The CP-500
This page is dedicated to the CP-500, a brazilian computer manufactured by Prologica during the 1980's. Here you will find every information that you need to revive a realistic experience with that computer and also to get in touch with other people who share the same interest. Everything has been gathered in a single page, in order to make it more practical and useful.
The CP-500 is 100% compatible with the american TRS-80. TRS-80 software works with the CP-500 and vice-versa. As there are CP-500 fans in Brasil, there is also an active community of TRS-80 addicts around the world. Because of that it is now possible to find software which allows the emulation of the TRS-80 in modern computers running Windows or other operating systems. In addition, virtual copies of hundreds of disks containing programs for that computer are also available and they can be used in such emulators reproducing the exact same behavior that they would in the original computer. Some emulators go to the point of reproducing even the disk drive noises, giving an impressive realism to the experience!
Knowing that the CP-500 and the TRS-80 are compatible with one another is not enough. Four CP-500 models were created during its lifetime and, for the TRS-80, the number is much larger. Just to give you an idea, there are TRS-80 models I, II, III, 4/4P/4D, laptop versions 100/102, 200, 600, the "CoCos" 1/2/3 and MC-10, and eight different versions of Pocket Computers, not to mention the international clones among which the CP-500 is just one.
Not all these models are compatible with one another, so the table below lists the four CP-500 models ever created and how they relate to the american TRS-80 models, so one can identify the software compatibility.
CP-500 | CP-500 M80 | CP-500 M80C | CP-500 Turbo | |
Year | 1982 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
CPU | Z80 2MHz | Z80 2MHz | Z80 2MHz | Z80 4MHz |
ROM | 16kB | 16kB/2kB1 | 16kB/2kB1 | 16kB/2kB1 |
RAM | 48kB | 48kB/64kB2 | 48kB/64kB2 | 48kB/64kB2 |
Text Mode | 64x16/32x16 | 64x16/32x16/80x24 | 64x16/32x16/80x24 | 64x16/32x16/80x24 |
Graphical Mode |
128x48 | 128x48 | 128x48 | 128x48 |
Compatibility | TRS-80 I3/III | TRS-80 I3/III/4 | TRS-80 I3/III/4 | TRS-80 I3/III/4 |
1 Many TRS-80 model I programs do also run in the CP-500, but not all.
2 The CP-500 M80 and later models were equipped with a board that allowed them to run CP/M.
3 CP/M leaves 64 kB of RAM available and restricts ROM access to a range of 2 kB only.
Ok, to see that working here is a list of what you will need:
- An emulator compatible with your computer's operating system
- A ROM image to use in the emulator
- A virtual disk containing an operating system for the CP-500
- More software (games, text editors, spreadsheets etc.)
- CP-500 operation manuals
In the following sections you are presented with the main options available to fulfill each one of these requirements. After that, in the Links section, you will find a list of other pages in Brazil and in the world about CP-500 and TRS-80 related stuff. In the Discussion Groups section you are presented to a list of groups where you can reach other fans of these computers.
Emulators
Allow me to save your time and directly recommend the best emulators that I am aware of:
Platform | Emulator | Author | Site |
Windows | TRS32 |
Matthew Reed | http://www.trs-80emulators.com/ |
Unix | xtrs |
Tim Mann | http://tim-mann.org/xtrs.html |
Outras | Outros | Ira Goldklang | http://www.trs-80.com/wordpress/emulators/ |
- For Windows: the choice is TRS32 from Matthew Reed. This is the emulator that reproduces disk drive noises, supports XP and Vista, and is free, besides the fact there is a registration option which unlocks more features (sound board, graphics board, hard disk etc.). I do recommend the registration, not only because of the additional resources, but also to support the software development. This is the only emulator that is updated up to these days. The lastest version, as of the writing of this page, has been released on 23rd, June 2010.
- For Unix/Linux: The choice is xtrs from Tim Mann. It supports virtually every TRS-80 hardware resource, allowing physical access to real diskettes and cassettes, since your computer is equipped with the proper hardware to do it.
- Others: If you need an emulator for Windows 95, DOS, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari or another operating system, I suggest you to search Ira Goldklang's website. He maintains a list of all known emulators with links for downloading them.
ROM images
Recently we had access to the first CP-500 ROM image, thanks to the work of Prof. Gustavo E.A.P.A. Batista, who made the extraction directly from the memory chips using an EPROM reader.
The CP-500 ROM has 16 kB, unlike the 14 kB of the american TRS-80. According to a preliminary analysis from Matthew Reed, author of TRS32, in those extra 2 kB there is a Resident Z80 Monitor, which seems to be a exclusive feature of the brazilian machines. Regarding the rest of the code, only 90 bytes differ from the standard ROM, most of them because of messages translated from English to Portuguese.
As the Z80 Monitor stands in a memory range that conflicts with the addresses used by video and keyboard in the original TRS-80, this feature doesn't work in Matthew's emulator. Also, for some reason still unknown, it is necessary to firstly boot the emulator with a DOS500 disk before accessing the ROM-based BASIC.
The CP-500 ROM can be found in the downloads page. As an alternative, the american TRS-80 ROM for models III and 4 can be found in this other link. Don't forget to put the files in the correct emulator directory for it to work properly.
Just in case you are the fortunate CP-500 owner and want to create your own ROM image, all you need to do is to type the little program shown below in your disk BASIC and run it. If you have any doubts on how to do it get in touch with me using the form available in main links.
10 OPEN "O",1,"CP500/ROM" |
Operating Systems
The most interesting about the 1980's is that the market wasn't dominated by one or two operating systems as it is today. For a TRS-80 or CP-500 you could use any of the following operating systems:
- DOS500 (Prologica)
- DOSPLUS (Micro-Systems Software)
- LDOS (Misosys)
- MULTIDOS (Cosmopolitan Elec.)
- NewDOS/80 (Apparat)
- OS-80 III (Percom)
- RapidOS (Rapidynamic Software)
- TRSDOS (Tandy)
- CP/M (Digital Research)
Below you will find links to download some of these operating systems. Others can be found in the web sites indicated in the Links section ahead.
DOS500 1.3 | LDOS 5.3.1 | RapidOS 1.3 | CP/M Plus 1.0 |
Assorted Software
It is really pleasant to realize that a computer equipped with a 8-bit 2 MHz processor and 48 kB of memory is capable of doing so many interesting things. Among the software available for the CP-500 you can find:
- BASIC, Pascal, C, COBOL, APL, Assembly and other language compilers
- Text processors (SuperScripsit, Allwrite, HyperTyper etc.)
- Spreadsheets (Visicalc)
- Databases (Profile III+, Data Handler, AIDS-III etc.)
- Graphics & Sound (Speech Synthesizer, Organ Synthesizer, MDraw, Power Draw etc.)
- Utilities (Copycat, Hyperzap, Super Utility, Floppy Doctor etc.)
- Games (Robot Attack, Crazy Painter, Outhouse, Meteor Mission, Lunar Lander etc.)
Below you will find links to download some of these softwares. Many others can be found in the web sites indicated in the Links section ahead.
Adventure International Games |
Cornsoft Games |
Leo Christopherson Games |
Hyperzap 3.2g |
Operation Manuals
The CP-500 came with two manuals, one targeting the computer operation and BASIC programming and the other oriented to the use of the DOS500 operating system. Luckly, digital copies of both of them (written in Brazilian Portuguese) can be found in the Internet. Also, other technical manuals about the TRS-80 are available on-line. Below you will find links to the main technical references about the CP-500. Other documents can be obtained in the web sites indicated in the Links section ahead.
CP-500 Operation and BASIC Language | DOS-500 Disk Operating System | TRS-80 Model III Technical Reference Manual | TRS-80 Model III Service Manual | TRS-80 Model III/4 Diagnostics Manual |
Other Useful Links
Discussion Groups
Forum | Host | Language | Description |
CP-500 | Portuguese |
Fórum brasileiro criado recentemente e que reúne proprietários e fãs do CP-500 para a troca de informações e outros itens. | |
comp.sys.tandy | Usenet | English | Fórum sobre computadores Tandy, com foco nos TRS-80 I/III/4. Tem como membros os autores de emuladores e outras eminências-pardas da comunidade internacional. |
TRS-80 | Yahoo | English | Fórum sobre computadores Tandy baseados no Z80, com maior foco na arquitetura de hardware do TRS-80 I/III/4. Também participam as eminências-pardas da comunidade internacional. |
TRS-80 Club | Yahoo | English | Outro fórum dedicado à troca de informações sobre o TRS-80, com um baixo volume de mensagens publicadas. |
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