website/content/museum/interact-home-computer-system.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Interact Home Computer System	Computers	Home Computer	U.S.A.	1979	Intel 8080 A	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware emulators links docs software oc_id source Home Computer System /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_system_s2.jpg /companies/interact Interact label value NAME Home Computer System label value MANUFACTURER Interact label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1979 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1979 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None (EDU-BASIC on cassette tape) label value KEYBOARD QWERTY, chicklet keyboard 53 keys label value CPU Intel 8080 A label value SPEED 2 MHz label value RAM 8 or 16 KB label value ROM 2 KB label value TEXT MODES 17 chars. x 12 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 112 x 78 in 4 colors label value COLORS 8 label value SOUND 1 voice, 4 octaves label value SIZE / WEIGHT 46.3 (W) x 26.5 (D) x 10 (H) cm / 5.8 kg label value I/O PORTS 2 joystick sockets, TV output label value BUILT IN MEDIA Tape recorder (1200 bauds) label value POWER SUPPLY External AC transformer label value PERIPHERALS 32 KB RAM card, stringy floppy drive label value PRICE 300$ (USA, 1980) photos adverts hardware software emulators links docs 978 title subtitle text image LARGE VIEW /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_system_s3.jpg title subtitle text image RIGHT SIDE /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_system_s1.jpg title subtitle text image LEFT SIDE Notice the external power transformer and the empty connector location. In fact the main board featured neither parallel nor serial port. /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_leftside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP The 'chicklet' keyboard was really impractical for intensive typing. /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_keyboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE #1 Thanks to its really efficient protection against magnetic shields, the Interact was FCC and UL approved.\ **(1)** Keyboard connector\ **(2)** Power supply connector\ **(3)** Reset and power switch connector\ **(4)** Cassette drive connector /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_inside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE #2 **(1)** Joystick DB9 connectors\ **(2)** SN 76477 sound generator\ **(3)** Intel 8080A processor\ **(4)** 2 KB ROM chip. A second ROM socket is available\ **(5)** RF TV modulator\ **(6)** 16 KB RAM chips - 8 x Mostek 4115 /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_inside_s2.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE #3 RAM chips close-up /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_inside_s3.jpg title subtitle text image ORIGINAL INTERACT MODEL Thanks to [http://hectorvictor.free.fr/](http://hectorvictor.free.fr/) for this picture. /media/museum/photos/interact_homecomputer_1.jpg title subtitle text image INTERACT LABEL Thanks to [http://hectorvictor.free.fr/](http://hectorvictor.free.fr/) for this picture. /media/museum/photos/interact_homecomputer_label_1.jpg title subtitle text image SOFTWARE CASSETTES Original Interact and MicroVideo software cassettes.\ Among the MicroVideo cassettes:\ • EZEDIT program editor\ • 16K diagnostic tape\ • Microsoft 8K fast graphics BASIC\ • Level II BASIC /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_cassettes_s1.jpg title subtitle text image ORIGINAL INTERACT PACKING /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_package_s1.jpg title subtitle text image THE BOX /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_box_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MANUALS Interact owner's guide and Microsoft 8K BASIC manual sold separately by MicroVideo. /media/museum/photos/interact_model1_basicmanual_s1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD OVERLAY This is the chicklet keyboard overlay used for the “Compute-A-Color” paint program. /media/museum/photos/interact_computeacolor_overlay.jpg title subtitle text image MECHANICAL KEYBOARD This is an original Interact with an optional mechanical keyboard from MicroVideo added later. /media/museum/photos/interact_computers_mech-keyboard.jpg title subtitle text image INTERACTION NEWSLETTER Three issues of this 'Newsletter Detroit Interact Group' were published during the first semester of 1980 /media/museum/pubs/interact_model1_fanzine_s1.jpg title subtitle text image SALES CATALOG In this catalog, NEWMAN COMPUTER EXCHANGE from Ann Arbor sold various Interact packages, from $44.95 for an incomplete and inoperative 8K model, to $299.95 for a 16K system along with 30 software cassettes and a complete documentation including the service manuals set. /media/museum/pubs/interact_model1_brocker_s1.jpg title subtitle text image US ADVERT FROM PROTECTO taken from Popular Science nov. 1980 /media/museum/pubs/interact_computer_protecto-pub_nov1980.jpg title subtitle text image THIS IS IT The numeric keypad was of course optional, and you had to modify/hack the Interact keyboard to connect it. /media/museum/hardware/interact_numkeypad_1.jpg title subtitle text image CONNECTOR The numeric keypad was of course optional, and you had to modify/hack the Interact keyboard to connect it. This is the hacked connector. /media/museum/hardware/interact_numkeypad_2.jpg title url platform text DCHector http://dchector.free.fr/ Windows Excellent Interact/Hector emulator ! title url platform text James the Animal Tamer's Interact Emulator http://www.geocities.com/emucompboy/ Windows James stroke again and developped a partially working Interact emulator title url text Hector! L'ordinateur personnel français http://hectorvictor.free.fr/ French website dedicated to Hector / Victor Lambda computers title url cover text BASICALLY SPEAKING /media/museum/docs/interact_basically_speaking.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_basicaly-speaking.jpg [**BASICALLY SPEAKING**](/media/museum/docs/interact_basically_speaking.pdf)written by Micro Video  compiled/archived by oldcomputers.net\  type of document : PDF\  size : 9 Mb\  source : [oldcomputers.net](http://oldcomputers.net/) title url cover text INTERACT SERVICE MANUAL /media/museum/docs/interact_service_manual.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_service-manual.jpg [**INTERACT SERVICE MANUAL**](/media/museum/docs/interact_service_manual.pdf)written by Interact  compiled/archived by oldcomputers.net\  type of document : PDF\  size : 20 Mb\  source : [oldcomputers.net](http://oldcomputers.net/) title url cover text INTERACT SCHEMATICS /media/museum/docs/interact-schematics.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_computer_schematics_pdf-cover.jpg [**INTERACT SCHEMATICS**](/media/museum/docs/interact-schematics.pdf)written by Interact  compiled/archived by Ed Anuff\  type of document : PDF\  size : 29 MB title url cover text LEVEL II BASIC LANGUAGE /media/museum/docs/level_ii_basic.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_basic-levelii.jpg [**LEVEL II BASIC LANGUAGE**](/media/museum/docs/level_ii_basic.pdf)written by Interact  compiled/archived by oldcomputers.net\  type of document : PDF\  size : 23 Mb\  source : [oldcomputers.net](http://oldcomputers.net/) title url cover text INTERACT NETWORK NEWSLETTER - VOL.1 - N°1 /media/museum/docs/interact_network_newsletter-vol%20i-1.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact-network-newsletter_vol1-1.jpg [**INTERACT NETWORK NEWSLETTER - VOL.1 - N°1**](/media/museum/docs/interact_network_newsletter-vol%20i-1.pdf)written by Micro Video Corporation  compiled/archived by Olivier Boisseau (www.old-computers.com)\  type of document : PDF\  size : 2,4 Mb\  source : www.old-computers.com title url cover text INTERACT NETWORK NEWSLETTER - VOL.1 - N°2 /media/museum/docs/interact_network_newsletter-vol%20i-2.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_network-newsletter_1-2.jpg [**INTERACT NETWORK NEWSLETTER - VOL.1 - N°2**](/media/museum/docs/interact_network_newsletter-vol%20i-2.pdf)written by Micro Video Corporation  compiled/archived by Olivier Boisseau (www.old-computers.com)\  type of document : PDF\  size : 3,8 Mo\  source : www.old-computers.com title url cover text MICRO VIDEO RAM PAGES - VOL.2 - N°1 /media/museum/docs/microvideo%20ram%20pages%20-%20vol%20ii-1.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_network-newsletter_2-1.jpg [**MICRO VIDEO RAM PAGES - VOL.2 - N°1**](/media/museum/docs/microvideo%20ram%20pages%20-%20vol%20ii-1.pdf)written by Micro Video Corporation  compiled/archived by Olivier Boisseau (www.old-computers.com)\  type of document : PDF\  size : 2,8 Mb\  source : www.old-computers.com title url cover text MICRO VIDEO RAM PAGES - VOL.2 - N°2 /media/museum/docs/microvideo%20ram%20pages%20-%20vol%20ii-2.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_micro-video_ram-pages_vol2-2.jpg [**MICRO VIDEO RAM PAGES - VOL.2 - N°2**](/media/museum/docs/microvideo%20ram%20pages%20-%20vol%20ii-2.pdf)written by Micro Video Corporation  compiled/archived by Olivier Boisseau (www.old-computers.com)\  type of document : PDF\  size : 6 Mb\  source : www.old-computers.com title url cover text MICRO VIDEO RAM PAGES - VOL.3 - N°1 /media/museum/docs/microvideo%20ram%20pages%20-%20vol%20iii-1.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_micro-video_ram-pages_vol3-1.jpg [**MICRO VIDEO RAM PAGES - VOL.3 - N°1**](/media/museum/docs/microvideo%20ram%20pages%20-%20vol%20iii-1.pdf)written by Micro Video Corporation  compiled/archived by Olivier Boisseau (www.old-computers.com)\  type of document : PDF\  size : 5,3 Mb\  source : www.old-computers.com title url cover text MICRO VIDEO RAM PAGES - VOL.3 - N°2 /media/museum/docs/microvideo%20ram%20pages%20-%20vol%20iii-2.pdf /media/museum/docs/couvs/interact_micro-video_ram-pages_vol3-2.jpg [**MICRO VIDEO RAM PAGES - VOL.3 - N°2**](/media/museum/docs/microvideo%20ram%20pages%20-%20vol%20iii-2.pdf)written by Micro Video Corporation  compiled/archived by Olivier Boisseau (www.old-computers.com)\  type of document : PDF\  size : 5,2 Mb\  source : www.old-computers.com /software/breakthrough-also-known-as-le-mur-de-briques 1004 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230401010105/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1004 2023-04-01

The Interact computer had a very short life in USA. It had only just got in production when the Interact Co. of Ann Arbor MI, went bankrupt. Several thousand machines were produced though. Some of them were sold by Protecto Enterprizes of Barrington, IL, the liquidator, but the main part was sold by MicroVideo, also of Ann Arbor. Protecto bought lots of back-of-the-magazine ads for years, always printed with "WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS".

The Interact shipped with 2 joysticks, a built-in tape recorder, a TV RF modulator and 2 KB of ROM. Everything, including BASIC, must be loaded from tape. A little trivia: The tape unit did include an erase head, but it was not connected! Tapes had to be erased on a regular cassette recorder before being reused. Another surprising feature is that the "1" key is after the "0" key at the far right of the keyboard. Thus the row is starting from 2 and finishing by 1... See explanation in the "Read more" page.

MicroVideo supported the machine for two years, 1979-80, making some hardware expansions (32K RAM card and stringy floppy drive), replacing the original minimalist EDU-BASIC language with a Microsoft 8K graphic version, and even publishing 3 issues of 'Interaction', a newsletter of the Detroit Interact Group.

The Interact computer finally vanished from the US market in late 1980. However, a French company bought the rights of the machine and started to sell the Interact under Victor Lambda name in French market. See the rest of the story here.

For five years, several improved sequels of the Interact, called Hector, were launched in France. The last version, the Hector MX, featured high resolution graphics and 4 built-in languages!

If you got tapes for the Interact or Victor Lambda (or Hector/Victor), please contact us. We are trying to save all programs released for this computer before there are lost forever.