website/content/museum/thomson-to-9.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Thomson TO 9	Computers	Home Computer	France	1985	Motorola 6809 e	name company company_name specs tabs photos adverts hardware emulators links videos related oc_id source TO 9 /companies/thomson Thomson label value NAME TO 9 label value MANUFACTURER Thomson label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN France label value YEAR 1985 label value CPU Motorola 6809 e label value SPEED 1 MHz label value RAM 128 KB (107 KB for the user) label value ROM 136 KB label value TEXT MODES 40 x 24 / 80 x 24 label value GRAPHIC MODES 320 x 200 (16 colors) / 640 x 200 (2 colors) / 320 x 200 (4 colors) / 160 x 200 label value COLORS from 2 to 16 among 4096 label value SOUND three channels, 7 octaves label value I/O PORTS Light Pen, Joystick, Mouse, Centronics, Cardridge, Audio, Bus slots (3) label value BUILT IN MEDIA One 3.5'' disk-drive photos adverts hardware emulators links videos title subtitle text image ANOTHER VIEW null title subtitle text image TOP VIEW null title subtitle text image MAIN UNIT With external 3.5" FDD unit null title subtitle text image FRONT PANEL From left to right:\ • ROM cartridges housing\ • Reset switch\ • Keyboard RJ11 plug\ • Light pen DIN plug\ • Tape recorder DIN plug null title subtitle text image KEYBOARD null title subtitle text image REAR SIDE **(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,...) null title subtitle text image MONITOR REAR SIDE The Thomson monitor offered a headphone output as well as numerous screen adjustments, among them one adjustment for each RGB colour. null title subtitle text image INSIDE 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. null title subtitle text image MAINBOARD **(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 null title subtitle text image BOOT SCREEN 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. null title subtitle text image FRENCH ADVERT (DEC. 1985) "9990 francs the TO9. Colors included" "Thomson. All the world in a present" null title subtitle text image FRENCH ADVERT (APRIL 1987) "You're never so well served than by yourself..." "...create your own micro-server on Thomson." null title subtitle text image THOMSON JOYSTICKS null title subtitle text image 3.5'' FD UNIT Ref. DD09-350 null title subtitle text image 5.25'' DISK DRIVE 320 KB model This 5.25'' disk-drive offers a 320 KB capacity (40 tracks > 16 sectors > 256 bytes) and a built-in controller. /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_diskdrive_2.jpg title subtitle text image DISK CONTROLLER CD 90-351 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. /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_disk-interface.jpg title subtitle text image JOYSTICK MODULE Dual Atari compatible joysticks module /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_joymodule_1.jpg title subtitle text image MUSIC & GAME MODULE CM 90-112 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... /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_joy-interface.jpg title subtitle text image MUSIC & GAME MODULE #2 /media/museum/hardware/thomson_mo5_musicetjeu_s1.jpg title subtitle text image ORDI 94 Joystick Interface 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. /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_joy-atari.jpg title subtitle text image PRINTER PR-90 080 80 columns dot-matrix printer which was a rebadged version of the Seikosha GP-80 /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to7_imp_pr90-080.jpg title subtitle text image PRINTER PR-90 600 80-column 9-pin dot matrix printer. A rebadged version of the Seikosha SP-1000 with graphics capabilities /media/museum/hardware/thomson_to9_imppr90_600_1.jpg title url platform text DCMO5 http://dcmo5.free.fr/ Windows Thomson MO5 emulator for PC title url platform text DCMO5 Gamer Edition HTTP://DCMO5.FREE.FR Windows Easy to use emulator, to run MO5 games without knowing MO5 commands title url platform text DCMO6 http://dcmo6.free.fr/ Windows Thomson MO5NR, Thomson MO6 and Olivetti Prodest PC128 emulator for PC title url platform text DCMOTO http://dcmoto.free.fr/ Windows 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 url platform text DCTO7 and DCTO8 http://dcto7.free.fr/ Windows Thomson T9000, TO7/70, TO8, TO8D emulator for Windows title url platform text TODC http://www.jplang.fr.st/ Other platform No, you are not dreaming. This is a TO-7/70 emulator for the Dreamcast game system ! title url text AmiTO8 http://membres.lycos.fr/amito8/data/Accueil.html Amiga / Thomson dedicated site. Some original stuff there! title url text Christophe's Lair http://lair.thomsonistes.org/ Lot of stuff here, a must see site (french) title url text Collection Thomson http://gfournier.free.fr/ Another great site with tons of documentation title url text DCMOTO http://dcmoto.free.fr/ Excellent site !! Home of the DCMOTO emulator. Lot od documentations and software to download. A must see ! title url text Forum Thomson http://forumthomson2001.free.fr/forum01.htm Get in contact with other Thomson fans (in french) title url text MOTO, le site Des micros Thomsons http://www.multimania.com/tonews/ Some info about the Thomson computers (french) title url text Nostalgies Thomsonistes http://nostalgies.thomsonistes.org/ Excellent site dedicated to Thomson computers (french) title url text Thomatoes http://wiki.forler.ch Thomson Wiki title url text www.logicielsmoto.com http://www.logicielsmoto.com/home.php Fantastic site! Very big software library and much more! title url text MO5 french TV commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPr7NeqMobc Length: 31 s /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 239 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230608080739/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=239 2023-06-08

The Thomson TO9 had a short career and was quickly replaced with the Thomson TO9 plus.

It was designed to be a "super" Thomson TO 7-70 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.