EACE Computer Colour Genie EG2000

EACE Computer Colour Genie EG2000

EACE Computer Colour Genie EG2000

I have the main unit (B) and Joystics Controllers EG2013 (CIB).

type computer
country Hong Kong
year 1982
os Basic
cpu Zilog Z80
speed 2 MHz
ram 16 KB
graphic Motorola 6845 160×96
color 4/16
sound General Instruments AY-3-8910, 3 sound channels
ports video out, audio out, rf, cartridge, tape, rs-232, lightpen, parallel

The EACA EG2000 Colour Genie — Hong Kong’s Colourful TRS-80 Clone

The EACA EG2000 Colour Genie, introduced in Germany in August 1982 by Hong Kong manufacturer EACA International Ltd, was a distinctive home computer that built upon the company’s earlier Video Genie machines — themselves broadly compatible with the Tandy TRS-80 Model I. Where the Video Genie had offered only monochrome display, the Colour Genie brought 16-colour output, improved sound through the General Instrument AY-3-8910 chip (the same three-voice chip used in the Amstrad CPC and MSX computers), and a more capable BASIC interpreter to what remained essentially a TRS-80-compatible architecture.

EACA — Hong Kong’s Computer Pioneer

EACA International Ltd, founded in 1972 and headquartered at 13 Chong Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, was one of the earliest Hong Kong companies to produce personal computers at scale. Beginning with Pong-style television games, EACA transitioned to home computers with the Video Genie series in 1980 — producing thousands of TRS-80-compatible machines for the European market. The Colour Genie represented their most ambitious product before the company wound up in 1983, a casualty of the intensely competitive home computer market of the early 1980s.

Technical Specifications

The Colour Genie used a Zilog Z80A processor at 2.2 MHz with 16 KB of RAM expandable to 32 KB, and a 16 KB ROM containing the LEVEL II BASIC interpreter. Its Motorola 6845 display controller provided 40×24 text mode with 16 colours and a 160×96 pixel graphics mode with 4 colours — modest by the standards of the Sinclair Spectrum or Commodore 64, but an improvement over the monochrome Video Genie. The AY-3-8910 sound chip provided three-voice audio across eight octaves. A floppy disk expansion was available, and software was also available on cassette.

Software Compatibility

The Colour Genie’s LEVEL II BASIC was compatible with Video Genie I and II BASIC (and thus broadly with TRS-80 Model I BASIC), except for graphics and sound commands — meaning a substantial existing software library was accessible with modification. Colour Genie disks could even be read in TRS-80 floppy drives and vice versa, easing software exchange between the platforms. Around 144 games were produced specifically for the platform, mostly by small European publishers.