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Last update November 11 ,2005 -scroll down to bottom for latest news

By Glen VanDenBiggelaar

First Released: 1980 CPU: 8 bit 6809  Clock speed: 0.89 MHz Bus type: Tandy Proprietary Data bus width:  ? Address bus width:? Memory Standard on system board 4K Maximum on system board 16K Maximum total memory 16K ROM: ? Ports: 300 Baud Modem Display Screen size: 32 X 16 Resolution:? Storage : none Operating System: ?	Photos from my collection
Side View. Notice the Cartridge slot covered (Photo by Mike Pepe)
HISTORY As Far as I can piece together off other web sites, the history if the CoCo starts right here, with the VideoTex. The initial Tandy/Motorola connection occurred sometime in the mid-70s when the two join forces in developing a "weather radio" system (see the Project Green Thumb Page).This Project was headed Jerry Heep, who still works for Radio Shack today , his Business card says "Staff Enginer, Product Evaluation"
I be live after the success of the Project Green Thumb, Tandy decided to give the the World (or just the US) an new "All purpose Terminal" so they re-design the PGT based on a Color Computer design so they could save money by re-using the same parts and keyboard, and called it the Video-Tex. Now the public could get "On -line" and have a world of information at their finger tips. Its too bad it took 20 years for the hardware to allow for full multi-media (and porn) for the Idea to catch on. Tandy was way ahead of their time. According to the RS Catalog numbers link I was given (I have no way to confirm this information), there were 2 VideoTex Models Made: 26-5000 Videotex Terminal 4K 26-5001 Videotex Terminal 16K	on the top right corner of the VideoTex is a small red LED, which reads "DATA". Because they used the same shells for the CoCo, (and there was a hole drilled there) that is why the early CoCo's had the "Button" logo with the memory size. (CoCo Label) Sorry for the bad photos, I will try to get better ones
Back of the unit, notice just a TV out and a Phone connection-defiantly not an RJ-11 port. (Photo by Mike Pepe)	they just covered the holes for the CoCo
Another VideoTex Popped up for sale on E-bay Over the Christmas Holidays. This was for one that was "NEW- Never used""Mint in box". I thought for sure it would go for a high price- nobody (but myself) bid on it , and I got it for a song. I guess there is no demand for this unit. I will scan the manual to PDF, once it comes in. It seems they are coming out of the wood work in February, 2 units came up within a week. One was the 5001-16K unit.
Thanks to Mike, we now have some nice internal shots. I will update once I know a little more at what we are looking at.

An interesting tidbit came up as a result of my searching:
"CompuServe has grown from 3,600 subscribers in mid-1980 to more than 10,000 in the first quarter of 1981." However, most give the credit for the growth to Radio Shack, which introduces the first low-cost devices (the Videotex Terminal and the TRS-80 Color Computer) during the same period."

Could this mean that both the CoCo and the VideoTex played some small part in the infancy of the internet? HMMM.......

Feb. 22,
Do to some Trading and the fact that I have acquired a couple more Videotex units, I traded this particular one to Mike Pepe of the CoCo user group. Mike has defiantly more experience in what he is looking at that I do. The first thing he did was crack it open and take a look. He then took allot of photos with a much better digital camera than I had. His first comments were :
" Hi Glen,
Got the CoCo's today, thanks!
I tore apart the videotex, and amazingly enough, it's basically a stripped-down CoCo. There's a 6809, SAM, VDG, and 4k of memory with a 6850 UART and a built in 300 baud modem.
I was kind of disappointed, I was expecting something radically different "

As I get more info in from Mike, I will post it.

April 26,
Last week I got in my "New" VideoTex (Boxed) and reading the manual, it looks like the units were "receive" only and disconnected once the memory was full (8 pages for the 4K and 32 pages for the 16K). You couldn't post messages.
Today I received an E-mail from Corey at 8bitclassics.com. stating he had a unit that had not the TRS-80 label, but a "Professional Farmers Instant Update" label, which would support the "operation Green Thumb" Project. The interesting thing is that this is a model 71-5002. I have checked my RS part numbers, and the 71-xxxx are not listed. It is my personal opinion that these part numbers were reserved for units going to third party venders. Inside this unit is identical to the unit above, but it does have 16K of ram instead of 4 . Mike has informed me that he has pictures of a unit with an "Agvision" label, when i get photos, I will post them

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November 11, 2005
Joe B sent us this picture of the Agvision Video-Tex, Although no information was given, just the picture (probably an E-bay Auction I Missed).Nice blue color.

I

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