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Dragon 32

The Dragon 32 were home computers built in the 1980s. The Dragons were very similar to the TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo), and were produced for the European market by Dragon Data, Ltd., in Port Talbot, Wales. The model numbers reflect the primary difference between the two machines, which had 32 and 64 kilobytes of RAM, respectively.
 
The Dragon was built around the Motorola MC6809E processor running at 0.89 MHz. This was the most advanced 8-bit CPU design of the time, having, among other things limited 16-bit capabilities. In terms of raw computational power, the Dragon beat most of its contemporary rivals (which were based on the older MOS Technology 6502 or Zilog Z80), but this made little difference in a market where graphical capabilities and software library were much more important to consumers.

Many Dragon 32s were upgraded by their owners to 64K. A few were further expanded to 128K, 256K, or 512K, with home-built memory controllers/memory management units (MMUs).

A broad range of peripherals existed for the Dragon 32/64, and on top of this there were add-ons such as the Dragon's Claw which gave the Dragons access to the BBC Micro's large range of accessories (a particularly important factor in the UK home market). Although neither machine had a built-in disk operating system (cassette tapes being the default data-storage mechanism in the home computer market at the time), DragonDOS was supplied as part of the disk controller interface from Dragon Data Ltd. The numerous external ports (by the standards of the time), including the standard RS-232 on the 64, also allowed hobbyists to attach a diverse range of equipment.

An unusual feature was a monitor port for connection of a computer monitor, as an alternative to the TV output. This was rarely used due to the cost of dedicated monitors at that time. The port is actually a Composite Video port and can be used to connect the Dragon 32 to most modern TVs to deliver a much better picture.

The Dragon used analogue joysticks, unlike most systems of the time which used less versatile but cheaper digital systems. Other uses for the joystick ports included light pens.
 
Our Serial number 308451DG
 
 

Manufacturer: Dragon
Date: August 1982

Dragon 32 Games :

Item Manufacturer Date
Cuthbert Goes Walkabout Microdeal
Calixto Island Dragon
Middle Kingdom / Breakout Dragon Data Ltd
Bloc Head Dragon Data Ltd
Cimeeon Moon Dragon Data Ltd
Tim Love's Cricket Dragon Data Ltd
DragonChess Oasis Software
Cuthbert In The Jungle Microdeal 1982
Mansion Adventure 1 Microdeal 1982
Franklin's Tomb Salamander Software 1983
Talking Android Attack MicroDeal 1983
Nightflight Salamander Software 1983
Manic Miner Software Projects 1983
Ultimate Adventure 4 Microdeal 1983
Leggit Imagine 1983
Hungry Horace Melbourne House Software 1983
Infant Pack - Alphabet & Green Bottles Shards Software 1983
Pettigrews Diary Shards Software 1983
Cave Fighter Cable Software 1983
Horace Goes Skiing Melbourne House Software 1984
Return of the Ring Wintersoft 1984
Time Bandit Microdeal 1984
Cuthbert in Space Microdeal 1984
Ugh Softek 1984
Tangle Wood Microdeal 1986

Dragon 32 Promotional Items / Literature:

Item Manufacturer Date
Audiogenic LTD - The BIG RANGE for the small computer Audiogenic
Peaksoft - Inquiry Response (Modem) March 1989

Books RELATED to Dragon 32 in our Library

Item Manufacturer Date
6800 Programming for Logic Design
The Dragon 32 Dragon Companion
35 Programs for the Dragon 32 Century Publishing Co. Ltd 1982
Wizard War Spell Book for the Dragon 32 Salamander Software 01-01-1982
Games for Your Dragon Virgin Publishing 1983
Enter the Dragon Melbourne House 1983
Dragon 32 Games Master Sunshine Books 1983
The Dragon 32 How to use and Programme Grenada 1983
The Working Dragon 32 Sunshine Books 1983
Dragon 32 Machine Code For Beginners Compudat 1983
The Dragon 32 and How to Make the Most of It Granada 1983
The Dragon 32 Book of Games Granada 01-01-1983
Dragon Machine Code Shiva Publishing Ltd 1984
Exploring Adventures on the Dragon Duckworth 01-01-1984
6502 Reference Guide Melbourne House 1985

Magazines RELATED to Dragon 32 in our Library

Item Manufacturer Date
REM 80 - Volume 5, Issue 3 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 5, Issue 4 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 7, Issue 1 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 8, Issue 4 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 9, Issue 4/5 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 8, Issue 3 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 11, Issue 1 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 6, Issue 1 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 7, Issue 4 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 9, Issue 6 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 6, Issue 3 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 9, Issue 1 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
REM 80 - Volume 9, Issue 2 The North West TRS-80 USers Group
Personal Computer World - August 1982 August 1982
Your Computer - August 1982 August 1982
Personal Computer World - October 1982 October 1982
Your Computer - October 1982 October 1982
Practical Computing - October 1982 October 1982
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 1 1983
REM 80 - Volume 5, Issue 5 The North West TRS-80 USers Group 1983
REM 80 - Volume 5, Issue 6 The North West TRS-80 USers Group 1983
REM 80 - Volume 6, Issue 2 The North West TRS-80 USers Group 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 2 February 1983
Personal Computer World - April 1983 April 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 3 - July 1983 July 1983
Personal Computer World - July 1983 July 1983
Personal Computer World - August 1983 August 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 4 - September 1983 September 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 5 - November 1983 November 1983
Dragon World December 1983 December 1983
REM 80 - Volume 7, Issue 2 The North West TRS-80 USers Group 1984
REM 80 - Volume 6, Issue 4 The North West TRS-80 USers Group 1984
Input Magazine - Complete Set 52 issues Marshall Cavendish 1984
Dragon World February 1984 February 1984
Dragon User - September 1984 September 1984
Dragon User - October 1984 October 1984
Dragon User - November 1984 November 1984
REM 80 - Volume 7, Issue 5 The North West TRS-80 USers Group 1985
Dragon User - January 1985 January 1985
Dragon User - March 1985 March 1985
Dragon User - May 1985 May 1985
Dragon User - Jun 1985 June 1985
REM 80 - Volume 8, Issue 1/2 The North West TRS-80 USers Group 1986
Dragon User - April 1986 April 1986
Dragon User - May 1986 May 1986
Dragon User - June 1986 June 1986
Dragon User - July 1986 July 1986
Dragon User - August 1986 August 1986
Dragon User - September 1986 September 1986
Dragon User - October 1986 October 1986
Dragon User - November 1986 November 1986
Dragon User - December 1986 December 1986
6809 User - First Edition 1988
6809 User - Edition 7 - September 1988 September 1988
6809 User - Edition 8 - November 1988 November 1988
Dragon Update - January 1989 January 1989
Dragon Directory - January/February 1989 6809 User January 1989
Dragon Update - February 1989 February 1989
Dragon Update - March 1989 March 1989
Dragon Update - April 1989 April 1989
6809 User - Edition 11 - April / May 1989 April 1989
Dragon Update - May 1989 May 1989
Dragon Update - June 1989 June 1989
Dragon Update - July 1989 July 1989
Dragon Update - August 1989 August 1989
Dragon Update - September 1989 September 1989
Dragon Update - October 1989 October 1989
Dragon Update - November 1989 November 1989
Dragon Update - December 1989 December 1989
Dragon Update - January 1990 January 1990
Dragon User - August 1985 07-04-2009
Dragon User - January 1987 15-04-2009
Dragon User - August 1983 06-05-2009

Other Systems Related To Dragon 32:

Item Manufacturer Date
Dragon 64 Dragon August 1983

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH1337. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.

  

Dragon 32

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