website/content/museum/video-technology-laser-50-one.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Video Technology Laser 50 / One	Computers	Home Computer	Hong Kong	1985	Z80A	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos hardware oc_id source Laser 50 / One /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_system_s1.jpg /companies/video-technology Video Technology label value NAME Laser 50 / One label value MANUFACTURER Video Technology label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN Hong Kong label value YEAR 1985 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Basic label value KEYBOARD QWERTY, 46 typewriter keys + 4 function keys\ CTRL, SHIFT, SPACE, RETURN and ACC (Accent) key with Led built-in label value CPU Z80A label value SPEED 3,58 Mhz label value RAM 2192 bytes (expandable to 18 kb ) label value ROM 12 kb label value TEXT MODES 1 line x 16 chars. label value GRAPHIC MODES 80 x 7 dots label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND Beeper (1 voice, 3 octaves) label value SIZE / WEIGHT 27.5 (W) x 16.3 (D) x 4.2 (H) cm / 700g label value I/O PORTS Tape-recorder jack, Memory expansion ports, Parallel printer port label value POWER SUPPLY 4 x UM3 (''AA'') batteries\ or 6v DC, 15mA, 22mW with external PSU label value PERIPHERALS 4 colors plotter PP-40I\ Thermic printer TP-20\ 16 kb RAM expansion\ Tape recorder label value PRICE Unknown photos hardware 443 title subtitle text image LARGER VIEW /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_system_s2.jpg title subtitle text image SIDE VIEWS The Laser 50 is the size of a "big" pocket computer. /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_sides_s1.jpg title subtitle text image DISPLAY CLOSE-UP /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_display_s1.jpg title subtitle text image CLOSE-UP #2 /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_case_s1.jpg title subtitle text image BOTTOM SIDE Two trap doors allow to insert batteries and memory expansion module. /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_underneath_s1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR SIDE From left to right:\ • Parallel printer flat connector\ • external supply and tape recorder jacks. /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_rearside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image OPENED The build is of poor quality. Single sided printed circuits with lots of straps, no connectors but only soldered and glued leads and flat cables. /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_opened_s1.jpg title subtitle text image THE ELECTRONICS The electronics is composed of only 3 ICs. Two Toshiba chipsets (T7812 & T7813) hold the Z80 CPU, the BASIC interpreter and manage the keyboard, display and printer interface. Strangely, each chipset manages half of the LCD display. The third IC is a 4 KB RAM 5116. **(1)** The twin Toshiba chipsets\ **(2)** LCD display connector\ **(3)** Printer and external supply jacks\ **(4)** 5116 RAM chip, here a Sharp version\ **(5)** Keyboard's rubber sheet. Each "bubble" corresponds to a key. /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_circuitry_s1.jpg title subtitle text image USER MANUAL The manual provides clear and detailed information about the built-in Basic. /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_manual_s1.jpg title subtitle text image THE BOX /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_box_1.jpg title subtitle text image MOST OF THE EXTENSIONS The tape-recorder + thermic printer + RAM extension /media/museum/hardware/vtech_laser50_extensions.jpg title subtitle text image LASER 4 COLOURS PRINTER PP40I A nice little 4 colours plotter using a very common mechanism at that time. It's the same printer used for the Laser 200 family. /media/museum/hardware/vtech_laser50_pp40.jpg 447 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230601000917/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=447 2023-06-01

The Laser 50 was a small and cheap computer, nearly pocket sized. It was sold as an educational computer (it's written on it), and in France it was sold in a suitcase along with an introductory cartoon-book....