This mini forum is intended to provide a simple means of discussion about the Dick Smith VZ300 computer. If you want to share your own experience or memories, or add relevant information about this system: post a message!

Great computer

I had one 20-something years ago. It was a good little workhorse, until the conduit that carries the blue smoke it runs on sprung a leak.

just got one today, have spent the last few hours loading tapes and mucking around with it, for me it all started with the commodore 64, the collection just keeps growing, books, magazines, now a Tandy printer, it seems old computers are becoming a bit more of a active hobby for me

Typo: the video processor is teh 6847, not 6807. And I wouldn''t call it a "coprocessor."

I still remember the different memory addresses, such as using "POKE 30744,1" to invert the colours in text mode.

I started with a VZ200 and then eventually upgraded to a VZ300 complete with floppy disk drive. I had many hours of fun playing games, learning BASIC programming.


Now I collect them and have a growing collection of computers, peripherals, books and electronics and computer magazines from the era.

I have many fond memories of this machine. A friend owed one, while I opted for the Microbee.

I spent many hours playing with the VZ300 as a kid and learned to like it greatly.

I've just purchased one this evening and hope that it is in working order so I might make a further contribution your fine site.

Great to see that pretty much every old computer is covered on this site. My Dad bought a VZ300 in the mid 80's when I was a kid, without a tape drive though it's entertainment value was limited, programs had to be laboriously typed in each time. We even spent something like 2 or 3 hours typing in a game with colour graphics, only to have it wiped when switched off.
The VZ300 gave me an appreciation for text-based adventures (I seem to recall now my father borrowing a tape drive off a workmate once, he still has an old VZ200 tape floating around as evidence of this).
All in all, it was a pretty frustrating and forgettable experience, kind of a poor man's Commodore 64 although I'm sure it would have got a lot more use if my Dad hadn't skimped on buying a damn tape drive!