Science of Cambridge MK14
Summary
In 1961, Clive Sinclair founded his first company in Cambridge, UK: Sinclair Radionics Ltd. He produces hifi devices, radios and calculators. He renamed the company several times. Under the company name Science of Cambridge, he introduced the MK14 in June 1978, a computer kit for £39.95.
By default, the system has 256 bytes of RAM and 512 bytes of ROM. A keyboard with 20 keys allows input and programming. A small 7-segment display is used for output. A cassette drive can be connected and input/output ports can be programmed freely.
Ian Williamson and Chris Curry control the project as Clive Sinclair is not yet convinced of home computers. Curry leaves the company in 1978 to start the new company Acorn Computers with Hermann Hauser. A few months later, Sinclair also realizes how important computers are, and he wants to offer a complete computer for under £100. In 1979, the planning starts at the ZX80.
Family tree
- This objectMK14
- Successor · not in the collectionSinclair ZX80
Long version
On 25 July 1961, Clive Sinclair founded his first company in Cambridge, UK: Sinclair Radionics Ltd. He produces hifi devices, radios and calculators. He renamed the company several times. Under the company name Science of Cambridge, he introduced the MK14 in June 1978, a computer kit for £39.95. The developer Ian Williamson chose the easy-to-program CPU of National Semiconductor, called SC/MP, an abbreviation of “Simple Cost-effective Micro Processor”.
By default, the system has 256 bytes of RAM and 512 bytes of ROM. A keyboard with 20 keys enabled input and programming. A small 7-segment display is used for output. A cassette drive can be connected and input/output ports can be programmed freely.
Ian Williamson and Chris Curry control the project as Clive Sinclair is not yet convinced of home computers. The sales figures in themselves are good. Chris Curry leaves the company in 1978 to start the new company Acorn Computers with Hermann Hauser from Vienna; their first product is the System 1. A few months later Sinclair also realizes how important computers are, and he wants to offer a complete computer for under 100 British pounds. 1979 the planning starts at the ZX80, which appears in 1980, the same year Cambridge Ltd. was renamed Sinclair Computers Ltd.
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