User:TColorComputer3/Color Computer
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| 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.
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.