Sony SMC-70

The SMC-70 is a computer produced by Sony from 1982. Although it resembles a home computer, it was designed for professional video generation, for example in Cable television applications, and digital video effect generation. It was the first computer that used the just invented (also by Sony) 3.5" micro floppy disk drive that later became industry standard. Like several non american home and office computers of the era[1], it had its own specially developed BASIC. Being japanese, it could also handle and display kanji characters.[2][3]

SMC-70
Sony SMC-70 Micro Computer at the Vintage Computer Festival (VCF) East 6.0, at the InfoAge Science Center
Release date1982 (1982)
Operating systemCP/M OS, Sony BASIC language interpreter in ROM
CPUZ80A CPU, clocked at 4.028 MHz
Memory64 KB RAM
StorageCassette port 1200 Bps, 2x optional 3.5" micro floppy disk drive
Display40x25, 80x25 (8×8 dot matrix) monochrome (any two of 16 colors) text modes
Graphics160x100 16 colors (4 pages), 320x200 16 colors, 640 x 200 4 colors, or 640 x 400 in monochrome graphic modes, 16 border colors
Sound1 voice, 5 octave sounds
InputFull-stroke keyboard, 72 keys with editing and arrow keys
ConnectivityRS-232C, Tape, Light Pen, Key Pad, Audio output, RGB Multi Out, B/W Multi Out, I/O Expansion connector, Centronics.
Power100 V 50/60 Hz built-in power supply unit
Dimensions(Width) 366 mm × (height) 90 mm × (depth) 444 mm
Mass4.8 kg

Variations and upgrades

The SMC-70G is the same computer, but with an NTSC video genlocker, while the SMC-70GP has a PAL video genlocker. With the use of the SMC-7086 supercharger you could add a 5 MHz 8086 16-bit CPU that came with 256 KB of RAM upgradable to 768K, and it could then run CP/M-86.

Technical specifications
  • HD46505S-1 CRT controller
  • 32 KB VRAM, 2 KB Character RAM, 2 KB attribute RAM and 2 KB Programmable font (PCG) RAM
  • 32 KB (shadow ROM), 9 KB system monitor, 22 KB Sony BASIC, 1 KB character font

References
  1. Such as Sinclair ZX-80, ZX81, ZX Spectrum, and QL computers, Acorn Atom, BBC Micro, Seven S, ABC 80, ABC 800, Compis, Microbee, and several others.
  2. old-computers.com entry
  3. japanese computer museum ipsj


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