TRS-80 by Tandy / Radio Shack

1977

Yes I know it’s not a portable computer.  In fact it’s barely a computer.  But it gets into my list as it was the first computer I ever owned.  I learned to program in basic and Z80 assembler code, and even ran my first business running a marketing database that sent reminders out from the ‘Green lane motor company’ that their clients’ car was due for service.  I had to fight an Epson MX-80 dot matrix printer and make mailing labels every month.  Later I got a second client and used to send reminders to husbands that their anniversary was coming up, offering a free glass of wine with coupon.  My dad and I easily paid for the hardware with (early) junk-mail! So I suppose it really was a computer.

“Combined into one unit is the microcomputer circuitry and a 53-key professional-type keyboard input. The “brain” of the computer is a Zilog Z-80 microprocessor that serves as the central processing unit.  This remarkable device, about the size of a watermelon seed, is one of the most advanced microprocessor chips available today”

By 1979, the TRS-80 had the largest available selection of software in the microcomputer market – including some bad adventure programs written by me.

Rugged portable it is not

In my defense, it did come with an optional transit case!

TRS-80’s has the Zilog Z-80 processor and 4K or 16K of RAM.  By the time I’d finished upgrading mine, it had two 87.3K Floppy Drives.  Tandy sold over 10,000 TRS-80s Model Is in its first one and a half months of sales, and over 200,000 during the product’s lifetime.  The product was popular enough it had a clone – the Video Genie.  I actually had a Video Genie as it was a long way to a Radio Shack where I lived in England.

TRS-80 Clone – like the one I used to own

TRS-80 with cassette player

There is still some activity on the web for die-hard ‘trash-80’ owners – Try TRS-80.org.uk who are still producing a monthly newsletter!

The first TRS-80 catalog

For all your Radio Shack TRS-80 model catalog wants: www.radioshackcatalogs.com/computer.html

TRS-80 Hobby Sites:

Ira Goldklang’s TRS-80 Revived Site

Try this if you want to re-create the Tandy experience: Emulators

Elsewhere on rugged-portable: TRS-80 Model 100

TRS-80 Games:

Unfortunately I don’t have any copies of the TRS-80 games I wrote – mostly poor clones of Scott Adams adventures; many of which I hadn’t played before “re-creating” them.  Here’s a link to emulators specifically for you text adventure addicts: Scott Adams

1977 – IBM Portable PC5110  1978>