The first mass-produced East German office computer
Produced by VEB Elektronische Rechenmaschinen in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz) the Robotron A 5120 was named after the parent company of the factory in which it was manufactured, VEB Kombinat Robotron, the largest industrial combine in the DDR. The word Robotron was a portmanteau word created by combining the words robotics and electronics.
The usually brown, more rarely white or orange, casing and the overall style of the Robotron A 5120 was the brainchild of designer Antje Erkmann. The PC was available in different versions; the model on display in the Deutschlandmuseum was the most common. The computer consists of two parts, an integrated green-display monitor, CPU and three drives for 5.25-inch floppy discs, and a separate keyboard. Designed solely for word and data processing, the A 5120 does not feature a graphics card or audio output.
Modern DDR technology in a solid metal housing
The 8-bit MME U880 microprocessor was an unlicensed copy of the American Zilog Z80. Manufactured by VEB Mikroelektronik Karl Marx in Erfurt, it was installed in a range of computers and cipher machines deployed in the technical systems developed in the DDR. Whilst the basic version of the processor provided 16 Kbyte of RAM, specialist configurations could provide up to 64 Kbyte. Western office and home computers of the early 1980s featured comparable processors and RAM values.
The difference between East and West was manifested in the price. Depending on the model, the Robotron 5120 cost between 27,000 and 80,000 DDR marks. By comparison, a basic East German car, the Trabant 601, cost less than 9,000 Marks. The extremely popular western Commodore C64 (also on display in the Deutschlandmuseum) cost 1,495 DM in 1982 and was reduced to 700 DM in 1983. The difference in weight was even more pronounced. Whilst the C64 weighed a mere 1.8 kilograms, the Robotron A 5120 brought a whopping 33 kilograms to the scales.
In total, VEB Elektronische Rechenmaschinen produced around 17,000 Robotron PCs intended for use in businesses and scientific research institutions. It was an impressive piece of technological history, built to last.
The Robotron A 5120 is on loan from the DDR Museum Berlin.
Property information
Designation
- Date from 1982
- Gallery The two Germanies
- Category Technology
- Origin Germany
- Dimensions 68 x 33 x 46 cm (WxHxD)
- Material glass, metal, plastic
Property information
Designation
- Datierung from 1982
- Epochenraum The two Germanies
- Kategorie Technology
- Herkunft Germany
- Dimensionen 68 x 33 x 46 cm (WxHxD)
- Material glass, metal, plastic
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