SVI-838
Encyclopedia
The SVI-838, also known as X'press 16 was the last microcomputer
produced by Spectravideo
(at Hong Kong
). Although it was a PC clone
, it had the standard sound and video coprocessor
s of the MSX2
, making it a hybrid system. The sales were unimpressive and it is now considered a collectible
.
With a SVI-811 adapter, the machine could run MSX
1 programs in cartridge.
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
produced by Spectravideo
Spectravideo
Spectravideo, or SVI, was a U.S. computer company founded in 1981 as "SpectraVision" by Harry Fox. They originally made video games for Atari 2600 and VIC-20. Some of their computers were MSX-compliant or IBM PC compatible...
(at Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
). Although it was a PC clone
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
, it had the standard sound and video coprocessor
Coprocessor
A coprocessor is a computer processor used to supplement the functions of the primary processor . Operations performed by the coprocessor may be floating point arithmetic, graphics, signal processing, string processing, or encryption. By offloading processor-intensive tasks from the main processor,...
s of the MSX2
MSX2
MSX2 may refer to:* Msh homeobox 2, a human gene* The second generation of the MSX home computers...
, making it a hybrid system. The sales were unimpressive and it is now considered a collectible
Collectible
A collectable or collectible is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique is a collectable that is old...
.
With a SVI-811 adapter, the machine could run MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
1 programs in cartridge.
Technical specifications
| CPU | Intel 8088 Intel 8088 The Intel 8088 microprocessor was a variant of the Intel 8086 and was introduced on July 1, 1979. It had an 8-bit external data bus instead of the 16-bit bus of the 8086. The 16-bit registers and the one megabyte address range were unchanged, however... @ 4.77 MHz |
| RAM | 256 KiB—640 KiB (max.) |
| VRAM | 128 KiB (V9938); 16 KiB (CGA Color Graphics Adapter The Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC.... ) |
| ROM | 16 KiB (BIOS BIOS In IBM PC compatible computers, the basic input/output system , also known as the System BIOS or ROM BIOS , is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface.... ) |
| Keyboard | mechanic, 83 keys, (PC IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981... standard) |
| Display | CGA Color Graphics Adapter The Color Graphics Adapter , originally also called the Color/Graphics Adapter or IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter, introduced in 1981, was IBM's first color graphics card, and the first color computer display standard for the IBM PC.... (text: 40×24 or 80×24 rows; graphics: 640×200 pixel Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled.... s, two colours). Yamaha V9938 Yamaha V9938 The Yamaha V9938 is a Video Display Controller used in the Geneve 9640 enhanced TI-99/4A clone, as well as MSX 80s home computers .... for MSX2 graphics: 256×212 pixel Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled.... s, 256 colours or 512×212 pixels, 16 colours. |
| Sound | General Instrument AY-3-8910 (PSG), 3 voices, white noise White noise White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency... |
| Ports | 2 joystick Joystick A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or... ports, TV out, video monitor Video monitor A video monitor also called a broadcast monitor, broadcast reference monitor or just reference monitor, is a display device similar to a television set, used to monitor the output of a video-generating device, such as playout from a video server, IRD, video camera, VCR, or DVD player. It may or... out, parallel port Parallel port A parallel port is a type of interface found on computers for connecting various peripherals. In computing, a parallel port is a parallel communication physical interface. It is also known as a printer port or Centronics port... , serial port Serial port In computing, a serial port is a serial communication physical interface through which information transfers in or out one bit at a time... , sound out (RCA), cartridge slot Slot Slot may refer to:* A narrow opening through which an object can pass, for example in a:** Vending machine slot** Slot machine, a type of casino game* Slot, a space for a container on a ship, usually expressed as a 20' or 40' slot Slot may refer to:* A narrow opening through which an object can... , SV expansion slot, 1 ISA ISA Isa is the name by which Jesus is known in the Muslim world.Isa may also refer to:* Isha Upanishad, Hindu religious text* Isa , 2004 album by Enslaved* Isa , common Arabic and Turkish male name... slot. |
| Storage | one or two 5¼" disk drive (360 KiB) (or a drive and a 20 MiB MIB MIB may refer to any of several concepts:* Master of International Business, a postgraduate business degree* Melayu Islam Beraja, the adopted national philosophy of Brunei* Motion induced blindness, a visual illusion in peripheral vision... HD Hard disk A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the... ) |
Peripherals
- SVI-109P: Quickshot IX, joyballJoystickA joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
(IBM compatible) - SVI-811: MSX1 Game Adpater (an adapter with a Zilog Z80Zilog Z80The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
A UCP and MSX standard joystick ports) - SVI-812: Multifunctioncard (384 KiB RAM, RS-232C, RTC)
- SVI-813: coolerCoolerA cooler, cool box, portable ice chest, chilly bin , or esky most commonly is an insulated box used to keep food or drink cool. Ice cubes are most commonly placed in it to help the things inside stay cool...
- SVI-814P: PAL RF Adapter (to colour TVs or RGB monitor)
- SVI-815: Monitor Cable (D15 to 21 pins adapter, to RGB monitor)
- SVI-816: Monitor Cable (D15 to 8 pins adapter, to digital/analog RGB monitor).