{"id":22689,"date":"2025-11-06T16:10:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T21:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=22689"},"modified":"2025-11-06T16:22:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T21:22:58","slug":"vin135","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/","title":{"rendered":"Seequa Chameleon"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Seequa Chameleon<\/h2>\n<p>[Vin135]<\/p>\n<p>The Seequa Chameleon is notable as one of the first dual-processor luggable computers, released in 1983 with both a Zilog Z80 for CP\/M compatibility and an Intel 8088 for IBM PC-compatible MS-DOS operation, enabling it to run software from both ecosystems in one machine. Its claim to fame lies in this &#8220;twice the computer&#8221; capability, blending portability with dual OS support at a time when IBM dominated the market with expensive proprietary systems. Though innovative, it was not a commercial success and remained a niche product, recognized more as an early example of portability and versatility.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong>: Seequa Computer Corporation, based in Annapolis, Maryland.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Type<\/strong>: Luggable (portable) computer<\/li>\n<li><strong>Release Date<\/strong>: 1983<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost at release<\/strong>: ~$6,850 (adjusted for inflation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>MIPS<\/strong>: 0.33-0.75 (330-750 KIPS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW36078203 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW36078203 BCX0\">Hardware Specifications<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>CPU<\/strong>: Dual CPUs:\n<ul>\n<li>Intel 8088 running at 4.77 MHz (IBM PC compatible)<\/li>\n<li>Zilog Z80 running at 4 MHz (CP\/M compatible)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Memory<\/strong>: Typically 128 KB RAM standard, expandable (exact max varies by model)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Display<\/strong>: Built-in 9-inch green phosphor CRT screen, capable of 80&#215;25 text display<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: Optional internal 10 MB hard drive, external floppy drives supported<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keyboard<\/strong>: Full-sized detachable keyboard with numeric keypad<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expansion<\/strong>: External expansion chassis (reported, with 8 slots for peripherals)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Software<\/strong>: Included Perfect Writer word processor and Perfect Calc spreadsheet; compatible with MS-DOS and CP\/M software<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weight<\/strong>: Approximately 28 pounds (13 kg)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Input\/Output Ports<\/strong>: Serial, parallel ports, modem capability depending on configuration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"TextRun SCXW136206418 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW136206418 BCX0\">Operating System &amp; Programming Languages<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"my-0\"><strong>Operating System<\/strong>: dual operating systems: it ran both MS-DOS on the Intel 8088 processor and CP\/M on the Zilog Z80 processor, leveraging its unique dual-processor design to support software from both ecosystems.<\/li>\n<li class=\"my-0\"><strong>Supported Languages<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>BASIC (including Microsoft BASIC or M-BASIC-86)<\/li>\n<li>Assembly language for both Intel 8088 and Z80 CPUs<\/li>\n<li>C and Pascal for MS-DOS-compatible software<\/li>\n<li>Any CP\/M-compatible language like PL\/I, Fortran, and others available on CP\/M systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Notables<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"my-2 [&amp;+p]:mt-4 [&amp;_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&amp;_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2\">The Seequa Chameleon is one of the earliest and most notable examples of a dual-CPU luggable computer, uniquely combining an Intel 8088 and a Zilog Z80 to run both MS-DOS and CP\/M software.<\/li>\n<li class=\"my-2 [&amp;+p]:mt-4 [&amp;_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&amp;_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2\">The Color Chameleon was marketed as the first IBM- and CP\/M 80-compatible portable color microcomputer<\/li>\n<li>It bypassed IBM&#8217;s BIOS lawsuits by using a proprietary BIOS and dual architecture rather than cloning IBM directly<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donated by<\/strong>: Dr. Arlen Michaels<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seequa Chameleon [Vin135] The Seequa Chameleon is notable as one of the first dual-processor luggable computers, released in 1983 with both a Zilog Z80 for CP\/M compatibility and an Intel 8088 for IBM PC-compatible MS-DOS operation, enabling it to run software from both ecosystems in one machine. Its claim to fame lies in this &#8220;twice [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":19704,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Seequa Chameleon - School of Computer Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Seequa Chameleon The Seequa Chameleon is notable as one of the first dual-processor luggable computers, released in 1983 with both a Zilog Z80 for CP\/M\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/\",\"name\":\"Seequa Chameleon - School of Computer Science\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-06T21:10:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-06T21:22:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"Seequa Chameleon The Seequa Chameleon is notable as one of the first dual-processor luggable computers, released in 1983 with both a Zilog Z80 for CP\/M\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Vintage Computing\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Vintage Computing Collection\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Seequa Chameleon\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/\",\"name\":\"School of Computer Science\",\"description\":\"Carleton University\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Seequa Chameleon - School of Computer Science","description":"Seequa Chameleon The Seequa Chameleon is notable as one of the first dual-processor luggable computers, released in 1983 with both a Zilog Z80 for CP\/M","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/","url":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/","name":"Seequa Chameleon - School of Computer Science","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-11-06T21:10:21+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-06T21:22:58+00:00","description":"Seequa Chameleon The Seequa Chameleon is notable as one of the first dual-processor luggable computers, released in 1983 with both a Zilog Z80 for CP\/M","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/vin135\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Vintage Computing","item":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Vintage Computing Collection","item":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/vintage-computing\/item\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Seequa Chameleon"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/","name":"School of Computer Science","description":"Carleton University","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"acf":{"banner_image_type":"none","banner_button":"no"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22689"}],"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\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22689"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22693,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22689\/revisions\/22693"}],"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=22689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}