Applied Technologies Microbee 16 / 32 (1982)

Features

CPU: Z80A 2MHz / 3.375 MHz
Co-Processor: 6545 CRT controller
RAM: 16 KB or 32 KB depending models (battery-backed CMOS)
ROM: 16 KB (Microworld Basic) + 12 KB (for optional ROMs like word processor and telecommunications software)
Text Modes: 64 x 16
Graphic Modes: 128 x 48, 512 x 256
Colors: Yes, with later models
Sound: Internal loudspeaker, one channel, 2 octaves
I/O Ports: Serial RS 232, tape interface (300 and 1200 baud), composite and RGB (optional) video output, parallel port (optional on early units), expansion bus
Keyboard: Full sized, 60 keys, QWERTY standard layout
Peripherals: Printers, tape recorder, joystick, modem, optional colour board
Built In Language: Microworld Level II extended Basic

Usage

Currently, MESS supports the following Microbee systems:

mbee [Applied Technology Microbee 16 Standard]
mbeeic [Applied Technology Microbee 32 IC]
mbeepc [Applied Technology Microbee 32 PC]
mbeepc85 [Applied Technology Microbee 32 PC85]
mbee56 [Applied Technology Microbee 56]

The mbee driver supports tapes in .wav format, using the “cassette” (cass) device, and cart dumps in .rom format, using the “cartridge” (cart) device. The other systems also support four floppy drives, “floppydisk1” (flop1) to “floppydisk4” (flop4), for disk images in .dsk format.

Also notice that two different quickload features are present: “quickload1” (quik1) for .mwb and .com files, “quickload2” (quik2) for .bin files.

Keyboard

These systems require full keyboard emulation to work correctly. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the “Scroll Lock” key (by default).

Original Keyboard: QWERTY keyboard, 60 keys

BACK
 ESC   1!   2"   3#   4$   5%   6&   7'   8(   9)   0   :*   -=   ^~   SPACE 

                                                                    LINE
   TAB   Q    W    E    R    T    Y    U    I    O    P    [{   ]}  FEED   RETURN

                               BEL
CTRL  LOCK  A    S    D    F    G    H    J    K    L    ;+   @`   \|  DEL   BREAK


     SHIFT     Z    X    C    V    B    N    M    ,<   .>   /?   SHIFT    RESET 


                                    SPACEBAR

Cassettes

The system is practically identical to that of the exidy. The spare header bytes of the exidy are now used, and the second string of nulls has been removed.
The header is always at 300 baud. A byte in the header flags the baud rate of the data (300 or 1200 baud).
The 300 baud system adheres to the Kansas City Standard. There is a header consisting of nulls, a <SOH>, followed by the load address, length, execute address, filename and type, speed and auto-execute bytes. This is followed by a number of data blocks. The checksum is an extra byte appended to each block, and is computed by a subtraction and inversion with each byte.
1200 baud is the same, except that a low bit is a cycle of 1200 Hz, while a high bit is two cycles of 2400 Hz.

History and Trivia

Around 1978, Owen Hill teamed up with an electronic components company, Applied Technology of Hornsby (Sydney), to build a small computer he had designed. Applied Technology had been previously producing kits in Australia for S-100 boards. The Microbee was released as a kit in 1982 on the cover of Your Computer magazine, the manual was included free with the magazine. They were an immediate hit, being quite a powerful little system given the cost.

Applied Technology eventually changed their name to Microbee Systems, and sold ready-made versions. Their main market (especially for the 32) were Australian schools, which had the Microbee recommended as the preferred system.

Over the years there has been several versions of the Microbee. The early ones (16 and PLUS series) had monochrome display and clock rate at 2 MHz. Later ones (Colour/IC series), from june 1983, included colour and 3.375 MHz clock rate.

The Microbee 32 was followed by Microbee 56, 64 and 128 models. There were all disk based systems using CP/M. The Microbee 128 was intended as a high-end business system. There were also two really keen prototype systems, the Gamma and the Delta, which were intended to compete with the Amigas, but problems within the company led to their cancellation not long before the company's collapse.

Different models

16 / 32k Home built - 2MHz clock, Z80

32k IC (with EDASM) - 3.375 MHz clock. All later Z80 Microbees would run at this speed though many were over clocked up to 6 MHz.

32k Personal Communicator (with Basic, Telcom terminal program and Wordbee - a word processor in ROM)

32k PC85 (Word processor, Basic, Spreadsheet, Database in ROM) - the last of the line for ROM based machines - very neat and with built in networking.

(info from old-computers.com)