Orion-128

The Orion-128 (Russian: Орион-128) is a DIY computer designed in Soviet Union. It was featured in the Radio magazine in 1990,[1][2][3][4] other materials for the computer were published until 1996. It was the last Intel 8080-based DIY computer in Russia.

Orion-128
Soviet computer Orion-128
Release date1990 (1990)
CPUKR580VM80A (Intel 8080A clone) @ 2.5 MHz
Memory128 KiB in original version, expandable to 256 KiB
Removable storageCassette tape
Graphics384 × 256 pixels
InputKeyboard: 67 keys

Overview

The Orion-128 used the same concepts as the Specialist and had similar specifications, with both advances and flaws. It gained more popularity because it was supported by a more popular magazine. In the early 1990s the computer was produced industrially at the Livny pilot plant of machine graphics means in Oryol Oblast.[5] Much of the software for the Orion-128 was ported by hobbyists from the Specialist and the ZX Spectrum.

Technical specifications
  • CPU: KR580VM80A (Intel 8080A clone) clocked at 2.5 MHz.
  • RAM: 128 KiB in original version, expandable to 256 KiB. A bank switching scheme was used.[1][2]
  • ROM: 2 KiB contains monitor firmware
  • Video: three graphics modes with the same image resolution 384 × 256 pixels. Text can be displayed using 64 columns × 25 rows of characters. Images for the upper case Cyrillic and Latin characters in KOI-7 N2 encoding are built in the Monitor ROM. List of graphics modes includes:
    • monochrome mode (two color palettes available: black and green, yellow and blue)
    • 4 color mode (each pixel has its own color, two palettes available)
    • 16 color mode (each group of 8 horizontal pixels can use one of 16 foreground colors and one of 16 background colors)
  • Storage media: cassette tape, ROM drive (a special board containing a set of ROM chips). In later years a floppy disk controller and an ATA hard disk controller were developed
  • Keyboard: 67 keys. The keyboard matrix is attached via programmable peripheral interface chip KR580VV55 (Intel 8255 clone) and scanned by CPU

References
  1. Сугоняко, В.; Сафронов, В.; Коненков, К. (1990). "Персональный радиолюбительский компьютер "Орион-128"" [Personal radio ham's computer "Orion-128"]. Радио (in Russian). No. 1. p. 37. ISSN 0033-765X.
  2. Сугоняко, В.; Сафронов, В.; Коненков, К. (1990). "Программное обеспечение персонального радиолюбительского компьютера "Орион-128"" [Software for the personal radio ham's computer "Orion-128"]. Радио (in Russian). No. 2. p. 46. ISSN 0033-765X.
  3. Сугоняко, В.; Сафронов, В.; Коненков, К. (1990). "ПРК "Орион-128". Топология печатной платы" [The personal radio ham's computer "Orion-128". A printed circuit board topology]. Радио (in Russian). No. 4. p. 44. ISSN 0033-765X.
  4. Сугоняко, В.; Сафронов, В. (1990). "Наладка ПРК "Орион-128"" [Testing process of the personal radio ham's computer "Orion-128"]. Радио (in Russian). No. 5. p. 33. ISSN 0033-765X.
  5. "Soviet Digital Electronics Museum - Orion-128".
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