Floppy Days 160 - The KayPro, Part 4 with Matthew Jones

Floppy Days 160 - The KayPro, Part 4, with Matt Jones

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FloppyDays

Sponsors:

• 8-Bit Classics

• Arcade Shopper

• FutureVision Research

• Tuc's Workbench

YouTube Channel: https://www.YouTube.com/@floppydayspodcast

Hello, and welcome to episode 160 of the Floppy Days Podcast for February, 2026. I'm Randy Kindig, your host. We are currently covering computers introduced in the year 1982 and, to that end, we are at the tail end of a series of podcasts about the Kaypro line of computers. Kaypro had a rich and varied family of computers; certainly much more so than I ever realized. I was able to interview David Kay, son of the founder of KayPro, and president of the company for some time, in the first two episodes. Last month, Matthew Jones, an aficionado of the KayPro computers and owner of many of the models, helped me talk about KayPro history, tech specs, and more, through the topic of using the machine. This month Matt and I complete the KayPro series by starting with books and magazines and ending with current Web sites and a lot more content in between.

I will have a video version of this episode posted to the Floppy Days Podcast channel on YouTube (https://www.YouTube.com/@floppydayspodcast ) that will be available for everyone soon (after the early access period for Patreon supporters has expired). So, please consider becoming a subscriber on YouTube. Doing so helps support the podcast.

You will hear ads from some great vintage computer stores, themselves vintage computer fans, throughout the early part of this podcast. For all of these storefronts, when you place an order, please mention Floppy Days in the notes or comments of the order. Doing so will help support the podcast. Many thanks!!

New Acquisitions

• Atari XF551 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_XF551

Upcoming Shows

• Schedule Published on Floppy Days Website - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSeLsg4hf5KZKtpxwUQgacCIsqeIdQeZniq3yE881wOCCYskpLVs5OO1PZLqRRF2t5fUUiaKByqQrgA/pub

• Indy Classic Computer and Video Game Expo - March 20-22 - Wyndham Indianapolis Airport Hotel, Indianapolis, IN - https://indyclassic.org/

• Atari Invasion 2k26 (10th Anniversary) - March 21 - Maarssen, Netherlands - https://www.atari-invasion.nl

• VCF East - April 17-19 2026 - InfoAge Science and History Museums, Wall, NJ - https://vcfed.org/events/vintage-computer-festival-east/

• Midwest Gaming Classic - April 24-26 - Baird Center, Milwaukee, WI - https://www.midwestgamingclassic.com/

• The Annual "Last" Chicago CoCoFEST! - April 24-25, 2026 - Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago-Carol Stream (Wheaton), Carol Stream, Illinois - https://www.glensideccc.com/cocofest/

• Commodore Los Angeles Super Show 2026 - April 25-26 - Burbank, CA - http://www.portcommodore.com/class

• VCF Europe - May 1-3 - Munich, Germany - https://vcfe.org/E/

• Vintage Computer Festival Pacific Northwest 2026 - May 2-3 - Tukwila Community Center, South Tukwila, WA - https://vcfpnw.org

• VCF Southwest - May 29-31, 2026 - Westin Dallas Ft. Worth Airport - https://www.vcfsw.org/

• Retrofest 2026 - May 30-31 - Steam Museum of the Great Western Railway, Swindon, UK - https://retrofest.uk/

Popular Magazines/Newsletters

• Major September 1983 review in Byte - https://retrocmp.de/kaypro/1983_09_BYTE_08-09_Kaypro-II.pdf

• Heavily featured in Micro Cornucopia; curated Kaypro index here - https://retrocmp.de/kaypro/kay-p13_micro-c.htm

• First Osborne Group (FOG) - https://archive.org/details/foghornnewsletter

• Non-Linear Systems published Pro-Files, a Kaypro users magazine - https://archive.org/search?query=collection%3Akayproprofiles&sort=-publicdate

Books

• Chilton's Guide to Kaypro Repair and Maintenance by Gene Williams - https://amzn.to/4nQj6XV

• Basic Kaypro for Kids Paperback by W. H. Darnell (Author), P. J. Barton (Author) - https://amzn.to/465ofFs

• KayPro books at Amazon - https://amzn.to/4goRQgy

• Kaypro II User's Guide (getting started, bundled software) - https://messui.polygonal-moogle.com/comp/kaypro_um.pdf

• Dealer Quick Reference Manual - https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_kayproKaypManual1982_1562045/page/n2/mode/1up

• Using the Kaypro II personal computer by Lord, Kenniston W - https://archive.org/details/usingkayproiiper0000lord

• The instant expert's guide to the Kaypro II by Bennett, M. D - https://archive.org/details/instantexpertsgu0000benn

• KayPro Documentation, including KayPro Technical Manual - https://archive.org/details/the-kaypro-II-users-guide/1484-D_KayproTechnicalManual_Dec84/

Software

• ROMs for KayPro - https://archive.org/details/KayproII_201809

• TOSEC (The Old School Emulation Center) software collection at archive.org - https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_kayproKaypManual1982_1562045/page/n2/mode/1up

• Software images - https://mame.spludlow.co.uk/SoftwareLists.aspx?Exact=true&List=kaypro

Ads and Appearances

• Starring the Computer - https://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=185

Modern Upgrades

• Floppy emulation: Gotek/FlashFloppy widely used on Kaypros - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF0L6XpRugo

• Hard drive emulation (FreHD): - https://www.google.com/search?q=FreHD+for+kaypro

• Replacement ROMs: Advent TurboROM and KayPLUS:

• ROM for emulators - https://mame.spludlow.co.uk/Machine.aspx?name=kayproii

• buying TurboROM (eBay) - https://www.ebay.com/itm/326275234269

Emulation

• MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator):

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsFw9VejeS8&pp=ygUGa2F5cHJv

• https://forums.bannister.org/ubbthreads.php?Main=8530&Number=107854&ubb=showflat

• izkaypro - https://github.com/ivanizag/izkaypro

• kobolt/kaytil - https://github.com/kobolt/kaytil

• Virtual KayPro Computer - http://sims.durgadas.com/kaypro/kaypro.html

Buying One Today

• replacement power supply - https://bonuslifecomputers.com/products/kaypro-meanwell-power-supply-mount?pr_prod_strat=e5_desc&pr_rec_id=8d24492dc&pr_rec_pid=8108848349374&pr_ref_pid=7736195809470&pr_seq=uniform&variant=44048046653630

Community

• Facebook - Kaypro Computer Users group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/580355602847013/

• Forums:

• AtariAge - https://forums.atariage.com/search/?q=kaypro&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=116

• VCFed Kaypro discussions (active repair/usage help) - http://vcfed.com

Current Web Sites and Videos

• Byte Magazine Sep. 1983 KayPro II Review - https://retrocmp.de/kaypro/1983_09_BYTE_08-09_Kaypro-II.pdf

• Bitsavers: Service guides, user/dealer manuals - https://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/kaypro/1484-E_KayproTechnicalManual_Ch1-15_Jun85.pdf

• retrocmp (Kaypro portal): Model/board variations, flyers, notes - https://retrocmp.de/kaypro/

• OldSilicon - Overviews & photos - https://www.oldsilicon.com/kaypro-ii

• RetroArchive — disk images, TurboROMs, utilities and preservation images - http://www.retroarchive.org/

• MESSUI (documented user manual scans) - http://messui.polygonal-moogle.com

• books, magazines, software - https://www.archive.org

• Kaypro Computer Ad (1983) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uStyBfC1pYE

• KayPro II Tour - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoK0J69C80I by Scott Lawrence

• I Hope My Modded Kaypro Doesn't Explode by Action Retro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsFw9VejeS8&pp=ygUGa2F5cHJv

• Lazy Game Reviews - CP/M Vintage Goodies - Osborne 1 Computer & Kaypro IV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLnTAYMMLOc

• Many videos at YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kaypro&sp=CAM%253D

References

• Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaypro

• KayPro (CP/M) information at retrocmp.de - https://retrocmp.de/kaypro

• KayPro Journal - http://kayprojournal.com