--- title: Philips VG 5000 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - Netherlands years: - '1984' cpus: - Zilog Z80 params: name: VG 5000 company: /companies/philips company_name: Philips specs: - label: NAME value: VG 5000 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Philips - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: Netherlands - label: YEAR value: end of 1984 - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: '1986' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Microsoft Basic - label: KEYBOARD value: |- AZERTY, 63 keys (chicklet keyboard)\ 33 Basic statements\ 10 accentuated letters\ Editing keypad - label: CPU value: Zilog Z80 - label: SPEED value: 4 MHz - label: RAM value: 24 kb (up to 56 kb) - label: VRAM value: 8 kb - label: ROM value: 18 kb - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 x 25 (15 x 80 only in assembler) - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: None (pseudo 320 x 250 resolution with semi-graphic symbols) - label: COLORS value: '8' - label: SOUND value: 1 voice, 4 octaves - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 28 x 21 x 4,2 cm / 820g - label: I/O PORTS value: |- Tape recorder DIN plug (1200 or 2400 bauds)\ Video output (DIN to SCART)\ Power DIN plug\ Extension port (2 x 25 pins) - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External PSU (VU 0022) - label: PERIPHERALS value: |- VG 5200 - Joystick interface\ VG 5216 - Expansion unit\ VU 0001 - Joytsick\ VU 0011 - SECAM Modulator\ VU 0031 - 16k RAM cartridge\ VW 0010 - 40 columns printer\ VW 0020 - 80 columns print - label: PRICE value: |- 242 (France, dec. 84)\ 120 (France, oct. 86) tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - connectors - software - emulators - links - videos photos: - title: SPINNING PHILIPS VG-5000 subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: LARGE VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: Philips chose the French company RTC (RadioTechnique Compelec) to manufacture the VG 5000. This company also manufactured the French 'Minitel' videotext terminal which keyboard was very similar to the VG 5000 one. image: null - title: RADIOLA VG-5000 subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: SCHNEIDER VG-5000 subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: ELECTRONIC BOARDS subtitle: '' text: |- Same kind of electronic board design can be found in other RTC products like, for example, the Philips/Schneider/Radiola Videopac game consoles. **(1)** Tape recorder interface card\ **(2)** Keyboard connector\ **(3)** 16 KB ROM holding the Microsoft BASIC interpreter\ **(4-5)** 2x8 KB RAM chips (Nec 4168) hold the 16 KB of user RAM\ **(6)** Z80A processor, here a SGS version\ **(7)** Thomson EF-9345 video chip. Also holds 110 ASCII characters and 128 graphic characters. 192 additional characters could be defined by the user.\ **(8)** 8 KB video RAM dedicated to text and graphic display. image: null - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: Power supply, expansion pack, dot matrix printer, 2 x joysticks, cassette recorder, ROM cartridges and cassette software. image: null - title: ALL-IN-ONE subtitle: '' text: This strange and massive 'all plastic' console integrates color display, computer, joysticks, cassette recorder and handbook. With some imagination, it looks like the StarTrek Enterprise spaceship's main desk ! image: null adverts: - title: PHILIPS FRENCH ADVERT. subtitle: '' text: |- **Two generations amazed...** Perhaps a bit too much though... but the scene is beautiful and we can only admire the originality of the Philips' communication campaign which, for once, is not exclusively focused on the young Basic apprentices. image: null - title: RADIOLA ADVERT. 1 subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: RADIOLA ADVERT. 2 subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: RADIOLA ADVERT. 3 subtitle: '' text: '' image: null hardware: - title: CONNECTIVITY SKETCH subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: VU-001 subtitle: Joysticks text: They are the same as Videopac controllers. image: null - title: VU-0011 subtitle: Secam modulator text: This little box transforms the RGB video signal from the SCART plug into a modulated signal with an aerial plug (orange on picture). image: null - title: VU-0022 subtitle: Power supply text: '' image: null - title: VU-0031 subtitle: 16k RAM cartridge text: I know it's written MSX on it, so it was surely also meant for the Philips MSX machines as the VG-8000 or 8010... But the VG-5000 is definately not an MSX computer ! image: null - title: VG-5200 subtitle: Joystick interface text: This is used to plug two joysticks... It connects at the rear of the VG-5000, on the expansion bus. image: null - title: VG-5216 subtitle: Expansion unit text: |- The VG-5216 expansion unit is the add-on which makes a little more bearable the VG-5000... It offers a RAM bonus of 16k, that is to say a total of 40k (30k left for the user) and 56K with the additional 16k cartridge that you can plug into the unit cart slot (47k left for the user). But it should be noticed that the cart slot available on this add-on will have never been used by anything else than this 16k RAM cartridge ! The VG-5216 box makes it also possible to connect a VW00100 or VW0020 printer via a small plug located at the back of the unit. Lastly, thanks to two sockets at the back, it's possible to connect 2 joysticks, like with the VG-5200 interface. image: null - title: VG-5216 subtitle: Inside text: '' image: null - title: VG-5216 subtitle: How to mount the unit text: The unit is mounted on the top of the VG-5000 and is connected through the expansion port at the back of the computer. image: null connectors: - title: EXPANSION PORT subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: POWER SUPPLY subtitle: DIN 5 connector text: '' image: null - title: VIDEO OUTPUT subtitle: DIN 8 to SCART connector text: '' image: null - title: JOYSTICK subtitle: DB9 connector text: '' image: null - title: PRINTER PORT subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: CARTRIDGE PORT subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: TAPE RECORDER subtitle: DIN 8 connector text: '' image: null screenshots: - title: CARNET D'ADRESSES subtitle: Address file system text: '' image: null - title: FICHIERS subtitle: Files text: '' image: null - title: BUDGET subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: SALUT L'ARTISTE subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: L'ÉCOLE DES SINGES subtitle: Monkey academy text: '...or how to learn mathematics with monkeys.' image: null - title: CALCUL MENTAL subtitle: Fonctions mathématiques text: '' image: null - title: COMPLÉMENTS ET MULTIPLES subtitle: '' text: Grammar and syntax educational game image: null - title: MES PREMIERS MOTS CROISÉS (VOL. 1 & 2) subtitle: My first crosswords text: '' image: null - title: LA CLÉ DES CHANTS subtitle: '' text: Musical games image: null - title: CARTE DE FRANCE (MER, FLEUVES, VILLES ET MONTAGNES) subtitle: Map of France text: Geographic games image: null - title: MICROJEUX subtitle: Cocktail de jeux text: '' image: null - title: SYSTÈME MÉTRIQUE subtitle: Metric system text: '' image: null - title: LIRE VITE ET BIEN subtitle: Read quick and well text: '' image: null - title: MOTS EN FLEURS subtitle: Construire des mots text: '' image: null - title: LA CAROTTE MALICIEUSE subtitle: Repérage et déplacement sur un plan quadrillé text: '' image: null - title: LA DÉCOUVERTE DU BASIC subtitle: Volume 1 text: '' image: null - title: LA DÉCOUVERTE DU BASIC subtitle: Volume 2 text: '' image: null - title: LA MOTO INFERNALE subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: LE FOU VOLANT subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: US RALLYE subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: GLOUTON subtitle: Munchkin text: '' image: null - title: LE MONSTRE DE L'ESPACE subtitle: Space monster text: '' image: null - title: TORTUES subtitle: Turtles text: '' image: null - title: FOOTBALL subtitle: Soccer text: '' image: null - title: L'ABEILLE subtitle: Spina the bee text: '' image: null - title: BRIS DE GLACE subtitle: Hard hat text: '' image: null - title: CITADELLE subtitle: '' text: Textual adventure image: null - title: HÉLICOPTÈRE subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: VIKING subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: BACKGAMMON subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: DIVERTISSEMENTS subtitle: '' text: 4 simple games image: null - title: MISSION OMÉGA subtitle: '' text: Excellent 3D space action ! image: null - title: STAROC subtitle: '' text: Scramble type game image: null - title: SIMULATEUR DE VOL subtitle: Flight simulation text: '' image: null - title: TAROT subtitle: '' text: '' image: null emulators: - title: DCVG5K url: http://dcvg5k.free.fr/ platform: Windows text: The only VG5000 emulator ! links: - title: La page des fans du VG-5000 url: http://vg5000.free.fr/ text: VG-5000 dedicated website. Enjoy as it is the only one! videos: - title: french TV advert url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIK8wQKKLQs text: 'Length: 31 s' comments: - author: Dan date: Sunday 17th November 2019 text: The Philips VG 5000 definitely isn''t the first homecomputer by Philips. They had several systems like the P2000 series before the 5000! - author: zozo (france) date: Thursday 30th October 2014 text: j''oubliais, c''était ma 1ere machine !!! et j''étais content mais j''avais pas encore mon propre moniteur je devais utiliser la télévision de la maison un grand handicape. - author: zozo (france) date: Thursday 30th October 2014 text: j''en ai ue un en 1985 processeur tournant à 4mhz !!! le plus rapide des 8 bit a l''époque. dommage qu''il n''y est pas eu de sprites et plus de couleurs. - author: Quesnel (France) date: Monday 8th July 2002 text: |- Hello, i'm a french and i search a book and a cassette game for a VG5000. Thank you!\ Laulau@chez.com Bonjour, je suis francais et je recherche des jeux, programmes, magasines pour le VG5000 (en clair tout pour le VG5000.\ Voici mon site: www.chez.com/laulau\ mon e-mail: laulau@chez.com related: - /museum/radiola-vg-5000 oc_id: 249 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230607192921/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=249 date: '2023-06-07' --- This computer was created and made in France by a company called RTC. It was released by Philips. It was not [MSX compliant](/museum/msx-1/) and or compatible with the other [Philips VG](/museum/philips-vg-8000-8010/) computers. The basic was written by Microsoft. It was designed to be a cheap computer for beginners and school purpose. Philips planned to develop a lot of peripherals for this computer : synthetiser, memory card, floppy disk unit, videodisc interface, etc... but none of them was realised. Finally, it had a limited success.