Philips NMS 8255

The Philips NMS 8255 added a second 720 KB floppy drive to the professional NMS 8250 MSX2 desktop while retaining its separate keyboard and 128 KB memory mapper.

Dual drives made copying disks and running MSX-DOS business software substantially more convenient.

Notable Features

• Two built-in 720 KB floppy drives
• Professional separate-keyboard design
• MSX2 V9938 graphics

Historical Significance

• Dual drives made copying disks and running MSX-DOS business software substantially more convenient.

Collector’s Notes

• The front label often says NMS 8250, so the rear model label is the reliable identifier; inspect both drive belts.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Philips NMS 8255
Manufacturer	Philips
Launched	Thursday, January 1, 1987
Launch Price	ƒ2,295
Country	Netherlands
CPU	NEC D780C-1 / Z80A compatible
Units Sold
Form Factor	Desktop with separate keyboard
Power	Mains AC
Networking	None built in
Operating System	MSX BASIC 2.0 and MSX-DOS
Expansion / I/O	Two cartridge slots, cassette, printer, two joystick ports, RGB and composite video
Keyboard	Separate keyboard with numeric keypad
Storage	Two built-in 720 KB 3.5-inch floppy drives
Sound	YM2149 three-voice PSG plus noise
Colours	512 palette; up to 16 or 256 onscreen by mode
Graphics	Yamaha V9938: up to 512 x 212 pixels with sprites
Display	Television or RGB monitor
ROM	MSX2 BIOS, BASIC and disk ROM
RAM	128 KB main RAM and 128 KB video RAM
CPU Speed	3.58 MHz