An example of a system based upon the MSX standard, launched in Japan in 1983. Supported by Microsoft, MSX was intended to do for home systems what the IBM PC standard was already doing in the business domain. Based around the popular Z80 CPU, a host of well-known consumer electronics companies (including Philips, Pioneer, Toshiba, Sanyo, and Sony) produced MSX-compatible systems, with some tailoring their offer in some way to set themselves apart from the crowd. In the case of the Yamaha this tailoring was in terms of specialised sound and music support, with the computer having via MIDI support and an optional piano keyboard.
Yamaha, 1984

Donated/on loan from: Dr Guido Bugmann, Plymouth University

Front view of the Yamaha CX5M