Technology | Nostalgia | 1980s
Remembering the Enterprise 64/128: An Ambitious but Forgotten 8-bit Computer
Looking back at a 1980s computer that had promise but arrived too late
This is an updated version of an article I wrote for some of my now-defunct blogs.
The Enterprise was an 8-bit computer announced in 1983. It was available for order in 1984 and first shipped in 1985.
Two variants were offered: the Enterprise 64 and Enterprise 128, with the number indicating the standard RAM capacity in KB.
Despite its late arrival, the Enterprise was still quite an advanced 8-bit machine when it finally shipped. I remember reading reviews in one or two hobby electronics magazines back then.
Its Z80 CPU was clocked at 4 MHz — like most later machines based on that chip. Custom chips provided interesting sound and graphics capabilities, and the RAM could be expanded to 4 MB using bank switching.
Sound by Dave
The Enterprise’s Dave chip was named after its designer, Dave Woodfield. It provided sound facilities along with other system functions such as memory paging.
