Dragon 64

The Dragon 64 is a home computer manufactured by Dragon Data Ltd, a Welsh company based in Port Talbot, Wales. Released in 1983, it is the upgraded successor to the Dragon 32 (1982) with doubled RAM and an added RS-232 serial port.

The Dragon 64 features a Motorola 6809E CPU at 0.89 MHz, 64 KB RAM, 16 KB ROM containing Microsoft Extended Color BASIC, a Motorola MC6847 VDG (text 32×16, graphics up to 256×192), and single-channel sound via a 6-bit DAC. Storage includes a cassette interface (1500 baud) and optional floppy disk drives (DragonDOS). The key upgrade over the Dragon 32 is the built-in RS-232C serial port for modems and printers.

The Dragon 32/64 is architecturally very similar to the TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo) — both use the same Motorola reference design (6809E CPU, MC6847 VDG, MC6883 SAM, Microsoft BASIC). Many CoCo programs run on the Dragon with minimal modification. The Dragon 64 can also run OS-9 Level 1, a real-time multitasking Unix-like operating system.

Dragon Data went into receivership in June 1984 due to intense competition from the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC, limited software library, and the bankruptcy of parent company Mettoy. The rights were acquired by Eurohard S.A. in Spain, who continued manufacturing as the Dragon 200 for the Spanish market until approximately 1985.

This system scrapes metadata for the “dragon64” group(s) and loads the dragon64 set from the currently selected theme, if available.

Quick reference

BIOS

MD5 checksum Share file path Description
bios/dragon64.zip → d64_1.rom Dragon 64 ROM part 1
bios/dragon64.zip → d64_2.rom Dragon 64 ROM part 2
bios/dragon64.zip → d64bas.rom Dragon 64 BASIC ROM
bios/dragon32.zip → d32.rom Dragon 32 ROM (for Dragon 32 emulation)

The BIOS files must match the version of MAME used in your version of Batocera. You can verify your BIOS files from the Batocera menu: GAME SETTINGS > MISSING BIOS CHECK.

ROMs

Place your Dragon 64 ROMs in /userdata/roms/dragon64.

Software was distributed on cassette tapes, floppy disks, and ROM cartridges:

  • .cas, .wav — cassette tape images (autoload using CLOADM:EXEC)
  • .dsk, .dmk — floppy disk images (autoload from boot disk)
  • .ccc, .rom — cartridge ROMs (autoload directly)

Autoload behavior can be customized by editing CSV files in system/configs/mame/autoload/dragon64_{cass,flop}_autoload.csv.

Emulators

MAME

MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) supports the Dragon 32, Dragon 64, and Dragon Alpha models.

XRoar

XRoar is a dedicated Dragon and CoCo family emulator with excellent compatibility. It supports Dragon 32, Dragon 64, and CoCo models.

RetroArch

RetroArch (formerly SSNES), is a ubiquitous frontend that can run multiple “cores”, which are essentially the emulators themselves. The most common cores use the libretro API, so that's why cores run in RetroArch in Batocera are referred to as “libretro: (core name)”. RetroArch aims to unify the feature set of all libretro cores and offer a universal, familiar interface independent of platform.

libretro: MAME

The libretro version of MAME can be used to emulate the Dragon 64. It uses the same BIOS and ROM sets as the standalone version.

Controls

The Dragon 64 has a full-travel keyboard. A physical USB keyboard is strongly recommended.

See also

Troubleshooting

Black screen on boot

Make sure the BIOS file (dragon64.zip) is in /userdata/bios/ and matches the MAME version. Use GAME SETTINGS > MISSING BIOS CHECK to verify.

CoCo software doesn't work

While many CoCo programs run on the Dragon, some may require adjustments due to different I/O mappings and keyboard layout. Try the CoCo system instead for dedicated CoCo software.

Further troubleshooting

For further troubleshooting, refer to the generic support pages.

  • systems/dragon64.txt
  • Last modified: 5 weeks ago
  • by wizzard