website/content/museum/lucas-nascom-1.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Lucas Nascom 1	Computers	Home Computer	United Kingdom	1978	Z80	name image logo company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware emulators links related oc_id source Nascom 1 /media/museum/photos/lucas_nascom1_system_1.jpg /media/museum/logos/lucas_nascom1_logo.gif /companies/lucas Lucas label value NAME Nascom 1 label value MANUFACTURER Lucas label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN United Kingdom label value YEAR 1978 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Monitor label value KEYBOARD Full stroke 47 keys label value CPU Z80 label value SPEED 1 or 2 MHz. label value CO-PROCESSOR None label value RAM 1 KB label value VRAM 1 KB label value ROM 1 or 2 KB label value TEXT MODES 48 chars. x 16 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES None label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND Unknown label value SIZE / WEIGHT 30.5 (L) x 19.2 (W) cm. (8 x 12 in) label value I/O PORTS TV-UHF video interface, selectable serial port (Tape recorder or RS232 or Teletype current loop) label value BUILT IN MEDIA Cassette tape label value OS Monitor in ROM label value POWER SUPPLY Separate power supply unit (sold as option) label value PERIPHERALS Memory boards and various I/O interfaces label value PRICE £199 in kit form photos adverts hardware emulators links 795 title subtitle text image LARGE VIEW Taken from a Nascom brochure /media/museum/photos/lucas_nascom1_system_2.jpg title subtitle text image NASCOM 1 BROCHURE /media/museum/pubs/lucas_nascom1_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 - Nascom.info http://www.mixtel.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/nascgem/index.html Great Nascom history and info 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-2 /museum/lucas-nascom-3 814 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230530214032/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=814 2023-05-30

The Nascom 1 was the most popular British made computer kit in the U.K. It was an affordable single board Z80 based computer with a keyboard attached by cable. It came as a kit or ready-built.

Why Nascom? Because the idea of a low cost computer intended for U.K. hobbysts was originated by an American company called Nasco. However, the board was designed in the U.K. by Shelton Instruments Ltd that, later, also designed and sold the Sig-Net

The minimum configuration featured 2 KB RAM and 1 KB ROM monitor, but the Nascom could be gradually extended into a system that was powerful enough to compete with many home computers of the time, Pet, Apple or Tandy.

Actually, the RAM area was divided into two parts: 1 KB for user program and data and 1 KB for storing characters displayed to the television. The ROM monitor provided basic functions: enter program and data, display memory content and processor registers, save and load programs from a tape recorder.

A whole range of peripherals and expansions were available from independant suppliers, as well as a vast range of software and many user groups. Several magazines dedicated to the Nascom and its relatives, the Gemini computers, were published. Many languages were available including BASIC, PASCAL, C, FORTH, etc.