Tandy 10 Business Computer System

Tandy 10 Business Computer System[1][2][3][4]
DeveloperRadio Shack[5]
ManufacturerApplied Digital Data Systems (ADDS)
Release date1978; 46 years ago (1978)
Introductory price8995 US$ (today $42019.5)[6]
Discontinuedlate 1980
MediaTwo dual-sided 8" diskette drives
Operating systemADOS Disk Operating System
CPU8080 CPU
Memory48K memory[7]
Display24x80 video display

The Tandy 10 Business Computer System was a short-lived product developed by Radio Shack in the late 1970s as a business-oriented complement to their TRS-80 Model I desktop computer. Released in 1978, the Tandy 10 was built for Radio Shack by Applied Digital Data Systems (ADDS), and was only sold by Radio Shack's dedicated computer center stores.[1]

The computer itself was about the size of a two-drawer filing cabinet, with a monitor and keyboard built into a desk-shaped console, along with two 8-inch floppy drives vertically mounted in the pedestal. Its features included:

  • 8080 CPU
  • 48K memory
  • 24x80 video display
  • Two dual-sided 8" diskette drives
  • Dartmouth BASIC
  • ADOS Disk Operating System

Optional:

  • Fortran IV language
  • Assembly Language program language

The original ADDS machine, the System 50,[8] was intended to be used as a data entry system and not as a standalone computer. The original "language" it contained was actually a form designer; data was then entered into the form and then "sent" via RS-232 to a mainframe. Since it had a microprocessor, Tandy matched it up with Peachtree Accounting software in an attempt to market it as a business computer.

The system did not sell in large numbers. Radio Shack's next business system was an extension of the TRS-80 product line, the TRS-80 Model II, released in May 1979. The Tandy 10 was discontinued in late 1980.

References

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  1. ^ a b Libes, Sol (March 1979). "BYTE News". Byte. p. 109. Retrieved 2015-03-17. The Tandy-10 is made for Tandy by Digital Data Systems (DDS) and will have a base price of $8995. Using an 8080, it will have a video display, keyboard 48 K bytes of programmable memory, two 8 inch flopy disk drives, BASIC and a disk operating system similar to CP/M.
  2. ^ TRS-80 Monthly Newsletter - Issue 1-6 - Part One (1979)(H & E Computronics)(US)(reprint)
  3. ^ Tandy 10, 2 Page Sales Flyer, Radio shack, The Trailing Edge Resource Center - TRS-80
  4. ^ 1978 Tandy 10 Brochure, TRS-80 & Tandy Computer Catalogs (Misc. & Foreign)
  5. ^ New Products: Tandy 10 Business System, Page 12, Kilobaud Magazine (September 1978)
  6. ^ Advert: Tandy 10, ,St. Petersburg Times - Dec 8, 1978, Page 12C,
  7. ^ Here are some pics of the Tandy 10 16K RAM board. As you can see, the board consists of an array of 1Kx1 2102 RAM chips, along with some DIP switches. The DIP switches were used to configure the bank of memory for the card. The Tandy 10 had three of these cards, for a total of 48K., May 23rd, 2006, Mike Motta, Vintage Computer Forum
  8. ^ Matthew Reed. "The Tandy 10". TRS-80.org. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
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