--- title: Oric ATMOS categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - United Kingdom years: - '1984' cpus: - 6502A params: name: ATMOS company: /companies/oric company_name: Oric specs: - label: NAME value: ATMOS - label: MANUFACTURER value: Oric - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: United Kingdom - label: YEAR value: February 1984 - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Tangerine Basic (made by Microsoft) - label: KEYBOARD value: |- QWERTY, mechanical keyboard, 58 keys. 4 arrow keys.\ ESC, CTRL, DEL, RETURN, SHIFT (x 2), FUNCT. - label: CPU value: 6502A - label: SPEED value: 1 mHz - label: RAM value: 16 KB or 48 KB - label: ROM value: 16 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 chars x 28 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 240 x 200 (+ 3 text lines) - label: COLORS value: '8' - label: SOUND value: |- Programmable Sound Generator AY-3-8912 (from General Instruments)\ 3 voices, 8 octaves + white noise - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 28 (W) x 17,5 (D) x 5,5 (H) cm - label: I/O PORTS value: Power supply, Expansion port, Printer/Centronics port, Tape-recorder DIN plug, RGB video out, RF TV out - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External PSU 9V 600 mA - -(o- + - label: PERIPHERALS value: 3'' floppy disc unit, 4 colour printer-plotter - label: PRICE value: |- 365 (France, december 84)\ 150 (France, december 85) tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - software - emulators - links - docs - videos photos: - title: LARGE VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: FRONT VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: BOTH SIDES subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: ATMOS LOGO subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: REAR CONNECTORS subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** RF/TV jack\ **(2)** RGB video output\ **(3)** Sound output and tape recorder In/Out\ **(4)** Parallel printer connector\ **(5)** Expansion bus connector, mainly intended for the floppy disk unit\ **(6)** Power input jack image: null - title: INSIDE THE ATMOS subtitle: '' text: |- The Atmos motherboard bears a striking resemblance with the Oric-1's one. Some modifications were made to the cassette interface, the RAM memory was increased to 64 Kb and now only one ROM chip holds the new version of the Basic interpreter. **(1)** A new FUNCT key is added to the keyboard, but is not used for anything ! You have to program it yourself.\ **(2)** 5 volts regulator with its cooler.\ **(3)** Unique 16 Kb ROM chip holding the improved version of the Microsoft (not official) Basic interpreter.\ **(4)** MOS 6502A 8 bits microprocessor.\ **(5)** AY-9512 sound chipset (3 voices, 7 octaves).\ **(6)** Eight 4164 memory chips (64000 cells x 1 bit) holding the 64 Kb. RAM memory used for user programs and text / graphic display.\ **(7)** Internal loudspeaker. Sound was one of the good features of the Oric systems, though there were no way to control the volume of this internal speaker.\ **(8)** TV signal modulator.\ **(9)** RGB video out connector (DIN) for a monochrome or colour monitor.\ **(10)** Cassette interface connector (DIN) with remote control.\ **(11)** Parallel / Centronics port (not standard) used to connect printers.\ **(12)** Expansion connector, used for example by the numerous disk-drives available for the Oric. image: null - title: THE BOX subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: 'BOX #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: 'BOX #3' subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: YOUGOSLAV NOVA64 subtitle: '' text: |- A Yugoslavian company, Avtotehna of Ljubljana got a licence from Oric to make 5000 machines. All the parts were shipped from the UK. Some people in Yugoslavia suggest that more than 5000 were made, mostly for local schools.\ The Nova64 was same machine as the 48K Oric Atmos, apart from the power supply unit that could power both the computer and an separate 3.5" 2x400 KB FDD unit.\ A Yugoslav version of the manual was also available. Thanks to **Ranko Vukcevic** image: null - title: INSIDE THE NOVA64 subtitle: '' text: |- The mainboard is same as the last Atmos board produced in the UK. Thanks to **Ranko Vukcevic** image: null adverts: - title: FRENCH ADVERT subtitle: '' text: |- ''Stop everything !''\ ''Atmos from Oric : the definitive computer'' image: null - title: 'FRENCH ADVERT #2' subtitle: '' text: |- ''It's time''\ ''ATMOS from Oric : the definitive computer'' image: null - title: 'FRENCH ADVERT #3' subtitle: '' text: |- ''Atmos from Oric : the definitive computer''\ ''Now, go !'' image: null - title: FRENCH ADVERT (JULY 1985) subtitle: '' text: '"compare!"' image: null - title: FRENCH ADVERT (JULY 1985) subtitle: '' text: '"Why paying more ?"' image: null - title: FRENCH (STUPID) PROMOTIONAL PICTURE subtitle: '' text: |- Family life scene in front of a complete Atmos system carefully lined up on the coffee table in the living room, with a minimum of visible cables. The flaw?... No, it is not that it is rather difficult to use such a serious configuration for hours sitting on the floor. The flaw comes rather from the photographer who forgot to do the housework before taking the picture and left to posterity his accessories cartons right behind the low dresser. image: null - title: FRENCH BROCHURE FRONT subtitle: '' text: |- Description of the complete Atmos system. Thanks to **Jacques Sorro** image: null - title: FRENCH BROCHURE BACK subtitle: '' text: |- "Oric opens a full world to you" Thanks to **Jacques Sorro** image: null - title: UK ADVERT (1984) subtitle: '' text: Thanks to Tony Mattson for this picture image: null hardware: - title: JASMIN II F.D. UNIT subtitle: '' text: The Jasmin II was a 3" double-sided floppy drive unit. It was released in 1985, designed by T.R.A.N. and manufactured by Dattel, two french companies. Up to four units could be connected in chain. Each one featured an operating system called T.DOS then FT.DOS. Each diskette had a 357 KB capacity (2 sides x 41 tracks x 17 sectors x 256 bytes) image: /media/museum/hardware/oric_jasmin2_1.jpg - title: CUMANA EXPANSION BOX subtitle: '' text: This expansion holds a power supply unit and a dual expansion port allowing the floppy disk unit and another expansion device to be connected simultaneously. image: /media/museum/hardware/oric_atmos_cumanaexp_s1.jpg - title: VOCAL SYNTHESIZER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/oric_synth_vocal.jpg - title: LIGHT PEN subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/oric_lightpen.jpg - title: 8 IN/OUT BOARD subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/oric_8_io.jpg - title: SOME ATMOS PERIPHERALS subtitle: '' text: We can see here the Oric Disk-drive and the Oric plotter (4 colors). image: null - title: JOYSTICKS INTERFACE subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: ATMOS MICRODISC subtitle: '' text: |- The official Oric disk-drive. Soooo beautiful... Disc drive uses 320 Kb. formatted, double side 3'' diskette. In the first versions, operating system only managed sequential files. image: /media/museum/hardware/oric_atmos_microdsic_1.jpg - title: ATMOS PLOTTER subtitle: '' text: This is the same as the MCP-40 for the Oric-1. This type of plotter (4 colors) was widely used for the micro-computers... image: /media/museum/hardware/oric_atmos_mcp40_1.jpg - title: INSIDE ATMOS PLOTTER subtitle: '' text: |- The MCP-40 plotter uses a Japanese printing mechanism manufactured by Sharp. It's a little mechanical marvel able to print extremely precise four colour texts and graphics. Text is printed with 40 or 80 characters per line, at 10 characters per second speed. Characters size and printing direction may be modified (horizontal, vertical or diagonal). **(1)** Paper used is a roller of 115 mm width.\ **(2)** Printer command buttons.\ **(3)** Electromagnet that pushes the pen against paper for writing.\ **(4)** The print head moves laterally right across the paper width and swivels to carry out a pen colour change.\ **(5)** The head is connected through a cable to an engine which ensures its side moving by 0.2 mm steps.\ **(6)** A second engine controls top and bottom paper moving, also by 0.2 mm steps. image: /media/museum/hardware/oric_atmos_mcp40_2.jpg emulators: - title: Euphoric url: http://oric.ifrance.com/oric/emulator.html platform: MS DOS text: The best ORIC emulators - title: Oric/MacOS url: http://www.bannister.org/software/oric.htm platform: Apple text: Oric/MacOS is an Oric emulator for the Macintosh. - title: Xeuphoric url: http://www.teaser.fr/~amajorel/xeuphoric/ platform: Unix / Linux text: Oric emulator for X11 platforms - title: AmOric url: http://oric.ifrance.com/oric/EMULATORS/Amoric.lha platform: Amiga OS text: Oric emulator for the Amiga systems - title: ArcOric url: http://oric.ifrance.com/oric/EMULATORS/ArcOric12 platform: RISC OS text: Oric emulator for RISC/OS - title: AtOric url: http://oric.ifrance.com/oric/EMULATORS/atoric09.zip platform: Atari text: works with all Atari & Compatibles (Hades, Milan) - title: Oriculator url: http://code.google.com/p/oriculator/ platform: Multiplatform text: Oricutron (formerly known as Oriculator) is an emulator for the Oric series of computers. It is written in plain C, and uses SDL. It is designed to be portable. links: - title: Club Europe Oric Home Page url: http://ceo.oric.org/ text: Club Europe Oric (or CEO for short) is an Oric user group - title: Defence Force Oric url: http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/index.htm text: Some very interesting info here - title: Marc's Oric Page url: http://mapage.cybercable.fr/marcpage/oric.htm text: Personal home page with some original programs to download - title: My nostalgia Oric page url: http://www.geffers.demon.co.uk/oricpage.html text: From an old Tansoft programmer - title: ORIC International url: http://www.oric.org text: I think this is where you must go first. There is among other things, a huge software database - title: Oric WebRing url: http://v.webring.com/hub?ring=oric text: Everything for the Oric - title: Oric World url: http://oric.iFrance.com/oric/index_french.html text: The site of the famous Fabrice Frances (includes the Oric Story book) - title: Pascal's Oric Page url: http://pleclerc.free.fr/Oric/OricPage.html text: in french, with ROM file to make your Oric Euro-Compatible ! - title: Rhetoric url: http://www.rhetoric.8k.com/ text: The last remaining British Oric magazine. - title: Swedish Oric Homepage url: http://come.to/oric text: Home of the Swedish software archive - title: The Reluctant Dragon url: http://freespace.virgin.net/james.groom/index.htm text: Home of the Oric FAQ, the Oric Cheats Directory and more - title: TheSpider's Oric Web url: http://oricspider.home.insightbb.com/ text: Personal site dedicated to the Oric Atmos - title: Twilighte url: http://twilighte.oric.org text: Site of the excellent Oric programmer of Magnetix. Many useful info and impressive works ! - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: Discussion about Oric computers docs: - title: ORIC-1 BASIC PROGRAMMING MANUAL url: http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/library/lib_manual_oric/index.htm cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/oric-1_basic-programming-manual.jpg text: |- [**ORIC-1 BASIC PROGRAMMING MANUAL**](http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/library/lib_manual_oric/index.htm)written by John SCRIVEN  compiled/archived by Unknown\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Defence Force](http://www.defence-force.org/) - title: MANUEL DE L'ATMOS (FRENCH MANUAL) url: http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/library/lib_manual_oric/index.htm cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/oric-atmos_manuel.jpg text: |- [**MANUEL DE L'ATMOS (FRENCH MANUAL)**](http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/library/lib_manual_oric/index.htm)written by Ian Adamson / Oric International  compiled/archived by William Saint-Cricq\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Defence Force](http://www.defence-force.org) - title: ORIC ATMOS & ORIC-1 - GRAPHICS AND MACHINE CODE TECHNIQUES url: http://www.1000bit.net/support/manuali/manuali.asp cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/oric-1-atmos_geoff-philips_1.jpg text: |- [**ORIC ATMOS & ORIC-1 - GRAPHICS AND MACHINE CODE TECHNIQUES**](http://www.1000bit.net/support/manuali/manuali.asp)written by Geoff Phillips  compiled/archived by Geoff Phillips\  type of document : PDF\  source : [1000Bit](http://www.1000bit.net/) - title: MANUEL D'UTILISATION DU SEDORIC (FRENCH) url: http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/library/lib_dos/manuel_microdisc_et_sedoric/index.htm cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/oric_microdsic-manuel.jpg text: |- [**MANUEL D'UTILISATION DU SEDORIC (FRENCH)**](http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/library/lib_dos/manuel_microdisc_et_sedoric/index.htm)written by Fabrice BROCHE & Denis SEBBAG  type of document : HTML\  source : [Defence Force](http://www.defence-force.org) - title: MICODISC MANUAL url: http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/library/lib_dos/index.htm cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/oric_microdisc_manual.jpg text: |- [**MICODISC MANUAL**](http://www.defence-force.org/computing/oric/library/lib_dos/index.htm)written by Oric Products International Limited  type of document : PDF\  source : [Defence Force](http://www.defence-force.org) - title: ORIC MCP-40 COLOUR PRINTER OPERATION MANUAL url: /media/museum/docs/oric_printer-mcp40_manual.pdf cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/oric_mcp40_manual.jpg text: |- [**ORIC MCP-40 COLOUR PRINTER OPERATION MANUAL**](/media/museum/docs/oric_printer-mcp40_manual.pdf)written by Oric Products International Limited  type of document : PDF\  source : [Defence Force](http://www.defence-force.org) videos: - title: Oric Atmos 48K Computer advert url: http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-7974860455467320376&hl=fr text: 'Length: 32 s' comments: - author: Brian Gregory (UK) date: Saturday 6th November 2010 text: I have an Oric-1. I bought the Oric rather than a Sinclair ZX Spectrum because I liked the proper bus expansion connector on the back and I wanted to experiment. It''''s actually my second one since the cassette input failed in a few weeks on the first. The replacement failed too but by then the Oric-1 circuit diagram had been published in Oric User Magazine and comparing the diagram with what was actually in my Oric-1 (it wasn''''t quite exactly the same) I could see part of the cassette interface that looked badly designed so I tried fixing it and it worked!!! The solution, if you have an Oric that won''''t load from cassette is to fit a pull-up resistor on the input from the cassette interface to the 6522 VIA chip. I just soldered the resistor under the PCB across pins 18 and 20 of the 6522 VIA. I used 2k2 but 4k7 would probably be plenty. The original design used only the on chip pull-up but I knew from experience that the pull-ups in the 6522 were often very weak. - author: Danilo (Netherlands) date: Saturday 19th January 2019 text: Though teh computers both didn$t sell in great numbers, the really addicted fan''s bought a very versatile home computer with an excettekt manuak which included a full course in Basic and an full explanation on alle the commands the Oriac an Atmos worked with. But there was al lot of competition at the time. - author: Glyn Harper (Isle of Man) date: Saturday 7th April 2018 text: |- The Atmos was the first computer I ever owned! I saved up half the money, and my parents paid the other half.\ All my friends had either commodore 64’s or Spectrums, but I wanted something more serious. I think basically I fell in love with the black and red keyboard design! Aesthetically it was the nicest machine around.\ Sadly it died after a few months and Oric had gone, so Dixon’s swapped it for the nearest thing, a Spectrum plus.\ About 20 years ago I was in touch with someone who worked at Oric, and managed to get a brand new machine as they’d kept a few when they’d gone bust. So now I once again have a working Atmos, that sits pride of place in my collection. - author: Rob Davis (Telford, Shropshire) date: Monday 29th February 2016 text: I took the dear old Oric Atmos from the attic in July 2015 and it all worked perfectly, the disc drive still functioned and all the discs had their data intact after 30 years. Amazing! - author: Jules (Poole Dorset / UK) date: Tuesday 13rd November 2012 text: |- I had an Atmos.\ I agree with the quality of the manual. A tutorial on 6502 MC code programming and a list of the rom function calls. That taught me real programming when I was 14.\ I also found that I needed a serial port and built my own on vero, from a design in a magazine. Then wrote a simple mc code dumb terminal emulator program, with my new found skills.\ I did buy one of the floppy drives, but had lots trouble getting it working. Eventually it was discovered that I had been shipped a slave drive, rather than a master. But by the time we had worked this out, Oric had gone bust. (Though the new owners did help me out and got me a proper master drive. Thanks lads.)\ It''s still all in the loft. Will have to drag it all out and see if it works. That will be a shock for the kids!! - author: Rob Davis (Telford, Shropshire) date: Friday 11th March 2011 text: I learned all about programming on the Atmos, which I still have and with its disk drive, still works, the data intact from over 25 years ago. The user manual was quite outstandingly good, the best computer manual I have ever seen. When I started out in home computing I was advised that "If you''re a user, buy a Spectrum, if you''re a programmer, buy the Oric." It was fantastically accurate advice. I''ve now a Master''s in IT and work developing multiuser corporate databases - all thanks to skills learned on the Atmos. - author: baba bont (Holland) date: Friday 21st January 2011 text: |- I''ve made my final paper on an Oric Atmos using Author.\ Great small keyboard with all the necessary keys.\ Together with an Brother HR-5 (Thermal paper $-) it was a combination to beat!\ Better than the IBM word processor machine of IBM at the hotel I worked. A pity, marketing was not the best of this Oric - author: Philip Ayres (UK$) date: Sunday 5th September 2010 text: |- $quote$\ Apparently the BBC used the Atmos to provide the video displays in the space hopper spaceship for the final season of Blakes7.......not sure if thats true...!\ $/quote$ Well seeing as Season 4 of Blake''s 7 aired the tail end of ''81 and the ATMOS was released early 84..... NO! - author: Rosdi (Seremban, Malaysia) date: Tuesday 24th June 2008 text: I upgraded to the Atmos from the ORIC-1 (I was a student nurse at Ealing Hospital, London). I feel it was way above several other microcomputers at that time. As I understand it Oric International made a wrong marketing strategy. Otherwise things could have been different, especially with the Stratos waiting in the wings. My programming skills were honed on the Oric 1 and Atmos. It was fun working on it, even when translating Sinclair BASIC and BBC BASIC into Oric BASIC. Sometimes I still miss the Atmos. - author: Christian (Cumbria, UK) date: Wednesday 4th April 2007 text: Apparently the BBC used the Atmos to provide the video displays in the space hopper spaceship for the final season of Blakes7.......not sure if thats true...! - author: Panagiotis (Athens/Greece) date: Tuesday 7th December 2004 text: That’s my first and unforgettable computer at 1984 (13 years old I was). Currently, I am a computer scientist but I can't describe my feelings when I touch the black keys of the black-red case with the upper-right logo "Oric Atmos 48k" on it. This computer offered excellent programming environment (for its money and that period of time) especially for amateurs with a powerful basic and excellent sound and graphics capabilities. BUT in addition to all the above, the overall design of the computer, the production history that has and the passion of ORIC users, is the reason that I consider ORIC a LEGEND in computer history. - author: Arakeen (France) date: Thursday 16th January 2003 text: |- When it was quite hot (it was rather fast...), it was enough to press the plastic with two hands so that it is blocked... ( sometimes even without the hands...)\ Ah là là, that it idescriptible emotion to see all his work lost after 10 pages of Hébdogiciel... I cry about it still today... - author: George (Athens/Greece) date: Saturday 20th April 2002 text: Very nice home micro. It's a pitty that it did not overcome the Sinclair Spectrum. Things could be different in the mid '80s. related: - /museum/oric-1 - /museum/oric-nova-64 software: - /software/aigle-d-or-l - /software/manoir-du-docteur-genius-le - /software/moria-also-known-as-the-mines-of-moria - /software/retour-du-docteur-genius-le - /software/xenon-1 - /software/zorgons-revenge oc_id: 79 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230609053334/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=79 date: '2023-06-09' --- The Oric Atmos was the successor of the [Oric 1](/museum/oric-1/) and had almost the same features. Its main difference with the Oric 1 was the keyboard and the debugged ROM (the ORIC 1 had several bugs). Although improved, the loading process from tape was still very uncertain. The real mechanical keyboard was really better. Two versions were available, with 16 or 48 KB of RAM. 16 KB version couldn't be upgraded, very few of them were sold. There were also new Basic instructions and above all the Scart power supply was integrated on French models from 85! Fantastic, when you know that the Oric had the world record of cables and power supplies you had to use (1 for the computer, 1 for the tape recorder, 1 for the peritel supply and 1 more plug for the TV!). The Atmos had really large success in France like its little brother the [Oric-1](/museum/oric-1/). A lot of videogame companies got off the ground thanks to this machine, and quite a lot of people have a tender thought when then remember their Atmos. In 1985, Eureka Informatique, a french company, bought back Oric. The Atmos then lived a bit longer thanks to some improvements (peritel power supply and better tape reliability) and cheap prices policy. The Atmos was somehow legally licenced in Yugoslavia as the [Nova 64](/museum/oric-nova-64/).\ The [Pravetz 8D](/museum/pravetz-8d/) was a bulgarian clone of the Atmos.