PANAFACOM Lkit-16

Manufactured in	1977
Manufactured by	PANAFACOM Limited (now, PFU LIMITED)
Owner	PFU LIMITED
Location of historical materials	Nu 98-2 Unoke, Kahoku-shi, Ishikawa 929-1192 Japan PFU LIMITED (headquarters)
Visitor information	Not open to the public (Ask for a visit)
Contact	PFU LIMITED (headquarters) General Affairs Department Tel.+81-76-283-1212

The PANAFACOM Lkit-16 was a learning kit released in March 1977 to popularize Japan's first 16-bit single-chip microcomputer. The microcomputer was equipped with the nation's first 16-bit parallel high-performance single-chip processor^(*1), developed by PANAFACOM (now known as PFU) in 1975. This processor provided better cost performance than conventional 8-bit microcomputers with its enhanced speed (about 200%) and reduced memory usage (about 60%). The unique features of the Lkit-16 were: (1) a simplified keyboard for assembler input, (2) console functions that allowed easy debugging, and (3) a built-in audio cassette interface for data I/O. Through a simplified program input by a one-step assembler and implementation of Tiny BASIC that was popular among microcomputer users at that time, the Lkit-16 greatly contributed to the expansion of computer knowledge from would-be engineers to amateur users who were interested in microcomputers. Main unit price was \98,000.

Main specifications:
- CPU: MN1610 (clock rate of 2MHz, 16-bit parallel processing)
- ROM: 1KW (maximum 2KW)
- RAM: 0.5KW (maximum 1KW)
- I/O port: MN1630
- Other specifications: Equipped with an audio cassette interface

^*1 This processor was developed by PANAFACOM in 1975, around the same time that the 16-bit single-chip type processor was first introduced to the world.

2010

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