GOTO PART 4 (Tandy CCR Repairs)
PART 3: Types of PCs that used tapes to store programs/data via a 5-pin DIN connector interface.
This section is to describe the set of computers that would likely be paired with the Tandy CTR/CCR series, since Tandy included the “special” cable that would be necessary to do so. Ultimately this cable is just a particular means of transferring signals, so savvy DIY users could go directly to the circuits and make their own cable. But having a standard cable convention makes setup easier and more efficient for most end-users.
Keep in mind the CCR are also viable audio recorders on their own, and can function as such without this special 5-pin DIN cable.
For reference, here is what the 5-pin DIN connector looks like.
| Product Name | Date | Description/Notes |
| TRS-80 Model 1 | August 1977 | Cassette deck model CTR-41 was deemed unreliable, replaced by CTR-80A model [early TRS-80 Model 1 issue] |
| TRS-80 Model 3 | July 1980 | Model 2 also released in this same year for Business which had built in disk drives. The Model 3 had a cassette port on the back near the power plug. |
| Tandy Color Computer 1 | 1980 | 4KB-32KB RAM |
| IBM PC 5150 | 1981 | 32KB-640KB (upper 384KB addresses system reserved). IBM PCjr (1984) used a different cassette interface. Ironically, the Tandy PC-clone (1000-series) dropped support for the cassette entirely. |
| Dragon 32 | 1982 | Clone of the Color Computer |
| Tandy Model 100 | 1983 | Portable, could run off batteries |
| Tandy Model 4 | 1983 | Fully Model 3 backwards compatible. |
| Tandy Color Computer 2 | 1983 | max 64KB (Dragon 64 also released in this year) |
| MC-10 | 1983 | Similar to Matra Alice, but Alice has different tape connector |
| Advance 86 | 1984 | UK-based PC-clone |
| Tandy Model 200 | 1984 | |
| Tandy Color Computer 3 | 1986 | 128KB, max 512KB |
| Tandy Model 102 | 1986 | Update to the Model 100 |
As an “out of the box” and “ready to go” package, the CTR/CCR were convenient accessory available at the same stores the above computers were sold at.
If you have more information about variants of these CCRs or what systems support the 5-pin DIN connector, please comment below!
GOTO PART 4 (Tandy CCR Repairs)
A few points on the Dragon 32.
First, it was not exactly a CoCo clone, in the same way that, say, the Laser 128 was of the Apple II or the “IBM compatibles” of the 1980s were clones of the IBM PC and its successors. Many CoCo programs would not run properly or at all on the Dragon 32. One issue is that the Dragon 32 was intended for the UK market that used the PAL standard for color TVs, and thus the many CoCo programs (especially games) that used CoCo PMODE4 the generate a black-white-red-blue color palette on (US-standard) NTSC screens would appear merely black-and-white on the Dragon 32. Another issue is that CoCos and Dragon booted by default via ROM into different dialects of BASIC, making many BASIC programs incompatible (although conversion/translation was relatively easy).
Second, it was not the only Dragon. If you’re going to list all three CoCo models separately and the Model 100 and Tandy 102 separately, for instance, then you should arguably also list the Dragon 32’s successor, the Dragon 64, which came out in 1983. Of particular interest to Americans would be the third major machine in the lineup, the Tano Dragon, a Dragon 64 which also came out in 1983 and was made for the US market, including support for American electric outlets and US-standard NTSC displays (enabling the PMODE 4-style trick enabling both high resolution AND color — namely red and blue — rather than pure monochrome high-res). There were various other Dragon prototypes, upgrades, and planned models but for practical purposes those were the three Dragons released to market.
More trivia quibbles.
The last Color Computer 1 (Catalog Number 26-3003B, the only white CoCo 1) had 64K built in, not 32K.
When the Model 4 was first released in 1983, it was the (Radio Shack-branded) TRS-80 Model 4, not “Tandy Model 4.” The re-branded and re-badged Tandy Model 4D was released in 1985. It had various differences with the earlier Model 4s (no diskless cassette-only entry-level version; green monochrome display rather than black-and-white; double-sided slimmer diskette drives; revised internal circuitry and port placement; an included all-in-one productivity app called DeskMate, etc.).
Oops I missed you mentioned the Dragon 64 in the CoCo 2 listing.
There’s no “Leave a Reply” section back at Part 2, or I would have left these comments there:
You say that the CCR-82 was DC only. While the CCR-82 did not come bundled with an included AC adapter, it could use an AC adapter. In fact on page 3 of the CCR-82 manual you link to, it says that the CCR-82 can run on internal batteries, or use an AC adapter that plugs into the wall, or use a DC auto adapter for use in a car.
The manual (naturally) recommends the adapters sold by Radio Shack, namely the AC adapter with the Catalog Number 273-1454 (6V DC, 150 mA) which first appeared in the 1985 main annual Radio Shack catalog (not one of the RSC computer catalogs) for $5.95. This adapter was at first Archer-branded, but then later on became Radio Shack branded. As far as I know, there is no difference in the various 273-1454s although you will come across ones that say 273-1454A, 273-1454B, 273-1454C, and 273-1454D.
See the manual for more details about using car battery adapters and third-party AC adapters.
OK, I see now that in a later page you mention this, but I think it should be also mentioned here, at least in part.
Yeah I mention about the “AC” support in the CCR-82 in PART 6. The difference is the other models have a built in AC/DC adapter, so they have an extra cable where you can just plug them directly into an AC wall outlet. The CCR-82 only has the DC power circuitry built in. You can use that same AC/DC adapter on any of the CCR models here. That’s how I meant the CCR-82 is “DC only” – it doesn’t have the built in support for the AC plug in any of its sides.
The CCR-83 manual PDF is online at the Internet Archive. Try https://ia804701.us.archive.org/26/items/ccr-83-manual-tandy/CCR-83%20Manual%20%28Tandy%29.pdf
The CCR-83 manual PDF is online at the Internet Archive. Just search for “CCR-83” and it should be the first hit. A PDF version is available on the right side of the archive page for that document; scroll down a bit if you don’t see that infobox. I tried to post the URL here but that comment does not show; no doubt a spam-blocking precaution.