--- title: Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 12 categories: - Computers types: - Professional Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1983' cpus: - Z80-A params: name: TRS-80 Model 12 image: /media/museum/photos/tandy_model12_system_1.jpg company: /companies/tandy-radio-shack company_name: Tandy Radio Shack specs: - label: NAME value: TRS-80 Model 12 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Tandy Radio Shack - label: TYPE value: Professional Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: March 1983 - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke 82 keys with numeric keypad and 8 function keys - label: CPU value: Z80-A - label: RAM value: 80 KB up to 768 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 or 80 chars. x 24 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 640 x 240 (optional card) - label: COLORS value: Monochrome - label: SOUND value: Built-in loudspeaker - label: I/O PORTS value: 2 x serial, Parallel, external FDD unit - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: 1 or 2 x 8 - label: OS value: TRS-DOS, CP/M - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Built-in power supply unit - label: PERIPHERALS value: Expansion boards, external 5'' or 8'' FD units, 12 MB H.D. unit - label: PRICE value: |- $3199 - 1 FDD version\ $3999 - Dual FDD version tabs: - adverts - hardware - emulators - links adverts: - title: FIRST US AD. subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/tandy_model12_pub_1.jpg hardware: - title: REMOTE UNIT ACTIVE subtitle: Serial# 26-1210 text: |- This rare unit is meant for teachers to control up to 16 TRS-80 Model 1 from a another TRS-80 equiped with min-disk. All the controled TRS-80 model 1 must be equiped with Level II. It cost 2895fr (France, 1981) image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_trs80-m1_remote-unit-active.jpg - title: NETWORK II BOX subtitle: p/n 26-1211 text: |- This box allowed up to 16 TRS computer to be networked. Three network boxes were released by Tandy (I, II and III).\ The Network II required verbal communication between the server operator and the remote user, and data transfer had to be completed one user at a time.\ The network III allowed automated control of the network so that users could easily access programs and data stored on the server's storage device. Thanks to **David Sutherland** for the pictures. image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_network2_s1.jpg - title: DMP-200 subtitle: '' text: 80-column, 100 cps dot matrix printer. image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_model3_dmp200_s1.jpg - title: DAISY WHEEL PRINTER II subtitle: Serial# 26-1158 text: |- This is a high-quality printer meant to be used with wordprocessors. Some interchangeable daisy-wheels were available (Courrier, Elite, Madeleine). It could print 163 characters per line (34cm), at a 43 cps rate. It cost 9595fr (France, 1981) image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_trs80-m1_daisy-wheel-printer-2_1.jpg - title: LINE PRINTER I subtitle: Ref# 26-7017 text: |- This printer was a custom version of the Oki Microline 80.\ Printed lower and upper case on paper rolls or listing paper (24cm wide) from 40 to 80 columns/line, at a speed rate of 28 lines/minute. It cost 716 Euros in 1981 (France). image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_model1_lineprinter1_s1.jpg - title: LINE PRINTER III subtitle: Serial# 26-1156 text: This printer can print lower and upper case, at a speed rate of 120 c/s, on paper up to 38cm wide. It is conceived for intensive use ! It cost 9950fr in 1981 (France). image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_trs80-m1_line-printer-3_1.jpg - title: LINE PRINTER VI subtitle: Serial# 26-1166 text: |- This large printer can print lower and upper case, graphic characters and symbols at a speed rate of 100 c/s ! This is definately a professional printer. It cost 5495fr in 1981 (France). image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_trs80-m1_line-printer-6_1.jpg - title: TP-10 THERMAL PRINTER subtitle: Box text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_trs80_tp-10_thermal-printer_box.jpg - title: EXATRON subtitle: Stringy Floppy drive text: |- The Exatron Stringy Floppy (ESF) was a low-cost data—storage system that fitted the gap, between cassettes and disk drives.\ The system was based on a miniature endless—loop tape cartridge called a "wafer".\ The amount of data that could be recorded on a wafer depended on the length of tape in it, typically, a 50—foot wafer could hold at least 40 KB of programs or data. **Matt** reports to us:\ A curiousity about the model 1, CPU SPEED had a direct relatonship with STORAGE CAPACITY. if you doubled the clock speed of your MODEL 1 CPU you doubled the amount of data you could store on your stringy floppies. this is a feat that no other computer no matter how many ghz you have in your PC can do today without using compression. Thanks to **David Sutherland** for the pictures image: /media/museum/hardware/tandy_model3_exatronwafer_s1.jpg emulators: - title: David Keil's TRS-80 Model III/4/4P Emulator Page url: http://discover-net.net/~dmkeil/trs80/model4.htm platform: MS DOS text: This program emulates a complete TRS-80 - title: Matthew Reed's TRS-80 Emulator Web Site url: http://www.arrowweb.com/mkr/ platform: MS DOS text: This page offers shareware versions of a TRS-80 Model 4 emulator and a TRS-80 Model 1-2 emulator - title: TRS-80 Model III/4 Emulator url: http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html#model4 platform: MS DOS text: This TRS-80 Model III/4 Emulator is a commercial product - title: 'xtrs: TRS-80 Model I/III/4 Emulator for Unix' url: http://www.tim-mann.org/xtrs.html platform: Unix / Linux text: xtrs is a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I/III/4/4P emulator for Unix and the X Window System - title: TRS-80 Level I BASIC in a browser url: http://www.vavasour.ca/jeff/trs80.html#simulator platform: Other platform text: With this Java emulator, you'll be able to write a BASIC program directly in your browser! - title: Ira Goldklang's TRS-80 Revived Pages url: http://www.trs-80.com/trs80-e.htm platform: Multiplatform text: A complete list of TRS-80 emulators for various platforms ! - title: MESS url: http://www.mess.org platform: Multiplatform text: MESS emulator also emulates a TRS-80 systems links: - title: 8bit-micro.com - Online TRS-80 Computer Magazine url: HTTP://WWW.8BIT-MICRO.COM text: Online Magazine dedicated to the TRS-80 and other Vintage - Monthly Issues - title: David's TRS-80 Page url: http://freespace.virgin.net/david.sampson/ text: '' - title: Ira Goldklang's TRS-80 Revived Pages url: http://www.trs-80.com/ text: Lof of infos about all TRS-80 computers - title: Java TRS-80 Model 1 BASIC Interpreter url: http://ganley.org/software/trs80.html text: '' - title: Mike's Personal Computer Museum url: http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/mclays/trsmod1.html text: Level 1 & 2 Basic summaries, Tandy time-lines, price-list, etc ... ! - title: RadioShackCatalogs.com url: http://www.RadioShackCatalogs.com text: Here, you can actually/virtually flip-through the pages to view the content of every RadioShack catalog! - title: The TRS-80 Home Page url: http://www.kjsl.com/trs80 text: Full of infos - title: Tim Mann's TRS-80 Page url: http://www.tim-mann.org/trs80.html text: Infos, tools and home of xtrs, a Model I/III/4 emulator for Unix - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: Discussion about Tandy computers related: - /museum/radionic-model-r1001 - /museum/sysdata-eletronica-jr - /museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-16 - /museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-4 - /museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-4p - /museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-i - /museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-ii - /museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-iii oc_id: 766 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604033615/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=766 date: '2023-06-04' --- The Tandy TRS-80 Model 12 was a business system intended to replace the [Model II](/museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-ii/) which was widely used as an accounting and management system by numerous small companies. Unlike Model II, it was a single board system with a white case instead of the typical dark grey one of previous TRS-80 models. It could be expanded by adding an optional card cage in which six expansion cards could be inserted, for example the monochrome high resolution card. However it was fully compatible with most popular Model II business programs. The Model 12 was one of the first computer equipped with the new slim line 8" double side / double density floppy drive that could store 1.25 MB, twice as much as the Model II full-size version. For faster operation, the main board could be exchanged with the 16-bit Tandy 68000 one. The computer thus became fully compatible with the Tandy [Model 16](/museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-16/) and so could run Unix operating system variants.