---
title: Thomson MICROMEGA 32
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- France
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- Motorola MC 68000
params:
  name: MICROMEGA 32
  image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_micromega32_2.jpg
  company: /companies/thomson
  company_name: Thomson
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: MICROMEGA 32
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Thomson
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: France
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1983'
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke 99 keys with numeric keypad and 16 function keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Motorola MC 68000
  - label: SPEED
    value: 6 Mhz
  - label: RAM
    value: 256 KB (up to 2 MB)
  - label: VRAM
    value: Unknown
  - label: ROM
    value: Unknown
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 24 lines x 80 chars
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 800 x 480 (optional high resolution graphic card)
  - label: COLORS
    value: monochrome
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 'Total system weight : 24 Kgs'
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: External hard-disk unit, Serial RS232, monochrome display
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: One or two 5''1/4 800 KB FDD, 5 to 20 MB hard disk
  - label: OS
    value: Unix version 7 from University of California, Berkeley
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: External hard disk, cartridge tape-recorder
  - label: PRICE
    value: Unknown
  tabs:
  - photos
  forum_thread: 104
  photos:
  - title: ANOTHER PICTURE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_micromega32_1.jpg
  oc_id: 89
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608083154/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=89
    date: '2023-06-08'
---

The Micromega was built by Thomson (in France) and [System Fortune Corp](/museum/fortune-32-16/) in Great Britain (see this entry for more info).

Two other floppy drives can be connected and four hard disks (5, 10, or 20 MB). It can be used on a network with several users: 3 computers can be linked by one rs232 port.

It ran under UNIX and an optional Z80 card was available, so it also could run under CP/M.

---

**Grosminet** (France) recalls:\
I worked on this computer in the 80s in a french government ministry where it was used for word processing and custom applications based on the Informix database. French ambassies either had Micromegas (for large ones) or Bull PC clones (for the small ones) that would enable them to run the software we wrote based on the Informix database, as this RDBMS was available on Unix (Micromega) and MS-DOS (Bull Micral 30). That was portability and was not so frequent by these days.

The Micromegas worked well, even if made of low quality plastic case. It used a very old version of Unix, "version 7" (v7 came before System III, the ancestor of System V, the first "modern" Unix). The Operating System would display "Thomson Micromega" but having a deeper look at system files, you would find many comments with "Fortune systems".