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---
title: Matra Hachette ALICE 90
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- France
years:
- '1984'
cpus:
- Motorola 6803
params:
name: ALICE 90
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_1_hr_s.jpg
company: /companies/matra-hachette
company_name: Matra Hachette
specs:
- label: NAME
value: ALICE 90
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Matra Hachette
- label: TYPE
value: Home Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: France
- label: YEAR
value: '1984'
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: Microsoft Color Basic 1.0
- label: KEYBOARD
value: AZERTY full-stroke keyboard, arrow keys
- label: CPU
value: Motorola 6803
- label: SPEED
value: 4 MHz
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: EF 9345 Video Generator
- label: RAM
value: 32 KB
- label: VRAM
value: 8 KB
- label: ROM
value: 16 KB
- label: TEXT MODES
value: 32 x 16 / 40 x 25 / 80 x 25
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: 64 x 32 / 80 x 50 (8 colors) / 160 x 125 (3 colors) / 320 x 250
- label: COLORS
value: '8'
- label: SOUND
value: 1 channel 3 octaves
- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
value: 365 x 205 x 70 mm / 1,1Kg
- label: I/O PORTS
value: RGB video out, Expansion port, Tape, Serial port
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: 10v CA, 1.3A (MC-10 and Alice PSU can be used)
- label: PERIPHERALS
value: Printer
- label: PRICE
value: |-
380 (France, 1984)\
120 (France, april 1987)
tabs:
- photos
- adverts
- hardware
- connectors
- emulators
- links
- docs
forum_thread: 77
photos:
- title: ALICE 90
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_1_hr.jpg
- title: SIDE
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_r-side_1.jpg
- title: TOP
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_above_1.jpg
- title: BELOW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_under_1.jpg
- title: 'LEFT SIDE #1'
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_l-side_1.jpg
- title: 'LEFT SIDE #2'
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_l-side_2.jpg
- title: FRONT
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_front_1.jpg
- title: 'RIGHT SIDE #1'
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_r-side_2.jpg
- title: 'RIGHT SIDE #2'
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_r-side_3.jpg
- title: REAR
subtitle: ''
text: |-
From left to right :
\- ON/OFF switch\
\- Power IN\
\- RGB video out (Scart connector)\
\- Reset button\
\- Serial port\
\- Tape port
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_rear_1.jpg
- title: MOTHERBOARD (1)
subtitle: ''
text: Basicaly, the Alice 90 is an Alice 32 slightly modified (more RAM).
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_mobo.jpg
- title: MOTHERBOARD (2)
subtitle: ''
text: |-
It must be difficult to design a more compact and better arranged electronic board. The study was carefully undertaken, or maybe it was just designed by a ... computer !
**(1)** Serial port DIN connector, mainly intended for the Matra printer.\
**(2)** System init button (Reset).\
**(3)** Extensions connector intended for a never sold floppy-disc unit (vaporware).\
**(4)** Keyboard connector.\
**(5)** SCART (Péritel) RGB connector. A monochrome composite monitor can be used too.\
**(6)** Power plug. Power is supplied by an external transformer.\
**(7)** On / Off switch.\
**(8)** Voltage regulation circuit.\
**(9)** 8 Kb. RAM memory circuit, used for the video display in text and graphic modes.\
**(10)** Video superimposing chipset (computer video output combined with a T.V. display), only available through machine code language.\
**(11 - 12)** Chips handling the video display in text and graphic modes.\
**(13)** 6803 microprocessor.\
**(14)** ROM chip holding the Microsoft Basic interpreter and the editor/assembler.\
**(15)** Circuit managing inputs-outputs (keyboard, interfaces).\
**(16)** Circuit used to manage and 'refresh' the RAM memory.\
**(17)** RAM memory is holded into these 4 chips.\
**(18)** Imposing heat sink to avoid the excess heat generated by the system.\
**(19)** Cassette recorder DIN connector.
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_inside_1.jpg
- title: COMPLETE SYSTEM
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_system_1.jpg
- title: BOX
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/matra_alice90_box_1.jpg
adverts:
- title: FRENCH ADVERT
subtitle: ''
text: '"With the Alice computer, you place the level where you want"'
image: /media/museum/pubs/matra_alice90_pub1.jpg
hardware:
- title: DISK-DRIVE AND JOYSTICK INTERFACE
subtitle: Vaporware !!!
text: |-
This is the only known picture of the vaporware 3.5'' disk-drive and joystick interface for the Alice. They were presented at the Micro-Expo exhibition in Paris in february 1985, along with a modem (not pictured here).
Only the disk-drive and modem are vaporware. The joystick interface was indeed released.
image: /media/museum/hardware/matra_alice32_disk_1.jpg
- title: JOYSTICK EXPANSION
subtitle: ''
text: |-
With this add-on, you can use a joystick with the Alice. But you can't use a memory expansion at the same time :-(
Thanks to [www.mapetitecollection.com](http://www.mapetitecollection.com/) for the picture
image: /media/museum/hardware/matra-hachette_alice_extension-joystick_1.jpg
connectors:
- title: SERIAL INTERFACE
subtitle: ''
text: |-
1 - CD (Carrier Detection)\
2 - RD (Receive Data)\
3 - GND (Ground)\
4 - TD (Transmit Data)
image: /media/museum/connectors/tandy_mc10_serial-port_d.jpg
- title: TAPE INTERFACE
subtitle: ''
text: |-
1 - Audio DATA out\
2 - Ground\
3 - Audio DATA in\
4 - Not used\
5 - Not used
4 & 5 were planned to be used for Remote control of the tape-recorder, but this function was not implemented into the MC-10 / Alice.
image: /media/museum/connectors/tandy_mc10_tape_d.jpg
- title: RGB VIDEO / AUDIO OUTPUT
subtitle: ''
text: |-
1 - Commutation\
2 - Ground\
3 - Red\
4 - Video\
5 - Green\
6 - Audio\
7 - Blue
image: /media/museum/connectors/tandy_mc10_rgb-video_d.jpg
- title: EXPANSION PORT
subtitle: ''
text: |-
The sketch represents the connector when you look at the back of the MC-10 / Alice (see Reset button on right).
1 - 2 = GND (Ground)\
3 - 10 = D0..D7 (Data Buses)\
11 = R/W (Read/Write signal)\
12 - 27 = A0..A15 (Address buses)\
28 = E (CPU clock, 1Mhz)\
29 = SEL (peripherals invalidation entry)\
30 = RESET (hard reset)\
31 = NMI (non-maskable CPU interrupts)\
32 = +5v (power in, 5v 300mA)\
33 - 34 = GND (ground)
image: /media/museum/connectors/tandy_mc10_expansion-port_d.jpg
emulators:
- title: DCAlice
url: http://alice32.free.fr/index.html
platform: Windows
text: Excellent working Alice emulator
- title: Emucompboy's MC-10 Emulator
url: http://www.geocities.com/emucompboy/
platform: Windows
text: Nice Windows emulator
- title: The MC-10 Emulation project
url: http://www.student.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~camennie/mc10/
platform: Unix / Linux
text: Still active ?
- title: The MESS project
url: http://www.mess.org/
platform: Multiplatform
text: This multi-platform emulator can emulate the MC-10
links:
- title: Alice FAQ
url: http://membres.lycos.fr/romualdl/alice/alice_faq.txt
text: Useful source of information about the Alice systems
- title: Alice page
url: http://membres.lycos.fr/romualdl/alice/alice.html
text: Excellent dedicated pages full of info by Romuald Line, includes a FAQ
- title: Inside the Radio Shack MC-10
url: http://www.slowcomputing.org/ssouth/mc10/
text: Simon South's excellent and useful page. Lot of hardware info.
- title: My MC10 Home Page
url: http://mymc10.tripod.com/
text: Lot of stuff here, especially software. Cool.
- title: The MC-10 archive
url: http://mc10archive.com
text: Small dedicated site with extended Basic available + utilities, games and documents to download !
- title: TRS-80 MC10 Club (Yahoo club)
url: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/trs80mc10club
text: The heart of the MC-10 community. Quite active.
docs:
- title: DECOUVREZ LE BASIC
url: http://alice32.free.fr/doc/index.html
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/alice_decouvrez-le-basic.jpg
text: |-
[**DECOUVREZ LE BASIC**](http://alice32.free.fr/doc/index.html)written by Matra & Hachette
 compiled/archived by Daniel Coulom\
 type of document : DJV\
 source : [DCAlice website](http://alice32.free.fr/)
- title: RÉSUMÉ DES COMMANDES ET FONCTIONS BASIC
url: http://alice32.free.fr/doc/index.html
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/alice_resume-commandes-basic.jpg
text: |-
[**RÉSUMÉ DES COMMANDES ET FONCTIONS BASIC**](http://alice32.free.fr/doc/index.html)written by Matra & Hachette
 compiled/archived by Daniel Coulom\
 type of document : DJV\
 source : [DCAlice website](http://alice32.free.fr/)
- title: GUIDE D'INSTRUCTIONS DE L'ÉDITEUR ASSEMBLEUR
url: http://alice32.free.fr/doc/index.html
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/alice_assembleur.jpg
text: |-
[**GUIDE D'INSTRUCTIONS DE L'ÉDITEUR ASSEMBLEUR**](http://alice32.free.fr/doc/index.html)written by Matra & Hachette
 compiled/archived by Daniel Coulom\
 type of document : DJV\
 source : [DCAlice website](http://alice32.free.fr/)
- title: ALLER PLUS LOIN AVEC ALICE
url: http://alice32.free.fr/doc/index.html
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/alice_aller-plus-loin.jpg
text: |-
[**ALLER PLUS LOIN AVEC ALICE**](http://alice32.free.fr/doc/index.html)written by Ediciel / Matra & Hachette
 compiled/archived by Daniel Coulom\
 type of document : DJV\
 source : [DCAlice website](http://alice32.free.fr/)
- title: MC-10 SERVICE MANUAL
url: /media/museum/docs/tandy_mc10_service-manual.zip
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/tandy_mc10_service-manual.jpg
text: |-
[**MC-10 SERVICE MANUAL**](/media/museum/docs/tandy_mc10_service-manual.zip)written by Radio Shack
 compiled/archived by Jim Marek\
 type of document : PDF
- title: TP-10 OPERATION MANUAL
url: http://themc10archive.com/node/44
cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/tandy_mc10_tp10-manual.gif
text: |-
[**TP-10 OPERATION MANUAL**](http://themc10archive.com/node/44)written by Tandy
 compiled/archived by Gary (JaGF)\
 type of document : PDF\
 source : [The MC10 archive](http://themc10archive.com)
related:
- /museum/matra-hachette-alice
- /museum/sysdata-eletronica-microcolor
- /museum/tandy-radio-shack-mc-10
oc_id: 61
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230208064345/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=61
date: '2023-02-08'
---
The Matra Alice 90 is the successor of the unsuccessful [Alice 32](/museum/matra-hachette-alice/) and is 100% compatible with this computer. This computer was designed, like its predecessor, to be used as a "first contact" computer.
Genlocking allowed the user to use the computer and watch TV simultaneously.
The ROM contains a version of the world famous Microsoft BASIC, but this version of BASIC can't access to the highest graphic mode (320x250), it could be accessed from the built-in assembler.
Like its predecessor, this machine was also unsuccessful.