I have the main unit and power adapter (uk).
type computer
country UK
year 1988
os BBC Basic
cpu Zilog Z80
speed 3.28 MHz
ram 32 KB
rom 128 KB
graphic 640 x 64 mono LCD
colors 3 shades of gray
sound piipper
ports serial I/O
power 4 x AA battery
The Cambridge Z88 — Sir Clive Sinclair’s Last Computer
Released in September 1987, the Cambridge Z88 was the final computer designed by Sir Clive Sinclair — the British inventor who had done more than perhaps any other individual to bring computing to ordinary people through the ZX80, ZX81, and ZX Spectrum. The Z88 represented a departure from Sinclair’s previous home computer designs: rather than a cheap, mass-market gaming machine, it was a serious portable productivity tool — an A4-sized, 0.9 kg notebook computer powered by four AA batteries for up to 20 hours of continuous use, with built-in word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.
The Unusual Circumstances
The Z88’s origins were unusual. Following Clive Sinclair’s sale of Sinclair Research to Amstrad in April 1986 for £5 million, Sinclair was no longer permitted to use his own name on computers — a bitter irony for one of Britain’s most celebrated technology entrepreneurs. He established Cambridge Computer Ltd. as a new company and released the Z88 through it. The machine had evolved from an earlier project at Sinclair Research called ”Pandora” — a portable computer concept that had been cancelled when Amstrad took over. Sinclair rescued the concept and completed it through Cambridge Computer.
Design and Specifications
The Z88 used a low-power CMOS Z80A processor running at 3.2768 MHz — chosen specifically for its outstanding power efficiency rather than raw performance. With 32 KB of internal RAM expandable to 3.5 MB via three memory card slots, 128 KB of ROM containing the OZ operating system and applications, and a 640×64 pixel LCD capable of displaying 8 lines of 106 characters, the Z88 was a genuinely capable mobile computer. The built-in PipeDream application combined word processing, spreadsheet, and database functions in a single integrated tool — remarkably ahead of integrated office suites that Microsoft would make mainstream years later.
The Last Sinclair Computer
The Z88 is historically poignant as the final original computer from the mind that had produced some of Britain’s most important technology products. Cambridge Computer was unable to sustain operations and Sir Clive resigned as chairman in August 1990. The Z88 never achieved the mass sales of the Spectrum, but it found a devoted following among writers, journalists, and professionals who appreciated its exceptional battery life, instant-on capability (the Z88 never truly powered off — it simply turned off the display), and the quality of PipeDream as a writing tool. An active user community continues to produce software and hardware expansions for it today.