View Full Version : Dragon 32/TRS-80 compatibility
If I buy a cassette game for the Dragon 32, can I use it on a TRS-80?
blue lander
03-16-2007, 08:58 AM
I think you have to mod the Coco by replacing the BIOS with a Dragon 32 BIOS. There's a web page out there somewhere with instructions
Ed Oscuro
03-17-2007, 03:53 AM
So the Dragon32 is basically a complete Trash-80 clone? Wonder if there were any lawsuits, and if not why...
YoshiM
03-17-2007, 09:10 AM
So the Dragon32 is basically a complete Trash-80 clone? Wonder if there were any lawsuits, and if not why...
Even though they shared a similar setup, the Dragon was still different enough I think to not warrant any kind of worry from Tandy. Dragon Data went under in 1984 and I think others that made the hardware (like Tano) went under not long after or didn't sell the computer.
Not all the software will from the CoCo will work on the Dragon. So far there isn't a list that I can find so it's a matter of trial and error. I do know that basic programs need to be "Retokenized" by saving them in ASCII (the programs on how to do it can be found here (http://www.onastick.clara.net/dragonsw.htm)).
The ROM replacement to turn your CoCo into a Dragon is here (http://www.onastick.clara.net/cococnv.htm). Though I think it would be less of a pain to buy a Tano machine. I've got an email to a Cali computer company to see if they still have the US Dragon kits (they were $35 according to their web site).
YoshiM
03-17-2007, 03:01 PM
Dragon 64 kits are still available at California Digital (http://www.cadigital.com/computer.htm). $39 including shipping in the US.
Thanks for the info. The only reason I asked is that I've been looking for this game, Cashman, and I could only find the Dragon version of it. The TRS-80 version shouldn't really be that hard to locate so I think I will just wait until one turns up for sale.
Steve W
03-17-2007, 10:19 PM
I didn't think the Dragon 32/64 was a direct copy of the Tandy Co-Co, I always thought that they both used common technology on the market at the time, and Microsoft adapted their BASIC compiler they did for the Co-Co for the Dragon (and probably charged full price for what was a cheap port).
YoshiM
03-18-2007, 09:20 AM
I didn't think the Dragon 32/64 was a direct copy of the Tandy Co-Co, I always thought that they both used common technology on the market at the time, and Microsoft adapted their BASIC compiler they did for the Co-Co for the Dragon (and probably charged full price for what was a cheap port).
No it wasn't a direct copy but they are disturbingly close. The physical difference, besides being set up for PAL, is that the Dragon's got a parallel port.
slapdash
03-18-2007, 05:38 PM
Dragon 64 kits are still available at California Digital (http://www.cadigital.com/computer.htm). $39 including shipping in the US.
Is that a complete working version of the computer, including the cartridge port?
idrougge
04-17-2007, 04:33 PM
I didn't think the Dragon 32/64 was a direct copy of the Tandy Co-Co, I always thought that they both used common technology on the market at the time, and Microsoft adapted their BASIC compiler they did for the Co-Co for the Dragon (and probably charged full price for what was a cheap port).
Yes, they used common technology (all standard Motorola circuits, Microsoft BASIC), but Dragon Data also made certain that their design didn't introduce any obstacles to porting games from the Tandy. Tandy very quickly let Dragon go, not least because their Coco was already a flop in the UK.