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ADAM FACTS
The ADAM computer was introduced in the early 1980's at the same time as the Texas Instruments, Commodore, and Kaypro. The ADAM is an 8 bit computer with a Z80 processor chip, 81k of onboard memory, internal digital cassette data drive, attached daisy wheel printer - also housing the power supply for the system; all interconnected with a series of separate processor chips in the cpu, keyboard, printer and data drive circuitry.
Ready to Use Out of the Box
When introduced by Coleco Industries, the system was ready to use right out of the box; whether you bought the stand alone version or the version that attached to your existing ColecoVision game. The computer system included an built-in word processor, a blank storage tape, and a game tape - Buck Rogers.
Shortly after introduction, Coleco added 5¼" disk drives, a 300 baud internal modem (remember, this was the eighties...), a 64k memory expander and numerous new programs - SmartLogo, ADAMCalc, CP/M 2.2 and game cassettes and programs.
1985 - Third Party Era Begins
When Coleco orphaned the ADAM in early 1985, third party developers of software and hardware took over. They introduced speech synthesizers, 80 column video, serial/parallel interface cards for faster modems and dot matrix printers, bigger memory cards, larger disk drives and separate power supplies.
1990s - Advanced Development Period
As the nineties came along, more products were developed along with new software and a new TDOS operating system as a better running CPM system with more accessible memory, etc. Today, we have those 90's memory expanders up to 1 meg, serial modems with speeds to 9600 baud, clock interface cards, hard drives of MFM/RLL and IDE types accessible to 60 megabytes, and disk drives from 360k up to 1.44 meg. Last but not least; ADAMSERVE program to "take over" an IBM compatible computer and use its peripherals......disk drives, printers, etc.
Latest Innovations
The latest innovation is to use an IDE card with either a compact flash adapter OR a 100mg zip drive in place of actually using a physical moving hard drive platter. To date, we have available to the ADAM user:
Also, if you have "lost" your ADAM, there is an emulator on the Internet and many associated programs and applications to go along with it INCLUDING the monthly ADAM NEWS NETWORK disks.
Modern ADAM Community
The ADAM community remains active today with enthusiasts continuing to develop new hardware and software solutions. From modern IDE interfaces to virtual disk drives, the ADAM continues to evolve and serve its dedicated user base with cutting-edge solutions that extend far beyond what Coleco ever imagined possible.
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