website/content/museum/sord-m-100ace.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Sord M-100ACE	Computers	Professional Computer	Japan	1978	Z80	name image company company_name specs tabs photos adverts comments oc_id source M-100ACE /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_system_1.jpg /companies/sord Sord label value NAME M-100ACE label value MANUFACTURER Sord label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN Japan label value YEAR September 1978 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke 75 keys with numeric keypad label value CPU Z80 label value SPEED 2 MHz. label value RAM 32 KB label value VRAM 16 KB label value ROM 4 KB label value TEXT MODES 80 char. x 25 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 256 x 64 dots (with optional graphic board) label value COLORS 8 label value SOUND Built-in speaker label value SIZE / WEIGHT 52 (W) x 58 (D) x 11 (H) cm. label value I/O PORTS Parallel, Serial RS-232, Analogue-Digital converter, FD unit, S-100 bus label value BUILT IN MEDIA 1 or 2 143 KB 5'' floppy disc drives label value OS Sord O.S. label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS colour monitor label value PRICE $3250 (1 FD version) photos adverts title subtitle text image LEFT SIDE /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_leftside_1.jpg title subtitle text image RIGHT SIDE One can separate the FD unit from the main unit. The system is turned on/off with a key. /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_rightside_1.jpg title subtitle text image TOP VIEW The monochrome monitor also came from Sord. /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_topview_1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD The keyboard was made by Cherry. /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_keyboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image FD UNIT The FD unit featured two single side, single density, 143 KB formatted TEAC drives. Notice the swith on each drive front panel, allowing the diskette to be locked inside the drive. /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_fdunit_1.jpg title subtitle text image SORD LOGOS Depending of the system version, the Sord logo may differ. Notice the switch-on lock. /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_logos_1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR CONNECTORS **(1)** Power cord, ground plug and fuse\ **(2)** FD drives DB37 connector\ **(3)** Drives power supply connectors\ **(4)** Three AC power plugs for external devices\ **(5)** Monochrome video jack\ **(6)** Analog/digital converter DB15 connector\ **(7)** Serial RS-232 DB25 connector\ **(8)** Parallel printer connector /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_back_1.jpg title subtitle text image UNCOVERED SYSTEM /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_uncovered_1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE The power supply unit has a stange design. It is made of:\ **(1)** a massive power transformer with three relays\ **(2)** Two identical switching power units\ **(3)** a third 5V regulated circuit. /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_inside_1.jpg title subtitle text image SYSTEM BOARDS The main CPU board covers the FD controller card and the video card. **(1)** Keyboard cable\ **(2)** 32 KB main RAM chips (16 x 4116 chips)\ **(3)** Z80 processor, here a Zilog version\ **(4)** BIOS ROM chips. Two additional ROM chips could be added.\ **(5)** I/O bus connector\ **(6)** Intel 8251 I/O chip\ **(7)** Video card\ **(8)** Floppy disc drives controller card. /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_mainboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image DAUGHTER CARDS **(1)** A flat cable links the two daughter cards to the CPU board using these connectors\ **(2)** Disc drives connector\ **(3)** Composite video jack /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_daughterboards_1.jpg title subtitle text image CPU BOARD CLOSE-UP Microprocessor, RAM and BIOS ROM chips. /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_proccloseup_1.jpg title subtitle text image TEAC FLOPPY DRIVES Single side, single density TEAC floppy drives.\ Except screws, logic board and motors, the frame and all of the parts of these drives are made of plastic! /media/museum/photos/sord_m100ace_fddrives_1.jpg title subtitle text image SORD BROCHURE #1 Thanks to **Tim Mackay** /media/museum/pubs/sord_m100ace_pub_1.jpg title subtitle text image SORD BROCHURE #2 Thanks to **Tim Mackay** /media/museum/pubs/sord_m100ace_brochure_1.jpg title subtitle text image BROCHURE #3 Graphics examples of the optional graphic card. Thanks to **Tim Mackay** /media/museum/pubs/sord_m100ace_brochure_2.jpg author date text Tim Mackay (Melbourne, Australia) Wednesday 13rd January 2010 Still interested in the SORD M100, changed email address.\ Still "SMUG" author date text Tim Mackay (Melbourne, Australia) Wednesday 13rd January 2010 Still interested in the SORD M100, changed email address.\ Still "SMUG" author date text Tim Mackay (Melbourne, Australia) Sunday 26th October 2003 Anyone got a Sord M100 Ace? please let me know. they are still interesting to play with. Did you once have a SORD? Still like to know. 791 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230604044041/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=791 2023-06-04

The Sord M-100ACE was the professional version of the M-170, offering as standard a floppy disc controller card, a single or dual 5" 143 KB floppy disc unit and a colour graphic video card.

Several I/O interfaces were also added and business oriented developpement tools could be used: FORTRAN and BASIC compilers and COBOL language.

Four successive version were sold - M100-I to M100-IV - offering various hardware and design improvements.
The model pictured here is a M100-III.