Sord SMP80/x

The Sord SMP80/x was an early Intel 8080 microcomputer development system created by Japan’s Sord Computer Corporation. It followed the company’s experimental 8008-based SMP80/08 and provided engineers with a practical platform for writing, testing and debugging microprocessor software.

Designed before the personal-computer market had taken shape, the SMP80/x was sold as professional development equipment rather than a ready-to-use home computer. Its importance lies in Sord’s unusually early combination of hardware design and software tools.

Notable Features

• Built around Intel’s then-new 8080 microprocessor.
• Designed as a development and debugging platform rather than a consumer appliance.
• Followed Sord’s non-commercial 8008-based SMP80/08 prototype.

Historical Significance

• Placed Sord among the earliest Japanese companies to build commercial microcomputers.
• Established the hardware-and-software approach reflected in the company name: SOftware/haRDware.

Collector’s Notes

• Documentation and surviving systems are exceptionally scarce.
• Configurations depended on the terminal, memory and storage fitted for a customer.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Sord SMP80/x
Manufacturer	Sord Computer Corporation
Launched	Tuesday, January 1, 1974
Discontinued	Mid-1970s
Country	Japan
CPU	Intel 8080 at approximately 2 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	Sord development software
I/O	Development-system bus and peripheral interfaces
Keyboard	External terminal keyboard
Storage	Paper tape, cassette or disk peripherals depending on configuration
Sound	Terminal dependent
Graphics	Terminal dependent
Display	External terminal
ROM	Monitor and development firmware
RAM	Configuration dependent
CPU Speed	Approximately 2 MHz