Kaypro 2 8-bit CP/M Computer

I purchased this Kaypro 2 at the VCF East festival in 2023 for $75. I did not try it out immediately when I got home. But after a few days I tried turning it on. But it did not work. So, I have some work to do, maybe on the power supply. 

This model is the second in the line, following the original Kaypro II and before the Kaypro IV. It was made in 1983  and has two full-height single-sided disk drives mounted horizontally. Unlike my NorthStar Advantage, which uses hard sectored disks, this machine uses a fairly common disk type and controller. Hopefully this will make it easier to make disks for it, maybe with a Greaseweasel?

The Kaypro company was famous for confusing model numbers. It will be important to identify exactly what hardware I have so that I can make up the correct disks that will work in this model. As far as I can tell, my “Kaypro 2” is in fact the same as the “Kaypro II”, but has been renamed to alleviate confusion about a Model 11, which did not actually exist but was being identified by some folks as two ones (11) instead of two upper case I’s (II) or two lower case Ls (ll). The original Kaypro II was named to try to associate with the popular Apple II at the time.

This name change happened in 1983 and came just after the Kaypro II changed to the floppy drives being installed horizontally instead of vertically. The badging on the case used the “2” instead of “II” but the computer is essentially the same as the Kaypro II. The Kaypro 4 (IV) was also the same as the Kaypro II only it used double-sided full height drives instead of the single-sided floppy as is used by my Kaypro 2. The Kaypro 4 also came out in 1983, immediately after my Kaypro 2, but is informally typed as Kaypro IV to distinguish it from the model 4 that came out in ‘84 (typed as 4/84). The next Kaypro 2 came out in 1984 and used half-height single-sided drives. This was followed by the Kaypro 2X which used half-height double-sided drives.

Review:

1982 Kaycomp/Kaypro II used full-height single-sided drives mounted vertically (original)

1982 Kaypro II used full-height single-sided drives mounted horizontally (before name change)

1983 Kaypro 2 used full-height single-sided drives mounted horizontally (my machine)

1983 Kaypro 4 (IV) used full-height double-sided drives mounted horizontally

1984 Kaypro 2 (2/84) used half-height single-sided drives mounted horizontally

1984 Kaypro 2X used half-height double-sided drives mounted horizontally

My machine, the 2, and the 4, use CP/M 2.2F. The 2/84, 2X, and 4/84 use CP/M 2.2G.

Possible replacement power supplies:

MW MPT-120B Triple Output (forum says obsolete)

Meanwell MPT120B (forum says obsolete)

Mean-Well RT-85B (forum says this is still available)

I have an unused power supply that may work for this Kaypro. But I don’t know enough about power supplies to know for sure if I could use this PS I already own instead of purchasing the Mean-Well above.