The Color-Graf

written by Matthew Reed

Color-Graf advertisment

Color-Graf advertisement from the January 1983 issue of 80 Micro

The Color-Graf was a color graphics interface for the TRS-80 Model I and Model III. Sold by Solectronics, the Color-Graf originally cost $260.00 for the Model I version. That price was later reduced to $195.00 for the Model I version and $235.00 for the new Model III version. Solectronics advertised the Color-Graf from 1982 to 1983.

The Color-Graf was a fairly small unit that came with its own power supply and connection to a black and white or color television set. Installing the Color-Graf required no modifications to the TRS-80. It just plugged into the TRS-80 expansion bus.

Like most of the other TRS-80 color graphics interfaces, the Color-Graf was based on the Texas Instruments TMS9918A graphics controller. The TMS9918A provided a resolution of 256 by 192 with sixteen colors (including transparent) on a color television. The Color-Graf came with a full 16K, so it supported up to four video modes and up to 32 prioritized sprites.

One of the best selling points for the Color-Graf was its complete documentation. Included with the Color-Graf were sample programs (available on tape and disk) that demonstrated how to work with the color graphics features. The programs were based around a set of routines that manipulated all of the features of the TMS9918A controller. Detailed documentation for those routines was included in the manual, as well as program listings.

Categories: Graphics, Hardware