User:TColorComputer3/Color Computer

Tandy Color Computer

Release date	1980 (CoCo 1), 1983 (CoCo 2), 1986 (CoCo 3)

Color Computer line

The Tandy Color Computer (commonly known as the CoCo) is a line of home computers produced by Tandy/Radio Shack from 1980 through 1991. It evolved through three major revisions:

• Color Computer 1 – Original 1980 release, MC6847 VDG graphics, cassette-based.
• Color Computer 2 – Updated case and minor improvements.
• Color Computer 3 – Major 1986 refresh with 128 KB RAM, GIME chip, 320×200/640×200 graphics, OS-9 Level II support.

TRS-80 / Tandy naming confusion

; Color Computer 1 & 2 • **North America** – Marketed as **TRS-80 Color Computer** • **Europe** – Also carried the **TRS-80** branding • **Australia / Canada** – Mixed usage (both TRS-80 and Tandy branding seen) Color Computer 3 • Released **only under the Tandy brand** worldwide • No “TRS-80” badge, despite being a direct successor Other TRS-80 line (Z80-based) • TRS-80 Model I/III/4 were **unrelated** (Z80 CPUs, business focus) • CoCo line shared “TRS-80” branding early on but was technically distinct

Color Computer branding timeline

Year	Model	North America	Europe	Australia/Canada	Notes
1980	Color Computer 1	TRS-80 Color Computer	TRS-80 Color Computer	Mostly TRS-80	First 6809-based CoCo
1983	Color Computer 2	TRS-80 Color Computer	TRS-80 Color Computer	Mix of TRS-80 and Tandy branding	Transitional period
1986	Color Computer 3	Tandy Color Computer 3	Tandy Color Computer 3	Tandy Color Computer 3	No TRS-80 branding anywhere

• Other TRS-80 line models (Model I, III, 4, etc.) were Z80-based and not directly related to the CoCo line, despite sharing the “TRS-80” brand name at first.*

Operating Systems

• **Extended Color BASIC** (built-in).
• **OS-9 Level I/II** (Microware’s multitasking OS).
• **NitrOS-9** (modern community continuation).
• Draft OS-9 / NitrOS-9 page →

Emulation

Popular emulators include:

• XRoar – Actively developed, accurate CoCo 1/2/Dragon emulator with CoCo 3 support.
• VCC – Windows-focused CoCo 3 emulator, easier to configure.
• MAME – General-purpose emulator with CoCo drivers.

Peripherals

• **Multi-Pak Interface (MPI)** – 4-slot expansion.
• **Speech/Sound Cartridge** – 8-channel sound and speech.
• **Floppy Disk Controller (FD-502, etc.)** – 5.25" and 3.5" support.

Development

• Assembly: LWTOOLS assembler/linker suite.
• C: CMOC, DCC compiler.
• BASIC09 under OS-9.

Resources

• Color Computer Archive
• NitrOS-9 project
• Cocopedia

See also

• TRS-80 line (Z80)

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