Adventures with the Nixdorf 8870 Mini-Computer
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8870 Documentation

One activity thats constantly ongoing is searching for 8870 System documentation as its rather hard to find these days. Below you will find a list of what I've currently got available with download links. If you have some 8870 documentation that you can share, please get in touch and I’ll add it to the list.

NIROS 3.2 + TAMOS

(38 MB PDF) 
NIROS 3.2 (German)
File Size: 38088 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

NIROS 3.3

This is the original NIROS 3.3 manual from October 1979.
NIROS 3.3 (German)
File Size: 33915 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

NIROS 3.3 (English)
File Size: 647 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

NIROS 5.0/02

German (71 MB PDF)    (Thanks to VAXMAN and Rikka for this one)
NIROS 5.0/02 (German)
File Size: 72390 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

NIROS 5.0/03

(30 MB PDF) 
NIROS 5.0/03 (German)
File Size: 29853 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

NIROS 7.0/00/19

This document also seems to cover the introduction of the BA80 VDU. Looks like some interesting technical information.
(5 MB PDF) 
NIROS 7.0/00 (German)
File Size: 5013 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

NIROS 7.0/02

(73 MB PDF) 
NIROS 7.0/02 (German)
File Size: 74918 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

BASIC Programmers (German)

German (215 MB PDF)    This is a BASIC programmers manual from 1985  (updated 1986) 
BASIC (German) Part 1
File Size: 114087 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

BASIC (German) Part 2
File Size: 53911 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

BASIC (German) Part 3
File Size: 57796 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

BASIC Programmers (English)

English version. This is a BASIC programmers manual from 1985 (updated 1986). It also includes some hand written comments detailing some undocumented features.
BASIC (English) Complete
File Size: 64625 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

BASIC Program Tuning (English)

English version. This manual contains information and tips on tuning BASIC programs to run as fast and efficiently as possible. It also gives instruction execution times which all makes interesting reading.
BASIC Program Tuning (English)
File Size: 4149 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Description of program interfaces

(English)  78 MB PDF
Description of program interfaces (English)
File Size: 79579 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MODEL 1 - Technical Reference Manual

 Release 3.3 - German (250 MB PDF)
MODEL 1 - Technical Reference - Part 1
File Size: 77696 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

MODEL 1 - Technical Reference - Part 2
File Size: 100904 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

MODEL 1 - Technical Reference - Part 3
File Size: 55824 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Summary of I/O card assignments

English (56 MB PDF)
Summary of I/O Card Assignments (English)
File Size: 56845 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Micro 7 Operation Manual

German (23 MB PDF)
Micro 7 Operation Manual (German)
File Size: 23497 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Micro 7 Installation Manual

German (8 MB PDF)
​This manual also contains a list of the main status display error codes. These aren't the same status codes that the larger 8870's display.
Micro 7 Installation Manual (German)
File Size: 9949 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File


Reader supplied information

Sometimes people send me Emails containing quite detailed technical information. I will add these here to help preserve them.
After a plea for information, somebody replied to me with the attached file. It contains some pretty technical information on how the CPUs work and their internal Micro-Code.
les_chamberlain_-_cpu_technical_notes.doc
File Size: 37 kb
File Type: doc
Download File


Marketing brochures and other literature

8870/1 and 8870/3 Magnetic Disk System

English (7 MB PDF)
​Probably from the 1970's or early 1980's this is a standard type sales and marketing brochure with loads of pretty pictures.
8870 Model 1 & 3 Brochure
File Size: 6682 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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