S > SORD  > M 5

M 5

The SORD M5 had no really great success outside Japan (and later Czechoslovakia) but had lot of interesting characteristics, very close to MSX computers released soon after.

Its design is quite original. The two-tone grey plastic casing opens to reveal a bright yellow back, which houses the ROM cartridge slot. The keyboard is similar to the rubber matting of the Spectrum, but feels a bit better. Most keys have a Basic keyword on them in small light-grey letters (available by holding down the function key as an other key is pressed). There is no full-size space-bar.

There is only 4K of internal RAM, but memory expansions were available. The joysticks simply plug into tiny DIN sockets, and there is a port for a Centronics printer. The power supply is external and rather cumbersome.

It uses a dedicated video chip (Texas Instrument 9918, 9928 or 9929, depending on the model) and has the same video characteristics as the MSX computers (same graphic resolution, same number of colors, same number of sprites, etc.) but doesn't belong to this family. The M-5 has 32 graphics symbols in ROM and can handle up to 32 sprites. Its sound chip is the Texas Instruments TI 76489, which is not MSX compliant. It has three independent sound channels which can produce a variety of music and synthesised sounds. The sound is sent through the TV speaker.

Several cartidge based languages were available: the Basic-I (very simple version for beginners, delivered with the system), the Basic-G (with lot of graphic commands) and the Basic-F (for mathematic and scientific applications). The M-5 supports Inp and Out in Basic to control Z-80A ports, but has no obvious connector to the external world other than the ROM cartridge slot into which the Basic must be inserted.

Note that this computer is quite small !

One year later the M5 Pro and M5 Jr were released with a built-in power supply unit (and more RAM?).

Jan P. Naidr reports:
The Sord M5 was popular in Czechoslovakia because it was the first home computer on the common market. The other computers like Sinclair Spectrum have been imported individually from abroad. But you must understand the statement "common market". That was not common for everybody in the communist period. The name of the shop selling Sord was TUZEX. There was possible to pay only by dollars or any other hard currency or buy Tuzex Crowns (special voucher), which you could receive changing dollars in the bank. The solution for common people was to by Tuzex Crowns on the black market. 1 Tuzex Crown for 5 Czech Crowns. We are so happy the old times have gone.