--- title: Thomson TO 8 - TO 8D categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - France years: - '1986' cpus: - Motorola 6809e params: name: TO 8 - TO 8D image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to8_1s.jpg company: /companies/thomson company_name: Thomson specs: - label: NAME value: TO 8 - TO 8D - label: MANUFACTURER value: Thomson - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: France - label: YEAR value: '1986' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: BASIC 512 & BASIC 1.0 MICROSOFT - label: KEYBOARD value: AZERTY full-stroke keyboard, upper and lower case, 81 keys - label: CPU value: Motorola 6809e - label: SPEED value: 1 MHz - label: RAM value: 256 kb (up to 512 kb) - label: VRAM value: 16 kb - label: ROM value: 80 kv (BASIC 512, BASIC 1.0 MICROSOFT) - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 x 25 (16 colors) / 80 x 25 (2 colors) - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 160 x 200 (16 or 5 colors), 320 x 200 (2, 3, 4 or 16 colors), 640 x 200 (2 colors) - label: COLORS value: '4096' - label: SOUND value: 4 channels, 7 octaves (6 bits DAC) - label: I/O PORTS value: Memory expansion bus (256kb), expansion connector, external disk-drive, Centronics for printer, Video output (SCART), UHF video out (export models), 2 joystick/mouse connectors, light-pen, audio output, cassette interface, cartridge slot - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: 'TO-8D: 3.5'''' disk-drive (640kb)' - label: POWER SUPPLY value: PSU built-in tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - emulators - links - videos forum_thread: 248 photos: - title: TO 8 subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to8_1.jpg - title: TO-8D subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/to8d.jpg adverts: - title: FRENCH ADVERT subtitle: '' text: |- "TO8D, the smart present" Thanks to Yoann Riou for this picture image: /media/museum/pubs/thomson_to8d_pub_cadeau-fute.jpg 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 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: TEO url: http://www.bannister.org/software/teo.htm platform: Apple text: TO8 emu for Mac OS - title: EmuTO8 url: http://www.multimania.com/jth/emuto8.html platform: Unix / Linux text: TO-8 emulator for Linux by Jérôme Thoen - title: TEO url: http://thomson.rcroms.com/teo_home.html platform: Other platform text: TO-8 emulator for MS-DOS, Windows and Linux - 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: TO-8D online url: http://matthias.dejouvencel.free.fr/thomson/ text: Some info and software... - 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-mo-6 - /museum/thomson-mo5-e - /museum/thomson-mo5-nr - /museum/thomson-to-7 - /museum/thomson-to-7-70 - /museum/thomson-to-9 - /museum/thomson-to-9-plus oc_id: 238 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230609141117/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=238 date: '2023-06-09' --- The Thomson TO 8 is the successor of the [Thomson TO 7/TO 7/70](/museum/thomson-to-7/). This machine was, like the [Thomson MO 5](/museum/thomson-mo-5/) very used in french schools. It was compatible with the TO 7 and the other members of its family ([Thomson MO 6](/museum/thomson-mo-6/), [Thomson TO 9](/museum/thomson-to-9/) and [Thomson TO 9 plus](/museum/thomson-to-9-plus/)). It has three basics on ROM : The Basic 1.0 of the TO7, The Basic 512 and the Basic DISK. Almost all memory (235 KB) was accessible with basic thanks to a transparent 16 KB bank switching mechanism and up to 17 programs can be loaded simultaneously in memory and it is possible to switch between them. An optional 3.5" floppy disk drive (640 KB) was available. A new version of the TO 8 was launched few times after, the Thomson TO 8D, this computer had the same characteristics but had a built-in 3.5" floppy disk drive.