website/content/museum/video-technology-laser-50-one.md

---
title: Video Technology Laser 50 / One
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Hong Kong
years:
- '1985'
cpus:
- Z80A
params:
  name: Laser 50 / One
  image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_system_s1.jpg
  company: /companies/video-technology
  company_name: Video Technology
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Laser 50 / One
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Video Technology
  - label: TYPE
    value: Home Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Hong Kong
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1985'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Basic
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: |-
      QWERTY, 46 typewriter keys + 4 function keys\
      CTRL, SHIFT, SPACE, RETURN and ACC (Accent) key with Led built-in
  - label: CPU
    value: Z80A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 3,58 Mhz
  - label: RAM
    value: 2192 bytes (expandable to 18 kb )
  - label: ROM
    value: 12 kb
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 1 line x 16 chars.
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 80 x 7 dots
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper (1 voice, 3 octaves)
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 27.5 (W) x 16.3 (D) x 4.2 (H) cm / 700g
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Tape-recorder jack, Memory expansion ports, Parallel printer port
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: |-
      4 x UM3 (''AA'') batteries\
      or 6v DC, 15mA, 22mW with external PSU
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: |-
      4 colors plotter PP-40I\
      Thermic printer TP-20\
      16 kb RAM expansion\
      Tape recorder
  - label: PRICE
    value: Unknown
  tabs:
  - photos
  - hardware
  photos:
  - title: LARGER VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_system_s2.jpg
  - title: SIDE VIEWS
    subtitle: ''
    text: The Laser 50 is the size of a "big" pocket computer.
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_sides_s1.jpg
  - title: DISPLAY CLOSE-UP
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_display_s1.jpg
  - title: 'CLOSE-UP #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_case_s1.jpg
  - title: BOTTOM SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: Two trap doors allow to insert batteries and memory expansion module.
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_underneath_s1.jpg
  - title: REAR SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      From left to right:\
      • Parallel printer flat connector\
      • external supply and tape recorder jacks.
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_rearside_s1.jpg
  - title: OPENED
    subtitle: ''
    text: The build is of poor quality. Single sided printed circuits with lots of straps, no connectors but only soldered and glued leads and flat cables.
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_opened_s1.jpg
  - title: THE ELECTRONICS
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      The electronics is composed of only 3 ICs. Two Toshiba chipsets (T7812 & T7813) hold the Z80 CPU, the BASIC interpreter and manage the keyboard, display and printer interface. Strangely, each chipset manages half of the LCD display. The third IC is a 4 KB RAM 5116.

      **(1)** The twin Toshiba chipsets\
      **(2)** LCD display connector\
      **(3)** Printer and external supply jacks\
      **(4)** 5116 RAM chip, here a Sharp version\
      **(5)** Keyboard's rubber sheet. Each "bubble" corresponds to a key.
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_circuitry_s1.jpg
  - title: USER MANUAL
    subtitle: ''
    text: The manual provides clear and detailed information about the built-in Basic.
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_manual_s1.jpg
  - title: THE BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser50_box_1.jpg
  hardware:
  - title: MOST OF THE EXTENSIONS
    subtitle: ''
    text: The tape-recorder + thermic printer + RAM extension
    image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_laser50_extensions.jpg
  - title: LASER 4 COLOURS PRINTER PP40I
    subtitle: ''
    text: A nice little 4 colours plotter using a very common mechanism at that time. It's the same printer used for the Laser 200 family.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_laser50_pp40.jpg
  comments:
  - author: Marty McFly
    date: Sunday 2nd June 2019
    text: Could someone please send me a PDF of the Basic instruction Manual that came with the Laser 50? Just bought this computer used over e-bay, and I want to get into Basic programming, but I can''t find that booklet anywhere online.
  - author: Brian (America)
    date: Wednesday 16th November 2011
    text: I owned one when I was 6! This baby set me on the path of the programmer! Amazing!
  - author: Talib (Seattle, WA)
    date: Tuesday 10th August 2010
    text: I would love to own it, i will buy it from you. Anybody willing to sell it?
  - author: cyberfritz (Germany)
    date: Monday 17th March 2008
    text: |-
      Hello, can someone send me a copy of the manual?

      Thanks & Regards,\
      cyberfritz
  - author: Josh (Indiana, United States)
    date: Tuesday 13rd May 2003
    text: This weekend, I purchased a Laser 50 at a local thrift store. I'm still trying to think of some useful application for it. Any ideas?
  - author: Ralf (Germany)
    date: Monday 6th May 2002
    text: Nobody here to remember? Damn. It's a very rare machine ..
  oc_id: 447
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230601000917/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=447
    date: '2023-06-01'
---

The Laser 50 was a small and cheap computer, nearly pocket sized. It was sold as an educational computer (it's written on it), and in France it was sold in a suitcase along with an introductory cartoon-book....