--- title: Thomson TO 9 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - France years: - '1985' cpus: - Motorola 6809 e params: name: TO 9 image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_system_1.jpg company: /companies/thomson company_name: Thomson specs: - label: NAME value: TO 9 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Thomson - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: France - label: YEAR value: '1985' - label: CPU value: Motorola 6809 e - label: SPEED value: 1 MHz - label: RAM value: 128 KB (107 KB for the user) - label: ROM value: 136 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 40 x 24 / 80 x 24 - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 320 x 200 (16 colors) / 640 x 200 (2 colors) / 320 x 200 (4 colors) / 160 x 200 - label: COLORS value: from 2 to 16 among 4096 - label: SOUND value: three channels, 7 octaves - label: I/O PORTS value: Light Pen, Joystick, Mouse, Centronics, Cardridge, Audio, Bus slots (3) - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: One 3.5'' disk-drive tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - emulators - links - videos photos: - title: ANOTHER VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_system_2.jpg - title: TOP VIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_topview_1.jpg - title: MAIN UNIT subtitle: '' text: With external 3.5" FDD unit image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_system_3.jpg - title: FRONT PANEL subtitle: '' text: |- From left to right:\ • ROM cartridges housing\ • Reset switch\ • Keyboard RJ11 plug\ • Light pen DIN plug\ • Tape recorder DIN plug image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_frontpanel_1.jpg - title: KEYBOARD subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_keyboard_1.jpg - title: REAR SIDE subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** TV aerial output, not installed on this French version\ **(2)** Sound output\ **(3)** Scart connector. A TV set or colour moniteur could be used in RGB mode\ **(4)** Printer connector\ **(5)** Connector for an external floppy drive unit\ **(6)** I/O module connectors (Serial interface, joysticks,...) image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_rear_1.jpg - title: MONITOR REAR SIDE subtitle: '' text: The Thomson monitor offered a headphone output as well as numerous screen adjustments, among them one adjustment for each RGB colour. image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_rearmonitor_1.jpg - title: INSIDE subtitle: '' text: The case was originally designed to receive a 5.25" floppy drive. The 5.25" housing have been adapted to receive a 3.5" drive just before mass production. image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_inside_1.jpg - title: MAINBOARD subtitle: '' text: |- **(1)** 128 KB RAM chips (16x4464)\ **(2)** Custom Thomson gate array chip\ **(3)** FDD controller chips. They have probably been changed at the last time, when Thomson designers chose a 3.5" FDD instead of a 5.25"\ **(4)** External FDD connector\ **(5)** Printer connector\ **(6)** BASICs and file management ROMs\ **(7)** Motorola MC6809EP processor\ **(8)** Motorola 6821 PIA chip\ **(9)** Monitor ROM\ **(10)** Reset switch\ **(11)** Motorola 6850 ACIA chip in charge of keyboard and light pen management\ **(12)** 6846 PIA/timer and ROM chip used, inter alia, for ROM cartridge and keyboard management\ **(13)** ROM cartridges connector\ **(14)** Switching power supply unit image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_mainboard_1.jpg - title: BOOT SCREEN subtitle: '' text: |- When the T09 is switched on, the boot screen offers several options:\ **\[1\]** "Fiches et Dossiers" database\ **\[2\]** "Paragraphe" word processor\ **\[3\]** Microsoft BASIC 128 KB\ **\[4\]** Microsoft BASIC 1.0, TO7 compatible\ **\[5\]** User adjustments\ **\[6\]** Diskette files management If a ROM cartridge is inserted, an additional option allows to run the ROM program. image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_bootscreen_1.jpg adverts: - title: FRENCH ADVERT (DEC. 1985) subtitle: '' text: |- "9990 francs the TO9. Colors included" "Thomson. All the world in a present" image: /media/museum/pubs/thomson_to9_pub_couleurs-comprises.jpg - title: FRENCH ADVERT (APRIL 1987) subtitle: '' text: |- "You're never so well served than by yourself..." "...create your own micro-server on Thomson." image: /media/museum/pubs/thomson_to9_pub_microserveur_1.jpg hardware: - title: THOMSON JOYSTICKS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_joysticks_1.jpg - title: 3.5'' FD UNIT subtitle: Ref. DD09-350 text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_fdunit35_1.jpg - 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: 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-mo-6 - /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-plus oc_id: 239 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608080739/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=239 date: '2023-06-08' --- The Thomson TO9 had a short career and was quickly replaced with the [Thomson TO9](/museum/thomson-to-9-plus/) plus. It was designed to be a "super" [Thomson TO 7-70](/museum/thomson-to-7/) and has lost of its characteristics. Some options were available : RS232c and joystick connector, modem or genlock. Notice that the very first version of the TO 9 (never marketed) had a 5.25" floppy disk drive. Contrary to the next Thomson series which have a sophisticated memory management, the TO 9 upper 64 KB ram are used as a ramdisk. It is provided with several utilities in ROM : two basics, a word processor (paragraphe) and a data base (fiche & dossiers), there were some problems with these utilities which couldn't be easy updated.