--- title: Applied Technologies Microbee 32 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - Australia years: - '1982' cpus: - Z80 A params: name: Microbee 32 image: /media/museum/photos/microbee_32.jpg company: /companies/applied-technologies company_name: Applied Technologies specs: - label: NAME value: Microbee 32 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Applied Technologies - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: Australia - label: YEAR value: '1982' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Microworld Level II extended Basic - label: KEYBOARD value: Full sized, 60 keys, QWERTY standard layout - label: CPU value: Z80 A - label: SPEED value: 3.375 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: 6545 CRT controller - label: RAM value: 16 KB or 32 KB depending models (battery-backed CMOS) - label: ROM value: 16 KB (Microworld Basic) + 12 KB (for optional ROMs like word processor and telecommunications software) - label: TEXT MODES value: 64 x 16 - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 128 x 48, 512 x 256 - label: COLORS value: Yes, with later models - label: SOUND value: Internal loudspeaker, one channel, 2 octaves - label: I/O PORTS value: Serial RS 232, tape interface (300 and 1200 baud), composite and RGB (optional) video output, parallel port (optional on early units), expansion bus - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External power supplu unit, 12V DC at 1.1A - label: PERIPHERALS value: Printers, tape recorder, joystick, modem, optional colour board tabs: - photos - hardware - connectors - software - emulators - links photos: - title: EARLY MODEL subtitle: '' text: |- This is the very earliest Microbee - built from a kit and with a metal base plate, blue circuit boards and a one piece plastic case. The badge is from a later Microbee printer. Thanks to [Michael's Land Rover Page](http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mikeleys/microbee.html) for this picture. image: /media/museum/photos/microbee_early-model.jpg - title: CONNECTION DIAGRAM subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/microbee_connection-diagram.jpg - title: THE MICROBEE 128 subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/microbee128.jpg hardware: - title: FDD UNIT & MODEM subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/applied_microbee_fddmodem_1.jpg connectors: - title: PARALLEL PRINTER CONNECTION subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/connectors/microbee32_parallel-port.jpg - title: SERIAL PRINTER CONNECTION subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/connectors/microbee32_serial-printer-port.jpg screenshots: - title: EARLY MODEL BOOT SCREEN subtitle: '' text: |- This is what the Microworld Basic looked like on the early machines. Thanks to [Michael's Land Rover Page](http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mikeleys/microbee.html) for this picture. image: /media/museum/software/microbee_early-model_boot_ss.jpg - title: BOOT SCREEN subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/microbee_32_ss_boot.jpg - title: LASER BLAZER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/microbee_32_ss_laser_blazer.jpg - title: VIPER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/microbee_32_ss_viper.jpg - title: WORD BEE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/microbee_32_ss_wordbee.jpg emulators: - title: Picomozzi url: http://www2.ee.mu.oz.au/pgrad/apsh/microbee/ platform: Windows text: Picomozzy is a Microbee 32 KB emulator for DOS or Windows. - title: MESS Emulator url: http://www.mess.org/ platform: Multiplatform text: Emulates some Microbee computers ! - title: uBee512 url: http://freshmeat.net/projects/ubee512 platform: Multiplatform text: An emulator for the Microbee Z80 Premium/Standard FDD and ROM based microcomputers. links: - title: Microbee Archive url: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mikeleys/microbee.html text: Essential site to understand it all - title: MicroBee Homepage url: http://www.mdstud.chalmers.se/~md6cbm/bee/ text: Short page with few software to download - title: Microbee Microcomputer Micro-FAQ url: http://www.microbee-faq.in-tl.net/ text: very informative FAQ - title: Microbee official homepage url: http://www.microbeetechnology.com.au/ text: Since march 2012, Microbee is relaunching a new model ! - title: The Bee Board url: http://microbee.no-ip.com/beeboard/ text: Forum and documentation repository for Microbee comments: - author: Laurie May (Australia) date: Sunday 20th November 2022 text: I have a 32k Microbee but no instructions for cables etc. My grandson is interested, having done some computer studies. Where may I find such documentation? - author: ChickenMan (Australia) date: Friday 25th February 2022 text: Happy 40th Birthday to Microbee that was initially released in the Feb 1982 issue of Your Computer. Still going strong today :) - author: Star wallace (Australia) date: Friday 7th August 2020 text: |- I have one in box for sale never removed from box. Starnzak@gmail.com - author: Star wallace (Australia) date: Friday 7th August 2020 text: Hi - author: Mark Cowan (Australia) date: Monday 18th May 2020 text: I remember these from my primary school years. We thought they were crap but it seems the real problem was teacher training. I recently watched a YouTube video of a guy demonstrating them and it looks like they were actually much better computers than anything we ever saw. - author: Vex (Australia) date: Friday 6th February 2015 text: Had one of these as a kid did any of you play that yacht around Australia game where you had to type in distance+compass direction,,,I think been about 25 years since I played. What about that one where you were some manner of cargo ship captain going from port to port in trade hoping to avoid pirates but if you were really lucky you had the opportunity to bribe the pirate boss at the beginning of the game? So many memories so few names to stick on them - author: Benjamin Ashcroft (Newcastle, NSW, Australia) date: Thursday 14th August 2014 text: |- OMG. I remember this computer well. I was around 2 years old when my parents got this computer direct from the manufacturer down in Hornsby.\ We had the version with the tape deck and programs usually took about half an to load. My first game I ever played was Frogger in green screen....I also remember playing a game that involved going around a set course and you had to avoid hitting the sides or any obstacles dotted around the course but I can''t remember the name of it!!! - author: Michael Tooth date: Sunday 29th June 2014 text: |- Had several Microbees$ one was the Computer-in-a-Book CPM other wise known as the "Chook in a book" because of its drive noise\ Great fun - author: Shane Doyle (Australia) date: Tuesday 17th July 2012 text: I remember building one of these when they came out. Used to write software for them for a guy named Peter Sinke who had a computer shop and sold the Microbees and the software I wrote. Great fun at the time, miss those old DIY days ! - author: microbee date: Sunday 22nd April 2012 text: Microbees are back, check out http://www.microbeetechnology.com.au/ - author: Scott Tester (Sydney Australia) date: Saturday 9th August 2003 text: Is there any place that I can download the manual for the microbee 32k. I'm looking for the exact code to the guessing game that was found in the manual. related: - /museum/applied-technologies-microbee-128 oc_id: 287 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608205850/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=287 date: '2023-06-08' --- Around 1978 Owen Hill teamed up with an electronic components company, Applied Technology of Hornsby (Sydney), to build a small computer he had designed. Applied Technology had been previously producing kits in Australia for S-100 boards. The Microbee was released as a kit in 1982 on the cover of **Your Computer magazine**, the manual was included free with the magazine. They were an immediate hit, being quite a powerful little system given the cost. Applied Technology eventually changed their name to Microbee Systems, and sold ready-made versions. Their main market (especially for the 32) were Australian schools, which had the Microbee recommended as the preferred system. Over the years there has been several versions of the Microbee 32. The early ones (PLUS series) had monochrome display and clock rate at 2 Mhz. Later ones (Colour/IC series), from june 1983, included colour and 3.375 Mhz clock rate. **Different models:** \- 32k Home built - 2mHz clock, Z80\ \- 32k IC (with EDASM) - 3.375 mHz clock. All later Z80 Microbees would run at this speed though many were over clocked up to 6 mHz.\ \- 32k Personal Communicator (with Basic, Telcom terminal program and Wordbee - a word processor in ROM)\ \- 32k PC85 (Word processor, Basic, Spreadsheet, Database in ROM) - the last of the line for ROM based machines - very neat and with built in networking. The Microbee 32 was followed by Microbee 56, 64 and 128 models. There were all disk based systems using CP/M. The Microbee 128 was intended as a high-end business system. There were also two really keen prototype systems, the Gamma and the Delta, which were intended to compete with the [Amigas](/museum/commodore-amiga-1000/), but problems within the company led to their cancellation not long before the company's collapse.