Dragon 32

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The Dragon 32 was a home computer built in the 1980s. The Dragons were very similar to the TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo); they used the same processor, the same version of Basic, and games cartridges for the Tandy worked perfectly well on the Dragon. However they were one third of the price, costing £199.50 (including VAT). The Dragon was produced 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.

Although Dragon Data was indeed a Welsh company, they had no experience of design a micro computer, so Cambridge company 'PA Consulting' were commissioned to design and develop a prototype the machine. The codename for this project was 'Pippin'.

This example in our collection has Serial number (065586 DG) is 051482 DG.

Manufacturer: Dragon Data
Date: August 1982

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Dragon 32 Articles:

Item Manufacturer Date
Memories - My History of Computing - From a School Teacher Feb 2009
Memories - Me and My Toys Jun 2009

Magazines RELATED to Dragon 32 in our Library

Item Manufacturer Date
REM 80 - Volume 5, Issue 3 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 5, Issue 4 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 7, Issue 1 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 8, Issue 4 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 9, Issue 4/5 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 8, Issue 3 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 11, Issue 1 The North West TRS-80 USers Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 6, Issue 1 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 7, Issue 4 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 9, Issue 6 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 6, Issue 3 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 9, Issue 1 The North West TRS-80 Users Group Unknown
REM 80 - Volume 9, Issue 2 The North West TRS-80 USers Group Unknown
Your Computer - August 1982 Aug 1982
Personal Computer World - August 1982 Aug 1982
Your Computer - October 1982 Oct 1982
Personal Computer World - October 1982 Oct 1982
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
Dragon User - August 1983 1983
REM 80 - Volume 6, Issue 2 The North West TRS-80 Users Group 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 1 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 2 Feb 1983
Personal Computer World - April 1983 Apr 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 3 - July 1983 Jul 1983
Personal Computer World - July 1983 Jul 1983
Personal Computer World - August 1983 Aug 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 4 - September 1983 Sep 1983
Dragon Stop Press - Issue 5 - November 1983 Nov 1983
Dragon World December 1983 Dec 1983
Dragon User - October 1984 1984
Dragon User - November 1984 1984
Dragon User - September 1984 1984
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
Dragon World February 1984 Feb 1984
REM 80 - Volume 7, Issue 5 The North West TRS-80 Users Group 1985
Dragon User - August 1985 1985
Dragon User - January 1985 Jan 1985
Dragon User - March 1985 Mar 1985
Dragon User - May 1985 May 1985
Dragon User - June 1985 Jun 1985
REM 80 - Volume 8, Issue 1/2 The North West TRS-80 Users Group 1986
Dragon User - April 1986 Apr 1986
Dragon User - May 1986 May 1986
Dragon User - June 1986 Jun 1986
Dragon User - July 1986 Jul 1986
Dragon User - August 1986 Aug 1986
Dragon User - September 1986 Sep 1986
Dragon User - October 1986 Oct 1986
Dragon User - November 1986 Nov 1986
Dragon User - December 1986 Dec 1986
Dragon User - January 1987 1987
6809 User - First Edition 1988
6809 User - Edition 7 - September 1988 Sep 1988
6809 User - Edition 8 - November 1988 Nov 1988
Dragon Directory - January/February 1989 6809 User Jan 1989
Dragon Update - January 1989 Jan 1989
Dragon Update - February 1989 Feb 1989
Dragon Update - March 1989 Mar 1989
6809 User - Edition 11 - April / May 1989 Apr 1989
Dragon Update - April 1989 Apr 1989
Dragon Update - May 1989 May 1989
Dragon Update - June 1989 Jun 1989
Dragon Update - July 1989 Jul 1989
Dragon Update - August 1989 Aug 1989
Dragon Update - September 1989 Sep 1989
Dragon Update - October 1989 Oct 1989
Dragon Update - November 1989 Nov 1989
Dragon Update - December 1989 Dec 1989
Dragon Update - January 1990 Jan 1990

Other Systems Related To Dragon 32:

Item Manufacturer Date
Dragon 32 (Chess Box) Dragon Data Ltd August 1982
Dragon 32 (House Box) Dragon Data Ltd August 1982
Dragon 64 Dragon Data Ltd August 1983
Dragon 64 Dragon Data Ltd 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

  Book Archive   [44]
  Games Archive   [313]
  Software Archive   [36]
  Type-in Listings   [11]
  Peripherals   [5]

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