Sharp MZ

The Sharp MZ line of computers was a series of computers introduced in the late 1970s by electronics manufacturer Sharp. Originally introduced in Japan, the MZ computers also were marketed and had some some success in Europe.

While the earliest MZ model was only a computer kit with no program storage or addressable display, the MZ-80K was the first model sold as a complete PC with a keyboard, monochrome display and a built in cassette deck. Later models would add floppy disk drives, and even a color display as well as larger typewriter sized keyboards.

Throughout the line Sharp used either their own Z80 compatible processor, or original Zilog Z80a chips. Early models had only a 40 column text display with no real graphic mode to draw anything beyond what could be done with the character set. Starting in 1984, Sharp had upgraded the MZ line to display color along with normal pixel addressable displays that would display 640x200 graphics. RAM storage ranged from an expandable 20K to 256K in later models designed for business.

Several models were capable of running CP/M, and eventually Sharp used the MZ name for a line of Intel based computer that ran DOS. Obviously titles for those systems should be places on their own platforms. A few Japanese models even had both Z80 and Intel x86 chips to support both options in one package. By the mid 1980s, most of the original Z80 line had been phased out, although the systems continued to be used by hobbyists in Japan and Europe.

Over the course of this MZ line, software may have been released on cassette tape, 5.25" floppies or even a custom 2.8" drive marketed by Sharp.