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6,654 pages: 1,289 machines, 702 software, 460 companies, 64 history, 17 articles, 59 fun.
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Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
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---
title: Spectravideo SV 318
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- Zilog Z80A
params:
name: SV 318
company: /companies/spectravideo
company_name: Spectravideo
specs:
- label: NAME
value: SV 318
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Spectravideo
- label: TYPE
value: Home Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: U.S.A.
- label: YEAR
value: January 1983
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: SV Extended Basic (by Microsoft)
- label: KEYBOARD
value: 71 keys, rubber keyboard with built-in joystick
- label: CPU
value: Zilog Z80A
- label: SPEED
value: 3.6 MHz
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: TMS9918A graphics chip, and AY-3-8910 sound chip
- label: RAM
value: 16 KB (up to 144 KB), 12 KB free for programmation with Basic
- label: VRAM
value: 16 KB
- label: ROM
value: 32 KB
- label: TEXT MODES
value: 40 x 24
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: 256 x 192 in 16 colors / 64 x 48 in 16 colors
- label: COLORS
value: '16'
- label: SOUND
value: AY-3-8910 sound chip offering 3 channels and 8 octaves
- label: I/O PORTS
value: video output, cartridge slot, expansion port, tape, joysticks (2)
- label: OS
value: CP/M optional with disk-drives
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: External power supply. 9V AC & 16V AC out
- label: PERIPHERALS
value: SVI-903 Data Cassette Recorder, SV-601 Super Expander, SV-602 Single Slot Expander, SV-902 Floppy Disk drive (external), SV-901 Dot Matrix Printer, SV-805 RS-232 Interface, SV-105 Graphic Touch Tablet, SV-803 16K RAM Pack, SV-807 64K RAM Pack, SV-802 Centronics Interface, SV-701 Smart Modem, SV-801 Dual Disk Drive Controller, SV-806 80-Column Display adapter, SV-603 Coleco Game Adapter, SV-101 Quickshot Joystick
- label: PRICE
value: $299 (USA, 1983)
tabs:
- photos
- adverts
- hardware
- emulators
- links
photos:
- title: FRONT VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: SIDE VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: REAR VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: We can spot the two expansion connectors and the RGB video output (DIN) on the right.
image: null
- title: INSIDE SV-318
subtitle: ''
text: |-
A traditional and clear design despite some cheeseparing: the keyboard cable, rigid and without connectors must be carefully handled during a disassembling, the graphic circuit cooler is coarsely glued. The left part, much more packed, is the video interface module which can differ, depending of the country where the computer was sold.
**(1)** Integrated joystick or arrows keypad when the stick is removed.\
**(2)** SIO 8255 circuit in charge of interfaces management (internal and external joysticks, cassette...).\
**(3)** Sound generator AY-3-8910 chipset. (3 voices, 8 octaves and white noises for special effects), same as MSX standard.\
**(4)** 16 memory chips holding 32 Kb. of RAM memory.\
**(5)** Texas Instruments TMS 9929 video chipset with its glued cooler, same as MSX standard.\
**(6)** Spectrvideo cassette recorder connector. A standard recorder can't be used.\
**(7)** RGB video out connector.\
**(8)** Z80 microprocessor.\
**(9)** Expansion connector for Spectravideo expansion units.\
**(10)** Two ROM circuits holding the Microsoft Basic interpreter.\
**(11)** Connector and housing for ROM cartridges.
image: null
- title: LUXURIOUS BASIC MANUAL
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: SV-318 MKII
subtitle: ''
text: In 1984, Spectravideo released a revised version of the SV-318, named SV-318 MKII. The colour of area around the keyboard is different, but more importantly the motherboard has been redesigned, surely for production costs reason.
image: null
adverts:
- title: US AD (JULY, 1983)
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to Eric Buczynski for this advert
image: null
- title: FRENCH AD (DEC.1983)
subtitle: ''
text: Valric-Laurène was the french importer of the Spectravideo SV-318.
image: null
- title: FRENCH AD (DEC.1983)
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: FRENCH ADVERT.
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: GERMAN AD
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: null
- title: SV-318/328 ADVERT (FEB. 1984)
subtitle: ''
text: from New-Zealand Bits & Bytes magazine
image: null
hardware:
- title: SVI-777
subtitle: External disk-drive
text: ''
image: null
- title: SVI-904
subtitle: Tape recorder
text: Courtesy **www.zonadepruebas.com**
image: null
emulators:
- title: SVI-318 / SVI-328 emulator
url: http://www.acc.umu.se/~yarin/sviemu/
platform: MS DOS
text: ''
- title: blueMSX
url: HTTP://WWW.BLUEMSX.COM
platform: Windows
text: Excellent free MSX emulator that can reproduce MSX, MSX2, MSX2+, and Turbo-R. The emulator also supports the SVI318/328, and ColecoVision systems !
links:
- title: Roger's Spectravideo page
url: http://www.samdal.com/spectravideo.htm
text: The best site about Spectravideo. You want to go there !
comments:
- author: Roger Jowett (Ulster Londonderry)
date: Saturday 6th April 2013
text: |-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v$zsjTpFR0oYQ
please help we have zx spectrum 48k and one 128k program running at 6mhz using external ram and snapper discs from velesoft site
- author: Stamatis (Athens, Greece)
date: Saturday 20th August 2011
text: My very first computer I got about 25yrs ago. I rember my dad preparing and saving moey for months to buy this as a present. Still have it, with the original tape .
- author: Antonio (Almeria)
date: Wednesday 12th May 2004
text: 'My first computer, Microsoft Basic very easy and friendly, very compatible with MSX Basic. Sprites, graffics and sounds commands the best. The worst: poor documentation and high resolution color mix bug. Cost: 299 € (1984) + "necessary" accessories (games, joy, cassette)'
- author: Antonis (Athens, Greece)
date: Saturday 26th January 2002
text: |-
This was my first computer, at very young age..\
I have it till now, with the original box and manuals and it's still working!
related:
- /museum/spectravideo-sv-328
oc_id: 227
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604032054/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=227
date: '2023-06-04'
---
The SV-318 was launched in january 1983, at the Winter CES show in Las Vegas, as the same time as the Spectravideo CompuMate, an keyboard add-on for the Atari 2600.
The Spectravideo SV-318 is the system at the origin of the MSX standard, and such, has characteristics very close to the [MSX systems](/museum/msx-1/) (same video, sprites, sound, I/O, etc.). It was even sold as an MSX computer in some places, but it is not fully MSX compliant and can't use MSX programs.
Notice that instead of using cursor keys, the Spectravideo uses a small joystick, which emulates cursor keys.
An "expansion base" addon was available. This provides 64 KB RAM, a 80 column video and a floppy disk controller and its floppy drive (5.25"). With all these peripherals, the SV318 can run under CP/M.
In 1984, Spectravideo released a revised version of the SV-318, named SV-318 MKII. The colour of area around the keyboard is different, but more importantly the motherboard has been redesigned, for production costs reason. Among the changes was a single ULA chip instead of several TTL chips, reducing the motherboard footprint and cost.
A more professional version of the SV318 was launched a while later: the [SV-328](/museum/spectravideo-sv-328/) (which has 80 KB RAM and a numeric keyboard and the [SV-728](/museum/spectravideo-svi-728/) case).