website/content/museum/mgt-miles-gordon-technology-sam-coupe.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
MGT (Miles Gordon Technology) Sam Coupé	Computers	Home Computer	United Kingdom	1989	Zilog Z80B	name image logo company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos hardware screenshots emulators links oc_id source Sam Coupé /media/museum/photos/mgt_samcoupe_1.jpg /media/museum/logos/samcoupe_logo.gif /companies/mgt-miles-gordon-technology MGT (Miles Gordon Technology) label value NAME Sam Coupé label value MANUFACTURER MGT (Miles Gordon Technology) label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR December 1989 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1992 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE SamBasic label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard, 72 keys, Reset button label value CPU Zilog Z80B (fully compatible with i8080 and Z80) label value SPEED 6MHz with screen off, 4.5 MHz with screen on\ can be slowed down to emulate ZX Spectrum label value CO-PROCESSOR Motorola MC 1377P Video Chip, Philips SAA1099 soundchip, ASIC handling graphics label value RAM 256 kb or 512 kb onboard (depending models), and up to 4Mb with external addons (4.5 Mb total) label value ROM 32 kb (BASIC, BIOS & disk bootstrap) label value TEXT MODES 32 x 24, 85 x 24 label value GRAPHIC MODES 256 x 192, 512 x 192 label value COLORS 128 colors label value SOUND Philips SAA1099 soundchip, 6 channels stereo FM synthesis, 8 octaves, 2 noise generators, 2 envelope generators, DAC digital output , sample rate 15.6 kHz. Built-in MIDI interface (in, out, through) label value SIZE / WEIGHT 2.26 Kg label value I/O PORTS RF video output (UHF, channel 36), RGB scart video output, serial / network socket, joystick connector (Atari standard), parallel interface, audio input, audio output label value BUILT IN MEDIA one or two 3.5'' ultraslim Citizen Double Density Drives (800 kb)\ First models had no disk-drives label value OS SamDOS, CP/M available label value POWER SUPPLY External PSU (5v) photos hardware software emulators links 539 title subtitle text image SAM COUPÉ ENHANCED USING QUAZAR HARDWARE This SAM Coupé (original model with no internal disk drive) was upgraded with the following extensions from Quazar (www.samcoupe.com): brand new internal disk drive, 256K RAM extension, ROM v3.0. Thomas Conté /media/museum/photos/mgt_samcoupe_quazar.jpg title subtitle text image SAM COUPÉ /media/museum/photos/mgt_samcoupe_2.jpg title subtitle text image ONE DISK DRIVE MODEL /media/museum/photos/mgt_samcoupe_1disk_2.jpg title subtitle text image DOUBLE DISK DRIVE MODEL /media/museum/photos/mgt_sam-coupe_3.jpg title subtitle text image BOOTING /media/museum/photos/mgt_sam-coupe_booting.jpg title subtitle text image USER MANUAL /media/museum/photos/mgt_samcoupe_manual_1.jpg title subtitle text image BOX /media/museum/photos/mgt_sam-coupe_box_2.jpg title subtitle text image SAM REVIVAL MAGAZINES /media/museum/photos/mgt_sam-coupe_sam-revival-mags.jpg title subtitle text image 256 KB RAM EXPANSION This upgrade will increase the RAM of very early 256K Sam Coupe's to the standard 512K. This memory expansion fits under the unscrewable panel on the base of the Sam, and can be easily fitted in minutes - all you will need is a posidrive or phillips screwdriver to remove the small panel and then plug this module to the connector inside. /media/museum/hardware/mgt_sam-coupe_256kb_ram_expansion.jpg title subtitle text image SAM POWER SUPPLY UNIT /media/museum/hardware/mgt_samcoupe_powersup_1.jpg title subtitle text image SAM BUS This odd looking piece of hardware gave the owner the ability to attach up to 4 devices to the SAM's euroconnector socket at the same time. It also had an internal clock, and when used with MasterDos, this gave the SAM the ability to date stamp all your files. Having so many devices attached to your SAM could cause severe power drain, and so each item of SAM hardware was provided with a power consumption rating. I seem to remember that the normal SAM PSU was considered sufficient to power up to 20 'power points'. Once you went over that threshold, the SAM would require further power input, and so a PSU input socket was also built in to the SAMBus. However, as far as I am aware, an actual PSU was never produced so the socket was redundant. Text and picture kindly provided by Stewart Skardon from its [SamCoupé.co.uk](http://www.sskardon.fsnet.co.uk/) web site. /media/museum/hardware/mgt_samcoupe_bus.jpg title subtitle text image SAMDAC This marvellous piece of hardware gave the SAM superior sound for playing MOD files, using The SAM MOD player software, which was distributed with the SAMdac. One end of the interface plugged in to the SAM's light pen / audio out socket, and the other plugged in to a printer port (if you had one!). The SAM originally had 6 bit sound, through the SAMdac this was increased to 8bit. This device was later suceeded by The Quazar Surround, but the SAMdac still had the advantage of being small and easy to hide. Text and picture kindly provided by Stewart Skardon from its [SamCoupé.co.uk](http://www.sskardon.fsnet.co.uk/) web site. /media/museum/hardware/mgt_samcoupe_samdac.jpg title subtitle text image SD IDE The piece of hardware that SAM users screamed out for since day one, the SD software IDE interface finally arrived on the scene in late 1995. At long last, the ability to store all of your SAM stuff on one drive. Snag - the interface worked well, but the DOS was very limited. Development on the software was pretty constant, until the arrival of the Atom, at which point the whole project was stopped. Text and picture kindly provided by Stewart Skardon from its [SamCoupé.co.uk](http://www.sskardon.fsnet.co.uk/) web site. /media/museum/hardware/mgt_samcoupe_ide.jpg title subtitle text image SAM MOUSE The piece of SAM hardware that everybody wanted. The SAM Mouse was eagerly awaited, and the original SAMco units were finally released to the public in 1991. Packaged with the mouse was Flash, the original SAM art package, later to be replaced by the far superior SAMPaint. West Coast Computers later re-launched the SAM mouse, as pictured. The new package included the mouse driver software, and Revelations excellent GUI - DRiVER. Rivaled only by the Blue Alpha Joy mouse, the SAM Mouse was the true winner. Text and picture kindly provided by Stewart Skardon from its [SamCoupé.co.uk](http://www.sskardon.fsnet.co.uk/) web site. /media/museum/hardware/mgt_samcoupe_mouse.jpg title subtitle text image QUAZAR SURROUND This serious piece of hardware gave the SAM the ability to support 16 bit sound. Connecting via the Euroconnector, this piece of hardware was a little difficult to use with a SAMbus. The Quazar Surround has two output jacks for connecting two sets of speakers, and the results are pretty damn amazing. Also built in is an expansion connector for the additional sampler module. A damn site better than Blue Alpha's attempt, it was still necessary to have the Quazar Surround card plugged in to be able to hear the samples. Drat. Text and picture kindly provided by Stewart Skardon from its [SamCoupé.co.uk](http://www.sskardon.fsnet.co.uk/) web site. /media/museum/hardware/mgt_samcoupe_quazzarsourround.jpg title subtitle text image SAM SOUND SAMPLER Possibly the worst piece of SAM Hardware ever. Playback was only possible with the sampler plugged in, and samples were of very poor quality. This particular sampler also caused a large amount of distortion to the television display. The software that was supplied with the sampler was very crude, and the 'manual' was badly photocopied and held together by a single staple in the corner. Text and picture kindly provided by Stewart Skardon from its [SamCoupé.co.uk](http://www.sskardon.fsnet.co.uk/) web site. /media/museum/hardware/mgt_samcoupe_soundsampler.jpg title subtitle text image SAM PARALLEL INTERFACE /media/museum/hardware/mgt_samcoupe_parallelinterf_1.jpg title subtitle text image BOOT SCREEN /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_boot_ss.jpg title subtitle text image BATZ 'N BALLZ Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_batznballz_ss.jpg title subtitle text image DEFENDER Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_defender_ss.jpg title subtitle text image DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_defendersoftheearth_ss.jpg title subtitle text image FLASH Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_flash_ss.jpg title subtitle text image ICE CHICKEN Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_icechicken_ss.jpg title subtitle text image LEMMINGS Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_lemmings_ss.jpg title subtitle text image MANIC MINER Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_manicminer_ss.jpg title subtitle text image MNEMO DEMO 2 Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_mnemo2demo_ss.jpg title subtitle text image PAC MAN Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_pacman_ss.jpg title subtitle text image PRINCE OF PERSIA Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_princeofpersia_ss.jpg title subtitle text image SAM JUGGLER Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_samjuggler_ss.jpg title subtitle text image SAM PAINT Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_sampaint_ss.jpg title subtitle text image SPHERA Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_sphera_ss.jpg title subtitle text image TETRIS Thanks to [SimCoupé website](http://www.simcoupe.org/) for this screenshot /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_tetris_ss.jpg title subtitle text image GAME BOXES /media/museum/software/mgt_samcoupe_software_1.jpg title url platform text ASCD http://aley.borec.cz/progs/#sam MS DOS DOS emulator made by Aley Keprt title url platform text SamCoupé http://www.inf.upol.cz/~keprta/sam/samemu/welcome.html MS DOS Another DOS emulator by Aley Keprt title url platform text SimCoupé http://www.simcoupe.org/ Multiplatform This nice emulators is available for Windows, DOS, Linux, BeOS and MacOS title url text Land of Pod - SamCoupé pages http://www.podboy.demon.co.uk/coupe/index.htm FRED magazines, many downloads and original documentation (PDF) ! title url text Sam Coupe Pro-Dos Resource Site http://www.samcoupe-pro-dos.co.uk/ A large number of manuals as pdf, plus details of Sams CP/M 2.2 system title url text Sam Coupé Scrapbook http://www.samcoupescrapbook.co.uk/ The mother of all SAM sites. The original site. Full of useful stuff. title url text Sam Coupé Webring http://v.webring.com/hub?ring=samcoupe&list The official webring title url text SamCoupé.com HTTP://WWW.SAMCOUPE.COM The new home for up to the minute information and releases for the Sam Coupé. title url text Spectrum Advanced Machine http://sam.speccy.cz/ A lot of technical info !! title url text The "Your Sinclair" Rock'n'Roll years http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/index_sam.htm Section dedicated to the SamCoupé with a lot of interesting articles title url text World Of Sam http://www.worldofsam.org/ Wiki with all information about the SAM title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com Archive dedicated to the Sam Coupé 545 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230604182600/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=545 2023-06-04

In the last quarter of 1989 M.G.T. launched the Sam Coupé. M.G.T. was already known in the ZX Spectrum world for a range of hardware that they sold. The Sam was their pride and joy, and unfortunately to be their downfall.

This was a time when the 16-bit machines, the Atari ST and the Amiga, were really being to take off. Sales in computers such as the Spectrum was in rapid decline. The Sam was aimed to fill this gap, a powerful 8-bit machine with specs that in cases out performed those of the 16-bit machines, at an 8-bit price. It was hoped that current 8-bit owners, particularly Spectrum owners, would jump on the nicely priced Sam rather than a more expensive 16-bit machine.

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.