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Info for ep128


====== Enterprise 128 (1985) ======




===== Features =====

* CPU: Zilog Z80A 4 MHz
* Co-Processor: NICK (video), DAVE (sound)
* RAM: 128 KB (64 KB -of which 50 KB available- in Enterprise 64)
* VRAM: 64 KB
* ROM: 32 KB
* Text Modes: 40 x 24 / 80 x 32-28 / 84 x 64
* Graphic Modes: Eight graphic modes, max : 672 x 512 (2 col), most used : 256 x 160 (16 col)
* Colors: 256 (simultaneously in the mode 180 x 80)
* Sound: 3 channels + 1 noise channel, 8 octaves
* I/O Ports: RGB Video / Audio output, Expansion port, Tape Interface, Joystick (2),
* Cartridge slot, RS432 (Serial/Net), TV output, Power input, Printer
* Keyboard: Complete keyboard with function keys and built-in joystick
* OS: IS-DOS, EXDOS
* Built In Language: IS-Basic (ROM cartridge)



===== Usage =====

MESS supports up to four floppy drives for ep128. You can run disks in .dsk format using the correspondent devices, "floppydisk1" (flop1) to "floppydisk4" (flop4).

== BASIC programs ==

This computer has a built in word processor, from BASIC enter
TYPE
to enter it.

To run a program, enter from BASIC
RUN"filename"
or
LOAD"filename"

Alternatively, you can type
:EXDOS
to enter a CLI interface where you can type directly EXDOS commands.

If typing from BASIC you must enter ":" in front of EXDOS commands.

== EXDOS commands ==

The following EXDOS commands are allowed:

CHDIR [dir name] - Change Dir.[dir name] does not need to be enclosed in quotes.
DIR - show directory listing

== Keyboard ==

This system requires full keyboard emulation to work correctly. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the "Scroll Lock" key (by default).



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

* Some programs do not work well.
* Not all graphic modes are emulated.
* Interrupts are not emulated correctly.
* Samples and simple tone is supported, complex effects using ring modulation and filtering are not supported.
* Tapes are not supported.



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

The Enterprise 64 was a very long-awaited computer, two years between its announcement and its marketing! It changed its name a lot of times: its first name was Elan 64, then Flan, lastly Enterprise.

It has great features, which wasn't found on all other home computers, like its interfaces, great graphics and sounds capacities provided by two special custom chips called "Nick" and "Dave".

The BASIC Interpreter is supplied on a ROM cartridge and can be easily replaced with any other language. This BASIC is a very powerful structured basic with great graphic commands and can store several programs simultaneously in RAM.

It has a small word processing in ROM and up to 32 computers can be linked together.

But despite its great characteristics and all its interfaces, the Enterprise 64 was a flop in the marketplace.

Several months later, a new model was launched: the Enterprise 128, which was nothing more than an Enterprise 64 with 128 KB RAM.

Unsold stocks of these systems (nearly all :-)), were sold to East-Europeans countries, and especially Hungary where it met great success. Thus, most nowadays Enterprise activity comes from here.

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



===== Links =====

* Enterprise 128 Page (Hungarian) -- http://enterprise.8bit.hu/
* Enterprise 128 at old-computers.com -- http://old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=153



===== Other Emulators =====

* EP128 Emu -- http://ep128emu.sourceforge.net/
* ep32 -- http://web.axelero.hu/egzo/ep/




Generated on Sun Jul 19 10:17:28 2009