website/content/museum/dragon-data-ltd-dragon-64.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Dragon Data Ltd Dragon 64	Computers	Home Computer	United Kingdom	1983	Motorola MC6809EP	name image logo company company_name specs tabs photos adverts hardware screenshots links comments related oc_id source Dragon 64 /media/museum/photos/dragon_64_system_s2.jpg /media/museum/logos/dragon_64_logo_s2.gif /companies/dragon-data-ltd Dragon Data Ltd label value NAME Dragon 64 label value MANUFACTURER Dragon Data Ltd label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR Summer 1983 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Microsoft Extended Basic label value KEYBOARD QWERTY Mechanical keyboard\ 53 keys label value CPU Motorola MC6809EP label value SPEED 0,9 Mhz label value CO-PROCESSOR Motorola MC-6847 Video Display Generator label value RAM 64 kb label value ROM 32 kb label value TEXT MODES 32 x 28 and 51 x 16 under OS9 label value GRAPHIC MODES Several graphic modes, max : 256 x 192 (with 2 colors) label value COLORS 8 label value SOUND 1 voice, 5 octaves with the Basic\ 4 voices, 7 octaves with machine code label value I/O PORTS TV connector, 2 analogue joystick ports, cassette port, Centronics parallel printer port, cartridge slot, composite monitor port, serial connector label value BUILT IN MEDIA None label value OS OS9 label value POWER SUPPLY External AC transformer. Built-in power regulation label value PERIPHERALS Single or dual FDd unit label value PRICE 608 (France, december 84) photos adverts hardware software links title subtitle text image LARGE VIEW /media/museum/photos/dragon_64_system_s1.jpg title subtitle text image LEFT & RIGHT SIDES The cartridge slot is located on the right side.\ On the right side, one see, from left to right\ • TV aerial output,\ • Reset switch,\ • Four DIN sockets:\     Left joystick,\     Tape recorder I/O,\     Right joystick,\     Serial interface\ • Printer connector. /media/museum/photos/dragon_64_sides_s1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR SIDE The rear connectors, from left to right:\ • External transformer DB9 connector,\ • On/Off switch,\ • RGB video DIN socket. /media/museum/photos/dragon_64_rearside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image DRAGON LABEL /media/museum/photos/dragon_64_label_s1.jpg title subtitle text image OPENED /media/museum/photos/dragon_64_opened_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MAINBOARD The motherboard was quite different from the Dragon 32's. It was re-designed to make room for the second serial port, additional memory and power regulation which was a separated board on the Dragon 64. **(1)** Power regulation circuitry\ **(2)** Two 16 KB EPROMs hold the Microsoft Extended Basic and I/O routines\ **(3)** 74783 chipset (6883 equivalent) Synchronous Address Multiplexer (SAM). Provides system clocks to CPU and video, RAM refresh and I/O addresses decoding\ **(4)** 6809 microprocessor, probably the best 8-bit CPU ever made\ **(5)** 8x4164 chips hold 64 KB of RAM of which 45 KB is available for Basic programs\ **(6)** 6551 ACIA (Asyncronous Communications Interface Adaptor) in charge of Serial RS232 interface\ **(7)** 2x6821 PIA (Peripheral Interface Adaptor) manage several peripherals (keyboard, tape rec., Parallel port,...) and I/O\ **(8)** 6847 video chip in charge of text and graphics display modes. Display quality is the weak point of Dragon 64\ **(9)** UHF modulator for T.V. aerial signals /media/museum/photos/dragon_64_mainboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image DRAGON 64 WITH SOFTWARE /media/museum/photos/dragon_dragon64_situation_2.jpg title subtitle text image DRAGON 64 WITH DISK-DRIVE /media/museum/photos/dragon_dragon64_situation_1.jpg title subtitle text image LAST SALES In July 1985, California Digital sold the Tano at $99. The price would decrease down to $35 while stock last. /media/museum/pubs/dragon_64_pub_s1.jpg title subtitle text image UK ADVERT (PART 1), JULY 1984 /media/museum/pubs/gec-dragon64_uk-pub_july-84_1.jpg title subtitle text image UK ADVERT (PART 2), JULY 1984 /media/museum/pubs/gec-dragon64_uk-pub_july-84_2.jpg title subtitle text image FDD CONTROLLER CARTRIDGE /media/museum/hardware/dragon_64_fdcart_s1.jpg title subtitle text image 5'' DISK-DRIVE 186k, Single Side, Operating system: OS9 /media/museum/hardware/dragon_diskdrive.jpg title subtitle text image THE DRAGON 32/64 DUAL 5.25'' DISK-DRIVE /media/museum/hardware/dragon_64_doublefd_1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE F.D. UNIT The disk drive option is provided in 2 parts: the floppy drive unit, and an interface cartridge connected to the computer. Each formated disk can hold 180 Kb. Data are stored on 40 concentric tracks, each one made of 18 sectors of 256 bytes each. **(1)** One or two disk drives can be mounted in the case.\ **(2)** Interface cartridge that fits into the Dragon expansion connector.\ **(3)** First disk drive.\ **(4)** Magnetic heads and its mechanisms.\ **(5)** Disk rotation motors.\ **(6)** Power supply.\ **(7)** Connector for the cartridge flat cable. /media/museum/hardware/dragon_32_insidefd_1.jpg title subtitle text image DRAGON JOYSTICKS /media/museum/hardware/dragon_joysticks.jpg title subtitle text image DRAGON JOYSTICK #2 /media/museum/hardware/dragon_64_joystick_s1.jpg title subtitle text image LIGHT PEN /media/museum/hardware/dragon_lightpen.jpg title subtitle text image DUST COVER Beautiful, no ?! /media/museum/hardware/dragons-data_dragon32_dustcover_1.jpg title subtitle text image BONKA /media/museum/software/dragon_bonka.jpg title subtitle text image COSMIC ZAP /media/museum/software/dragon_cosmiczap.jpg title subtitle text image FROGGER /media/museum/software/dragon_frogger.jpg title subtitle text image KATERPILLAR ATTACK /media/museum/software/dragon_katerpillar_attack.jpg title subtitle text image LEGGIT /media/museum/software/dragon_leggit.jpg title url text Dragon & Tandy CoCo Resources http://www.burgins.com/dragon.html title url text Dragon, The Archive http://www.dragondata.co.uk/ Nice and complete Dragon dedicated site title url text Graham's Dragon Page http://www.grempc.demon.co.uk/dragon/ Information, articles and links related to the Dragon title url text Home of On-A-Stick Productions Inc. or jon's home page http://www.onastick.clara.net/ title url text The DRAGON Archive http://www.dragon-archive.co.uk/ A site dedicated to the Dragon series of computers. Includes software archive, history of the dragon and much more. author date text Hugh (England) Tuesday 20th December 2011 Chuck, I had a Dragon 64 and also a clutch of TRS80 cartridges. About a third of them workied ok on the Dragon, but the others would start but not do anything. It was much much better than the Dragon 32. author date text Chuck (Vermont, USA) Thursday 8th December 2011 Just out of curiosity, was the cartridge slot on the dragon, compatible with the TRS80 Color Computer''s cartridge? author date text Aegis (Finland) Wednesday 26th October 2005 Well, found this oldie outta my room somewhere, but the power source is broken. Damn, i'd like to see this baby working but well, seems like no. /museum/dragon-data-ltd-dragon-200 /museum/dragon-data-ltd-dragon-32 503 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230603203658/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=503 2023-06-03

The Dragon 64, launched in 83, was exactly the same computer as the Dragon 32, except that it had 64k RAM instead of 32k, an OS9 operating system and a RS232C connector.

The Extended Basic has been modified to provide RS232 I/O calls, to remove the USR bug present in the Dragon 32 ROM and to add calls allowing the additional interpreter to be invoked.
This second interpreter was the same Extended Basic re-compiled to run from a higher memory address and stored in a EPROM. When invoked, the machine was switched into 64k RAM mode and the interpreter copied from EPROM to RAM giving an extra 16K BASIC workspace. (Source : Jon's Dragon Home Page)

The Dragon 64 was sold in various European countries. A slightly modified version was also manufactured and sold in the US by TANO (Technical Associates of New Orleans) from August 1983. They sold the machine under the TANO name for a few months but couldn't compete with the agressive price policy from Commodore, Atari and T.I. All the unsold machine were eventually sold off to a discount store called California Digital.

In 85 Eurohard, a spanish manufacturer, acquired Dragons Data. Then the Dragon 200 replaced the 64 with some minor changes: power-on lights, auto-repeat keyboard... They also also had plans for a 128k Dragon and a MSX Dragon.