website/content/museum/lucas-nascom-3.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Lucas Nascom 3	Computers	Home Computer	United Kingdom	1981	Zilog Z80 A	name image logo company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware emulators links related oc_id source Nascom 3 /media/museum/photos/lucas_nascom3_system_s1.jpg /media/museum/logos/lucas_nascom3_logo.gif /companies/lucas Lucas label value NAME Nascom 3 label value MANUFACTURER Lucas label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR December 1981 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Microsoft Basic label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke keyboard label value CPU Zilog Z80 A label value SPEED 4 MHz label value RAM 8 KB to 60 KB (depending on models) label value ROM Unknown label value TEXT MODES 40 or 80 columns x 25 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 400 x 256 (8 colours) - 800 x 256 (2 colours) label value COLORS 8 (320 x 256) / 2 (640 x 256) label value SOUND Unknown label value I/O PORTS TV and video outputs, tape recorder, Serial and Parallel ports label value BUILT IN MEDIA Two 350 KB 5.25'' disk-drives (optional) label value OS NAS-SYS, CP/M 2.2 or NAS-DOS label value POWER SUPPLY built-in power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS Light pen, NASBUS cards label value PRICE $1,493 (UK, 1982) photos adverts hardware emulators links 185 title subtitle text image LARGE VIEW /media/museum/photos/lucas_nascom3_system_s2.jpg title subtitle text image LUCAS LOGIC BROCHURE /media/museum/pubs/lucas_nascom3_brochure_s1.jpg title subtitle text image IEEE488 CARD Made by EV Computing Ltd. /media/museum/hardware/lucas_nascom2_ieee488board_1.jpg title subtitle text image ROM CARD This card can be fitted with 2708 (1 KB) or 2716 (2 KB) EPROM chips, giving up to 32 KB of ROM area. The card also provides a special socket (bottom left) for the 8K Microsoft BASIC interpreter ROM. /media/museum/hardware/lucas_nascom2_romboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image ROM/RAM MEMORY CARD Features 32 KB RAM (16 x 4116) and 8 KB ROM (4 x 2708) /media/museum/hardware/lucas_nascom2_memoryboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image 48 KB RAM CARD This card holds 3 banks of 16 KB 4116 RAM chips. /media/museum/hardware/lucas_nascom2_48kramboard_1.jpg title subtitle text image COLOR GRAPHICS CARD The PLUTO color graphics card offered a maximum resolution of 768 x 576 pixels with 8 colours. It featured an Intel 8088 processor, 192 KB of RAM (3 planes of 64 KB) and could be connected to any RGB TTL or composite colour or monochrome monitor. /media/museum/hardware/lucas_nascom2_plutographcard_1.jpg title subtitle text image I/O CARD This card provides support for six 8-bit parallel ports, one serial port (not installed here), and one counter/timer control unit. The card was supplied with empty sockets. Each device could be acquired separately. /media/museum/hardware/lucas_nascom2_iocard_1.jpg title subtitle text image FDD CONTROLLER CARD Floppy disk drive controller card along with its genuine Lucas box. /media/museum/hardware/lucas_nascom2_fdboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image BUS CARD EXTENDER This card allowed to check any Nascom card without it being directly inserted into the Nascom bus. /media/museum/hardware/lucas_nascom2_busextender_s1.jpg title url platform text Nascom 1 emulator http://members.aol.com/mk14emu/nascom.htm MS DOS This emulator, written by Paul Robson, supports all the hardware of the standard Nascom 1 title url platform text MESS http://www.mess.org Windows MESS also emulates Nascom computers ! title url platform text Nasemu http://www.myplace.nu/nascom/nasemu.htm Windows This Nascom-2 emulator is a work in progress. It is an attempt to fully emulate a Nascom-2 computer. title url platform text Nascom 2 / 3 Java Emulator http://www.nascomhomepage.com/#Virtual%20Nascom Other platform Java emulator written by Richard Espley is available. title url platform text Virtual Nascom http://www.nascomhomepage.com/#Virtual%20Nascom Multiplatform Nascom emulator for Unix/X11 and DOS title url text All things Nascom, Gemini and MAP-80 HTTP://WWW.80BUS.COM A complete archive for 80 BUS Systems title url text MIXTEL http://www.mixtel.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/pictures.html Info about Nascom and Gemini title url text MIXTEL - Nascom.info http://www.mixtel.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nascgem/index.html Great Nascom history and info title url text NASCOM home page http://www.bln.de/conzi/nascomhomepage/ All you will ever need to know about Nascom systems!! title url text Nascom Nostalgia http://www.myplace.nu/nascom/ Excellent ressource with info, software and documentations title url text The Nascom Home Page http://www.nascomhomepage.com/ Wow, you want to go there. Info, links ,software, documentations and more ! /museum/lucas-nascom-1 /museum/lucas-nascom-2 175 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230606210120/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=175 2023-06-06

When the original Nascom company went into liquidation, the owner and a number of staff immediately set up Gemini in the next town. Gemini produced computer boards and systems using the same bus as the original Nascom. After some delay, the original Nascom operation was taken over by a division of Lucas Industries in 1981 (renamed Lucas Nascom), who developed the system and produced new boards and software.

The Nascom 3 was basically a cased version of the original Nascom 2, using the original Nascom 2 mother board, with space for fitting various expansion cards (disc drive interface, Advanced Video Controller, memory, etc).

Both CPM and NAS-DOS operating systems were available for disc users, though the original tape interface remained, and in its most basic form the machine could be used with this, and no disc drives. There was also a network system based on NAS-DOS.

Since the bus of both the Nascom and Gemini systems was the same, it was not unusual for users to create hybrid systems - adding, for example, Gemini boards to their Nascom 3 or 2, or of course fitting Nascom boards into Gemini systems. Lucas designed and manufactured their own boards and systems, and indeed the Gemini and Nascom products were in competition in the market.

There was several software available: Nascal (Financial Modeller), Manor (Data Base Manager), Corplan (Business Modeller), Calcstar (Financial Modeller), Wordstar (Word Processor), FMS 81 (Data Base Manager), etc.

The Nascom III can accept Nascom II boards, and some new hardware: Hires colour graphics, 80 columns, single or double floppy drives (0.75 MB each), printer, etc.

Thanks to Mike Hessey for the help.