This strange hybrid computer came in two parts: a videogame console and a computer. The game system, called the APF MP-1000, was released in 1978. It had two controlers, each with a joystick and a numeric keypad. It came with a built-in game called "Rocket Patrol".
The computer console, the "Imagination Machine" was sold as an add-on for the MP-1000. You could also buy both at the same time (most people did). The computer has a 53-key standard typewriter keyboard, a built-in stereo cassette deck (1500 baud), a built-in sound-speaker and an internal operating system and BASIC language interpreter. The APF BASIC, delivered on cartridge, was quite poor. You had to use a lot of POKEs and CALLs to play with graphics. For example, to clear the screen, the command was CALL 17046.
The video game system nestled on top of the keyboard module. This computer add-on concept would later be used by several game system manufacturers like Coleco with their Colecovision game system connected to the Adam Computer, or Intellivision and their ECS module (and keyboard component).
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NAME
Imagination Machine
MANUFACTURER
APF
TYPE
Home Computer
ORIGIN
U.S.A.
YEAR
1979
END OF PRODUCTION
1981
BUILT IN LANGUAGE
APF Basic on cartridge
KEYBOARD
Full-stroke keyboard - 53 keys
CPU
Motorola 6800
SPEED
3.579 Mhz
CO-PROCESSOR
Motorola MC-6847P video display generator
RAM
9 KB expandable to 17 KB
ROM
14 KB
TEXT MODES
16 lines x 32 char. (8 colours)
GRAPHIC MODES
128 x 192 (8 colours) - 256 x 192 (4 colours)
COLORS
8
SOUND
Built-in music synthetiser & speaker, one channel, 5 octaves
SIZE / WEIGHT
unknown
I/O PORTS
TV aerial output, Microphone jack, expansion port
BUILT IN MEDIA
1500 baud, stereo cassette deck
POWER SUPPLY
13.8V AC / 1.25 Amp
PERIPHERALS
5.25'' disk drive unit, expansion box, RS-232 & 8 KB RAM cartridges
