It was an excellent machine.First built by Kyoreca as Kyotronic kc 85 in Japan then purchased right by Tandy corp in America changed to TRS-80.It had great portability and simplicity-weight1.7kg,battery run time 20 hrs,fast boot up,fast operation,excellent keyboard.The TRS-80 Model 100 portable computer was introduced in 1983. It was made by Kyocera, and originally sold in Japan as the Kyotronic 85.
Although a slow seller for Kyocera, the rights to the machine were purchased by Tandy Corporation, and the computer was sold throughRadio Shack stores in the United States and Canada as well as affiliated dealers in other countries, becoming one of the company's most popular models, with over 6,000,000 units sold worldwide. The Olivetti M-10 and the NEC PC-8201 and PC-8300 were also built on the same Kyocera platform, with some design and hardware differences.
Specifications-
Processor: Eight-bit Intel 80C85, CMOS, 2.4 MHz
Memory: 32K ROM, 8, 16, 24, or 32K static RAM. Machines with less than 32K could be expanded in 8K increments of plug-in static RAM modules.
Display: Eight lines, forty characters LCD with 240 by 64 pixel addressable graphics. The screen was not backlit.
Peripherals: The basic package included: Built-in 300 baud modem (North American versions), parallel printer port, serial communication port (shared by internal modem), bar-code reader input, cassette audio tape, real-time clock.
Dimensions: 300 by 215 mm by 50 mm, mass about 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb) with batteries
Power supply: Four penlight (AA) cells, or external power adapter 6V (>180 mA, tip negative configuration)
The 8K and 24K versions sold for USD$1099 and USD$1399 respectively.
The Model 100 was promoted as being able to run up to 20 hours and maintain memory up to 30 days on a set of four alkaline AA batteries.
The Model 100 keyboard has 56 keys, eight programmable function keys, and four dedicated command keys, but neither a backslash (\) nor a pipe (|) key.
The Tandy Portable Disk Drive (TPDD), a serial device capable of storing 100 KB of data on a 3.5 inch diskette was also available. A second version, the TPDD2, could store up to 200 KB, as it used double sided disks.
A disk-video interface expansion box was released in 1984, with 5-1/4 inch disk drives and a CRT video adapter. This allowed the Model 100 to display 40 or 80 column video on an external television set or video monitor.
A bar code reader wand was also offered.
ROM firmware
When first switched on, the Model 100 displays a menu of applications and files and the date and time. The ROM firmware based system boots instantly, which compares very favourably to disk-based computers. Not only is the machine ready to use immediately on power-up, but it will also continue running, from the same point, the program that was running when the unit was powered off. Cursor keys are used to navigate the menu and select one of the internal or added application programs, or any data file to be worked upon.
The 32 kilobyte read-only memory of the Model 100 contains the N82 version of the Microsoft BASIC 80 programming language. This is similar to other Microsoft BASICs of the time and includes good support for the hardware features of the machine: pixel addressing of the display, support for the internal modem and serial port, monophonic sound, access to tape files, and support for the real-time clock and the bar code reader. Unlike other Microsoft BASIC interpreters of the time, the default for floating point numbers is double-precision.
The ROM also contains a terminal program, TELCOM; an address/phone book organizer, ADDRSS; a to-do list organizer, SCHEDL; and a simple text editor, TEXT. The TELCOM program allows automation of a login sequence to a remote system under control of the BASIC interpreter.
As with other home computers of the era, a vast collection of PEEK and POKE locations were collected by avid hobbyists.
Invisible files in the system RAM named "Hayashi" and "Suzuki" commemorate the names of designers Junji Hayashi and Jey Suzuki. Another invisible deleted file named "RickY" refers to Rick Yamashita.[2] The Model 100 firmware was the last Microsoft product that Bill Gates developed personally, along with Suzuki. According to Gates, "part of my nostalgia about this machine is this was the last machine where I wrote a very high percentage of the code in the product".[3]
Added applications and data files are stored in the internal battery-backed RAM; these can be loaded from and stored to an audio cassette tape recorder or external floppy disk drive. Optional ROMs can be installed in the Model 100, providing a range of customized application software.
The Model 100 ROM has a Y2K bug; the century displayed on the main menu was hard-coded as "19XX". Workarounds exist for this problem.
Applications
When introduced, the portability and simplicity of the Model 100 made it attractive to journalists, who could type about 11 pages of text and then transmit it using the built-in modem and TELCOM program for electronic editing and production. The computer is silent when it operates. The keyboard is superior to most others currently on the market. It runs for 20 hours on 4 readily available and easily replaceable AA batteries. Data is protected by a built-in rechargeable battery. There is no boot up routine; the Model 100 operates as soon as you flip the on switch and select an application. There are several simple programs available on the Internet for transferring Model 100 files to a modern personal computer.
The Model 100 was also used in industrial applications as a programming terminal for configuration of control systems and instruments.
Third-party peripherals for the Model 100 extended its battery life and file storage capacity. Software was designed, and is still available, to extend the display capabilities and to provide more advanced word-processing or calculation software than the supplied programs. To this day, hobbyists continue to design games, applications, and hardware for this device.
With few exceptions, no modern portable computer has the appearance, or some would argue utility, of the Model 100 line. Modern portable computers (laptops) are larger, heavier, and have much shorter battery life than the Model 100. The closest modern successors include the Alphasmart Dana and the Quickpad Pro. These similar modern "slabtop" units typically are targeted at the education market, although they are often used by writers and mobile professionals.
Although much larger, the Model 100 actually bears a close resemblance to modern PDAs. Its TEXT program is similar to the Memo program found on PalmOne products, and ADDRSS and SCHEDL are essentially simplified versions of Contacts, Tasks and Calendar. The Model 100 has the additional advantage of a full size keyboard, a built-in modem and BASIC programming language. By including BASIC, the Model 100's designers made it possible for users to design additional applications.
Because of its adaptability and features as well as its current relative affordability, the Model 100 and its progeny (Model 102/200/600) enjoy a near cult status among its supporters. Club 100 and Bitchin100 are the center of the Model 100 universe. Model 100 enthusiasts continue to explore this early computer, trading information, participating in contests and designing new applications with existing and newly designed hardware and software.
NAME Kyotronic 85 MANUFACTURER Kyocera TYPE Portable ORIGIN Japan YEAR 1983 BUILT IN LANGUAGE Microsoft BASIC KEYBOARD Typewriter type, 72 keys with 16 function keys and 4 arrow keys CPU Intel 80C85 CMOS low power version SPEED 2.4 MHz RAM 8 to 32 KB ROM 32 KB TEXT MODES 40 columns x 8 lines GRAPHIC MODES 240 x 64 dots COLORS Monochrome SOUND Beeper SIZE / WEIGHT 28 (W) x 21.6 (D) x 5 (D) cm I/O PORTS Parallel printer, Tape recorder, Bar Code reader, Serial RS232, Phone, System bus BUILT IN MEDIA User RAM battery backup POWER SUPPLY 6V DC adaptor or 4 x AA batteries PERIPHERALS Disk drive unit PRICE Unknown
System differences: System: Kyotronic KC-85 Tandy TRS-80 model 100 NEC PC-8201a Olivetti M-10 Memory : 16K - 32K 8K - 32K 16K - 96K 8K - 32K RAM Built-in applications: BASIC BASIC BASIC BASIC Internal expansion: 1 ROM socket 1 ROM socket 2 ROM, 6 RAM sockets 4 ROM/RAM sockets Internal modem: none 300 baud none 300 baud, US version only External ports: RS-232 RS-232 RS-232 RS-232 LCD display: stationary, flat stationary, flat stationary, flat moveable, tilts 30° Fame: The Original Most Popular Most Expandable Most Beautiful Descendants: None Model 102, 200 NEC 8300, 8401a None
(includes 32K battery-backed RAM cartridge in 'system slot')
32K - 64K ROM
Text
Telcom
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Text
Telcom
Address
Scheduler
Text
Telcom
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Text
Telcom
Address
Scheduler
Printer
Cassette
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Printer
Cassette
Phone (modem)
BCR (Bar Code Reader)
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Printer
Cassette
SIO1 (19200 baud serial)
SIO2 (19200 baud serial)
BCR
System slot for RAM
Printer
Cassette
Phone
BCR
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