The Sinclair ZX80, launched on January 29, 1980, was a groundbreaking home computer that became the first complete personal computer available in the UK for under £100. Developed by Sinclair Research (initially Science of Cambridge Ltd.), it democratized computing by making it affordable to a mass audience and sparked the British home computer boom of the early 1980s.
The ZX80 was the brainchild of British inventor and entrepreneur Sir Clive Sinclair, who founded Sinclair Research to produce innovative, low-cost consumer electronics. The hardware was primarily designed by chief engineer Jim Westwood, while the 4 KB ROM containing Sinclair BASIC was developed by John Grant at Nine Tiles Networks. Sinclair's vision was to create an accessible computer without market research, relying on his intuition that the public wanted affordable computing power.
Development began in May 1979, with Westwood using just 21 off-the-shelf TTL chips to minimize costs and component count. The machine was released in kit form for £79.95 or pre-assembled for £99.95 (later $199.95 in the US). Sold primarily by mail order through magazine ads, it exceeded expectations, selling around 100,000 units worldwide before being superseded by the ZX81 in 1981.
The ZX80 was built around a Zilog Z80 (or NEC equivalent) 8-bit microprocessor. Key features included:
The minimalist design used the CPU to generate video, resulting in the characteristic screen blanking but keeping costs extraordinarily low.
Sinclair BASIC used single-keystroke entry for keywords to save ROM space, with real-time syntax checking. It supported integer math only and basic graphics via block characters. Programs were loaded/saved via cassette tape.
The ZX80's sub-£100 price shattered barriers, introducing computing to thousands of homes, schools, and hobbyists. It paved the way for the improved ZX81 and iconic ZX Spectrum, fueling the UK microcomputer revolution. Despite limitations like the membrane keyboard and flickering display, its affordability and simplicity made it a cultural milestone. Surviving ZX80s are now rare collectibles, symbolizing the dawn of truly personal computing.