--- title: Dragon Data Ltd Dragon 32 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - United Kingdom years: - '1982' cpus: - Motorola MC6809EP params: name: Dragon 32 image: /media/museum/photos/dragondata_dragon-32_1.jpg company: /companies/dragon-data-ltd company_name: Dragon Data Ltd specs: - label: NAME value: Dragon 32 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Dragon Data Ltd - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: United Kingdom - label: YEAR value: January 1982 - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: |- Microsoft Extended Basic\ Basic Interpreter 1.0 (1982) - label: KEYBOARD value: |- QWERTY Mechanical keyboard\ 53 keys - label: CPU value: Motorola MC6809EP - label: SPEED value: 0,9 Mhz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: Motorola MC-6847 Video Display Generator - label: RAM value: 32 kb - label: ROM value: 2 x 8K or 16K EPROM comprising Microsoft Extended BASIC - label: TEXT MODES value: 32 x 16 - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 'Several graphic modes, max : 256 x 192 (with 2 colors)' - label: COLORS value: '8' - label: SOUND value: |- 1 voice, 5 octaves with the Basic\ 4 voices, 7 octaves with machine code - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 38 (W) x 32.5 (D) x 9.7 (H) cm / 2.1 kg - label: I/O PORTS value: TV connector, 2 analogue joystick ports, cassette port, Centronics parallel printer port, cartridge slot, composite monitor port - label: PRICE value: |- Dragon 32 : 455 (France, november 83)\ Dragon 32: 211 (France, november 85) tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - software - links forum_thread: 130 photos: - title: INSIDE DRAGON 32 subtitle: '' text: |- The Motorola 6809 used by the Dragon 32 is one of most powerful 8 bit microprocessor of the market. Programmers like it particularly because it is easy to program. However, it is difficult to convert programs written for other processors towards the 6809. This is maybe why the Dragon games library was never as rich as those of Z80 or 6502 based systems. **(1)** 2 quartz are used for microprocessor and video signal synchronization.\ **(2)** 32 Kb. RAM holded in 8 chips.\ **(3)** 2 ROM chips hold the Microsoft Basic interpreter and I/O routines.\ **(4)** Motorola 6809 microprocessor.\ **(5)** Expansion connector mainly used for game cartridges.\ **(6)** Power connector. Power is supplied by an external supply unit.\ **(7)** Power regulator with its cooler and filtering condensers.\ **(8)** Two PIA chips (Peripherals Interface Adaptor) manage the keyboard and external peripherals.\ **(9)** On/Off Switch.\ **(10)** RGB interface for colour monitor.\ **(11)** Modulator generating T.V. aerial signal.\ **(12)** Video chip.\ **(13)** Connector for standard parallel Centronics printers.\ **(14)** Connector for 1 or 2 joysticks compatible with Atari standard.\ **(15)** Connector for cassette recorder with remote control.\ **(16)** System Reset button.\ **(17)** Mechanical keyboard with 4 cursor control keys. image: /media/museum/photos/dragon_32_inside_1.jpg - title: DRAGON 32 PASCAL LANGUAGE MANUAL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/dragon-1.jpg - title: THE DRAGON BASIC USER'S MANUAL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/dragon-7.jpg - title: DUST COVER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/dragon32_dustcover_1.jpg - title: BOX subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/dragon_dragon32_box_2.jpg adverts: - title: ADVERT - "AFTER BLASTING SOME ALIENS..." subtitle: '' text: Thanks to Richard Harding for this picture image: /media/museum/pubs/dragon32_pub_after-blasting-some-aliens.jpg - title: UK ADVERT, OCT. 1983 subtitle: '' text: |- Here are the 20 questions :-)\ If you're looking for your first home computer, may we make a suggestion.\ Tear out this page.\ And ask these questions of every computer you look at.\ 1\) Is the basic price reason­able, say under £180?\ 2\) Does it work with a monitor as well as with an ordinary UHF TV?\ 3\) Does it include a basic training manual that doesn't require a science degree to understand?\ 4\) Does it have colour?\ 5\) And sound?\ 6\) Does it take cassettes?\ 7\) And cartridges?\ 8\) And can you operate them with joysticks working directly off the basic unit?\ 9\) Does it have a profes­sional quality keyboard that's guaranteed for twenty million de­pressions (and no headaches)?\ 10\) Does it have colour graphics that are capable of producing detailed pictures?\ 11\) Is the case robust enough to stand up to the kids?\ ­12) Does it use a standard language that's not a million, miles away from English?\ 13\) Is there an expanding range of high quality sofrware available from the makers?\ 14\) Does the software in­clude educational programs for adults as well as the very young?\ 15\) And is there sofrware sophisticated enough to satisfy the experts?\ 16\) Does it use the most up to date technology, for instance the 6809E microprocessor?\ 17\) Will it drive a standard printer directly from the basic unit?\ 18\) Is it made in the UK?\ 19\) And for the basic price will I get an easily accessible, yet large memory of at least 32K?\ 20\) Or willI have to add lots of extras (and lots of money for that much?\ After you've finished pester­ing every computer salesman in sight, compare your answers to these, Courtesy of the Dragon 32 (this is,after all, an ad for the Dragon)\ Questions 1-19. Yes,yes,yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.\ Question 20. No.\ If you're thinking that that's a lot of computer for the money. you'd be right.\ However, when you come to read the handbook you'll soon realise that somethings missing. The jargon usually asso­ciated with computers.\ You see every part of the Dragon has been carefully designed to be easily under­stood,even by total beginners. Yet it has all the features an expert could want Just ask it. image: /media/museum/pubs/dragon_32_pub_s1.jpg - title: GREEK ADVERT (MARCH 1985) subtitle: '' text: '' image: null hardware: - title: 5'' DISK-DRIVE subtitle: '' text: '186k, Single Side, Operating system: OS9' image: /media/museum/hardware/dragon_diskdrive.jpg - title: THE DRAGON 32/64 DUAL 5.25'' DISK-DRIVE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/dragon_64_doublefd_1.jpg - title: INSIDE F.D. UNIT subtitle: '' text: |- The disk drive option is provided in 2 parts: the floppy drive unit, and an interface cartridge connected to the computer. Each formated disk can hold 180 Kb. Data are stored on 40 concentric tracks, each one made of 18 sectors of 256 bytes each. **(1)** One or two disk drives can be mounted in the case.\ **(2)** Interface cartridge that fits into the Dragon expansion connector.\ **(3)** First disk drive.\ **(4)** Magnetic heads and its mechanisms.\ **(5)** Disk rotation motors.\ **(6)** Power supply.\ **(7)** Connector for the cartridge flat cable. image: /media/museum/hardware/dragon_32_insidefd_1.jpg - title: DRAGON JOYSTICKS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/dragon_joysticks.jpg - title: 'DRAGON JOYSTICK #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/dragon_64_joystick_s1.jpg - title: LIGHT PEN subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/dragon_lightpen.jpg - title: DUST COVER subtitle: '' text: Beautiful, no ?! image: /media/museum/hardware/dragons-data_dragon32_dustcover_1.jpg screenshots: - title: CASH MAN, DRAGONCHESS, ... subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/dragon32_software_4k7_1.jpg - title: BONKA subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/dragon_bonka.jpg - title: COSMIC ZAP subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/dragon_cosmiczap.jpg - title: FROGGER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/dragon_frogger.jpg - title: KATERPILLAR ATTACK subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/dragon_katerpillar_attack.jpg - title: LEGGIT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/dragon_leggit.jpg links: - title: Dragon & Tandy CoCo Resources url: http://www.burgins.com/dragon.html text: '' - title: Dragon, The Archive url: http://www.dragondata.co.uk/ text: Nice and complete Dragon dedicated site - title: Graham's Dragon Page url: http://www.grempc.demon.co.uk/dragon/ text: Information, articles and links related to the Dragon - title: Home of On-A-Stick Productions Inc. or jon's home page url: http://www.onastick.clara.net/ text: '' - title: The DRAGON Archive url: http://www.dragon-archive.co.uk/ text: A site dedicated to the Dragon series of computers. Includes software archive, history of the dragon and much more. related: - /museum/dragon-data-ltd-dragon-200 - /museum/dragon-data-ltd-dragon-64 oc_id: 117 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230416221449/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=117 date: '2023-04-16' --- The DRAGON 32 enjoyed a pretty good success in Europe. Its ROM holds the Operating System and a version of the Microsoft Extended BASIC. One of its characteristics is partial compatibility with the [Tandy TRS 80 Color Series](/museum/tandy-radio-shack-color-computer/). They can use same peripherals and some cartridges, but most ROM calls will fail on the other computer.\ However, the Dragon did have at least two advantages over the first TRS-80 Color computer: A typewriter-style keyboard that was somewhat better than the tandy's calculator-like keys; and a Centronics parallel-printer port. Two years later, Welsh launched the [DRAGON 64](/museum/dragon-data-ltd-dragon-64/) which has the same characteristics except the added memory (64k RAM instead of 32k), a RS232c port and minor ROM changes.