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Thomson TO8

The Thomson TO8 is a home computer introduced by French company Thomson SA in 1986, with a cost of 2,990 FF. It replaces its predecessor, the Thomson TO7/70, while remaining essentially compatible.

Last revised
Jul 24, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
Thomson TO8
ManufacturerThomson SA
Released1986 (1986)
Introductory price
2,990 FF
Discontinued1989 (1989)
Basic 512, Basic 1.0 and Disk Basic
CPUMotorola 6809E, 1 MHz
Memory256 KB (512 KB max.) RAM
80 KB ROM
StorageDisk drive, tape (optional)
Display160 × 200 (16 or 5 colours)
320 × 200 (2, 3, 4 or 16 colours)
640 × 200 (2 colours)
GraphicsThomson EF9369
Soundgenerator + 1 bit D/A converter 6 bits
Input81-key AZERTY keyboard, light pen
Controller input
joystick, mouse
Thomson TO7/70
PredecessorThomson TO7/70
SuccessorThomson TO9+

The Thomson TO8 is a home computer introduced by French company Thomson SA in 1986, with a cost of 2,990 FF.123 It replaces its predecessor, the Thomson TO7/70, while remaining essentially compatible.43

The new features of the TO8, like larger memory (256 KB) and better graphics modes (powered by the Thomson EF9369 graphics chip), are shared with the other third generation Thomson computers (MO6 and TO9+).5678

The TO8 has a tape drive and Microsoft BASIC 1.0 (in standard and 512 KB versions)9 on its internal ROM, and there is an optional external floppy drive. Graphics were provided by the Thomson EF9369 chip, allowing the display of 16 colours from a palette of 4096.78

More than 120 games exist for the system.1011

An improved version, the Thomson TO8D, includes a built-in 3.5-inch floppy drive.

References

References

  1. Garret, Yann (September 1986). "Thomson présente sá nouvelle gamme". Science & Vie Micro (in French). No. 31. pp. 106–107. ISSN 0760-6516.
  2. "THOMSON TO 8 - TO 8D". OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum.
  3. "THOMSON JOUE LES LAPINS" (PDF). Hebdogiciel Magazine (in French) (150). August 29, 1986.
  4. Miné, Antoine. "Thomson TO8 Emulation in MESS". Antoine Miné's Web Site.
  5. "La nouvelle gamme Thomson" (PDF). Jeux & Stratégie (in French) (41): 42. October 1986.
  6. "La gamme TO de Thomson" (PDF). Canard PC Hardware HS (in French) (HS 6): 80. 2016.
  7. Coulom, Daniel. "TO8D Circuit Diagram". DCMOTO - Site de référence des ordinateurs 8 bits Thomson (in French).
  8. EF9369 Single Chip Color Palette. Thomson Components.
  9. Alexis AMAND, Alexis (2022). "Retrogaming et (re)découverte du Thomson TO8". Alexis AMAND - Développement Web et SEO (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  10. "Thomson TO8 video games". Universal Videogame List. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
  11. "Listing of all Thomson TO8 games". The Video Games Museum. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
External links