website/content/museum/memotech-rs-128.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
MEMOTECH RS 128	Computers	Home Computer	United Kingdom	1984	Zilog Z80 A	name company company_name specs tabs photos hardware links docs comments related oc_id source RS 128 /companies/memotech MEMOTECH label value NAME RS 128 label value MANUFACTURER Memotech label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR 1984 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE MTX Basic, Noddy, Assembler label value KEYBOARD Qwerty full-stroke keyboard, 79 keys. Numeric keypad. 8 function keys. label value CPU Zilog Z80 A label value SPEED 4 MHz label value CO-PROCESSOR TMS-9918A video chip from Texas Instruments. SN-76489A sound chip from Texas Instruments label value RAM 128 KB (up to 512 KB) label value VRAM 16 KB label value ROM 24 KB (Basic + assembler) label value TEXT MODES 40 x 25 / 32 x 24 label value GRAPHIC MODES four modes, maximum : 256 x 192 label value COLORS 16 maximum label value SOUND 3 voices / 6 octaves label value I/O PORTS TV output, composite video output, 2 x joystick, Cardridge, Tape, Audio, Centronics, 2 x RS232, Bus label value POWER SUPPLY External power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS FDX floppy disk expansion system (with CP/M) label value PRICE £399 (UK, october 1984) photos hardware links docs title subtitle text image INSIDE THE RS-128 The RS-128 is technically identical to the <$168$>MTX 512. The only innovation is the addition of 2 cards (64 Kb RAM and serial interface) proposed as optional addons for the previous models. **(1)** 64 Kb RAM chips.\ **(2)** TV aerial signals modulator.\ **(3)** Three ROM circuits holding the Basic interpreter, Noddy and Z80 assembler languages.\ **(4)** This first expansion card adds 64 Kb RAM to the system, only usable as a virtual disk.\ **(5)** The second expansion card offers two RS-232 serial ports. One of them can be used to connect the FDX 5.25" double disk-drive unit.\ **(6)** These two expansion cards are mainly devoted to the use of the CP/M operating system.\ **(7)** RGB video output connector for color monitor.\ **(8)** Video RAM (text & graphic) which allows main memory to be fully available for user programs and data.\ **(9)** Zilog Z80 microprocesseur running at 4 Mhz.\ **(10)** Two Atari compatible joystick connectors.\ **(11)** Tape-recorder connectors (In and Out). null title subtitle text image FDX EXPANSION UNIT MTX double 5'' diskette drive unit allows the Memotech computers to reach the significant softwares library of the CP/M operating system. Diskettes drives are double face, double density versions, with a 500 Kb. storage capacity. Data transfer uses the computer's serial port. It's very slow : 9600 bauds (1200 bytes/sec.). A 80 columns card is supplied inside the case to ensure compatibility with CP/M display mode. Several software are delivered with this unit, of which word processing New Word, the SuperCalc spreadsheet and several utilities. null title url text http://www.atarimagazines.com http://www.atarimagazines.com/creative/v10n6/48_Memotech_MTX512.php Memotech MTX-512 evaluation from Creative Computing, John J. Anderson. title url text MTX World http://www.mtxworld.dk/ Nice page with games, technical info, emulators, pictures, interviews, tips and more title url text MTXinfo.de http://www.mtxinfo.de/ some text in German, content mostly in English title url text Wikipedia dedicated page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memotech_MTX title url cover text MTX TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION http://mtx.interactive.as/ null **MTX TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION**\ written by Memotech  compiled/archived by El Senator\  type of document : ZIP\  source : [MTX Series - the good old times](http://mtx.interactive.as/) **... READ THE ONLINE VERSION BY CLICKING BELOW :** author date text Roger Jowett (Ulster Londonderry) Saturday 6th April 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v$zsjTpFR0oYQ please help we have zx spectrum 48k and one 128k program running at 6mhz using external ram and snapper discs from velesoft site author date text Roger Jowett (Ulster Londonderry) Saturday 6th April 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v$zsjTpFR0oYQ please help we have zx spectrum 48k and one 128k program running at 6mhz using external ram and snapper discs from velesoft site author date text Claus (Sweden) Friday 13rd July 2012 Hmmm, is said same Sound and VDP as MSX, i dont think so. Memotech use a Texas Soundprocessor, wich is equal to Colecovision and Sega SC-1000 console. But not compatible with MSX, sound data can by the way be converted, but is not compatible. I know this since i have been converted a few MSX games to Memotech, read more at www.mtxworld.dk author date text Thomas Friday 24th June 2011 Does anyone know which CHIP was used to give the 80 column display on the RS128... ?? If so please leave a comment author date text Lez (England) Tuesday 21st June 2011 The RS128 had a second video processor giving a color 80 column display. It also had a ROM board for adding Roms and RS232 ports. But basically it was an MTX512. /museum/memotech-mtx-500-512 202 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230205013511/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=202 2023-02-05

The Memotech RS128 is the successor of the Memotech MTX 512. It looks like the MTX 512 and has almost the same characteristics.

Like the MTX 512, it sports an aluminum case. Contrary to the MTX, it has RS-232 built-in interfaces, primarily used to connect the FDX floppy drive (the data are sent from the disk to the RAM at a whopping 9600 baud!). The FDX unit comes with a 80 columns card and allows the RS128 to run CP/M programs.
It was supplied with NewWord (word processor) and SuperCalc (spreadsheet).
Only the lower 64 KB can be used, the upper 64 KB are used as a RAM disk.

Similar the MTX512, the RS128 has characteristics very near of the MSX computers (same sound chip & video for example) but wasn't able to use MSX software.