website/content/museum/applied-technologies-microbee-32.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Applied Technologies Microbee 32	Computers	Home Computer	Australia	1982	Z80 A	name image company company_name specs tabs photos hardware connectors screenshots emulators links comments related oc_id source Microbee 32 /media/museum/photos/microbee_32.jpg /companies/applied-technologies Applied Technologies label value NAME Microbee 32 label value MANUFACTURER Applied Technologies label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN Australia label value YEAR 1982 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Microworld Level II extended Basic label value KEYBOARD Full sized, 60 keys, QWERTY standard layout label value CPU Z80 A label value SPEED 3.375 MHz label value CO-PROCESSOR 6545 CRT controller label value RAM 16 KB or 32 KB depending models (battery-backed CMOS) label value ROM 16 KB (Microworld Basic) + 12 KB (for optional ROMs like word processor and telecommunications software) label value TEXT MODES 64 x 16 label value GRAPHIC MODES 128 x 48, 512 x 256 label value COLORS Yes, with later models label value SOUND Internal loudspeaker, one channel, 2 octaves label value I/O PORTS Serial RS 232, tape interface (300 and 1200 baud), composite and RGB (optional) video output, parallel port (optional on early units), expansion bus label value POWER SUPPLY External power supplu unit, 12V DC at 1.1A label value PERIPHERALS Printers, tape recorder, joystick, modem, optional colour board photos hardware connectors software emulators links title subtitle text image EARLY MODEL This is the very earliest Microbee - built from a kit and with a metal base plate, blue circuit boards and a one piece plastic case. The badge is from a later Microbee printer. Thanks to [Michael's Land Rover Page](http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mikeleys/microbee.html) for this picture. /media/museum/photos/microbee_early-model.jpg title subtitle text image CONNECTION DIAGRAM /media/museum/photos/microbee_connection-diagram.jpg title subtitle text image THE MICROBEE 128 /media/museum/photos/microbee128.jpg title subtitle text image FDD UNIT & MODEM /media/museum/hardware/applied_microbee_fddmodem_1.jpg title subtitle text image PARALLEL PRINTER CONNECTION /media/museum/connectors/microbee32_parallel-port.jpg title subtitle text image SERIAL PRINTER CONNECTION /media/museum/connectors/microbee32_serial-printer-port.jpg title subtitle text image EARLY MODEL BOOT SCREEN This is what the Microworld Basic looked like on the early machines. Thanks to [Michael's Land Rover Page](http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mikeleys/microbee.html) for this picture. /media/museum/software/microbee_early-model_boot_ss.jpg title subtitle text image BOOT SCREEN /media/museum/software/microbee_32_ss_boot.jpg title subtitle text image LASER BLAZER /media/museum/software/microbee_32_ss_laser_blazer.jpg title subtitle text image VIPER /media/museum/software/microbee_32_ss_viper.jpg title subtitle text image WORD BEE /media/museum/software/microbee_32_ss_wordbee.jpg title url platform text Picomozzi http://www2.ee.mu.oz.au/pgrad/apsh/microbee/ Windows Picomozzy is a Microbee 32 KB emulator for DOS or Windows. title url platform text MESS Emulator http://www.mess.org/ Multiplatform Emulates some Microbee computers ! title url platform text uBee512 http://freshmeat.net/projects/ubee512 Multiplatform An emulator for the Microbee Z80 Premium/Standard FDD and ROM based microcomputers. title url text Microbee Archive http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mikeleys/microbee.html Essential site to understand it all title url text MicroBee Homepage http://www.mdstud.chalmers.se/~md6cbm/bee/ Short page with few software to download title url text Microbee Microcomputer Micro-FAQ http://www.microbee-faq.in-tl.net/ very informative FAQ title url text Microbee official homepage http://www.microbeetechnology.com.au/ Since march 2012, Microbee is relaunching a new model ! title url text The Bee Board http://microbee.no-ip.com/beeboard/ Forum and documentation repository for Microbee author date text Laurie May (Australia) Sunday 20th November 2022 I have a 32k Microbee but no instructions for cables etc. My grandson is interested, having done some computer studies. Where may I find such documentation? author date text ChickenMan (Australia) Friday 25th February 2022 Happy 40th Birthday to Microbee that was initially released in the Feb 1982 issue of Your Computer. Still going strong today :) author date text Star wallace (Australia) Friday 7th August 2020 I have one in box for sale never removed from box. Starnzak@gmail.com author date text Star wallace (Australia) Friday 7th August 2020 Hi author date text Mark Cowan (Australia) Monday 18th May 2020 I remember these from my primary school years. We thought they were crap but it seems the real problem was teacher training. I recently watched a YouTube video of a guy demonstrating them and it looks like they were actually much better computers than anything we ever saw. author date text Vex (Australia) Friday 6th February 2015 Had one of these as a kid did any of you play that yacht around Australia game where you had to type in distance+compass direction,,,I think been about 25 years since I played. What about that one where you were some manner of cargo ship captain going from port to port in trade hoping to avoid pirates but if you were really lucky you had the opportunity to bribe the pirate boss at the beginning of the game? So many memories so few names to stick on them author date text Benjamin Ashcroft (Newcastle, NSW, Australia) Thursday 14th August 2014 OMG. I remember this computer well. I was around 2 years old when my parents got this computer direct from the manufacturer down in Hornsby.\ We had the version with the tape deck and programs usually took about half an to load. My first game I ever played was Frogger in green screen....I also remember playing a game that involved going around a set course and you had to avoid hitting the sides or any obstacles dotted around the course but I can''t remember the name of it!!! author date text Michael Tooth Sunday 29th June 2014 Had several Microbees$ one was the Computer-in-a-Book CPM other wise known as the "Chook in a book" because of its drive noise\ Great fun author date text Shane Doyle (Australia) Tuesday 17th July 2012 I remember building one of these when they came out. Used to write software for them for a guy named Peter Sinke who had a computer shop and sold the Microbees and the software I wrote. Great fun at the time, miss those old DIY days ! author date text microbee Sunday 22nd April 2012 Microbees are back, check out http://www.microbeetechnology.com.au/ author date text Scott Tester (Sydney Australia) Saturday 9th August 2003 Is there any place that I can download the manual for the microbee 32k. I'm looking for the exact code to the guessing game that was found in the manual. /museum/applied-technologies-microbee-128 287 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230608205850/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=287 2023-06-08

Around 1978 Owen Hill teamed up with an electronic components company, Applied Technology of Hornsby (Sydney), to build a small computer he had designed. Applied Technology had been previously producing kits in Australia for S-100 boards. The Microbee was released as a kit in 1982 on the cover of Your Computer magazine, the manual was included free with the magazine. They were an immediate hit, being quite a powerful little system given the cost.

Applied Technology eventually changed their name to Microbee Systems, and sold ready-made versions. Their main market (especially for the 32) were Australian schools, which had the Microbee recommended as the preferred system.

Over the years there has been several versions of the Microbee 32. The early ones (PLUS series) had monochrome display and clock rate at 2 Mhz. Later ones (Colour/IC series), from june 1983, included colour and 3.375 Mhz clock rate.

Different models:

- 32k Home built - 2mHz clock, Z80
- 32k IC (with EDASM) - 3.375 mHz clock. All later Z80 Microbees would run at this speed though many were over clocked up to 6 mHz.
- 32k Personal Communicator (with Basic, Telcom terminal program and Wordbee - a word processor in ROM)
- 32k PC85 (Word processor, Basic, Spreadsheet, Database in ROM) - the last of the line for ROM based machines - very neat and with built in networking.

The Microbee 32 was followed by Microbee 56, 64 and 128 models. There were all disk based systems using CP/M. The Microbee 128 was intended as a high-end business system. There were also two really keen prototype systems, the Gamma and the Delta, which were intended to compete with the Amigas, but problems within the company led to their cancellation not long before the company's collapse.