The Micro-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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[2]