--- title: Dick Smith VZ200 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - Australia years: - '1982' cpus: - Z80A params: name: VZ200 image: /media/museum/photos/dicksmith_vz200_system_s1.jpg company: /companies/dick-smith company_name: Dick Smith specs: - label: NAME value: VZ200 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Dick Smith - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: Australia - label: YEAR value: '1982' - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: Unknown - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Microsoft BASIC - label: KEYBOARD value: 45 rubber keys, Basic instructions and graphic symbols - label: CPU value: Z80A - label: SPEED value: 3.58 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: Motorola 6847 (video processor) - label: RAM value: 8 KB (6 KB for user, 2 KB for video) up to 24 KB - label: VRAM value: 2 KB - label: ROM value: 16 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 32 columns x 16 lines, 8 colors (Mode 0) - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 128 x 64 dots, 4 colors (Mode 1) - label: COLORS value: '8' - label: SOUND value: built-in piezzo speaker 1 voice, 2.5 octaves, 9 note lengths - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 29 (W) x 17 (D) x 4 (H) cm / 800 gr - label: I/O PORTS value: Tape-recorder (600 bauds), TV (RF modulator), Composite video, Memory expansion port, general expansion port - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: None - label: POWER SUPPLY value: external AC adaptor 9V DC 800 mA - label: PERIPHERALS value: 16 KB RAM plug-in module, tape recorder, - label: PRICE value: AU$299 tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - software - emulators - links - docs forum_thread: 953 photos: - title: LARGER VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/dicksmith_vz200_system_s2.jpg - title: KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/dicksmith_vz200_keybcloseup_s1.jpg adverts: - title: ADVERT (FEB. 1984) subtitle: '' text: From New-Zealand Bits & Bytes magazine image: /media/museum/pubs/dick-smith_vz200_pub_1.jpg hardware: - title: LASER 16K RAM EXPANSION subtitle: '' text: This thing fits in the memory expansion port and adds 16k RAM. It cost 590fr in 1984. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtehc_laser200_16k_cart.jpg - title: LASER LIGHT PEN subtitle: '' text: Cool little light pen... But the only software using it was the on demo tape sold with it ! image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_laser200_lpen.jpg - title: LASER JOYSTICK subtitle: '' text: Nice shape. Two joysticks and their interface cost 320fr in 1984. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_laser200_jstck.jpg - title: DR-10 / DR-20 subtitle: Tape-recorder text: |- A originally designed tape-recorder available for the whole Laser family.\ It cost 590fr in 1984.. The DR-10 and DR-20 tape-recorders seem identicals in all points. Apparently, the DR-20 was sold for Dick Smith models, and the DR-10 for Laser machines... image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_200_dr10.jpg - title: DR-30 subtitle: Tape-Recorder text: |- Another cool tape-recorder for the Laser serie.\ This one was also found for many other computers of that time. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_200_dr30.jpg - title: DD-20 subtitle: 5''1/4 Disk-drive text: A small 5"1/4 floppy disk drive for the Laser computers. But its capacity is a bit short with only 78k per formated disk. One disk drive and its controller cost 2380fr in 1984. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_dd20.jpg - title: DD-20 subtitle: The inside text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_dd20_2.jpg - title: PARALLEL PRINTER INTERFACE subtitle: '' text: This enables the Laser computers to use ''parallel'' printers. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_vz300_printer-interface.jpg - title: 16K RAM PLUG-IN MODULE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/dicksmith_vz200_16kram_s1.jpg - title: TAPE RECORDER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/dicksmith_vz200_taperecorder_s1.jpg screenshots: - title: CIRCUS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_circus.png - title: CRASH subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_crash.png - title: DAWN PATROL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_dawn.png - title: DEFENCE PENETRATOR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_defpen.png - title: DIGOUT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_digout.png - title: DRACULA'S CASTLE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_dracula.gif - title: DUEL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_duel2.png - title: GALAXON subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_galaxon.png - title: GHOST HUNTER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_ghosth.gif - title: HAMBURGER SAM subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_hamsam.png - title: HOPPY subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_hoppy.gif - title: INVADERS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_invaders.png - title: KAMIKAZE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_kamikaze.png - title: LADDER CHALLENGE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_ladder.png - title: LUNAR LANDER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_llander.png - title: MISSILE ATTACK subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_missile.png - title: PENGUIN subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_penguin.png - title: SPACE RAM subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_spaceram.png - title: STAR BLASTER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_starblst.png - title: VZ PANIK subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_vzpanik.png emulators: - title: VZEM url: http://www.powerup.com.au/~intertek/VZ200/vz.htm platform: MS DOS text: The emulator is written in Borland C++. It emulates a VZ200/300 with 34k RAM - title: Emulator2001 url: http://www.gstsoftware.co.nz/ platform: Windows text: The VZ-200 has been added to this multi-emulator - title: James's VZ 200 emulator url: http://www.geocities.com/EMUCOMPBOY/ platform: Windows text: Emulator for the NTSC version of this computer - title: WinVZ url: http://vzalive.bangrocks.com/emulators/ platform: Windows text: Play your VZ games in Windows - title: MESS Project url: http://www.mess.org/ platform: Multiplatform text: Emulates a lot of systems for all platforms. links: - title: Planet VZ url: http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/laser/184/ text: Useful infos here... - title: Steve75 Laser 310 page url: http://utenti.lycos.it/STEVE75/laser.html text: Pictures, info, games, emulators and online manual. - title: The VZ200 url: http://vz200.tripod.com/ text: Growing website aimed at the new modern user. - title: Tricky's VZ200 page url: http://www.trickynz.com/VZ200.html text: Photos and downloadable docs - title: Video Technology official site url: http://www.vtech.com text: Nothing remains about the old computers... - title: VZ Alive url: http://vzalive.bangrocks.com/ text: Excellent site dedicated to the VZ computers - title: VZ Online url: http://www.vz200-online.de.vu/ text: a German VZ 200 homepage - title: VZ-200/VZ-300 url: http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Dunes/6771/vz/ text: Lots of information and links about the Dick Smith VZ series. - title: Yahoo Discussion Group - The VZ Color computer mailing list url: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/vzemu/ text: Quite active discussion group docs: - title: DICK-SMITH VZ200 USER MANUAL url: https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5639672 cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_user-manual.jpg text: |- [**DICK-SMITH VZ200 USER MANUAL**](https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5639672)written by Video Technology  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Achive.org](https://archive.org) - title: VZ-200 TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL url: https://archive.org/details/VZ200-technical-reference-manual cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_technical-ref-manual_cover.jpg text: |- [**VZ-200 TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL**](https://archive.org/details/VZ200-technical-reference-manual)written by Jamieson Rowe / Dick Smith  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : Online reader\  source : [Archive.org](https://archive.org/) - title: VZ-200 FIRST BOOK OF PROGRAMS url: https://archive.org/details/vz-200-first-book-of-programs cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_first-book-of-programs.jpg text: |- [**VZ-200 FIRST BOOK OF PROGRAMS**](https://archive.org/details/vz-200-first-book-of-programs)written by Dick Smith  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Archive.org](https://archive.org/) - title: VZ-200 SECOND BOOK OF GAMES url: https://archive.org/details/VZ200-second-book-of-games cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_second-book-of-games.jpg text: |- [**VZ-200 SECOND BOOK OF GAMES**](https://archive.org/details/VZ200-second-book-of-games)written by Dick Smith  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Archive.org](https://archive.org/) - title: VZ-200 FURTHER PROGRAMMING url: https://archive.org/details/vz200fp cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_further-programming.jpg text: |- [**VZ-200 FURTHER PROGRAMMING**](https://archive.org/details/vz200fp)written by Dick Smith / Tim Hartnell  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Archive.org](https://archive.org/) - title: VZ200/300 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING FOR BEGINNERS url: http://vz200.tripod.com/index.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200-300_assembly-language-manual%5B1%5D.jpg text: |- [**VZ200/300 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING FOR BEGINNERS**](http://vz200.tripod.com/index.html)written by Steve Olney  compiled/archived by The VZ200\  type of document : PDF\  size : 6 MB\  source : Old-Computers.com - title: USEFUL ROM SUBROUTINES FOR ASSEMBLY PROGRAMMING url: null cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_useful-lm-subroutines.jpg text: |- **USEFUL ROM SUBROUTINES FOR ASSEMBLY PROGRAMMING**\ written by Unknown  compiled/archived by The VZ200\  type of document : PDF\  size : 110 Ko\  source : [The VZ200](http://vz200.tripod.com) related: - /museum/dick-smith-vz300 - /museum/salora-fellow - /museum/texet-tx-8000 - /museum/video-technology-laser-200-210 - /museum/video-technology-laser-310 oc_id: 979 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608085933/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=979 date: '2023-06-08' --- The Dick Smith VZ-200 and VZ-300 were very popular in Australia and New Zealand from 1983 to 1990. The VZ200 was the same model as the VTech [Laser 200](/museum/video-technology-laser-200-210/). Despite of its poor chicklet keyboard and short RAM space, users could find hundreds of programs from local magazines, Dick Smith store or from several very active VZ user clubs. Several peripherals and add-on were quickly available, among them, a 16 KB RAM plug-in module, a tape recorder, a mouse, a Speech Synthesiser and later a floppy disc drive unit. See a complete review of the VZ 200 in the 'Read more' page.
We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.