Fujitsu Micro 16s

The Fujitsu Micro 16s was a modular professional computer designed to run software for several processor families. Standard plug-in boards carried an 8 MHz Intel 8086 and a 4 MHz Z80A, with the Z80 supporting established 8-bit software while the 8086 ran newer 16-bit operating systems.

Up to 1,152KB of memory, colour graphics, extensive measurement interfaces and hard-disk support made the Micro 16s suitable for business, engineering and laboratory work. Planned processor boards included the Motorola 68000, Intel 80286 and Zilog Z8000.

Notable Features

• Plug-in processor boards allowed both Intel 8086 and Z80A environments in one system.
• Four-channel analogue input and light-pen support complemented conventional serial and parallel interfaces.
• Colour graphics displayed 640x200 pixels in eight colours.

Historical Significance

• Fujitsu marketed the Micro 16s internationally as a flexible professional system around 1983.
• It explored multi-architecture computing before the PC-compatible market became dominant.

Collector’s Notes

• The Australian-market version was also labelled FACOM 8030.
• Processor, memory and storage boards varied substantially between installations.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Fujitsu Micro 16s
Manufacturer	Fujitsu
Launched	Saturday, January 1, 1983
Discontinued	1986
Launch Price	US$3,995 with colour monitor and software
Country	Japan
CPU	Intel 8086 at 8 MHz with Zilog Z80A at 4 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	Concurrent CP/M-86 with GSX; MP/M-86; MS-DOS; CP/M; Unix options
I/O	RS-232C, Centronics, four-channel A/D, RGB, composite video, light pen and expansion slots
Keyboard	Separate 98-key keyboard with ten function keys and numeric keypad
Storage	One to four 320KB 5.25-inch floppy drives; 5MB to 20MB hard disk options
Sound	Tone generator
Graphics	Motorola 6845-based 640x200 graphics in 8 colours
Display	RGB colour or composite monitor, 80x25 text
ROM	8KB boot loader and diagnostics
RAM	128KB standard; expandable to 1,152KB
CPU Speed	8086 at 8 MHz; Z80A at 4 MHz