I have the main unit.
type computer
country USA
year 1983
os basic OS9 level 1
cpu Motorola 6809E
speed 0,98 MHz
ram 64 KB
rom 8 KB
graphic 256 x 192 (2)
colors 9
sound 1 voice
ports cartridge, two analog joysticks, cassette, RS323, TV RF
The Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer 2 — The CoCo
The Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer 2 (universally known as the ”CoCo 2”) was the second generation of Tandy’s Color Computer line, released in 1983 as an improved and lower-cost version of the original CoCo 1. Using a Motorola 6809E processor at 0.89 MHz, the CoCo 2 offered colour graphics, Microsoft Extended Color BASIC, and a range of expansion capabilities at a price accessible to home users. Sold through Radio Shack’s extensive retail chain — the most widespread computer retailer in the USA — the CoCo was one of the most commercially successful home computers in North America throughout the early 1980s.
The Motorola 6809 — An Elegant Processor
The CoCo series used the Motorola 6809 — widely considered the most elegant 8-bit processor ever designed. Unlike the 6502 and Z80 that powered most competing home computers, the 6809’s clean architecture, powerful addressing modes, and support for structured programming made it an excellent processor for high-level language implementation. Microsoft’s Extended Color BASIC for the CoCo was a particularly comprehensive BASIC implementation, and the 6809’s capabilities supported operating systems like OS-9 that brought Unix-like multitasking to an 8-bit home computer.
Radio Shack’s Distribution Advantage
Tandy’s ownership of the Radio Shack retail chain gave the CoCo a distribution advantage that no other home computer manufacturer could match in North America. With thousands of Radio Shack stores across the USA and Canada, the CoCo was available in shopping malls and high streets where consumers could see, touch, and buy computers without visiting a specialist computer shop. This retail ubiquity made the CoCo one of the most widely sold home computers in North America despite strong competition from the Apple II, Commodore 64, and Atari 8-bit computers.