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Info for einstein


====== Tatung Einstein TC-01 (1984) ======




===== Features =====

* CPU: Zilog Z80 A 4 MHz
* RAM: 64 KB (44 KB free for user)
* VRAM: 16 KB
* ROM: 8 KB (up to 32 KB)
* Text Modes: 40 / 32 columns x 24 rows
* Graphic Modes: 256 x 192 dots
* Colors: 16
* Sound: 3 voices, 7 octaves
* I/O Ports: RS232c, Centronics, User port, Joystick (2), Bus Z80, Floppy Disk
* Keyboard: Full-stroke QWERTY keyboard. 51 keys + 8 function keys
* Built In Media: one or two Hitachi 3" floppy disk unit (380 KB)
* OS: Xtal/DOS



===== Usage =====

When this driver starts, and a disk is not in the drive, an internal monitor program will start.

To use this driver you will need the Xtal operating system disks which will start CP/M and from here you can run many CP/M based
programs.

You can put a disk image into the drive and boot CP/M by pressing "CTRL"+"ALT" together.



===== Known Issues =====

The floppy disc emulation may not be fully working. Interrupts are not working properly.

MESS also supports the emulation of the Einstein connected with the 80-colum expansion card as a TESTDRIVER, i.e. not included in the pre-compiled MESS you find at mess.org -- http://www.mess.org/.

Thank you to Chris Coxall for the schematics, a dump of the bios ROM, and the Xtal operating system. He has been a great help with the development of this driver.

Thank you to Andrew Dunipace for help with the 80-column expansion card.



===== History and Trivia =====

The Tatung Einstein is a 8-bit computer with hardware similar to the MSX-1. The computer was produced with two 3" disk drives and ran the CP/M operating system.

More precisely, the Einstein runs under Xtal/DOS which is an operating system compatible with CP/M. It was possible to connect an other floppy disk drive and a 80 column card was available.

The Einstein was a very attractive computer but it was too expensive to have great market success.

The TC-01 is the first version of the hardware, with the 256 being the second version aimed more towards games.

//(info from old-computers.com)//



===== Links =====

* Chris Coxall's Tatung Einstein Page -- http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/retrocomputer/xindex.html
* Tatung Einstein Reborn -- http://www.tatungeinstein.freespaces.com/index.html
* Tatung Einstein at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=86




Generated on Sun Jul 19 10:17:28 2009