The Micro-Professor MPF-1B is an educational single-board computer originally released in 1981 by Multitech (which later became Acer). Designed to teach machine code and Z80 assembly language, the system famously shipped in a case resembling a hardcover book.
Key Specifications & Features CPU: Zilog Z80 microprocessor
Display: 6-digit, 7-segment green LED display
Memory: Upgraded to include 4KB of ROM (housing both the system monitor and Tiny BASIC) and expandable SRAM
Interface: Membrane hexadecimal keypad for direct machine code and monitor commands
Expansion: Included Z80 PIO (Parallel Input/Output) and CTC (Counter/Timer) chips for hardware experimentationFunctionality & Programming
Unlike its predecessor (the MPF-1A), which was strictly limited to machine code, the MPF-1B introduced a built-in Tiny BASIC interpreter. This allowed users to write simple, human-readable programs, test memory, and interface with external hardware projects.