website/content/museum/apf-imagination-machine.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
APF Imagination Machine	Computers	Home Computer	U.S.A.	1979	Motorola 6800	name image company company_name specs tabs photos adverts hardware emulators links videos comments related software oc_id source Imagination Machine /media/museum/photos/apf_imagination_system_1.jpg /companies/apf APF label value NAME Imagination Machine label value MANUFACTURER APF label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1979 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1981 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE APF Basic on cartridge label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard - 53 keys label value CPU Motorola 6800 label value SPEED 3.579 Mhz label value CO-PROCESSOR Motorola MC-6847P video display generator label value RAM 9 KB expandable to 17 KB label value ROM 14 KB label value TEXT MODES 16 lines x 32 char. (8 colours) label value GRAPHIC MODES 128 x 192 (8 colours) - 256 x 192 (4 colours) label value COLORS 8 label value SOUND Built-in music synthetiser & speaker, one channel, 5 octaves label value SIZE / WEIGHT unknown label value I/O PORTS TV aerial output, Microphone jack, expansion port label value BUILT IN MEDIA 1500 baud, stereo cassette deck label value POWER SUPPLY 13.8V AC / 1.25 Amp label value PERIPHERALS 5.25'' disk drive unit, expansion box, RS-232 & 8 KB RAM cartridges label value PRICE $599 photos adverts hardware software emulators links videos title subtitle text image IMAGINATION MACHINE Thanks to Larry Greenfield and his [APF Imagination Machine page](http://www.tcp.com/%7Elgreenf/apfpage.htm) for this picture /media/museum/photos/apf_imagination-machine_explanation.jpg title subtitle text image COMPLETE SYSTEM Complete system with "Building Block" expansion and floppy disk unit. /media/museum/photos/apf_imagination_completesys_s1.jpg title subtitle text image PROMOTIONAL PICT. #1 Thanks to Larry Greenfield and his [APF Imagination Machine page](http://www.tcp.com/%7Elgreenf/apfpage.htm) for this picture /media/museum/pubs/apf_imagination-machine_prm-picture.jpg title subtitle text image PROMOTIONAL PICT. #2 /media/museum/pubs/apf_imagination_prmpict_1.jpg title subtitle text image NEW ZELAND AD (1983) Thanks to **Murray Moffatt** from New Zeland /media/museum/pubs/apf_imagination_pub_s1.jpg title subtitle text image US ADVERT (SEPT. 1979) /media/museum/pubs/apf-imagination-machine_us-pub-all-that-computer_1.jpg title subtitle text image FLOPPY DISK DRIVE UNIT This 5.25" unit could store up to 72 KB per disk. It costed $350 but needed to add $200 for a separate FD controller cartridge. /media/museum/hardware/apf_imagination_fddrive_s1.jpg title url platform text APF Imagination Machine Emulator http://www.tcp.com/lgreenf/apfpage.htm Windows emulator by Enrique Collado title url platform text Virtual APF http://www.geocities.com/emucompboy/ Windows APF Imagination Machine emulator from emucompboy title url platform text MESS http://www.mess.org/ Multiplatform MESS now emulates the APF Imagination Machine for many platforms title url text APF Consoles and Computers discussion group, on Yahoo Groups http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/apf_consoles_and_computers/ title url text Home computer & videogame museum http://hcvgm.org/index.html lot of info and files to download title url text Imagination Machine page http://www.nausicaa.net/~lgreenf/apfpage.htm Lot of additional info here! title url text The APF-M1000, APF-MP1000 & Imagination Machine F.A.Q. http://www.digitpress.com/faq/apf.txt FAQ by Sylvain De Chantal. All you need to know about this system is here! title url text Wikipedia - APF Imagination Machine entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APF_Imagination_Machine title url text APF Imagination Machine Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekzppKYQzcQ Length: 2 min 34 s author date text APF user Thursday 20th April 2017 I went through five of these that were defective in various ways before I gave up and got my money back. The version of Basic was abysmally slow, and it did not have things like trig functions. The specs looked great and it looked like the complete package, but it just didn''t deliver on its promises. author date text Lance (United States fl) Sunday 6th March 2016 cantstump22@gmail.com is my contact Email author date text Lance (United States fl) Sunday 6th March 2016 I found one and I''m holding it right now. One Imagination machine and two of the detachable consoles. I''m not sure who I should talk to or what I should even do in order to sell it. Please contact at CantStump22@gmail.com if you have any suggestions or offers author date text John (again) (Maine) Tuesday 13rd March 2007 I learned BASIC on the IM-1 in the 7th grade. Great memories. I used to program up in the spare bedroom with a b/w TV that my folks could spare. When I'd finished a significant bit of programming, I would lug the big thing downstair to view on the big family TV to check the colors I'd programmed! author date text John (Maine, USA) Monday 30th May 2005 The Imagination Machine was my first real computer. I had a C64 after but wow I still remember opening the box and the huge machine coming out of it. I really learned to program on that machine. /museum/apf-m1000-mp1000 /software/backgammon /software/baseball-674 /software/bowling-micro-match /software/boxing /software/casino-i-roulette-keno-slots /software/catena /software/hangman-tic-tac-toe-doodle /software/pinball-dungeon-hunt-blockout /software/rocket-patrol /software/space-destroyers /software/ufo-sea-monsters-break-it-down-rebuild-shoot 584 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230610143242/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=584 2023-06-10

This strange hybrid computer came in two parts: a videogame console and a computer. The game system, called the APF MP-1000, was released in 1978. It had two controlers, each with a joystick and a numeric keypad. It came with a built-in game called "Rocket Patrol".

The computer console, the "Imagination Machine" was sold as an add-on for the MP-1000. You could also buy both at the same time (most people did). The computer has a 53-key standard typewriter keyboard, a built-in stereo cassette deck (1500 baud), a built-in sound-speaker and an internal operating system and BASIC language interpreter. The APF BASIC, delivered on cartridge, was quite poor. You had to use a lot of POKEs and CALLs to play with graphics. For example, to clear the screen, the command was CALL 17046.

The video game system nestled on top of the keyboard module. This computer add-on concept would later be used by several game system manufacturers like Coleco with their Colecovision game system connected to the Adam Computer, or Intellivision and their ECS module (and keyboard component).

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.