Sharp MZ-80B

The Sharp MZ-80B was a more business-oriented branch of the early MZ family. Introduced in 1981, it doubled the processor speed of the earlier MZ-80K design, supported up to 64KB of RAM and offered 40- or 80-column text with optional 320 × 200 graphics.

The integrated display and electronically controlled cassette deck preserved Sharp’s all-in-one approach, while a full typewriter keyboard and optional floppy system made it better suited to professional applications.

Notable Features

• 4 MHz Z80A-compatible processor and up to 64KB RAM.
• Electronically controlled cassette deck transferred data faster than earlier MZ machines.
• Optional high-resolution graphics and floppy-disk expansion.

Historical Significance

• Created a more professional branch of the MZ line that later led to the MZ-2000 and Super MZ.
• Brought 80-column text and stronger expansion to Sharp’s Clean Computer architecture.

Collector's Notes

• The electromagnetic cassette mechanism can be difficult to service.
• Expansion units and graphics boards are uncommon and significantly enhance a system.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Sharp MZ-80B
Manufacturer	Sharp
Launched	Sunday, January 4, 1981
Discontinued	Early 1980s
Country	Japan
CPU	Sharp LH0080A, Zilog Z80A-compatible
Units Sold
Models	MZ-711 base, MZ-721 cassette and MZ-731 cassette/plotter configurations
Input	Keyboard; two optional joystick ports
Sound	Single-channel programmable sound
Storage	Optional or integrated cassette; optional Quick Disk and floppy interfaces
Graphics	Character-based graphics with eight foreground and background colours
Text	40 × 25 characters
Display	RF television, composite video or RGB monitor
ROM	Monitor ROM; BASIC loaded from cassette or disk
RAM	64KB
CPU Speed	Approximately 3.55 MHz