{"id":21828,"date":"2025-07-21T15:15:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T19:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=21828"},"modified":"2026-06-22T14:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T18:49:07","slug":"vin98","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin98\/","title":{"rendered":"Tandy Color Computer 16K"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n            <div class=\"cu-textmedia flex flex-col lg:flex-row mx-auto gap-6 md:gap-10 my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 max-w-5xl\">\n        <div class=\"justify-start cu-textmedia-content cu-prose-first-last\" style=\"flex: 0 0 100%;\">\n            <header class=\"font-light prose-xl cu-pageheader md:prose-2xl cu-component-updated cu-prose-first-last\">\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] pb-5 after:w-10 text-cu-black-700 not-prose\">\n                        Tandy Color Computer 16K\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                \n                            <\/header>\n\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\">Vintage Computing Collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"tandy-color-computer-16k\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tandy Color Computer 16K<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>[Vin98]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Tandy Color Computer 16K, popularly known as the &#8220;CoCo,&#8221; was a notable early 1980s home computer recognized for its use of the powerful Motorola 6809E CPU and its ability to display color graphics when connected to a standard television. It stood out for its affordability, flexible cartridge-based expansion, and the inclusion of Microsoft\u2019s Color BASIC in ROM, making it accessible for both gaming and educational programming applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Tandy Corporation (Radio Shack)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Home computer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Released<\/strong>: 1980<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: USD $599 (CAD ~$2,575 adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: 0.35 (350 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"hardware-specifications\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW169789978 BCX0\">Hardware Specifications<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CPU: Motorola 6809E, 8-bit, running at 0.895MHz<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Memory: 16KB RAM (expandable internally up to 32KB or 64KB on later models)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ROM: 8KB Microsoft Color BASIC, with optional 8KB Extended Color BASIC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keyboard: 53-key &#8220;chiclet&#8221; keyboard (QWERTY layout with function and arrow keys)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Video Output: RF modulated for standard TV; resolutions up to 256&#215;192 pixels; 8 colors maximum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sound: 6-bit digital-to-analog converter for one-voice sound<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Graphics Modes: 32\u00d716 text, and multiple low\/high-res graphics modes, with color and semigraphics capability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I\/O Ports:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cassette tape interface (1500 baud)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two analog joystick ports<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cartridge slot for software\/program expansion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>RS-232 serial interface (modem\/printer connection)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Operating System: Microsoft Color BASIC (with optional Extended BASIC); supported OS-9 from third parties<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weight: Approximately 4.75lbs (2.15kg)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"operating-system-programming-languages\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"TextRun SCXW50331614 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW50331614 BCX0\">Operating System &amp; Programming Languages<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW50331614 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559685&quot;:0}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>O\/S<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Standard ROM-based OS:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>All models of the Tandy Color Computer ran Microsoft Color BASIC (provided in ROM), which boots directly at power-up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many units were also upgraded with Extended Color BASIC, offering enhanced graphics and program features.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Optional Disk and Advanced Operating Systems:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Disk Extended Color BASIC (DECB): Added disk support for floppy drives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>OS-9: A multitasking, multiuser operating system sold by third parties, notable for its Unix-like features and support for more advanced programming environments. Required upgraded RAM (typically 64K or more).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other operating systems such as FLEX were also ported to the system by the community<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Programming Languages<\/strong>:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>BASIC:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Microsoft Color BASIC (in ROM)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Extended Color BASIC (in ROM, larger models)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Disk Extended Color BASIC (with floppy disk support)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assembly Language:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Motorola 6809 assembly language<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Programs could be created using tools like EDTASM+ (Editor\/Assembler\/Debugger) cartridges and various machine language monitors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other High-Level Languages (usually via cartridge or disk):\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BASIC09: Advanced structured BASIC, included with the OS-9 operating system<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pascal: Available from third parties for OS-9<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>C: Available for OS-9<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>FORTH: Community and commercial cartridges<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>COBOL, LOGO: Less common, but available through user groups or third-party vendors<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Machine Code\/Hex:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Directly loaded or assembled machine code programs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"notables\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Notables<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Firsts: Among the earliest affordable home computers with true color graphics and sound, supporting up to eight colors while connected to a regular TV.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advanced CPU: Featured the Motorola 6809E, one of the most sophisticated 8-bit CPUs of its era, offering advanced addressing and instruction capabilities for home use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cartridge Slot: Popularized \u201cProgram Pak\u201d ROM cartridges, making commercial games and educational software easy to load and run.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Multitasking OS: Supported OS-9 a Unix-like, multitasking operating system, which was rare for home computers at the time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A competitor of the Commodore VIC-20 and Atari 400\/800 in the consumer market.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unique \u201cchiclet\u201d keyboard and silvery, futuristic styling made it stand out in the showroom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Although labeled a TRS-80, it was completely incompatible with other TRS-80 computers, an early source of consumer confusion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Longevity: Its architecture was so flexible that the line survived for more than a decade and inspired a strong software ecosystem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Donated by<\/strong>: Arlen Michaels<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-fill\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\">Vintage Computing Collection<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tandy Color Computer 16K [Vin98] The Tandy Color Computer 16K, popularly known as the &#8220;CoCo,&#8221; was a notable early 1980s home computer recognized for its use of the powerful Motorola 6809E CPU and its ability to display color graphics when connected to a standard television. It stood out for its affordability, flexible cartridge-based expansion, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[90,123],"class_list":["post-21828","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","cu_page_type-vintage-computing","cu_page_type-vintage-inventory"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21828"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25133,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21828\/revisions\/25133"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=21828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}