TRS-80 MC-10
The TRS-80 MC-10
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| Release date | 1983 |
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| Introductory price | US$119.95 (equivalent to $NaN in 2017) |
| Discontinued | 1984 |
| Operating system | 8 kB (Micro Color Basic, developed by Microsoft) in ROM |
| CPU | Motorola MC6803 @ 0.89 MHz |
| Memory | 4 kB on-board, expandable to 20KB via external expansion pack |
| Graphics | VDG: MC6847 |
| Input | 48-key "Chiclet"-style keyboard |
| Power | 8V AC 1.5A |
| Dimensions | 8.5" x 7" x 2" (216mm x 178mm x 51mm) |
| Weight | 29.05 ozs. (836.32g) |
The TRS-80 MC-10 microcomputer is a lesser-known member of the TRS-80 line of home computers, produced by Tandy Corporation in the early 1980s and sold through their RadioShack chain of electronics stores. It was apparently designed as a low-cost alternative to Tandy's own TRS-80 Color Computer to compete with entry-level machines that had previously dominated the market, such as the Commodore VIC-20 and Sinclair ZX81.
Due to its limited feature set, the MC-10 was of value primarily to hobbyists and as an introduction to computer programming. It was not a commercial success and was discontinued only a year after its introduction.
A clone of the MC-10, the Alice, was marketed in France through a collaboration among Tandy, Matra and Hachette.
About the size of a hardcover book, the MC-10 came equipped with four kilobytes of RAM, a Motorola MC6803 eight-bit microprocessor, a built-in serial port, and graphics capabilities similar to those of the original Color Computer (provided by the same MC6847 video display generator).
Like most early home computers, the MC-10 included a BASIC interpreter in ROM and used regular audio cassettes for bulk storage. Text and graphics were displayed on a television set via a built-in RF modulator. Less common for machines in its class was the integrated RS-232 serial port, which allowed the MC-10 to use a wide variety of line printers and modems without additional hardware.
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