<s>
The	O
MRB	O
Z	O
1013	O
(	O
)	O
was	O
an	O
East	O
German	O
single-board	B-Device
computer	I-Device
produced	O
by	O
VEB	O
Robotron	O
Riesa	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
primarily	O
intended	O
for	O
private	O
use	O
and	O
educational	O
institutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
powered	O
by	O
a	O
U880	B-Device
processor	O
(	O
a	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
clone	O
)	O
and	O
sold	O
together	O
with	O
a	O
membrane	O
(	O
flat	O
foil	O
)	O
keyboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
package	O
contained	O
the	O
assembled	O
and	O
tested	O
motherboard	O
,	O
a	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
,	O
various	O
small	O
parts	O
and	O
detailed	O
technical	O
documentation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
users	O
tended	O
to	O
program	O
the	O
kit	O
using	O
the	O
BASIC	B-Language
interpreter	I-Language
,	O
which	O
was	O
loadable	O
from	O
compact	B-Device
cassette	I-Device
or	O
by	O
using	O
a	O
ROM	B-Device
cartridge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
BASIC	B-Language
interpreter	I-Language
contained	O
a	O
common	O
core	O
binary	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
identical	O
across	O
home	O
computer	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robotron	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
manufacturer	O
of	O
another	O
line	O
of	O
computers	O
,	O
the	O
Z	B-Device
9001	I-Device
,	I-Device
KC	I-Device
85/1	I-Device
and	I-Device
KC	I-Device
87	I-Device
,	O
which	O
shared	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
expansion	O
modules	O
–	O
offering	O
more	O
options	O
also	O
for	O
Z	O
1013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
conformity	O
to	O
one	O
standard	O
across	O
computers	O
,	O
ranging	O
from	O
tank-sized	O
minicomputers	B-Architecture
to	O
small	O
home	O
computers	O
,	O
allowed	O
for	O
reuse	O
of	O
hardware	O
from	O
all	O
computers	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
bus	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1984	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
lines	O
of	O
home	O
computers	O
,	O
the	O
Z	B-Device
9001	I-Device
and	O
HC	B-Device
900	I-Device
were	O
presented	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
three	O
single	B-Device
board	I-Device
computers	I-Device
were	O
selected	O
for	O
industrial	O
production	O
:	O
the	O
LC80	B-Device
with	O
calculator	O
display	O
and	O
keyboard	O
,	O
the	O
with	O
8-digit	O
seven-segment	B-General_Concept
display	I-General_Concept
and	O
the	O
more	O
comfortable	O
Z	O
1013	O
with	O
TV	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initiators	O
of	O
the	O
Z	O
1013	O
concept	O
favored	O
a	O
caseless	O
single-board	B-Device
computer	I-Device
with	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
state	O
planning	O
targets	O
for	O
the	O
mostly	O
young	O
engineers	O
and	O
employees	O
from	O
the	O
corresponding	O
group	O
of	O
developers	O
(	O
"	O
youth	O
research	O
collective	O
"	O
)	O
of	O
VEB	O
Robotron	O
Riesa	O
envisioned	O
an	O
expandable	O
single	B-Device
board	I-Device
computer	I-Device
with	O
a	O
minimum	O
of	O
material	O
and	O
manufacturing	O
costs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
system	O
would	O
have	O
to	O
be	O
largely	O
compatible	O
with	O
regards	O
to	O
interfaces	O
and	O
software	O
to	O
Robotron	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
Z	B-Device
9001	I-Device
and	O
KC	B-Device
85/1	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
only	O
feasible	O
to	O
meet	O
such	O
tight	O
requirements	O
by	O
a	O
system	O
architecture	O
utilizing	O
the	O
very	O
affordable	O
and	O
field-proven	O
U880	B-Device
8-bit	O
microprocessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
prototype	O
with	O
16	O
kilobytes	O
(	O
KB	O
)	O
of	O
memory	O
and	O
a	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
was	O
presented	O
to	O
responsible	O
authorities	O
in	O
fall	O
of	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
single-board	B-Device
computer	I-Device
was	O
officially	O
presented	O
to	O
a	O
wider	O
audience	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
at	O
Leipzig	O
Spring	O
Fair	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
used	O
regular	O
circuits	O
,	O
an	O
increased	O
system	O
clock	O
of	O
2MHz	O
,	O
1	O
KB	O
of	O
video	O
memory	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
1	O
KB	O
of	O
static	B-Architecture
RAM	I-Architecture
as	O
main	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Owners	O
of	O
older	O
kits	O
could	O
after	O
procurement	O
of	O
components	O
and	O
modified	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
also	O
upgrade	O
their	O
systems	O
with	O
the	O
aid	O
of	O
a	O
soldering	O
iron	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
important	O
aspect	O
of	O
upgrades	O
made	O
to	O
the	O
memory	O
subsystem	O
is	O
-	O
apart	O
from	O
improved	O
reliability	O
-	O
superior	O
compatibility	O
of	O
the	O
Z	O
1013.16	O
kit	O
with	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
Z	B-Device
9001	I-Device
,	I-Device
KC	I-Device
85/1	I-Device
and	I-Device
KC	I-Device
87	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
modern	O
realization	O
was	O
done	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
2013	O
-	O
like	O
with	O
other	O
home	O
computer	O
systems	O
too	O
-	O
as	O
implementation	O
via	O
programmable	B-Architecture
gate	I-Architecture
array	I-Architecture
(	O
FPGA	B-Architecture
)	O
,	O
inclusive	O
its	O
development	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Replica	O
using	O
FPGAs	B-Architecture
were	O
initially	O
intended	O
only	O
as	O
a	O
technical	O
feasibility	O
study	O
,	O
but	O
in	O
retrospect	O
proved	O
also	O
its	O
practical	O
utility	O
:	O
Due	O
to	O
miniaturization	O
and	O
possibility	O
to	O
run	O
in	O
battery	O
mode	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
an	O
easily	O
stowable	O
,	O
reliably	O
working	O
and	O
portable	O
alternative	O
to	O
the	O
preserve-worthy	O
original	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fully	O
assembled	O
printed	O
circuit	O
board	O
by	O
Robotron	O
contains	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
,	O
RAM	O
and	O
ROMs	O
,	O
video	O
generation	O
circuits	O
and	O
multiple	O
peripheral	O
connectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
architecture	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
U880	B-Device
microprocessor	O
,	O
an	O
unauthorized	O
replica	O
of	O
the	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
microprocessor	I-General_Concept
from	O
Zilog	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
other	O
models	O
,	O
fully	O
qualified	O
,	O
regular	O
types	O
like	O
the	O
2MHz	O
U880	B-Device
microprocessor	O
were	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CPU	B-Device
has	O
an	O
address	O
range	O
of	O
64KB	O
,	O
whereby	O
59	O
KB	O
are	O
available	O
as	O
RAM	O
for	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
overcome	O
this	O
limitation	O
,	O
external	O
RAM	B-Application
disks	I-Application
and	O
bank	B-General_Concept
switching	I-General_Concept
were	O
used	O
frequently	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
memory	O
that	O
is	O
addressable	O
by	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
is	O
segmented	O
into	O
regions	O
for	O
use	O
by	O
the	O
system	O
software	O
,	O
freely	O
usable	O
memory	O
,	O
pluggable	O
expansions	O
and	O
the	O
graphics	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
software	O
often	O
simply	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
machine	O
language	O
monitor	O
"	O
is	O
either	O
flashed	O
on	O
a	O
2KB	O
or	O
4KB	O
ROM	B-Device
chip	I-Device
,	O
depending	O
on	O
computer	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
program	O
the	O
computer	O
in	O
the	O
desired	O
programming	O
language	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Tiny	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
with	O
3	O
KB	O
or	O
the	O
significantly	O
larger	O
KC	B-Device
87	I-Device
BASIC	O
with	O
10	O
KB	O
,	O
it	O
must	O
be	O
loaded	O
into	O
memory	O
from	O
audio	B-Device
cassette	I-Device
or	O
added	O
via	O
plug-in	O
cartridge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loading	O
Tiny	B-Language
Basic	I-Language
from	O
cassette	O
into	O
an	O
unexpanded	O
system	O
with	O
16	O
KB	O
of	O
RAM	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
leaves	O
12	O
KB	O
of	O
free	O
memory	O
for	O
writing	O
BASIC	O
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
produce	O
text	O
and	O
graphic	O
symbols	O
(	O
semigraphics	B-Data_Structure
)	O
with	O
8	O
×	O
8	O
pixels	O
and	O
it	O
provides	O
a	O
screen	O
resolution	O
of	O
32	O
×	O
32	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
required	O
character	O
set	O
in	O
ROM	B-Device
contains	O
96	O
alphanumeric	O
and	O
control	O
characters	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
146	O
graphic	O
symbols	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Western	O
home	O
computers	O
of	O
the	O
1980s	O
used	O
mainly	O
tape	O
recorders	O
and	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	I-Device
for	O
data	O
storage	O
,	O
in	O
professional	O
environments	O
and	O
personal	O
computers	O
increasingly	O
also	O
hard	O
-	O
and	O
removable	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cheapest	O
method	O
to	O
store	O
data	O
is	O
on	O
compact	B-Device
audio	I-Device
cassette	I-Device
,	O
which	O
has	O
the	O
disadvantage	O
of	O
low	O
data	O
transfer	O
rates	O
and	O
thus	O
long	O
loading	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
,	O
the	O
much	O
faster	O
and	O
more	O
reliable	O
floppy	B-Device
disks	I-Device
and	O
hard	O
disk	O
drives	O
were	O
much	O
more	O
expensive	O
to	O
purchase	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
case	O
of	O
the	O
GDR	O
were	O
hardly	O
available	O
at	O
all	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
availability	O
of	O
the	O
U8272	O
chip	O
produced	O
in	O
the	O
GDR	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
replica	O
of	O
Intel	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
controller	I-Device
P8272A	O
,	O
suggestions	O
and	O
basic	O
procedures	O
for	O
building	O
one	O
's	O
own	O
floppy	B-Device
system	O
for	O
GDR-based	O
home	O
computers	O
were	O
published	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
mid-1992	O
,	O
magazine	O
Funkamateur	O
published	O
a	O
simple	O
hardware	O
interface	O
along	O
with	O
software	O
for	O
operation	O
of	O
the	O
Commodore	B-Device
1541-II	I-Device
floppy	B-Device
with	O
the	O
Z	O
1013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
slots	O
of	O
the	O
rack	O
are	O
plug-wise	O
compatible	O
with	O
expansions	O
for	O
the	O
Z	B-Device
9001	I-Device
,	I-Device
KC	I-Device
85/1	I-Device
and	I-Device
KC	I-Device
87	I-Device
computers	O
,	O
whereby	O
such	O
modules	O
often	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
modified	O
slightly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
upgrade	O
the	O
RAM	O
,	O
the	O
manufacturer	O
recommended	O
using	O
RAM	O
modules	O
of	O
type	O
1.40.690003.5	O
for	O
Z	B-Device
9001	I-Device
,	I-Device
KC	I-Device
85/1	I-Device
and	I-Device
KC	I-Device
87	I-Device
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
freely	O
configurable	O
ROM	B-Device
module	O
from	O
Robotron	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
accommodate	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
EPROMs	B-General_Concept
,	O
each	O
with	O
a	O
storage	O
capacity	O
of	O
1	O
,	O
2	O
or	O
4KB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
modules	O
sold	O
by	O
Robotron	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
solutions	O
from	O
third	O
parties	O
that	O
were	O
also	O
manufactured	O
in	O
larger	O
quantities	O
and	O
often	O
served	O
as	O
mass	O
storage	O
solution	O
in	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
RAM	B-Application
disk	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
appropriately	O
modified	O
system	O
software	O
,	O
such	O
RAM	B-Application
disks	I-Application
were	O
often	O
used	O
as	O
replacement	O
for	O
tape-based	O
mass	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
for	O
the	O
Z	O
1013	O
computer	O
featured	O
alphabetically	O
placed	O
keys	O
arranged	O
in	O
a	O
8	O
x	O
4	O
matrix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
included	O
a	O
12-pin	O
ribbon	O
cable	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
had	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
mainboard	O
before	O
first	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Porting	O
of	O
programs	O
from	O
Western	O
Z80-based	O
home	O
computers	O
was	O
very	O
difficult	O
due	O
to	O
technical	O
differences	O
in	O
external	O
circuits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
programs	O
for	O
computer	O
series	O
Z	B-Device
9001	I-Device
,	I-Device
KC	I-Device
85/1	I-Device
and	I-Device
KC	I-Device
87	I-Device
could	O
be	O
ported	O
easily	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Services	O
to	O
setup	O
the	O
computer	O
hardware	O
,	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
cassette	O
interface	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
write	O
and	O
read	O
memory	O
are	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
contained	O
in	O
ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
Robotron	O
's	O
monitor	O
programs	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
other	O
third-party	O
system	O
software	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
can	O
install	O
in	O
EPROMs	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Models	O
with	O
RAM	B-Application
disk	I-Application
allow	O
running	O
CP/M	B-Application
alike	O
system	O
software	O
Single	O
User	O
Control	O
Program	O
(	O
SCP	O
)	O
 [ de ] 	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
assemblers	B-Language
(	O
assembler	B-Language
5.3	O
scf	O
and	O
editor/assembler	O
EDAS	O
)	O
there	O
are	O
high-level	O
languages	O
such	O
as	O
Tiny	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
,	O
KC-BASIC	O
[de],	O
BASICODE	O
,	O
Forth	B-Application
and	O
Pascal	B-Application
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
one	O
hand	O
it	O
describes	O
hardware	O
and	O
monitor	O
program	O
in	O
detail	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
it	O
contains	O
further	O
software	O
in	O
form	O
of	O
assembler	B-Language
and	O
BASIC	O
code	O
listings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
no	O
special	O
magazines	O
for	O
the	O
Z1013	B-Device
or	O
GDR-made	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
in	O
general	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
after	O
German	O
reunification	O
,	O
the	O
exchange	O
of	O
experience	O
within	O
advocates	O
for	O
GDR	O
computer	O
technology	O
continued	O
in	O
publications	O
with	O
small	O
circulation	O
,	O
and	O
from	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
also	O
in	O
Internet	O
forums	O
,	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
corresponding	O
emulators	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
home	O
computer	O
era	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
and	O
with	O
the	O
advent	O
of	O
powerful	O
and	O
affordable	O
computer	O
technology	O
in	O
mid-1990s	O
,	O
dedicated	O
enthusiasts	O
increasingly	O
developed	O
programs	O
for	O
emulating	B-Application
home	O
computers	O
and	O
their	O
peripherals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
single	O
modern	O
system	O
with	O
images	O
from	O
relevant	O
programs	O
is	O
sufficient	O
to	O
play	O
old	O
classics	O
from	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
home	O
computers	O
with	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
emulators	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
other	O
things	O
,	O
the	O
emergence	O
of	O
emulators	B-Application
triggered	O
an	O
increased	O
transfer	O
of	O
otherwise	O
lost	O
software	O
to	O
modern	O
storage	O
media	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
an	O
important	O
contribution	O
to	O
the	O
preservation	O
of	O
digital	O
culture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
emulator	B-Application
package	O
JKCEMU	O
,	O
which	O
runs	O
under	O
Windows	O
and	O
Linux	O
,	O
was	O
developed	O
to	O
emulate	O
GDR	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
,	O
in	O
particular	O
the	O
Z1013	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
state-controlled	O
magazines	O
such	O
as	O
Radio	O
Fernsehen	O
Elektronik	O
and	O
Funkamateur	O
,	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
was	O
welcomed	O
:	O
"	O
As	O
close	O
to	O
the	O
hardware	O
[	O
relative	O
to	O
KC	B-Device
85/1	I-Device
]	O
,	O
a	O
reasonably	O
priced	O
and	O
well	O
documented	O
system	O
"	O
,	O
perfectly	O
suited	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
experimental	O
appropriation	O
of	O
skills	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
applied	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
technology	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
critically	O
noted	O
that	O
initially	O
it	O
came	O
with	O
a	O
BASIC	O
incompatible	O
to	O
that	O
on	O
Z	B-Device
9001	I-Device
and	O
KC	B-Device
85/1	I-Device
models	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
incompatibilities	O
of	O
the	O
cassette	O
interface	O
for	O
differently	O
clocked	O
variants	O
,	O
and	O
especially	O
that	O
the	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
was	O
unusable	O
for	O
prolonged	O
text	O
input	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
weak	O
point	O
of	O
the	O
Z	O
1013	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
computers	O
developed	O
and	O
produced	O
in	O
the	O
GDR	O
,	O
including	O
in	O
particular	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
and	O
 [ chess ] 	O
game	O
machines	O
,	O
have	O
been	O
increasingly	O
noticed	O
in	O
the	O
media	O
-	O
above	O
all	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
-	O
and	O
also	O
are	O
exhibited	O
in	O
dedicated	O
museums	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Z	O
1013	O
is	O
characterized	O
as	O
an	O
in-house	O
development	O
based	O
on	O
Western	O
single-board	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
although	O
many	O
individual	O
electronic	O
components	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
U880	B-Device
microprocessor	O
are	O
copies	O
of	O
Zilog	O
's	O
Western	O
Z80	B-General_Concept
microprocessor	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
to	O
GDR	O
microcomputers	B-Architecture
from	O
Dresden	B-Device
and	O
Mühlhausen	B-Device
,	O
the	O
Z	O
1013	O
was	O
"	O
available	O
in	O
an	O
open	O
design	O
in	O
various	O
variants	O
as	O
consumer	O
good	O
over	O
the	O
entire	O
production	O
period	O
,	O
but	O
without	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
meet	O
demand.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
This	O
relatively	O
inexpensive	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
kit	O
therefore	O
was	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
home	O
but	O
also	O
in	O
computer	O
clubs	O
and	O
associations	O
and	O
in	O
a	O
few	O
cases	O
in	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
well	O
suited	O
to	O
explore	O
the	O
internal	O
workings	O
of	O
microcomputer	B-Architecture
technology	O
,	O
to	O
learn	O
programming	O
,	O
to	O
build	O
one	O
's	O
own	O
computer	O
for	O
creative	O
hobby	O
applications	O
and	O
for	O
development	O
of	O
various	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
improvements	O
and	O
enhancements.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
kit	O
was	O
very	O
popular	O
in	O
the	O
GDR	O
,	O
the	O
computers	O
were	O
technologically	O
always	O
about	O
three	O
to	O
five	O
years	O
behind	O
products	O
of	O
Western	O
countries	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
their	O
appearance	O
:	O
when	O
production	O
of	O
the	O
Z1013	B-Device
started	O
in	O
the	O
GDR	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
significantly	O
more	O
powerful	O
and	O
affordable	O
16-bit	O
systems	O
already	O
available	O
to	O
private	O
households	O
in	O
Western	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
