The Color-Graf

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 for the Model I version. That price was later reduced to $195 for the Model I version and $235 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.

Written by Matthew Reed | Filed Under Graphics · Hardware · Solectronics · TMS9918A