The DRAGON 32 enjoyed a pretty good success in Europe. Its ROM holds the Operating System and a version of the Microsoft Extended BASIC.
One of its characteristics is partial compatibility with the Tandy TRS 80 Color Series. They can use same peripherals and some cartridges, but most ROM calls will fail on the other computer.
However, the Dragon did have at least two advantages over the first TRS-80 Color computer: A typewriter-style keyboard that was somewhat better than the tandy's calculator-like keys; and a Centronics parallel-printer port.
Two years later, Welsh launched the DRAGON 64 which has the same characteristics except the added memory (64k RAM instead of 32k), a RS232c port and minor ROM changes.
i have a as new dragon 32 computer, plus dragon 32 printer...in the original boxes, anybody interested email me...brian
Tuesday 27th July 2010
brian estcourt (uk)
Wow... Dragon 64 was my first computer...it was the gilty I start to interest on computers... 20 yrs later.. I continue working on them!!!
I'keep my Dragon 64 working (with it's infamous orange monitor) after a couple of repairings.
Sunday 22nd October 2006
Jose Luis Medina (ES)
Dragons 32 and 64 were a great success here in Israel from 1983. They successfully competed Atari, Apple, Commodore Sinclair, BBC, Tandy and others and in many cases won on speed, color, sound, size and price. Support was available through UK and local centers. They had plenty of additional materia:. Hardware add-ons (joysticks, single and dual floppy drives, matching displays, cables, cassette drives) Software was avilable in all forms (magazines, listings, cassettes and later floppies too) and we used to have several fan clubs with many both young and experienced programmers who exchanged programs on buletin boards and even on one of the very first "internet" networks that used the old dial up standalone modems. You guys wouldnt believe to what heights we brought that original flight simulator, after groups of veteran pilots added their knowhow to programmers to create a real life simulator..... I bought my first 32 in 1983 and traded it in for the 64 a year later. It was my first PC and a fabulous machine for learning machine code, basic, pascal, OS9 op system which actually was a subset of unix and more. The dragons followed me from my days as an electronics student, through marriage, several homes, two kids and a long Hi-tec carreer. I gave away the 64 in 1997 in perfect condition with all its manuals and software, after many years serving faithfully my two kids. I naturally switched in the late 80's to PCs of which I had almost every type and size but will never forget those dragons which allowed me to enter the magic world of computers and electronics - and did a faster and better job than all my proffesors put together. Farewell, little dragons - You'll always have a place in my heart.
Sunday 17th September 2006
Gabriel Klein (Haifa Israel)
NAME
Dragon 32
MANUFACTURER
Dragon Data Ltd
TYPE
Home Computer
ORIGIN
United Kingdom
YEAR
January 1982
BUILT IN LANGUAGE
Microsoft Extended Basic Basic Interpreter 1.0 (1982)
KEYBOARD
QWERTY Mechanical keyboard 53 keys
CPU
Motorola MC6809EP
SPEED
0,9 Mhz
CO-PROCESSOR
Motorola MC-6847 Video Display Generator
RAM
32 kb
ROM
2 x 8K or 16K EPROM comprising Microsoft Extended BASIC
TEXT MODES
32 x 16
GRAPHIC MODES
Several graphic modes, max : 256 x 192 (with 2 colors)
COLORS
8
SOUND
1 voice, 5 octaves with the Basic 4 voices, 7 octaves with machine code
SIZE / WEIGHT
38 (W) x 32.5 (D) x 9.7 (H) cm / 2.1 kg
I/O PORTS
TV connector, 2 analogue joystick ports, cassette port, Centronics parallel printer port, cartridge slot, composite monitor port
PRICE
Dragon 32 : 455 (France, november 83) Dragon 32: 211 (France, november 85)
ShareThis
(France, november 83)
