Popular Electronics
May '82

COMPUTER BITS
by Carl Warren


"LATEST MICROS OFFER POWER AND GRAPHICS"

    Color appears to be the rising attraction as a user-oriented feature.  And 
ASTROVISION with the ASTROARCADE [sp.] is prepared to cash in on the capability 
it offers.

    The AstroArcade [sic] is a Z-80 based add on system starting at $299 for 
the basic game unit with a $599 keyboard unit that houses a disc controller.  
It also has serial ports, cassette tape controller and voice synthesizer, and 
is totally oriented toward color.

    The system, designed by Jeff Frederiksen, developer of the coin-op 
circuitry used in Bally arcade games, says it's the only personal computer that 
approaches the realism and animation capability found on coin-operated arcade 
machines.  This wizardry is achieved by employing three microprocessors, 4K of 
Ram, 8K of ROM (expandable to 32K), and an optional Astro BASIC in ROM 
cartridge.

    The custom-designed video processor chip, operating at 7MHz, handles all 
color manipulation and NTSC broadcast quality video.  The result is a color 
display that rivals even expensive commercial graphics processors.

    In operation, you can select from a palette of 256 colors (four at a time 
in video games and two at a time with Astro Basic).  The screen is continually 
mapped in 4K RAM allowing for complex imagery that approaches that found on 
expensive CAD graphics systems.

    The second processor, also a custom I/O chip, handles the interfacing to 
hand-held controls, and is responsible for producing music equal to that 
available on expensive music synthesizers.

    Attaching the Arcade to the ZGrass-32 (keyboard element) computer gives you 
Z80 power and the use of other peripherals including discs, printers and 
modems.  (see the color photo in "The Electronic World" made by Real Time 
Design, Inc., with this system)

AstroVision, Inc.
6460 Busch Blvd.
Suite 215
Columbus, OH  43229
1-800) 848-6989


"The Electronic World"
[gallery of computer art with a picture of three trees with bushes]
"Low-Res Forest"
created by Jan Hendricks
Courtesy Real Time Design Inc.


[Transcribed by Richard Degler]