🇩🇪 Nixdorf LK-3000 Personal Computer: Part 1 (First Look) [#TCE0639]

Let's take a look at this interesting "personal computer" from 1979. It's essentially a language translator using cartridges but has a few other tricks: it can be used as a calculator, an electronic notepad, a filing system and also a remote computer terminal (via an acoustic coupler). The machine has a very nice 16 character display (four DL1414 modules) and runs on four NiCd rechargeable cells. It also comes with a 6VDC power adaptor that can be switched between 120VAC and 220VAC. There is very little inside the machine itself - a few logic chips, the display and the battery. All of the intelligence is contained within the cartridges: usually a ROM and a CPU-type device. I couldn't find any information on the CPU-type chip - I'm assuming it's some sort of custom/cut-down Motorola 6800 with some internal program ROM and RAM ... ? Each chip is customised for the cartridge, bearing the cartridge's ID. For example, the chip in the LK-3050 Spanish language cartridge is labelled: LK3051M 7914 (datecode) SC80230P And in the electronic notepad: SC80293P 8006 LK3500M These are the cartridges I'm aware of: LK-0280: Winter Olympics - Lake Placid LK-0680: Summer Olympics - Moscow LK-1001: Filing System LK-3050: English-Spanish LK-3060: English-French LK-3070: English-Italian LK-3080: English-German LK-3090: English-Swedish LK-3100: English-Polish LK-3110: English-Portuguese LK-3120: English-Russian LK-3130: English-Greek LK-3140: English-Arabic (also LK-3145?) LK-3150: English-Hebrew LK-3160: English-Japanese LK-3170: English-Chinese LK-3200: English-Spanish-French-German-Italian-Greek LK-3500: Electronic Notepad LK-3900: Calculator 00:00 ... Intro 03:30 ... A Triumph of West German Technology 05:00 ... Disassembling the device 12:00 ... Powering on 14:10 ... Disassembling a language cartridge 16:25 ... Disassembling the electronic notepad cartridge 20:15 ... Channel thanks & outro My Github for this machine: https://github.com/BrettHallen/Nixdor... -------------------------------- Check out my Patreon for regular blog-type updates between videos - there is a free membership tier and two paid tiers (US$2 and US$5). There is also a one-week trial for the paid tiers so if you don't think it's worth it, then cancel ... no hard feelings ... I appreciate any support, even if it's just subscribing to my YouTube channel!   / thecluelessengineer   -------------------------------- Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio https://karlcasey.bandcamp.com    / @whitebataudio