Editing List of early microcomputers (section)

==Kits==
Many early microcomputers were available in [[Electronic kit]] form. Machines were sold in small numbers, with final assembly by the user. Kits took advantage of this by offering the system at a low price point. Kits were popular, beginning in 1975, with the introduction of the famous Altair 8800, but as sales volumes increased, kits became less common. The introduction of useful fully assembled machines in 1977 led to the rapid disappearance of kit systems for most users. The [[ZX81]] was one of the last systems commonly available in both kit and assembled form. 

Some magazines published plans and printed circuit board layouts from which a reader could in principle duplicate the project, although usually commercially made boards could be ordered to expedite assembly. Other kits varied from etched, drilled, printed circuit boards and a parts list to packages containing cases, power supplies, and all interconnections.  All kits required significant assembly by the user.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+ This is a sortable list; click on the icon at the top of each column to sort by the contents of that column.
 ! Model||Processor||Year||class="unsortable" |Format ||class="unsortable" |Remarks||class="unsortable"| Ref
|-
|Comstar Star System 4
|[[Intel 4004]]
|1972
|PCB and several chips/cards; optionally expandable
|Intended for embedded/industrial applications which did not merit a minicomputer. A complete basic system included one PROM board and chip, one RAM board and chip, a CPU module, digital I/O board, power supply, and mounting rack, altogether for $995. Was in use by November 1972 in a paper tape editing system.
|<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102686568 |title=Interim Comstar Star System 4 User's Manual |date=November 21, 1972 |publisher=Comstar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Anderson |first=Leroy H. |chapter=Development of a portable compiler for industrial microcomputer systems |date=1975 |title=Proceedings of the May 19-22, 1975, national computer conference and exposition on - AFIPS '75 |chapter-url=http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=1499949.1499959 |language=en |publisher=ACM Press |pages=33–40 |doi=10.1145/1499949.1499959 |isbn=978-1-4503-7919-9 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Electronics/70s/73/Electronics-1973-01-04.pdf |title=Electronics |date=January 4, 1973 |pages=44-45}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
|-
|[[SCELBI]] ||[[Intel 8008]]||1974|||| Was the earliest commercial kit computer based on the [[Intel 8008]] microprocessor. Sold for embedded control applications.||<ref>{{cite web | url=http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa120198.htm | title=Famous First Hobby and Home Computers Scelbi - Mark-8 - Altair - IBM … | access-date=2010-04-17 | archive-date=2013-01-16 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116075016/http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa120198.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|[[Mark-8]]||Intel 8008||1974||Plans published; an etched board was available but constructors had to source all parts || ||<ref>p. 4/8, ''A history of the personal computer: the people and the technology'', Roy A. Allan, 2001, {{ISBN|0-9689108-0-7}}.</ref>
|-
|MITS [[Altair 8800]]||[[Intel 8080]]||1975||PCB, parts, and case||Introduced [[S-100 bus]]||
|-
|[[IMSAI 8080]]||[[Intel 8080]]||1975||PCB, parts, and case|| ||
|-
|Comp-Sultants [[Micro 440]]||[[Intel 4040]]||1975|| ||First 4040-based micro||
|-
|[[SWTPC 6800]]||[[Motorola 6800]]||1975||PCB, parts, and case|| Introduced [[SS-50 bus]]||
|-
|[[The Digital Group]]||[[Zilog Z80]]||1975||Kits or assembled PCBs. Including cases from 1978||The first company to produce mostly complete systems built around the [[Zilog Z80]] processor. Their products also included options for [[MOS Technology 6502|MOS 6502]] and [[Motorola 6800]] processors.||
|-
|[[COSMAC ELF]]||[[RCA 1802]]||1976|| || ||
|-
|[[Apple I]]||[[MOS Technology 6502]]||1976||Assembled PCB; buyer supplied rest of components|| ||
|-
|[[Processor Technology]] [[Sol-20]]||Intel 8080||1976||Offered both as kit and assembled, but the vast majority were sold assembled.||
|-
|[[Nascom]], Nascom 1   ||[[Zilog Z80]] ||1977 || || ||
|-
| Nascom 2 ||Z80|| 1979   ||  || || 
|-
|[[Telmac 1800]] ||RCA 1802 ||1977 || || ||
|-
|[[Newbear 77-68]]||[[Motorola 6800]]||1977||  || ||
|-
|[[Heathkit H8]]||Intel 8080||1977||All parts, case and power supply, detailed instructions ||[[Heathkit]] was a notable manufacturer of electronics kits ||
|-
|[[Heathkit H11]]||[[LSI-11]]||1977||All parts, case and power supply, detailed instructions ||A 16-bit microcomputer compatible with a [[PDP-11]] ||
|-
|[[Electronics Australia]] 77up2 aka "Baby 2650"  || [[Signetics 2650]]  || 1977  || || ||
|-
|Netronics [[ELF II]]||RCA 1802||1977  || || ||
|-
| Quest SuperELF||RCA 1802||1978
| || ||<ref>{{Cite web |title=Super ELF |url=https://oldcomputermuseum.com/super_elf.html |access-date=2024-11-05 |website=oldcomputermuseum.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[Elektor TV Games Computer]]||Signetics 2650||1979  || || ||
|-
|System 68||Motorola 6800 ||1977 || ''[[Electronics Today International]]'' magazine project  || ||
|-
| [[PSI Comp 80|PSI Comp 80]]||Z80||1979|| ||By [[Powertran]] from a design in the magazine ''[[Electronics World|Wireless World]]'' ||
|-
| [[RGS-008]]||Intel 8008||1974|| ||By [[RGS Electronics]]; the first computer system ever reviewed in ''[[Byte (magazine)|Byte]]'' ||<ref>{{cite journal | last=Hogenson | first=James | date=September 1975 | url=https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1975-09/page/n17/ | title=The RGS 008A Microcomputer Kit | work=Byte | publisher=Green Publishing | volume=1 | issue=1 | pages=16–19 | via=the Internet Archive}}</ref>
|-
|Science of Cambridge [[MK14]]||[[National Semiconductor SC/MP]] ||1978 || ||Low-cost kit expandable to video output ||<ref>http://www.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/computers/mk14/mk14_pe0579.htm "Science of Cambridge MK14", May 1979, retrieved 2011 July 2</ref>
|-
|[[Acorn System 1]]|| 6502||1979|| || ||
|-
|[[Tangerine Computer Systems|Tangerine]] [[Tangerine Microtan 65|Microtan 65]]|| 6502||1979|| || Rack-based extendible system||
|-
|Compukit [[Compukit UK101|UK101]]|| 6502||1979|| ''[[Practical Electronics]]'' magazine project (clone of Ohio Scientific Superboard II) || BASIC in ROM ||
|-
|[[Sinclair Research|Sinclair]] [[ZX80]]|| Z80||1980||PCB, parts, and case|| Among the last popular kit systems ||
|-
|Sinclair  [[ZX81]] || Z80||1981||PCB, parts, and case||Among the last popular kit systems ||
|-
|[[MicroBee]] ||Zilog Z80 ||1982 || ||The computer was conceived as a kit, with assembly instructions included in ''Your Computer'' magazine, in February 1982. || <ref>[http://mailman.anu.edu.au/pipermail/link/1998-August/034665.html Microbee computer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529034359/http://mailman.anu.edu.au/pipermail/link/1998-August/034665.html |date=2010-05-29 }}, From:Owen Hill Date:24 Aug 1998, Link list on Australian network policy and communications</ref>
|}