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PC & 286i

Kaypro's loyalty to customers was legendary. In fact, its refusal to abandon CP/M users dangerously delayed its adoption of the DOS Operating System. Nevertheless, it eventually acceded and was one of the last US manufacturer to introduce a PC compatible system simply named the Kaypro PC

It was most affordable package in the IBM-compatible world including a CAD-capable Samsung monitor and ATI video card capable of Hercules graphics, CGA color, and CGA color emulation on a monochrome monitor. The entry machine was faster than its IBM PC-XT rival. Typically, it was a rugged, dependable desktop PC that immediately out-classed IBM in additional areas by including larger and faster standard hard drives, generous free software combinations, and top-flight ring-bound user documentation.

Still in 1985 came the Kaypro 286i, the very first available PC/AT-compatible system, faster at the same clock speed than the IBM model, it was quickly revised with Intel's latest chip, the 8MHz 286, running over 30% faster than IBM's offering.

Kaypro engineered its own high quality motherboards and introduced upgradable processors in desktop PCs, mounting the computer’s microprocessor on a replaceable expansion card instead of on the expensive motherboard; thus facilitating easy, lower-cost replacement of the processor.

Kaypro pioneered advanced memory usage, managing to squeeze out an additional 128 KB in the first megabyte of standard DOS memory, thus giving users access to the full 728 KB of DOS memory instead of the 640 KB allowed on other systems. This extra memory was available as a fast virtual drive for active data files, greatly speeding computing performance.

In a time when full IBM-compatibility was more often marketing hype than hard reality, Kaypro went beyond the rest of the industry and backed its PCs with the only money-back guarantee of FULL IBM-compatibility. The PC was so good that Kaypro even guaranteed to buy a dissatisfied customer a replacement from IBM if they desired.

Spec. board is for the 286i version - Thanks to Dennis for the pictures.

Kaypro versus Leading Edge, by Tim Babcock:
I recall selling that particular model of machine as the 8086 version when I was working for Creative Computers in Seattle.
The 286 version of Kaypro came in a black polished aluminum case. Very eye catching in the store.
Two complaints I would get about the Kaypro PC was that the keyboard was mushy (amazing for a computer that was big for writers and teachers) and not having 640k of memory at the time. We ended up having to upgrade them to 640K for nothing just to compete with the Leading Edge Model D computer which was very popular at the time thanks to Consumer Reports.
We sold quite a few Kaypro computers to government accounts since they were approved for the "Buy American" program that the Regan administration started. Kaypro's were manufactured in Laguna Beach but it was rumored that most of the labor used in the assembly process came from illegal alliens comming in from Mexico.
Once the Leading Edge Model D came out we lost quite a few sales to their computer and the local dealer would beat us most of the time. Our stores would shut down by January of 1986.

Darrin Lee's memories:
I was an employee at Kaypro from 1987 until around 1990. First off, they were made in Solana Beach, not Laguna Beach.
The Kaypro PC came with a wopping 768K of RAM, which was more than the standard 640K. It had some "trick" software that would allow the extra 128K to be used as a virtual drive, a pretty cool thing at the time. We used to make 100's of them, mostly dual floppy, but some were with the very innovative 3.5" 720" drive and a 5.25" 360K floppy.
Then we would make some REAL special ones with a 30MB RLL hard drive. It was an interesting place to work, and an experience I value and still think about today.

Rui M. Dos Santos from Angola recalls:
In Angola we imported these Kaypro machines mainly the 30MB HD version. It had at the time several versions and the concept was nice BUT there were technical problems... Basically the ideia was to have a BASIC box with the Mainboard/HardDrive/FDD etc as one box and then "chase the Processor board according to the user and warranting the user upgrades as, then, the processor industry was going very fast with major diferences from processor to processor-8088/80286/80386 all with diferent clock rates etc.." The concept was nice BUT there were hardware /firmware problems with the "Processor boards"... We in Angola ended up "changing and re-doing all PC´s" replacing the all board by "conventional clone boards"