---
title: TANGERINE MICROTAN 65
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- United Kingdom
years:
- '1979'
cpus:
- '6502'
params:
  name: MICROTAN 65
  image: /media/museum/photos/tangerine_microtan-65_1.jpg
  company: /companies/tangerine
  company_name: TANGERINE
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: MICROTAN 65
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Tangerine
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: United Kingdom
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1979'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Machine-code (through TANBUG)
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Hewadecimal keyboard in basic version
  - label: CPU
    value: '6502'
  - label: SPEED
    value: 0.75 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 1 kb (up to 48k)
  - label: ROM
    value: 1 kb (TANBUG v1), upgradable to 14kb
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 32 x 16
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 64 x 64 with graphic characters
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Bus, Tape, Monitor
  - label: PRICE
    value: From $82 (single board version)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - software
  - emulators
  - links
  forum_thread: 177
  photos:
  - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM IN RACK
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/tangerine_microtan_systemrack_1.jpg
  screenshots:
  - title: AIR ATTACK
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_air-attack_ss.gif
  - title: BREAKOUT
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_breakout_ss.gif
  - title: FACE INVADERS
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_face-invaders_ss.gif
  - title: FULL-SCREEN GRAPHIC PATTERN
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_graphic-pattern_ss.gif
  - title: SHOOT DOWN
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_shoutdown_ss.gif
  - title: SLOT MACHINE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_slot-machine_ss.gif
  - title: GOBBLER
    subtitle: ''
    text: Excellent adaptation
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_gobbler_ss.gif
  - title: HELL'S BELLS
    subtitle: ''
    text: Excellent clone of "Hunchback" !
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_hells-bells_ss.gif
  - title: MOON CRESTA
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_mooncresta_ss.gif
  - title: MOON RESCUE
    subtitle: Title screen
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_moon-rescue-1_ss.gif
  - title: MOON RESCUE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Excellent and very fast.
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_moon-rescue-2_ss.gif
  - title: ASTRO FIGHTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/tangerine_microtan-65_astro-fighter_ss.gif
  emulators:
  - title: Tangerine Microtan 65 Emulator
    url: http://www.zillion.freeuk.com/cs/tann/tan65.html
    platform: Windows
    text: Microtan 65 emulator for Windows by David A. Brown
  - title: MESS emulator project
    url: http://mess.emuverse.com/
    platform: Other platform
    text: Multiplatform multi-system emulator
  links:
  - title: Geoff Macdonalds Microtan65 Homepage
    url: http://www.geoff.org.uk/?microtan
    text: Quick guide (useful) and scanned magazines (PDF) !
  - title: Oric World's Microtan page
    url: http://oric.ifrance.com/oric/microtan.html
    text: A lot of things here, documentations included
  - title: Wikipedia - Microtan 65 page
    url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangerine_MICROTAN_65
    text: good info here
  - title: www.microtan.UKPC.net
    url: http://www.microtan.UKPC.net
    text: Manuals, roms, magazines, history, etc
  oc_id: 166
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230128063429/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=166
    date: '2023-01-28'
---

This computer is what is the ZX-80 to the ZX-Spectrum, but for the [Oric 1](/museum/oric-1/). Tangerine developped this computer before they became Oric and produced the Oric-1.\
It was mainly sold in kit, without the complete keyboard shown in the photo, but with a little hexadecimal keyboard.

The unextended Microtan 65 couldn't use Basic (Basic65) due to its RAM limitation (1kb), so only machine-code was usable.

Te 1kb ROM contained TANBUG, a monitor which allowed to enter machine code programs. But with the unextended Microtan65, there was no way to save your work (not tape facility), so you had to re-type your program each time you switched-on the computer !