet Union. Overview Schematics and information were published in the local DIY electronic magazine Radio in 1983.

Why does Micro-80 matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Micro-80?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Micro-80.