Hardware

Dinosaur sightings: The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo)

By // January 28, 2008, 11:25 PM PST // markwkaelin

Image 1 of 8

  • The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer 2

    Before Microsoft and Bill Gates took control of the personal computer market, personal computers such as the Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (aka CoCo) were all the rage. The Model 3134 TRS-80 shown in this TechRepublic Photo Gallery, came with a whopping 16K or RAM memory. Our TRS-80 CoCo is slated for a Cracking Open Gallery in the near future.

  • That's right Radio Shack

    The name on the TRS-80 would eventually change to Tandy.

  • Cartridges

    One of the best ways to get applications loaded into a TRS-80 was through cartridges -- yep, just like an Atari.

  • A bevy of ports

  • A closer look at the ports

    Besides the standard power and reset buttons, the TRS-80 had ports for a cassette tape player, serial interface, two joysticks, RCA video, and a switch to designate which channel your television should be set to -- that's right, no monitor shipped with the CoCo.

  • Plugs were big back in the 1980s

  • Oh, Joy...stick

    The joystick is made up of a basic analog middle stick and an single button.

  • Broken button

    The button on our joystick is missing its button.

The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer 2

Before Microsoft and Bill Gates took control of the personal computer market, personal computers such as the Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer (aka CoCo) were all the rage. The Model 3134 TRS-80 shown in this TechRepublic Photo Gallery, came with a whopping 16K or RAM memory. Our TRS-80 CoCo is slated for a Cracking Open Gallery in the near future.

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By Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.