Komputer 2086 - Sarcasm Wiki

Contents

1. Overview
2. Etymology
3. Cultural Impact

Komputer 2086
Unipolbrit Komputer 2086
Type Home computer Release date 1986; 39 years ago (1986) Introductory price 190000 zł Media Cassette tapes , 31⁄2-inch floppy disks , 5
• 1⁄4-inch floppy disks, ROM Cartridges Operating system Sinclair BASIC with Timex Computer Corp. extension CPU Zilog Z80 A @ 3.58 MHz Memory 48 KiB Display PAL TV or video monitor; text: 32×24 lines, 16 colours; graphics: 256×192, 16 colours or 512×192 pixels, two colours; attributes: 32x24 or 32x192, two colours per area. Graphics Timex SCLD Sound Beeper, AY-3-8912 Input Keyboard Predecessor Timex Computer 2048 Successor Timex Computer 3256

The machine was marketed as a low‑cost entry point for Polish households eager to join the burgeoning home‑computer revolution of the mid‑1980s. Its price of roughly 190 000 zł placed it in the same bracket as other budget machines, yet the inclusion of a built‑in ROM cartridge slot and a robust Keyboard set it apart from many contemporaries that relied on external peripherals for extended functionality.

Technical specifications

CPU
• Zilog Z80A @ 3.50 MHz
The central processing unit was a slightly under‑clocked variant of the classic Zilog Z80, running at 3.50 MHz. This clock speed was deliberately chosen to balance performance with power consumption, allowing the system to operate for extended periods on modest electricity budgets while still being compatible with a vast library of existing Z80 software.

ROM
• 16 KiB
Sixteen kilobytes of read‑only memory stored the firmware that initialized the hardware, managed the cassette interface, and housed the built‑in Sinclair BASIC interpreter. The relatively small ROM size contributed to the machine’s low production cost and rapid boot times, though it also imposed limits on the complexity of built‑in features.

RAM
• 48 KiB
Forty‑eight kilobytes of random‑access memory provided the working storage for user programs, data, and graphics buffers. This amount of memory was typical for home computers of the era, enabling simple applications and games while requiring careful memory‑management from developers.

Display
• Timex SCLD chip [14] [15] [16] with Extended Color, Dual Screen and High Resolution screen modes :
• Text: 32×24 characters (8×8 pixels, rendered in graphics mode)
• Graphics: 256×192 pixels, 15 colours (two simultaneous colours - “attributes” - per 8×8 pixels, causing attribute clash)
• Extended Color: 256×192 pixels, 15 colors with colour resolution of 32×192 (two simultaneous colours - “attributes” - per 8x1 pixels)
• Dual Screen: (two 256×192 pixels screens can be placed in memory)
• High Resolution: 512×192 mode with 2 colours (Four palettes: Black & White, Blue & Yellow, Red & Cyan, Magenta & Green).
The display subsystem, built around the Timex SCLD chip, offered a richer palette and more flexible screen handling than the original ZX Spectrum, thanks to its extended colour capabilities and dual‑screen architecture. Attribute clash, a hallmark of early Spectrum graphics, persisted but could be mitigated through clever palette swapping and mode selection.

Sound
• Beeper (1 channel, 10 octaves and 10+ semitones via internal speaker) and AY-3-8912 PSG (three channels)
Audio output was generated by a simple beeper capable of producing a wide range of tones, supplemented by the AY‑3‑8912 programmable sound chip, which provided three independent channels for more melodic possibilities. This combination gave the machine a distinctive auditory character that many programmers exploited for background music and sound effects.

I/O
• Line audio in/out for external cassette tape storage
• RF television out
• DIN Composite monitor out
• Kempston Joystick input
• Cartridge port
• Centronics printer port.
The input‑output panel combined traditional cassette I/O for program loading with modern video output options, allowing the computer to be connected directly to a television set or a dedicated monitor. The inclusion of a Kempston‑compatible joystick port made it easy to attach popular gaming peripherals, while the cartridge slot opened the door to software distribution via ROM cartridges.

Storage
• External cassette tape recorder
• External 5" 1/4 or 3" disc drives
Although the base model relied on external cassette recorders for program storage, optional external disc drives were available, providing faster load times and larger storage capacity for more ambitious software projects.

Keyboard
• Mechanical keyboard: 42 keys, five function keys , cursor keys
The keyboard featured a durable mechanical construction with forty‑two keys, including five programmable function keys and a full set of cursor controls. Its tactile feel was reminiscent of contemporary office keyboards, offering a satisfying typing experience that suited both programming and productivity tasks.

Gallery

The following images illustrate various configurations and peripheral attachments of the Unipolbrit Komputer 2086.

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