Tandy 1000 S-Series

Tandy 1000 SX (AX)
Manufacturer:	Tandy Corporation
Year Introduced:	1986
Form Factor:	Compatible PCs
Clock Speed:	7.16 MHz
Memory Size:	384 KB standard, expanded to 640 KB
Graphics:	Tandy Graphics
CPU:	Intel 8088-2
Operating System:	MS-DOS 3.2, Deskmate II
Successor(s):	Tandy 1000 SL

Tandy 1000 SL
Manufacturer:	Tandy Corporation
Year Introduced:	1989
Form Factor:	Compatible PCs
Clock Speed:	8 MHz
Memory Size:	384 KB standard, expanded to 640 KB
Graphics:	Tandy Graphics II
CPU:	Intel 8086
Operating System:	MS-DOS 3.3, Deskmate 3
Successor(s):	Tandy 1000 SL/2

Tandy 1000 SL/2
Manufacturer:	Tandy Corporation
Year Introduced:	1990
Form Factor:	Compatible PCs
Clock Speed:	7.16 MHz
Memory Size:	512 KB standard, expanded to 640 KB
Graphics:	Tandy Graphics II
CPU:	Intel 8086
Operating System:	MS-DOS 3.3, Deskmate 3
Successor(s):	Tandy 1000 RL

After the success of the original Tandy 1000, in 1986, Radio Shack debuted three new models: the 1000 SX, the 1000 EX, and the 1000 TX.

Tandy 1000 SX

The Tandy 1000 SX was the direct descendant of the original Tandy 1000. It was a significant improvement over the original with an Intel 8088-2 processor running at 7.16 MHz. It came with 640 KB RAM, built-in DMA and 5 8-bit ISA slots. Another feature, that became standard on all subsequent models was a simple potentiometer that acted as a volume control. A noted peripheral that Tandy sold starting with this era of 1000s was called a hard card. This was simply an 8-bit ISA card that contained both a 20 or 40 MB hard drive with controller circuitry built-in to the card. There was a variant of the SX called the Tandy 1000 AX was also sold that was sold at Walmart stores.

Tandy 1000 SL

The next model in the family was the Tandy 1000 SL. It came with 512 KB RAM and a redesigned case whose design scheme was present in all subsequent 1000 models. Part of this design was an improved keyboard similar to most of the other XT Compatibles of the time. Interestingly, it used a PS/2 mind-DIN type connector but it was not compatible with other PS/2 keyboard due to the fact that internally it was wired like an IBM PC XT keyboard. Also, it featured "high-resolution" (Tandy II) graphics and improved sound with a built in 8-bit DAC. An option for all of the "L-badged" machines was the SmartWatch, a battery backed-up real time clock (RTC). Another feature which was taken from the earlier all-in-one Tandy 1000 HX was the ability to boot the MS-DOS command.com from a ROM. Also on this ROM was the Deskmate executable, desk.com. This ROM on a non-hard disk system was C: drive and it was D: on systems with a hard disk. Because of the Deskmate executable being on the ROM, there actually was no executable on the floppy set that came with the system.

Tandy 1000 SL/2

The final model in this family was Tandy 1000 SL/2. It is identical to the SL except that instead of a 360 KB 5 and a quarter inch floppy disk drive, it has a 720K three and a half inch drive.

Legacy

The S-Series was one of the most popular XT-Compatible computers of its time. They were so well known that over 25 years later, the Tandy 1000 SL was featured many times in the hit tv show Young Sheldon. In the first time it was featured, one of the sub-plots was Sheldon fawning over one prominently displayed at the front of a Radio Shack store and eventually in the episode his parents bought it for him. After that, it was always shown when ever Sheldon was playing on his pride and joy. Anecdote: I started working for Radio Shack in late 1989 and the SL was starting to be phased out to make way for the SL/2, but what I do remember about both the SL and SL/2 is that one of them was prominently displayed as soon as you walked into the store just like on Young Sheldon. It was also our best-selling computer by far until the 1000 RL came out.

In 1991, the SL/2 was slowly replaced by the Tandy 1000 RL which in some ways was less capable but in other ways more so.