The Dragon 32 was a home computer built in the 1980s. The Dragons were very similar to the TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo); they used the same processor, the same version of Basic, and games cartridges for the Tandy worked perfectly well on the Dragon. However they were one third of the price, costing £199.50 (including VAT). The Dragon was produced by Dragon Data, Ltd., in Port Talbot, Wales. The model numbers reflect the primary difference between the two machines, which had 32 and 64 kilobytes of RAM, respectively.

The Dragon was built around the Motorola MC6809E processor running at 0.89 MHz. This was the most advanced 8-bit CPU design of the time, having, among other things limited 16-bit capabilities. In terms of raw computational power, the Dragon beat most of its contemporary rivals (which were based on the older MOS Technology 6502 or Zilog Z80), but this made little difference in a market where graphical capabilities and software library were much more important to consumers.

Some Dragon 32 computers were upgraded by their owners to 64K. A few were further expanded to 128K, 256K, or 512K, with home-built memory controllers/memory management units (MMUs).

A broad range of peripherals existed for the Dragon 32/64, and on top of this there were add-ons such as the Dragon's Claw which gave the Dragons access to the BBC Micro's large range of accessories (a particularly important factor in the UK home market). Although neither machine had a built-in disk operating system (cassette tapes being the default data-storage mechanism in the home computer market at the time), DragonDOS was supplied as part of the disk controller interface from Dragon Data Ltd. The numerous external ports (by the standards of the time), including the standard RS-232 on the 64, also allowed hobbyists to attach a diverse range of equipment.

An unusual feature was a monitor port for connection of a computer monitor, as an alternative to the TV output. This was rarely used due to the cost of dedicated monitors at that time. The port is actually a Composite Video port and can be used to connect the Dragon 32 to most modern TVs to deliver a much better picture.

The Dragon used analogue joysticks, unlike most systems of the time which used less versatile but cheaper digital systems. Other uses for the joystick ports included light pens.
 
S/N Ex David Child
 
Serial No. 65586

The house box that this machine is in, is the first of this box type. The family in the picture on the front later asked for royalties from Dragon when the machine took off. Instead, a new box was made with a new family, as well as a different image on the monitor.

Manufacturer: Dragon Data Ltd
Date: August 1982

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH49097. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.