ZX Microdrive
Company: Sinclair
Launched: 1983
Capacity: 85 KiB
Bit rate: 15 KiB/s
The ZX Microdrive is a tape cartridge reader/writer intended to provide low-cost mass storage for Sinclair machines.
However, it proved unreliable, as the constant friction of the tape against the drive head caused it to wear out and eventually break.
Microdrives used a small cartridge measuring 44 mm x 34 mm x 8 mm, including the protective case, and inside were 5 meters of 1.9 mm wide magnetic tape, in a Moebius loop, allowing recording on both sides of the tape. The tape was driven at 76 cm/s, allowing the complete circuit to be covered in 8 seconds.
It was launched for the ZX Spectrum in the British market in June 1983 at a price of £49.95, or £79.95 if purchased together with the drive that connected to the ZX Interface 1.
It was later incorporated into other personal computers such as the Sinclair QL and ICL's One Per Desk.
Personal computers equipped width ZX Microdrive
Manufacturer: Sinclair
Launches: 1984
Manufactured in GB
CPU:
Motorola 68008
@ 7.5MHz
Memory: 128 KB ~ 896 KB
Support: ZX Microdrive
Support B: ZX Microdrive
Hard drive:
None
Operating system: Sinclair QDOS
Innovations: The first multitasking personal computer to hit the market.
This computer was Sir Clive Sinclair's first attempt at creating a business computer.
