The KC 85 ('KC' meaning "Kleincomputer", or "small computer") were models of microcomputers (HC 900, KC 85/2, KC 85/3 and KC 85/4) built in East Germany by VEB Mikroelektronik "Wilhelm Pieck" Mühlhausen. Despite similar names, the KC 85 computers were not directly related to the KC 87 series produced by VEB Robotron-Meßelektronik "Otto Schön" Dresden. The availability of the KC 85 series for private customers was very limited. The computers were mostly used at educational institutions, organizations, and enterprises. Technical information They were based on the U880 CPU (an East German clone of the Z80), with clock speeds of 1.75 MHz (KC 85/2, KC 85/3) and 2.3 MHz (KC 85/4). There were two main lines in the KC series, the KC 85/2 to /4 (project name HC 900) and the KC 85/1 and KC 87 (project name Z 9001) by Robotron, which was a different system. They used the same CPU and later also had compatible tape saving formats and BASIC interpreters. In 1989 and shortly before German reunification, VEB Mikroelektronik Mühlhausen introduced the KC compact, an unofficial Amstrad CPC clone. It was produced just briefly and is a KC in name only. Unlike the Pravetz series 8 personal computers, manufactured in Bulgaria, which were equipped with dedicated displays, floppy disks and quality keyboards, the entire KC series used TV sets for display purposes. Connectors provided were TV-out via coaxial cable, composite video, RGB video. Generic tape recorders was used for data storage. The KC 85 used a separate keyboard driven by a remote control IC. The KC 85/2 was the first computer made in Mühlhausen and had only font ROMs for capital letters, and no BASIC in ROM. Later, the KC 85/3 was introduced and this one had a KC-BASIC [de] interpreter in ROM, freeing the user from having to load it from a cassette every time. Both systems typically had 16 KB of free RAM, but could be expanded with add-on modules. The module sockets feature prominently on photos, as they occupy the upper 50% of the casing. The KC 85/4 had 64 KB of RAM, not counting the video ram of more than 40 KB, and better graphics capabilities. In fact, the KC 85/2 and KC 85/3 were practically indistinguishable in board design except for a different ROM and an internal piezo speaker. The KC 85/4 board was redesigned, but featured the same digital-to-analog video PCB as