Video Technology Ltd. Laser 3000

I don't have a long history with the Laser 3000, nor do I have manuals for it. For about three years I had only the main unit, but now thanks to a fellow collector, I also have a floppy controller and an FP BASIC cartridge. I now also have a photocopy of the Techical Reference Manual, but I have been very slow about incorporating information from that document into this web page.

The Laser 3000 personal computer is quite uncommon, at least in North America. It was built by Video Technology Ltd. of Hong Kong, and seems to be an unfinished product. The unit I have has numerous bugs in the hardware and in the firmware. It was supposed to be compatible with the Apple ][, and largely it is, but with enough additions and changes to make it far more interesting than the average Apple clone.

Because of its obscurity, finding information about the Laser 3000 is both frustrating and fun. Every time I turn it on (a rare occasion, unfortunately) I learn something new. I would like to share what I do know about the machine through this web page.

I don't think the Laser 3000 was sold in large quantities, except possibly in the Australian market where it was sold by Dick Smith Electronics under a different name. I have seen only one ad for the product, from Computer Direct, and they've renamed it the "APlus 3000" and used a marker to cover over the nameplate in the photo.

Technical Specifications

These are my best guesses as to the technical specifications of the Laser 3000. These are based on personal experience with the machine, and on the Computer Direct ad that was published in Popular Science Magazine, November 1985, p.116 as well as in COMPUTE! Magazine, November 1985, p.85. When a detail isn't verified and comes from the ad, I'll place [CD] after it. I did open the machine up on 1998-05-28, but I was unable to confirm any important part numbers.

Video Technology Ltd. Laser 3000

Processor:

6502A [CD]. Runs at 1MHz or 2MHz.

RAM:

192K [CD]. All I know for sure is it has more than 48KB.

ROM:

Microsoft BASIC, 16K "ROM Emulator" [CD]

I/O Ports:

joystick port, CP/M cartridge port [CD], printer port, RS-232 serial port, system bus connector, RGB video, composite video, cassette interface

OS:

Assuming one has a disk drive, it should run Apple DOS or ProDOS.

Display Type:

composite video, RGB

Display Size:

40 X 24 characters or 80 X 24 characters

Graphics:

560x192 (six colours), 280x192 (six colours), 280x192 (eight colours)

Sound:

3 sound voices (6 ocataves [CD]), two noise generators

Dimensions:

19.5-in. wide x 10-in. deep x 3-in. thick