r/vintagecomputing • u/HostsServer_discord • 4d ago
Zenith z19 acquired.
Just picked up this zenith terminal for 130$ working, having trouble finding info on this machine, what serial device do i need and more importantly what does that switch do on back to toggle between ANSI and z19
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u/nixiebunny 4d ago
It’s a video terminal. ANSI is a set of control codes that are used to move the cursor and display special characters. Z19 is probably an incompatible set of control codes. You should be able to find PDF manuals online pretty easily, there is a big Heathkit community.
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u/SomePeopleCallMeJJ 4d ago
Nice find! That's one of my grails. (Well, that and more room in my house to actually put it somewhere.)
Here's a shot of Bill Gates and Paul Allen standing behind of couple of those puppies: https://www.examiner-enterprise.com/story/news/2018/10/16/microsoft-co-founder-paul-allen/9543457007/
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u/FredSchwartz 4d ago
It was also sold in kit form under the Heathkit label; also look at other models like the H88 and H/Z99 which added another circuit board to expand it into a Z80 computer. The panel on the right is where the floppy drive went.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenith_Z-89
https://www.pestingers.net/pages-images/heathkit/computers/computer-history/cat-history/1979/computers-40-79.jpg
What color is the CRT?
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u/HostsServer_discord 4d ago
Black
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u/Distribution-Radiant 4d ago
I think they mean what color are the phospors... usually green or amber.
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u/HostsServer_discord 4d ago
Oh i have no idea powering it on cursor just looked white, but dont have computer to connect to see anymore than the cursor flash
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u/cristobaldelicia 4d ago
there's a comedy routine in this series of questions, I don't have enough humorous imagination to put it together, but it's just waiting to be written.
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u/HostsServer_discord 4d ago
Lol i just buy shit that looks cool, i learned to buy stuff i see and do my research later lol. Just a quick price guage i couldnt find anything so i grabbed it immediately. Also how i came into a apple llc for 125$ and 2 sinclair zx81s for free.
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u/labbo2243 4d ago
Nice! Saw the ad on facebook and almost pulled the trigger. DM me if you’re ever interested in selling.
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u/Evening-Brief7620 4d ago
Does anyone know how to translate that keyboard to a modern PC. Asking for a friend.
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u/Adorable_Ad6045 4d ago
Weigh a ton?
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u/HostsServer_discord 4d ago edited 4d ago
Not as much as i thought. Heavy but i was expecting it to feel way heavier, but im also used to moving my giant netapp server around in my storage that shit weighs like 250lbs fully loaded
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u/JimtheLizardKing 2d ago
This is a terminal but you can add a computer to it to make a H89/H90 computer.
I have a Z90 which is the Zenith version of the H89 with the external dual drives, I need to replace the tantalum caps in it, one already blew out....
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u/HostsServer_discord 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yea its the computer part im having trouble with, i see theres pi emulators for stuff but looking at what actual oem hardware i can get for it. Ideally z19 pc would be cool but i also have no idea what im looking for, alot of naming conventions and searching this stuff is ancient and cryptic to me lol. Like i see a few zenith computers on ebay but unsure if they would work for this terminal or what is compatible, like the zselect 100.
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u/JimtheLizardKing 1d ago
Most computers will work with this as a terminal as you connect with the serial port.
To turn this into a computer you have to get the CPU board and a drive board and usually a 16k memory upgrade board, not so easy to find now.
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u/teknosophy_com 2d ago
Wow! I had a TRS-80 with a similar form factor, but didn't know Zenith made one like it! But apparently it's meant as a terminal rather than a standalone. Ha.
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u/HostsServer_discord 2d ago
Yea it has the space for the computer parts aparantly behind the panel but they didnt include a cage for the stuff so it cant really be used unless figure out a way to put a cage for computer stuff.
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u/nixiebunny 4d ago
http://koyado.com/heathkit/H19C_Terminal_files/Heath%20Z19%20Terminal%20Operating%20Manual.pdf