Technical Specifications
The table below shows the as built specifications of Colin MKII, circa 1992.
Processor | HD64180 - 6.144Mhz |
Memory | 128kB Static RAM |
Firmware | HBOS V1.81 - (8k EPROM) |
Operating system | CP/M 2.2 |
Video display | Memory mapped monochrome display - 80 chars x 24 lines - Composite video output Memory mapped colour Teletext display - 40 chars x 24 lines - UHF output (PAL), Composite video & TTL RGB & Sync |
Keyboard | 7 Bit parallel ASCII - Carter Professional Model 756 |
Floppy Disk storage | Dual 8" Floppy drives. SSSD - 77 track (Shugart 801) Single 5¼" Floppy drive. DSDD - 40 track (Micro Peripherals) Single 3½" Floppy drive. DSDD - 80 track (NEC) |
Printer output | RS232 |
Serial interfaces | RS232 port with full handshaking |
Initial firmware
The operating system firmware for Colin MK II was in part, derived from the operating system which was running on Colin MK I.
Improvements and additions had been made to the original BOS, which was then re-named HBOS (Hitachi BOS).
Improvements
In addition to improving the original firmware, the EPROM was expanded from 2kB to 8kB in order to include the
provision of a BIOS section for running CP/M 2.2.