Andrew Laird's Holdings

Computers

• VZ200 serial V049718 working
• VZ200 serial V076213 working
• VZ200 serial V077897 working
• VZ200 serial V077912 working
• VZ200 no serial working but requires heavy key pressure to operate
• VZ300 serial V20777 working: brown keys BASIC v2.0 (with original box)
• VZ300 serial V202330 working: brown keys BASIC v2.1
• VZ300 serial V234907 working: beige keys BASIC v2.0 - the serial sticker may not be original

Peripherals

• 7 x VZ200 16K RAM expansion modules (one with original packaging)
• 4 x VZ300 16K RAM expansion module (three in original packaging)
• 4 x VZ200 data cassette recorder (one with original box)
• 2 x VZ300 DR20 data cassette recorder (one with original box)
• 1 x DSE Cat X-7311 slimline computer program data recorder
• 3 x pair VZ300 joysticks (one in original packaging)
• 1 x VZ200 PP40 printer plotter (in original packaging)
• 1 x LASER PP40 printer plotter
• 2 x VZ300 Printer Interface (one in original packaging)
• 1 x Printer Interface (no shell)
• 1 x VZ200 Demonstration Cartridge (in original packaging) not available to consumers but only to stores and resellers
• 1 x Laser DI40 Floppy Disk Controller not working
• 1 x VZ WordPro Cartridge DSE Cat X-7350 (with original box)

Original Software

• Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (DSE X-7274)
• Biorhythm/Pair Matching/Calendar
• Blackjack (DSE X-7235) x 2
• Checkers (DSE X-7265)
• Chess x 2 (DSE X-7276)
• Crash (DSE X-7342)
• Dawn Patrol (DSE X-7333)
• Demonstration Tape (VZ200) x 4
• Demonstration Tape (VZ300) x 2
• Disassembler (DSE X-7278)
• Dracula's Castle (DSE X-7272) x 2
• Duel (DSE X-7279)
• Editor Assembler (DSE X-7282) x 3
• Elementary Geometry (DSE X-7256)
• Flashcard 1&2 (DSE X-7287)
• Flashcard 3&4 (DSE X-7288)
• Flashword Series (Part A) (DSE X-7287) x 2
• Flashword Series (Part B) (DSE X-7288)
• Formula One (DSE X-7331) x 2
• Galaxon (DSE X-7332)
• Ghost Hunter (DSE X-7242) x 6
• Hangman (DSE X-7233) x 3
• Hoppy (DSE X-7243) x 3
• Introduction to BASIC (DSE X-7255) x 3
• Invaders (DSE X-7239) x 3
• Knights and Dragons (DSE X-7245)
• Ladder Challenge (DSE X-7268) x 2
• Lunar Lander (DSE X-7250)
• Mailing List (DSE X-7259) x 2
• Matrix (DSE X-7253)
• Match Box (DSE X-7231)
• Maze of Argon (DSE X-7344)
• Metric Spycatcher (DSE-X7289) x 2
• Music Writer (DSE X-7276) x 2
• Othello (DSE X-7271)
• Panik (DSE X-7270) x 2
• Penguin no case
• Planet Patrol (DSE X-7266)
• Poker (DSE X-7232) x 4
• Portfolio Management (DSE X-7261)
• Speed Reading (DSE X-7257)
• Spell'O'Matic 1&2 (DSE X-7285)
• Spell'O'Matic 3&4 (DSE X-7286) x 3
• Sprite Generator (DSE X-7330)
• Star Blaster (DSE X-7247) x 2
• Statistics 1 (DSE X-7251)
• Super Snake (DSE X-7244)
• Tennis (DSE X-7264)
• Tennis Lesson/Golf Lesson (DSE X-7254)
• Typing Teacher (DSE X-7258) x 4
• Whizkid Spycatcher (DSE X-7290)
• Word Matching (DSE X-7345) x 2
• VZ200/300 Extended BASIC v2.3 (S. Olney)
• VZ-Asteroids (DSE X-7248)

Other Software on Tape

• Air Traffic Controller (from the Home Software Library)
• Backgammon - unsure if this is the DSE game. Has both a two player and a one player vs computer version.
• Convertor - a BASIC program that does imperial to metric or metric to imperial conversion for a number of measurements.
• Database - a tape-based database program written in BASIC. Originally written by Ted Barker, appearing in APC Aug 1984, p172-177.
• Inventory - a BASIC program that saves an inventory onto tape.
• Learjet (from the Home Software Library)
• Meat Pies (VSoftwareZ)
• Mon-200 - a BASIC program acting as a VZ monitor. This is probably the one written by Stamboulidis which was published in APC Nov 1984, p208-212.
• Morse Tutor - written in BASIC. Unsure of origin.
• Pi...to the Sixteenth Decimal - a BASIC program that calculates π using Liebniz's formula. Seems to calculate the result from scratch each time, so probably could be rewritten to be more efficient. There is no checking that the accuracy claimed has been reached, either. Sixteen decimal places appears to be the limitation of the VZ BASIC for floating point numbers.
• Sparkle - a BASIC program that produces a vaguely interesting graphic effect in Mode 1.
• Squares - a BASIC program that produces squares using Mode 0 graphics.
• Tachiscope - a BASIC program that is supposed to improve your reading speed by displaying phrases for increasingly less time up to a minimum display time.

Manuals (supplied with product)

• 2 x Addendum Sheet (for VZ300 16K Memory Expansion) - describes how to modify the expansion module for use with the VZ200
• 1 x Assembly Manual for the VZ200 Serial Interface (DSE kit K-6317)
• 1 x Breakproof/Filecopier instruction sheet by L Taylor
• 1 x Disk Tool Kit Manual by Bob Kitch
• 1 x Diskops 6 Instructions - unsure if original
• 1 x DSE Word Processor Patch Manual by Russell Harrison
• 1 x Editor Assembler Instruction Manual
• 1 x Ext12 Extended Disk Facilities by Leslie Milburn Operating Instructions - unsure if original
• 1 x Extended DOS EPROM Manual by Russell Harrison
• 1 x Flashword Series (A) Manual
• 1 x LASER PP40 Printer Plotter Instruction Manual (in German - Bedienungsanleitung)
• 1 x Laserlink VZ Computer EPROM Manual
• 1 x Metric Spycatcher Manual
• 1 x Sprite Generator Instruction Manual
• 2 x VZ200 16K RAM Module Instruction Manual
• 4 x VZ200 BASIC Application Programs
• 6 x VZ200 BASIC Reference Manual
• 2 x VZ200 Data Cassette Recorder Instruction Manual
• 1 x VZ200 Monitor/Debugger V1.1 Manual by W Obrist
• 2 x VZ200 PP40 Printer Plotter Instruction Manual
• 4 x VZ200 User Manual
• 3 x VZ300 16K Memory Expansion Module Instruction Manual
• 1 x VZ300 Data Cassette Recorder manual
• 1 x VZ300 Joystick Instruction Manual
• 2 x VZ300 Main Unit Manual
• 2 x VZ300 Printer Interface Installation Manual
• 2 x VZ-300 WordPro manual
• 1 x VZBASCOM Manual by Bob Kitch

Hardware Projects

• 1 x VZ serial interface (DSE kit K-6317)
• 1 x 18K memory expansion module for the VZ300
• 1 x 256K RAM expansion (designed and constructed by Andrew Laird)

Books

• 1 x Getting Started with Your Dick Smith VZ200
• 1 x The Amazing VZ300 Omnibus
• 1 x The Giant Book of Games for the VZ300
• 1 x The Giant Book of VZ200 Games
• 1 x VZ200 Technical Reference Manual
• 2 x VZ300 Technical Manual
• 2 x VZ200 Introduction to Computing
• 4 x VZ200 First Book of Programs
• 3 x VZ200 Second Book of Programs
• 2 x VZ200 Further Programming by Tim Hartnell
• 2 x VZ300 Programming by Tim Hartnell
• 1 x VZ200/300 Assembly Language Programming Manual for Beginners by Steve Olney
• 1 x Your Computer's Bumper Book of Programs

Electronics and Computer Magazines from the Era

I've included magazines from 1983-1990 based on the release of the VZ200 and the last known magazine article mentioning the VZ (this will change once I have done further research). These magazines are a particularly valuable source of information about software distributed outside of Dick Smith Electronics, as many distributors used the more affordable advertising methods available in such magazines.

• Australian Electronics Monthly
  • 1985: Jul (1st issue), Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
  • 1986: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul
  • 1988: Sep
• Australian Personal Computer
  • 1984: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
  • 1985: Nov
  • 1987: Apr
• Electronics Australia
  • 1983: Jan x 2, Feb x 2, Mar x 2, Apr x 3, May x 4, Jun x 3, Jul x 3, Aug x 2, Sep x 2, Oct x 2, Nov x 2, Dec x 4
  • 1984: Jan x 2, Feb, Mar x 2, Apr x 2, May x 2, Jun x 3, Jul, Aug x 4, Sep x 3, Oct x 3, Nov x 3, Dec x 3
  • 1985: Jan, Feb x 2, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul x 2, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
  • 1986: Feb x 2, Mar, Sep x 2, Oct, Nov, Dec x 2
  • 1987: Jan, Feb x 2, Mar x 2, Apr x 2, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
  • 1988: Jan x 2, Feb x 2, Mar, Apr x 2, May x 3, Jun x 2, Jul, Aug x 2, Sep x 2, Oct x 2, Nov x 2, Dec x 3
  • 1989: Jan x 2, Feb x 2, Mar x 2, Apr x 3, May x 3, Jun x 2, Jul x 2, Aug x 2, Sep x 2, Oct x 2, Nov x 2, Dec x 2
  • 1990: Jan x 4, Feb, Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec x 2
• Electronics Today International
  • 1983: Mar, Apr, Jul x 2, Aug, Nov, Dec x 2
  • 1984: Jan x 2, Feb x 2, Apr, Jul, Nov, Dec
  • 1985: Jan x 3, Feb x 2, Mar, Apr x 2, May, Jun x 3, Jul x 3, Aug x 2, Sep x 2, Oct x 2, Nov, Dec x 2
  • 1986: Feb, Mar, Apr, Jun, Sep x 2, Oct, Nov x 2, Dec x 2
  • 1987: Jan, Feb x 2, Mar x 2, Apr x 2, May x 2, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov x 2, Dec
  • 1988: Jan, Feb, Mar, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Nov, Dec x 2
  • 1989: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
  • 1990: Jan x 2, Mar, Apr
• Silicon Chip
  • 1989: Mar x 2, Oct, Nov
  • 1990: Jan
• Start Computing
  • date unknown - possibly a one-off publication from the Your Computer stable
• Your Computer
  • 1984: Jan, Sep, Nov, Dec
  • 1985: Apr, Jul, Aug, Oct, Dec
  • 1986: Jan, Feb, Dec
  • 1987: Feb

Newsletters

• ArchiVZ: Issue #2 (5th May 1994)
• LYSCo Newsletter: July/August 1985 accompanied by an August 1985 catalogue
• The Vee Zedder: final issue - date not given but appears to be first half of 1986
• Micro-80: Vol 4 Issue 8 (1984)
• VZ200 Interface: Issue 3 x 2
• VZ User Vol 1 No 12 (December 1986)
• VZ User Vol 2 No 1 & 2 (January/February 1987)
• VZ User Vol 2 No 3 (March 1987)
• VZ User Vol 2 No 4 & 5 (April/May 1987)
• VZ User Vol 2 No 6 & 7 (June/July 1987)
• VZ User Vol 2 No 10/11 (Oct/Nov 1987)

Catalogues and Correspondence

• DSE letter to stockist regarding free demonstration cartridge and advising of price decrease of VZ200 to $169.00 RRP (circa Jan 1984)
• LaserLink catalogue and order form circa September 1987 - of particular note is the announcement of the fourth and probably final peripheral import (in conjunction with Bob Kitch) in which an order was to be placed with a West German supplier
• Dick Smith Electronics Catalogue
  • 1987-88

Associated Peripherals, Books and Manuals

• BASIC Faster and Better & Other Mysteries
• Getting Started with TRS-80 BASIC
• GP-250X dot matrix printer
• GP-250X Owner's Manual
• Microsoft BASIC Decoded & Other Mysteries
• PBUFF (Don McKenzie printer buffer)
• PBUFF Assembly Instructions
• Radio Shack Basic Computer Language "It's easier than you think!"
• TRS80 Microcomputer Technical Reference Handbook

Photocopies

• Air Traffic Controller instruction manual
• Learjet instruction manual

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