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Tandy TL2

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Paul Casey

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Dec 28, 2002, 5:02:44 PM12/28/02

Taken off a Web Site..................

Tandy 1000 TL/2

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In Loving Memory of the Tandy 1000 TL/2 and Deskmate
My first computer
Return to Home Page
Links to other Tandy related sites
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(pictures and diagrams from the Tandy 1000 TL/2 user manual)

Download Deskmate HERE! This version of Deskmate is for any PC
compatiable computer. Before trying to use Deskmate, please click
HERE for instructions. If you don't, it is unlikely you will be
able to get DeskMate to work correctly.

This page is dedicated to the Tandy 1000 TL/2. It was my
first computer, which was given to me by a neighbor's relative
(about 4 or 5 years ago). The computer was already far out of
date at the time, but it still served its purpose well. On it I
learned many computer skills, including working with a graphical
interface (DeskMate), using DOS, and simple programing
(GW-BASIC). I also used it for real applications including
typing, as a database, an address book, and as a place to put
reminders for myself (using Deskmate's Notepad "corkboard" and
its calendar program).

In the future, I will add pictures, links, and more to this page,
so if you are interested, visit regularly:)
If you want to contact me, email me at enter...@nac.net

The following is information I obtained from The Tandy 1000 TL/2
User Manual and on my own. I will now share this with those who
are interested: (It is not yet complete, I will add more as time
goes bye)

Introduction:
This computer was made in 1989, but different versions of the
Tandy 1000 stretch as far back as 1984. When the first version
of the Tandy 1000 came out, it was based on a computer made
earlier, the PC JR. The PC JR did very poorly, but the Tandy 1000
did very well. It was one of the first computers to include
Video and Sound support.
Another feature that the Tandy 1000 TL/2 (i'm not sure if it
came with the original Tandy 1000) had was important software
built into ROM(read only memory). This was good since it allowed
software to load much faster then from Disk. Information stored
in ROM was kept even after the computer was turned off. MS-DOS
(Microsoft Disk Operating System) and the main part of DeskMate
were in ROM. The computer launched into DeskMate almost
immediately after startup (a refreshing change compared with the
time it takes to start Windows 3.1/95/98).
The Tandy 1000 TL/2 was compatible for programs made for the IBM
PC and the PC/XT so it could run most of the popular software at
the time. The rest of this writing refers to the Tandy 1000 TL/2,
and other versions of the Tandy 1000 will be different from this.

Processor: (80286 chip)
The computer has a dual speed processor, which runs at 8MHz and
4MHz. This was due to the fact that some older programs at the
time didn't run correctly at 8MHz and required a slower speed.
Any software that you can still find for the Tandy today should
be run at 8MHz, and going to 4MHz is something that you probably
never will need to do.

Ram: (640k)
RAM stands for Random Access memory. It is sometimes just
referred to as memory. This is where programs, instructions, and
information are kept while you are working. When the computer is
turned off, anything in memory is erased, so be sure to save your
work to a disk.
There is 640 Kilobytes (k) of Ram in the computer. One K is
equal to 1024 bytes/characters of information. At the time 640K
was good enough to run just about anything. Times have changed
greatly now. My current computer has 32mb of Ram ( approximately
32000K) Most new computers come with 64mb of ram and some even
come with 128mb. 32mb is the bare minimum you should have today,
while 64mb is better yet. There is no way to upgrade the memory
of the Tandy to this large of an amount. There were memory
upgrades available for the Tandy at the time in the form of
memory chips (which would increase it to 768k), or if you wanted
more, you could plug in expansion cards. Note: Memory upgrades
of today are not compatible with this old computer so you would
have to find some place that sells old hardware.

MS-DOS and Basic Diskette:
The computer came with a diskette that contained the complete
version of MS-DOS 3.3 and GW-Basic 3.2 programming
language.(notes: This version of DOS that came with the computer
can only be used with Tandy computers| If you don't like using
GW-Basic you can also get Quick Basic which worked fine on my
Tandy)

DeskMate:
Deskmate was a program that provided a collection of integerated
programs to preform common tasks such as wordprocessing,
spreadsheets, data bases, and graphics editing(a paint program).
You could also do advanced things such as limited sound editing,
and a fairly sophisticated Music Composing and playing Program.
As mentinoned above, the shell program for Deskmate was kept in
ROM, making it extremely fast. You could also run other programs
designed for the PC right from the Deskmate Desktop (sort of like
making shortcuts for MS-DOS programs in Windows).

Speller in ROM:
A spell checker built for the DeskMate interface was built into
ROM, making it extremely fast. Besides using Spell Checker for
DeskMate Apps, you could also use it for other documents saved in
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
format. An example of such a file is one created in windows Note
Pad (with a .txt extension).

Special EEPROM Circuitry:
EEPROM stands for electroniacally erasable programmable read-only
memory. It is a chip that can store setup information, and then
remembers what they are even when the power is turned off.
Today, the CMOS chip stores this information, and requires a
battery to let it retain this information.

Built-In Video Support:
The computer had video support built into it, which would display
either CGA(16 colors at 640x200), or Monochrome video(1 color at
720x348)

Music and Sound:
It had a three voice sound circuit with an analog to
digital/digital to analog converter, a built in speaker, a 1/8"
microphone jack, and a 1/8" earphone jack. With a microphone,
you could record, store, and play music and sound.

3 1/2 inch Diskette Drive:
double density (720k)

Built-In hard Drive Support:
you could add either a 20mb hard drive or a 40mb hard drive.

Keyboard:
came with a 101-key, enhanced keyboard

1 Built-In Serial Port:
same as Serial Ports today, although much slower (most serial
mice will still work with this computer)

1 Built-In Parallel Printer Port:
looks quite different from Parallel ports of today (can still get
a printer for it if you have the right adapter cable)

2 Built-In Joystick Ports:
also quite different from Joystick ports of today.

4 10-inch Expansion Slots:
used for adding 8-bit adapter boards to upgrade or customize the
computer. No adapter boards are made for these types of slots
anymore.

Diskette Drives:
You could add either a 5 1/4" or 3 1/2" drive, neither one can be
high density.

Hard Disk Card:
You could also add a Hard Disk card with 20 or 40mb. You cannot
have both a hard disk card and a hard disk drive in the computer.

Modem:
Either internal or external, you would have to look hard to find
an old modem that would work (and software that would work with
it)

Math Coprocessor:
It would help programs that would do a great deal of
calculations, just plug the chip into the socket board (would
have to look hard to find the chip that would work)

TandyLink:
An adapter board that would let you connect your computer to
others in a workgroup and share information with other members of
the group.

Enhanced Video:
you could add either an EGA or VGA card to the computer (once
again, you would have to look hard to find an old card that would
work)

Other Options:
When this computer was still fairly new(1989), you could add
things like a fax board, a CD-ROM drive, a digital scanner, an
MIDI interface, a tape cartridge, an answering machine board, and
a drawing tablet. You would have to go to a place that sells old
used computer hardware. Might be able to find some stuff at a
garage sale for a very cheap price.

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