The TRS-80 Color Computer shared the “TRS-80” name with earlier computers but it was a significantly different machine. It used the Motorola 6809E instead of the Zilog Z80 used by the previous TRS-80 models.
According to the TRS-80 Wikipedia page, the name TRS-80 was originally an abbreviation of Tandy Radio Shack plus the Z80 processor used in it.
The book, Assembly Language Graphcis for the TRS-80 Color Computer, supports this information where it lists the Color Computer processor as the 6809 and goes on to describe the instructions used in it.
The Color Computer also contains an MC6847 video display generator for graphics.
I always think of the Color Computer (Coco) model because this was the first computer I owned as a child.
Written by Joel Dare on November 8, 2024.
Get battle-tested dev tips, terminal wizardry, and practical Mac hacks from a veteran engineer who speaks your language. Subscribe now and power up your toolkit—no fluff, just real code magic.
JoelDare.com © Dare Companies Dotcom LLC