Video Genie
Encyclopedia
Video Genie was a series of computers produced by Hong Kong
-based manufacturer EACA
during the early 1980s. They were compatible with the Tandy TRS-80 Model I
computers and could be considered a clone
, although there were hardware and software differences.
The computers making up the series were
Although Video Genie was the name used in Western Europe
, the machines were sold under different names in other countries. In Australia and New Zealand they were known as the Dick Smith
System 80 MK I (EG3003) and System 80 MK II (EG3008), and in North America they were sold as the PMC-80 and PMC-81. In South Africa the Video Genie was sold as the TRZ-80, a name similar to its rival.
In early 1983, the related Colour Genie
machine was released by EACA.
and a single density
floppy interface for up to 4 single-sided or 3 double-sided drives. It also has sockets for adding two 16K banks of RAM (making it possible to expand to 48K RAM) and edge connector
s for the EG3020 RS-232
interface and EG3022 S-100 bus
interface. The EG3014 could also be expanded with the EG3021 double density
kit.
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...
-based manufacturer EACA
EACA
The Hong Kong-based EACA group of companies was established in December 1972 by Eric Chung Kwan-yee , a businessman of humble beginnings from mainland China who stealt into the then British colony from Guangzhou as a young man...
during the early 1980s. They were compatible with the Tandy TRS-80 Model I
TRS-80
TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
computers and could be considered a clone
Clone (computer science)
In computing, a clone is a hardware or software system that is designed to mimic another system. Compatibility with the original system is usually the explicit purpose of cloning hardware or low-level software such as operating systems...
, although there were hardware and software differences.
The computers making up the series were
- Video Genie System (EG3003 - first version, early/mid 1980)
- Video Genie System (EG3003 - second version, late 1980)
- Genie I (EG3003 - third version, late 1981)
- Genie II (EG3008 - late 1981)
- Genie III (EG3200 - mid 1982) - a more business-oriented machine with CP/MCP/MCP/M was a mass-market operating system created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc...
-compatibility.
Although Video Genie was the name used in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, the machines were sold under different names in other countries. In Australia and New Zealand they were known as the Dick Smith
Dick Smith Electronics
Dick Smith is an international electronics retailer, founded in 1968 by Richard "Dick" Smith. Today, it is a subsidiary of Woolworths Limited, incorporating Tandy, and the remaining Dick Smith Powerhouse Stores...
System 80 MK I (EG3003) and System 80 MK II (EG3008), and in North America they were sold as the PMC-80 and PMC-81. In South Africa the Video Genie was sold as the TRZ-80, a name similar to its rival.
In early 1983, the related Colour Genie
Colour Genie
The EACA EG2000 Colour Genie was a computer produced by Hong Kong-based manufacturer EACA and introduced in Germany in August 1982. It followed their earlier Video Genie I and II computers and was released around the same time as the business-oriented Video Genie III.The BASIC was compatible with...
machine was released by EACA.
Features
- CPUCentral processing unitThe central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
: 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...
, at 1.76 MHz
- Video: Monochrome
- 64×16 / 32×16 uppercase text
- 128×48 block graphics
- Composite video output, cable included
- RF tv signal output, cable included
- 16 KBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
RAM, expandable to 48 KB
- 12 KB ROM containing Microsoft LEVEL II BASIC
- Storage: Built in 500 baudBaudIn telecommunications and electronics, baud is synonymous to symbols per second or pulses per second. It is the unit of symbol rate, also known as baud rate or modulation rate; the number of distinct symbol changes made to the transmission medium per second in a digitally modulated signal or a...
cassette deck- Cable for using an external cassette deck included
- Built in powersupply
Versions
- The first version had only a 51-key keyboard and was missing the CLEAR and TAB keys as compared to the Tandy TRS-80 Model ITRS-80TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
.
- The second version had a corrected keyboard but sacrificed the right SHIFT key. This version also added a cassetteCompact CassetteThe Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
-player VU-meterVU meterA VU meter is often included in audio equipment to display a signal level in Volume Units; the device is sometimes also called volume indicator ....
and volume control, a very helpful feature in loading software from cassettes.
- Genie I (the third version) featured inbuilt lowercase with drivers in the ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
extension. This ROM also contained an improved keyboard driver and a machine language monitorMachine code monitorA machine code monitor is software built into or separately available for various computers, allowing the user to enter commands to view and change memory locations on the machine, with options to load and save memory contents from/to secondary storage.Machine code monitors became something of a...
.
- Genie II was exactly like the Genie I but had a 19-key keypad instead of the internal cassette deck. Also the keyboard was updated, adding the missing right shift key, making the keyboard 53+19 keys. It was intended for use with floppy drivesFloppy diskA floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
, although this still required the EG3014 Expander.
EG3014 Expander
The EG3014 Expander add-on corresponds to the Tandy TRS-80 Model I Expansion Interface. It has a Centronics printer portIEEE 1284
IEEE 1284 is a standard that defines bi-directional parallel communications between computers and other devices.-History:In the 1970s, Centronics developed the now-familiar printer parallel port that soon became a de facto standard...
and a single density
Single density
Single density, often shortened SD, is a capacity designation on magnetic storage, usually floppy disks. It describes the use of an encoding of information using Frequency modulation, also known as biphase mark code....
floppy interface for up to 4 single-sided or 3 double-sided drives. It also has sockets for adding two 16K banks of RAM (making it possible to expand to 48K RAM) and edge connector
Edge connector
An edge connector is the portion of a printed circuit board consisting of traces leading to the edge of the board that are intended to plug into a matching socket. The edge connector is a money-saving device because it only requires a single discrete female connector , and they also tend to be...
s for the EG3020 RS-232
RS-232
In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
interface and EG3022 S-100 bus
S-100 bus
The S-100 bus or Altair bus, IEEE696-1983 , was an early computer bus designed in 1974 as a part of the Altair 8800, generally considered today to be the first personal computer...
interface. The EG3014 could also be expanded with the EG3021 double density
Double density
Double density, often shortened DD, is a capacity designation on magnetic storage, usually floppy disks. It describes the use of an encoding of information, which can encode on average twice as many bits per time unit compared to single density...
kit.
External links
- "Video Genie System" at home.online.no
- "A Tribute to the Dick Smith System 80" at classic-computers.org.nz