--- title: Thomson MO 6 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - France years: - '1986' cpus: - Motorola MC 6809e params: name: MO 6 company: /companies/thomson company_name: Thomson specs: - label: NAME value: MO 6 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Thomson - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: France - label: YEAR value: Unknown 1986 - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: Unknown - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: 2 Microsoft BASIC interpreters - MO5 compatible and BASIC 128 - label: KEYBOARD value: Full stroke 69 key with 5 function keys and arrow keys - label: CPU value: Motorola MC 6809e - label: SPEED value: 1 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: Custom Thomson gate array chip - label: RAM value: 128 KB - label: VRAM value: Unknown - label: ROM value: 64 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 or 80 chars x 25 lines - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 8 modes, from 160 x 200 to 640 x 200 dots - label: COLORS value: from 2 to 16 among 4096 - label: SOUND value: 3 channels, 7 octaves - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 36 (W) x 31(D) x 8.5 (H) cm - label: I/O PORTS value: Light Pen, Joystick, Mouse, Centronics, Cartridge, External Audio, Bus, RGB - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: Tape recorder - label: POWER SUPPLY value: Built-in power supply unit - label: PERIPHERALS value: 3.5'' floppy disc drive - label: PRICE value: Unknown tabs: - photos - hardware - software - emulators - links - videos photos: - title: MAINBOARD subtitle: '' text: |- (1) Two ROM chips holding two versions of Microsoft BASIC\ (2) ROM cartridges connector\ (3) TV aerial modulator\ (4) I/O are managed by Two 6821P PIA chips\ (5) EF-9369P graphics video chip\ (6) Keyboard connectors\ (7) Four 41464 (64 cells x 4 bits) chips hold 128 Kb of RAM\ (8) Custom gate array chip made by Texas Instruments\ (9) Motorola 6809EP processor\ (10) Power supply unit image: null - title: BOX subtitle: '' text: Thanks to Yoann Riou for this picture image: null - title: BOX - REAR subtitle: '' text: Thanks to Yoann Riou for this picture image: null hardware: - title: 5.25'' DISK DRIVE subtitle: 320 KB model text: This 5.25'' disk-drive offers a 320 KB capacity (40 tracks > 16 sectors > 256 bytes) and a built-in controller. image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_diskdrive_2.jpg - title: DISK CONTROLLER subtitle: CD 90-351 text: This interface was used to connect a disk drive or a Quick Disc Drive (QDD) to a TO-7, TO-7/70, MO5 or MO6. image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_disk-interface.jpg - title: JOYSTICK MODULE subtitle: '' text: Dual Atari compatible joysticks module image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_joymodule_1.jpg - title: MUSIC & GAME MODULE subtitle: CM 90-112 text: This module offers two joystick connectors (Videopac joysticks can be used) and adds three channels to the TO-7 or MO-5 (resulting in a total of 4 voices). Sadly, these new sound features were scarcely used in games... image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_joy-interface.jpg - title: 'MUSIC & GAME MODULE #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_mo5_musicetjeu_s1.jpg - title: ORDI 94 subtitle: Joystick Interface text: This interface enables Atari joysticks to be used with TO-7, TO-7/70 and MO5. It was sold by Ordivisuel under the name Ordi 94. image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_joy-atari.jpg - title: PRINTER PR-90 080 subtitle: '' text: 80 columns dot-matrix printer which was a rebadged version of the Seikosha GP-80 image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_imp_pr90-080.jpg - title: PRINTER PR-90 600 subtitle: '' text: 80-column 9-pin dot matrix printer. A rebadged version of the Seikosha SP-1000 with graphics capabilities image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_imppr90_600_1.jpg screenshots: - title: MO6 CREATORS subtitle: easter egg ! text: You can display this picture by pressing keys M, 0 and 6 simultaneously, while you're on the boot screen ! These guys are said to be the MO6 creators. image: null emulators: - title: DCMO5 url: http://dcmo5.free.fr/ platform: Windows text: Thomson MO5 emulator for PC - title: DCMO5 Gamer Edition url: HTTP://DCMO5.FREE.FR platform: Windows text: Easy to use emulator, to run MO5 games without knowing MO5 commands - title: DCMO6 url: http://dcmo6.free.fr/ platform: Windows text: Thomson MO5NR, Thomson MO6 and Olivetti Prodest PC128 emulator for PC - title: DCMOTO url: http://dcmoto.free.fr/ platform: Windows text: Universal 8-bit Thomson emulator for Windows. Emulates Thomson MO5, MO5E, MO5NR, MO6, T9000, TO7/70, TO8, TO8D, TO9, TO9+ and Olivetti Prodest PC128 ! - title: DCTO7 and DCTO8 url: http://dcto7.free.fr/ platform: Windows text: Thomson T9000, TO7/70, TO8, TO8D emulator for Windows - title: TODC url: http://www.jplang.fr.st/ platform: Other platform text: No, you are not dreaming. This is a TO-7/70 emulator for the Dreamcast game system ! links: - title: AmiTO8 url: http://membres.lycos.fr/amito8/data/Accueil.html text: Amiga / Thomson dedicated site. Some original stuff there! - title: Christophe's Lair url: http://lair.thomsonistes.org/ text: Lot of stuff here, a must see site (french) - title: Collection Thomson url: http://gfournier.free.fr/ text: Another great site with tons of documentation - title: DCMOTO url: http://dcmoto.free.fr/ text: Excellent site !! Home of the DCMOTO emulator. Lot od documentations and software to download. A must see ! - title: Forum Thomson url: http://forumthomson2001.free.fr/forum01.htm text: Get in contact with other Thomson fans (in french) - title: MOTO, le site Des micros Thomsons url: http://www.multimania.com/tonews/ text: Some info about the Thomson computers (french) - title: Nostalgies Thomsonistes url: http://nostalgies.thomsonistes.org/ text: Excellent site dedicated to Thomson computers (french) - title: Thomatoes url: http://wiki.forler.ch text: Thomson Wiki - title: www.logicielsmoto.com url: http://www.logicielsmoto.com/home.php text: Fantastic site! Very big software library and much more! videos: - title: MO5 french TV commercial url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPr7NeqMobc text: 'Length: 31 s' related: - /museum/olivetti-prodest-pc-128 - /museum/thomson-mo-5 - /museum/thomson-mo5-e - /museum/thomson-mo5-nr - /museum/thomson-to-7 - /museum/thomson-to-7-70 - /museum/thomson-to-8-to-8d - /museum/thomson-to-9 - /museum/thomson-to-9-plus oc_id: 167 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604043152/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=167 date: '2023-06-04' --- The Thomson MO 6 was the successor of the [Thomson MO 5](/museum/thomson-mo-5/). This machine was widely used in French schools. It was compatible with the MO 5 and the other members of its family ([TO 7](/museum/thomson-to-7/), [TO 8](/museum/thomson-to-8-to-8d/), [TO 9](/museum/thomson-to-9/) and [TO 9 plus](/museum/thomson-to-9-plus/)). It has two versions of BASIC on ROM, one to be compatible with MO5 and BASIC 128 (both made by Microsoft). Almost all memory (101 KB) was accessible with BASIC thanks to a transparent 16 KB bank switching mechanism. An optional 3.5" floppy disk drive (640 KB) was available. It had a short life because soon after it was launched, the [TO 8](/museum/thomson-to-8-to-8d/) came and challenged to it. The MO5 was also sold in Italy by Olivetti under the name [Prodest PC-128](/museum/olivetti-prodest-pc-128/)