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website/content/museum/thomson-to-9.md
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---
title: Thomson TO 9
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- France
years:
- '1985'
cpus:
- Motorola 6809 e
params:
name: TO 9
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_system_1.jpg
company: /companies/thomson
company_name: Thomson
specs:
- label: NAME
value: TO 9
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Thomson
- label: TYPE
value: Home Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: France
- label: YEAR
value: '1985'
- label: CPU
value: Motorola 6809 e
- label: SPEED
value: 1 MHz
- label: RAM
value: 128 KB (107 KB for the user)
- label: ROM
value: 136 KB
- label: TEXT MODES
value: 40 x 24 / 80 x 24
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: 320 x 200 (16 colors) / 640 x 200 (2 colors) / 320 x 200 (4 colors) / 160 x 200
- label: COLORS
value: from 2 to 16 among 4096
- label: SOUND
value: three channels, 7 octaves
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Light Pen, Joystick, Mouse, Centronics, Cardridge, Audio, Bus slots (3)
- label: BUILT IN MEDIA
value: One 3.5'' disk-drive
tabs:
- photos
- adverts
- hardware
- emulators
- links
- videos
photos:
- title: ANOTHER VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_system_2.jpg
- title: TOP VIEW
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_topview_1.jpg
- title: MAIN UNIT
subtitle: ''
text: With external 3.5" FDD unit
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_system_3.jpg
- title: FRONT PANEL
subtitle: ''
text: |-
From left to right:\
• ROM cartridges housing\
• Reset switch\
• Keyboard RJ11 plug\
• Light pen DIN plug\
• Tape recorder DIN plug
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_frontpanel_1.jpg
- title: KEYBOARD
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_keyboard_1.jpg
- title: REAR SIDE
subtitle: ''
text: |-
**(1)** TV aerial output, not installed on this French version\
**(2)** Sound output\
**(3)** Scart connector. A TV set or colour moniteur could be used in RGB mode\
**(4)** Printer connector\
**(5)** Connector for an external floppy drive unit\
**(6)** I/O module connectors (Serial interface, joysticks,...)
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_rear_1.jpg
- title: MONITOR REAR SIDE
subtitle: ''
text: The Thomson monitor offered a headphone output as well as numerous screen adjustments, among them one adjustment for each RGB colour.
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_rearmonitor_1.jpg
- title: INSIDE
subtitle: ''
text: The case was originally designed to receive a 5.25" floppy drive. The 5.25" housing have been adapted to receive a 3.5" drive just before mass production.
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_inside_1.jpg
- title: MAINBOARD
subtitle: ''
text: |-
**(1)** 128 KB RAM chips (16x4464)\
**(2)** Custom Thomson gate array chip\
**(3)** FDD controller chips. They have probably been changed at the last time, when Thomson designers chose a 3.5" FDD instead of a 5.25"\
**(4)** External FDD connector\
**(5)** Printer connector\
**(6)** BASICs and file management ROMs\
**(7)** Motorola MC6809EP processor\
**(8)** Motorola 6821 PIA chip\
**(9)** Monitor ROM\
**(10)** Reset switch\
**(11)** Motorola 6850 ACIA chip in charge of keyboard and light pen management\
**(12)** 6846 PIA/timer and ROM chip used, inter alia, for ROM cartridge and keyboard management\
**(13)** ROM cartridges connector\
**(14)** Switching power supply unit
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_mainboard_1.jpg
- title: BOOT SCREEN
subtitle: ''
text: |-
When the T09 is switched on, the boot screen offers several options:\
**\[1\]** "Fiches et Dossiers" database\
**\[2\]** "Paragraphe" word processor\
**\[3\]** Microsoft BASIC 128 KB\
**\[4\]** Microsoft BASIC 1.0, TO7 compatible\
**\[5\]** User adjustments\
**\[6\]** Diskette files management
If a ROM cartridge is inserted, an additional option allows to run the ROM program.
image: /media/museum/photos/thomson_to9_bootscreen_1.jpg
adverts:
- title: FRENCH ADVERT (DEC. 1985)
subtitle: ''
text: |-
"9990 francs the TO9. Colors included"
"Thomson. All the world in a present"
image: /media/museum/pubs/thomson_to9_pub_couleurs-comprises.jpg
- title: FRENCH ADVERT (APRIL 1987)
subtitle: ''
text: |-
"You're never so well served than by yourself..."
"...create your own micro-server on Thomson."
image: /media/museum/pubs/thomson_to9_pub_microserveur_1.jpg
hardware:
- title: THOMSON JOYSTICKS
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_joysticks_1.jpg
- title: 3.5'' FD UNIT
subtitle: Ref. DD09-350
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_fdunit35_1.jpg
- title: 5.25'' DISK DRIVE
subtitle: 320 KB model
text: This 5.25'' disk-drive offers a 320 KB capacity (40 tracks > 16 sectors > 256 bytes) and a built-in controller.
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_diskdrive_2.jpg
- title: DISK CONTROLLER
subtitle: CD 90-351
text: This interface was used to connect a disk drive or a Quick Disc Drive (QDD) to a TO-7, TO-7/70, MO5 or MO6.
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_disk-interface.jpg
- title: JOYSTICK MODULE
subtitle: ''
text: Dual Atari compatible joysticks module
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_joymodule_1.jpg
- title: MUSIC & GAME MODULE
subtitle: CM 90-112
text: This module offers two joystick connectors (Videopac joysticks can be used) and adds three channels to the TO-7 or MO-5 (resulting in a total of 4 voices). Sadly, these new sound features were scarcely used in games...
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_joy-interface.jpg
- title: 'MUSIC & GAME MODULE #2'
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_mo5_musicetjeu_s1.jpg
- title: ORDI 94
subtitle: Joystick Interface
text: This interface enables Atari joysticks to be used with TO-7, TO-7/70 and MO5. It was sold by Ordivisuel under the name Ordi 94.
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_joy-atari.jpg
- title: PRINTER PR-90 080
subtitle: ''
text: 80 columns dot-matrix printer which was a rebadged version of the Seikosha GP-80
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_imp_pr90-080.jpg
- title: PRINTER PR-90 600
subtitle: ''
text: 80-column 9-pin dot matrix printer. A rebadged version of the Seikosha SP-1000 with graphics capabilities
image: /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_imppr90_600_1.jpg
emulators:
- title: DCMO5
url: http://dcmo5.free.fr/
platform: Windows
text: Thomson MO5 emulator for PC
- title: DCMO5 Gamer Edition
url: HTTP://DCMO5.FREE.FR
platform: Windows
text: Easy to use emulator, to run MO5 games without knowing MO5 commands
- title: DCMO6
url: http://dcmo6.free.fr/
platform: Windows
text: Thomson MO5NR, Thomson MO6 and Olivetti Prodest PC128 emulator for PC
- title: DCMOTO
url: http://dcmoto.free.fr/
platform: Windows
text: Universal 8-bit Thomson emulator for Windows. Emulates Thomson MO5, MO5E, MO5NR, MO6, T9000, TO7/70, TO8, TO8D, TO9, TO9+ and Olivetti Prodest PC128 !
- title: DCTO7 and DCTO8
url: http://dcto7.free.fr/
platform: Windows
text: Thomson T9000, TO7/70, TO8, TO8D emulator for Windows
- title: TODC
url: http://www.jplang.fr.st/
platform: Other platform
text: No, you are not dreaming. This is a TO-7/70 emulator for the Dreamcast game system !
links:
- title: AmiTO8
url: http://membres.lycos.fr/amito8/data/Accueil.html
text: Amiga / Thomson dedicated site. Some original stuff there!
- title: Christophe's Lair
url: http://lair.thomsonistes.org/
text: Lot of stuff here, a must see site (french)
- title: Collection Thomson
url: http://gfournier.free.fr/
text: Another great site with tons of documentation
- title: DCMOTO
url: http://dcmoto.free.fr/
text: Excellent site !! Home of the DCMOTO emulator. Lot od documentations and software to download. A must see !
- title: Forum Thomson
url: http://forumthomson2001.free.fr/forum01.htm
text: Get in contact with other Thomson fans (in french)
- title: MOTO, le site Des micros Thomsons
url: http://www.multimania.com/tonews/
text: Some info about the Thomson computers (french)
- title: Nostalgies Thomsonistes
url: http://nostalgies.thomsonistes.org/
text: Excellent site dedicated to Thomson computers (french)
- title: Thomatoes
url: http://wiki.forler.ch
text: Thomson Wiki
- title: www.logicielsmoto.com
url: http://www.logicielsmoto.com/home.php
text: Fantastic site! Very big software library and much more!
videos:
- title: MO5 french TV commercial
url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPr7NeqMobc
text: 'Length: 31 s'
related:
- /museum/olivetti-prodest-pc-128
- /museum/thomson-mo-5
- /museum/thomson-mo-6
- /museum/thomson-mo5-e
- /museum/thomson-mo5-nr
- /museum/thomson-to-7
- /museum/thomson-to-7-70
- /museum/thomson-to-8-to-8d
- /museum/thomson-to-9-plus
oc_id: 239
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608080739/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=239
date: '2023-06-08'
---
The Thomson TO9 had a short career and was quickly replaced with the [Thomson TO9](/museum/thomson-to-9-plus/) plus.
It was designed to be a "super" [Thomson TO 7-70](/museum/thomson-to-7/) and has lost of its characteristics. Some options were available : RS232c and joystick connector, modem or genlock. Notice that the very first version of the TO 9 (never marketed) had a 5.25" floppy disk drive.
Contrary to the next Thomson series which have a sophisticated memory management, the TO 9 upper 64 KB ram are used as a ramdisk.
It is provided with several utilities in ROM : two basics, a word processor (paragraphe) and a data base (fiche & dossiers), there were some problems with these utilities which couldn't be easy updated.
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