website/content/museum/apollo-7-squale.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Apollo 7 SQUALE	Computers	Home Computer	France	1984	Motorola 6809	name image logo company company_name specs tabs photos adverts hardware screenshots comments oc_id source SQUALE /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_system_s2.jpg /media/museum/logos/appolo7_squale_logo.gif /companies/apollo-7 Apollo 7 label value NAME SQUALE label value MANUFACTURER Apollo 7 label value TYPE Home Computer label value ORIGIN France label value YEAR September 1984 label value END OF PRODUCTION Never produced on a large scale label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE S Basic in ROM cartridge label value KEYBOARD AZERTY\ 55 keys, Mechanical keyboard\ ESC, CTRL, DEL, Return, 2 SHIFT, LOCK, Reset\ 4 arrow keys label value CPU Motorola 6809 label value SPEED 1 MHz label value RAM 92 kb, up to 256kb with extension label value VRAM 32 kb label value ROM 4 kb label value TEXT MODES 40 x 25 label value GRAPHIC MODES 256 x 256 label value COLORS 16 label value SOUND 3 voices, 5 octaves label value SIZE / WEIGHT 500 x 195 x 10 mm label value I/O PORTS 2 joystick ports, Tape-recorder din plug, Modem, Centronics port, Light pen din plug, SS30 bus extension port, Cartridge port, Scart video output, Analog 2 Digital converter (optional) label value BUILT IN MEDIA Rom Pack reader label value OS Flex 09 label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in Power supply unit label value PRICE 532 with colour monitor (France, May 85)\ 475 with monochrome monitor (France, May 85) photos adverts hardware software title subtitle text image LARGE VIEW The metal case was to be replaced by a plastic version when the production would be sufficient, but the plastic version was apparently never built. /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_system_s1.jpg title subtitle text image RIGHT SIDE Some versions had a trap door at the front of the cartridge slot. /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_rightside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image LEFT SIDE /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_leftside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image PROFILE VIEW /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_profile_s1.jpg title subtitle text image CARTRIDGE SLOT CLOSE-UP /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_cartslot_s1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP Although the keyboard had a French layout, it didn't offer French accented letters. /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_keyboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR CONNECTORS Many connectors and expansion capabilities, but the manufacturer never supplied the necessary software tools to exploit them. Note that, in this model, all the connectors were fixed by rivets; it was thus impossible to open the case and get to the motherboard without drilling 14 holes! From left to right:\ • Parallel Centronics printer connector\ • SS-30 bus expansion connector\ • Tape recorder DIN socket\ • Modem or serial device connector\ • Dual joystick connectors\ • Light pen DIN socket\ • RGB video output connector /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_rearcon_s1.jpg title subtitle text image TOP COVER The top cover holds the keyboard - made in Germany by Cherry - and the power supply unit. /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_topcover_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MAINBOARD **(1)** Motorola 9365, manages text and graphics display\ **(2)** General Instruments AY-3-8910 programmable sound generator (3 voices, 8 octaves + white noise)\ **(3)** Motorola 6850 ACIA (Asynchronous Communications Interface Adapter), used for the serial port and built-in modem\ **(4)** Thomson EFB 7510, 1200 baud modem\ **(5)** 4 KB monitor ROM\ **(6)** First Motorola 6821P in charge of various Input/Outputs\ **(7)** Motorola 6809 microprocessor\ **(8)** Cartridge connector cable\ **(9)** Power leads (+5V, -5V, +12V)\ **(10)** 64 KB user RAM chips (8 x 4564)\ **(11)** Second Motorola 6821P\ **(12)** Keyboard cable soldered to both the mainboard and keyboard\ **(13)** 32 KB video RAM chips (16 x 4116)\ **(14)** 3 x R.G.B. channel amplifiers /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_mainboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image POWER SUPPLY UNIT The minimalist, poor quality and even dangerous power supply unit (very bad electrical isolation). /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_powersup_1.jpg title subtitle text image BASIC HANDBOOK Although this small handbook (15 x 10 cm) was copyrighted by Siros France Co., the Squale Basic interpreter seems to be very close to the that of the <$91$>Tandy Color computer one /media/museum/photos/aplollo7_squale_manual_1.jpg title subtitle text image FRENCH ADVERT /media/museum/pubs/apollo7_squale_pub1.jpg title subtitle text image DISK-DRIVE AND PLOTTER Here is the double 5''1/4 disk-drive (320k ?)presented at the Micro-Expo (Paris) in 1985.\ On top of it is a common tape-recorder and classic 4-colors plotter (MCP-40), the same used for many micro-computers of that time (Oric for example). /media/museum/hardware/apollo7_squale_diskdrive.jpg title subtitle text image NUMBERS ET LETTERS This is a game from the famous TV game... /media/museum/software/appolo7_squale_ss2.jpg title subtitle text image DEMO SCREENSHOT ? This must be a screenshot from the demo.\ There's shark swimming in the sea and the logo of the Squale. /media/museum/software/appolo7_squale_ss1.jpg title subtitle text image POKER /media/museum/software/appolo7_squale_ss3.jpg author date text Denis Faivre (France) Saturday 26th December 2020 Believe it or not: one of my relatives won one of these computers by answering with my help a phone quiz on Radio Arc-En-Ciel, a local radio. I remember there were 2 questions to be answered: 1) How many bits in a byte? and 2) Which processor is powering the Squale? :-) The machine had a really sturdy riveted metal sheet case. If I recall correctly the user manual was a tiny paperback, the machine was pretty buggy and therefore useless, so it soon landed in a closet. Unfortunately, 30 years later I don''t know what happened to it. author date text Andrew Fiori (Canada) Monday 12th September 2005 Does anyone have a Squale that they are willing to sell? I am interested in purchasing one, preferably with the S-BASIC manual. 224 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230130203607/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=224 2023-01-30

The Squale was a strange computer which was sold in very small quantities. The BASIC was supplied in a cartridge. Only 28 KB were free for the user (4 KB for the monitor, 28 KB for BASIC and FLEX and 32 KB for the video memory). One of its interesting characteristics was its built-in modem (Thomson EFB 7510, 1200 baud, full duplex or 1200/75 baud, half duplex). The designers of this computer apparently encountered lots of problems with the development of the Squale, which explains why it sold in such limited quantities.