Hobbit (computer)
Encyclopedia
Hobbit is a Soviet
/Russia
n 8-bit
home computer
, based on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum
hardware architecture.
It also featured a CP/M
mode and Forth mode or LOGO mode, with the Forth or LOGO operating environment residing in an on-board ROM
chip.
Hobbit was invented by Dmitry Mikhailov (Russian: Дмитрий Михайлов) and Mikhail Osetinskii (Михаил Осетинский) in Leningrad
, Russia in the late 1980s. Its first circuitry layout was designed on an earlier home-made computer (built using ASMP of three KR580
chips, the Soviet clones of Intel 8080
), by Dmitry Mikhilov as well. The computer was manufactured by the joint venture
InterCompex.
Hobbit was marketed
in the former Soviet Union as a low-cost personal computer solution for basic educational and office business needs, in additional to its obvious use as a home computer. Schools would buy it for a classroom, interconnecting several machines in a 56K baud
network
. It was possible to use either another Hobbit or a single IBM PC compatible
computer as a master
host on the network; a special Hobbit network adapter card
by InterCompex was needed for the IBM PC in the latter case. Hobbit was also briefly marketed in the U.K.
, targeted mainly at the existing ZX Spectrum fans willing to lay their hands on a better computer compatible with the familiar architecture. Though rarely available in the domestic market, export models featured the internal 3.5" drive, just like an Atari ST
or an Amiga
. Such models always had both the EGA
and the TV output connectors operational, as well as the AY8910 sound chip. Domestic models often did not include either the TV output converter or the internal speaker or both. The AY8910 for the domestic models was sold separately as an external extension module, hanging off the same extension bus
as the optional external disk drive. The Hobbit was not sold in the UK for long. The official reason distributed internally by InterCompex was that the electrical cable failed some UK safety test, but it could also be that the Sinclair intellectual property
issues were the real reasons behind the scenes .
Another extension was the SME board (Screen and Memory Extension). This featured 32 KB cache memory, some of which could be dedicated to video text buffer in CGA
mode (this was supported by drivers available only in the FORTH or the CP/M environments; no known programs using the Sinclair-based BASIC mode used this feature).
Press links:
The following two articles were published about Hobbit in the Your Sinclair
magazine back in the early 1990s:
Hobbit was also briefly mentioned in
Then, later in 1992, Sinclair User
featured the latest Hobbit-tech, elaborating also on FORTH and CP/M that the computer had. These articles probably give the best press coverage of Hobbit ever:
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
/Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n 8-bit
Bit
A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...
home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
, based on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
hardware architecture.
It also featured a CP/M
CP/M
CP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
mode and Forth mode or LOGO mode, with the Forth or LOGO operating environment residing in an on-board ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
chip.
Hobbit was invented by Dmitry Mikhailov (Russian: Дмитрий Михайлов) and Mikhail Osetinskii (Михаил Осетинский) in Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, Russia in the late 1980s. Its first circuitry layout was designed on an earlier home-made computer (built using ASMP of three KR580
KR580VM80A
The KR580VM80A was a Soviet microprocessor, a clone of the Intel 8080 CPU. Different versions of this CPU were manufactured beginning in the late 1970s, the earliest known use being in the SM1800 computer in 1979. Production ceased with the fall of the USSR. Initially called the K580IK80 , it was...
chips, the Soviet clones of Intel 8080
Intel 8080
The Intel 8080 was the second 8-bit microprocessor designed and manufactured by Intel and was released in April 1974. It was an extended and enhanced variant of the earlier 8008 design, although without binary compatibility...
), by Dmitry Mikhilov as well. The computer was manufactured by the joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
InterCompex.
Hobbit was marketed
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
in the former Soviet Union as a low-cost personal computer solution for basic educational and office business needs, in additional to its obvious use as a home computer. Schools would buy it for a classroom, interconnecting several machines in a 56K baud
Baud
In telecommunications and electronics, baud is synonymous to symbols per second or pulses per second. It is the unit of symbol rate, also known as baud rate or modulation rate; the number of distinct symbol changes made to the transmission medium per second in a digitally modulated signal or a...
network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
. It was possible to use either another Hobbit or a single IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
computer as a master
Master-slave (technical)
Master/slave is a model of communication where one device or process has unidirectional control over one or more other devices. In some systems a master is elected from a group of eligible devices, with the other devices acting in the role of slaves....
host on the network; a special Hobbit network adapter card
Network card
A network interface controller is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network....
by InterCompex was needed for the IBM PC in the latter case. Hobbit was also briefly marketed in the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, targeted mainly at the existing ZX Spectrum fans willing to lay their hands on a better computer compatible with the familiar architecture. Though rarely available in the domestic market, export models featured the internal 3.5" drive, just like an Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
or an Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
. Such models always had both the EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter
The Enhanced Graphics Adapter is the IBM PC computer display standard specification which is between CGA and VGA in terms of color and space resolution. Introduced in October 1984 by IBM shortly after its new PC/AT, EGA produces a display of 16 simultaneous colors from a palette of 64 at a...
and the TV output connectors operational, as well as the AY8910 sound chip. Domestic models often did not include either the TV output converter or the internal speaker or both. The AY8910 for the domestic models was sold separately as an external extension module, hanging off the same extension bus
Computer bus
In computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers.Early computer buses were literally parallel electrical wires with multiple connections, but the term is now used for any physical arrangement that provides the same...
as the optional external disk drive. The Hobbit was not sold in the UK for long. The official reason distributed internally by InterCompex was that the electrical cable failed some UK safety test, but it could also be that the Sinclair intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
issues were the real reasons behind the scenes .
Another extension was the SME board (Screen and Memory Extension). This featured 32 KB cache memory, some of which could be dedicated to video text buffer in CGA
Color Graphics Adapter
The Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC....
mode (this was supported by drivers available only in the FORTH or the CP/M environments; no known programs using the Sinclair-based BASIC mode used this feature).
External links
General:Press links:
The following two articles were published about Hobbit in the Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
magazine back in the early 1990s:
Hobbit was also briefly mentioned in
- this article from the ISSUE 98 APRIL 1992 of CRASH (magazine)CRASH (magazine)Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...
.
Then, later in 1992, Sinclair User
Sinclair User
Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum...
featured the latest Hobbit-tech, elaborating also on FORTH and CP/M that the computer had. These articles probably give the best press coverage of Hobbit ever: