Commodore SuperPET 9000

The SuperPET 9000, developed with the University of Waterloo, added a Motorola 6809 processor and language environment to an expanded CBM 8032. Users could switch between ordinary 6502 PET operation and the 6809 development system.

Its APL, BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN and Pascal implementations made it an unusual educational bridge between microcomputers and institutional mainframes.

Notable Features

• Side switches selected processor, ROM and memory modes.
• The Waterloo software suite required a disk drive and provided several programming languages.

Historical Significance

• Its APL, BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN and Pascal implementations made it an unusual educational bridge between microcomputers and institutional mainframes.

Collector’s Notes

• PET revisions often share names while differing in motherboard, ROM, keyboard and display hardware; the serial number and internal board revision 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 SuperPET 9000
Manufacturer	Commodore
Launched	Thursday, January 1, 1981
Discontinued	Mid-1980s
Country	United States
CPU	MOS Technology 6502 at approximately 1 MHz
Units Sold
Languages	Waterloo microAPL, microBASIC, microCOBOL, microFORTRAN and microPascal
Additional CPU	Motorola 6809 at approximately 1 MHz alongside the MOS 6502
Form Factor	All-in-one metal desktop computer
Power	Internal mains supply
Networking	PET networking and shared-drive systems available from Commodore and third parties
Operating System	Commodore BASIC in ROM
Expansion / I/O	IEEE-488, cassette, user port and internal expansion connections
Keyboard	Business keyboard with numeric keypad
Storage	IEEE-488 floppy drives required for Waterloo software; external IEEE-488 disk drives supported
Sound	Piezoelectric beeper on later models; early PETs have no dedicated sound
Colours	Monochrome green or white phosphor
Graphics	MOS 6545/CRTC or discrete PET video logic depending on model; character graphics
Display	Built-in 12-inch CRT; 80 x 25 text
ROM	BASIC 4.0 plus Waterloo language support
RAM	96KB total
CPU Speed	Approximately 1 MHz