Binary Dinosaurs Computer Museum
titlebar
button1Museum History button2Museum Updates button4Adverts&Reviews spaaaaace button5Moan, Bitch, Gripe scroll1
button6Inhabitants button7Reviews button8WOW! button9Contact button10Recursion 2017 scroll2
button11Links button17Floppy Recreation button13BDonFacebook button14CGE-UK 2004 button15WROCC 2006 scroll2
button16DECBOX button12Retro2017 button18Floppy Recreation spaaaaace spaaaaace scroll3
base blank_textbox

EACA Video Genie
This was the first in the Genie line from EACA in Hong Kong, a Z80 based monster of a machine with a built-in tape drive and starting with 16K of RAM, expandable to 48K by the very Heath Robinson method exhibited by this machine here, since it's got a RAM expansion in it.
These machines were basically Tandy TRS80 clones complete with the ubiquitous Microsoft BASIC in ROM, and date from 1981 upwards in various flavours - Genie I, MicroDigital Video Genie (same as the Video Genie), Genie II (numeric keypad instead of tape drive and ROM enhancements including lower case!), Genie III (I think, had 2 vertical 5.25" floppies to the right of the built-in monitor....very TRS80 Model 3) and the EG2002 Color Genie. EACA managed to get them pretty much in all major geographies; the only one I can think of up to now is the Dick Smith System-80 from New Zealand.
This machine not only has the extra 32K of RAM but also a Lower Case ROM extension, much like my other boxed Genie. It also doesn't work too well in common with all machines of the day; I'm guessing this is principally because it uses 2114 RAM chips for its video RAM (also Vectrex, CBM PET, UK101 etc etc) which aren't known for their longevity!
Pictures

All images and text © Adrian Graham 1999-2024 unless otherwise noted using words. Also on