Commodore 16

The Commodore 16 used Commodore’s TED chip for video, sound and system control, with a faster BASIC 3.5 environment than the C64.

The TED family targeted lower-cost home and educational markets but lacked C64 software compatibility.

Notable Features

• 16KB of RAM and its distinctive enclosure identify this model.
• BASIC 3.5 includes graphics, sound and disk commands.

Historical Significance

• The TED family targeted lower-cost home and educational markets but lacked C64 software compatibility.

Collector’s Notes

• Board revision, regional video standard, power supply, keyboard legends and original accessories should be recorded.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Commodore 16
Manufacturer	Commodore
Launched	Sunday, January 1, 1984
Discontinued	1986
Country	United States
CPU	MOS 7501 or 8501 at approximately 1.76 MHz
Units Sold
Form Factor	Keyboard computer
Power	External or internal mains supply according to model
Networking	Commodore serial networking and third-party network adapters where supported
Operating System	Commodore BASIC 3.5
Expansion / I/O	Cartridge, cassette, IEC serial, user/serial and two joystick ports using model-specific connectors
Keyboard	Integrated keyboard
Storage	Datasette, cartridge and serial floppy drives
Sound	Two-channel TED sound
Colours	121-colour palette
Graphics	TED character and bitmap graphics
Display	Television or monitor; 40 x 25 text
ROM	32KB BASIC 3.5 and KERNAL ROM, plus application ROM in Plus/4
RAM	16KB
CPU Speed	Approximately 1.76 MHz