This is my preferred pocket computer. The Sharp PC-150x. You will see later on why I am using the “x”. For now, let’s assume x = 0. I’ve spent thousands of hours coding on this puppy. I upgraded from the Sharp PC-1211, my very first computer. It was amazing. I broke the wall of the 1KB (yes 1024 bytes) and it was mobile. I could run for weeks on just four batteries, and I could code anywhere! Pure pleasure. The BASIC was rich, the machine was fast. And if really fast was needed, there was the assembler and all the ROM routines. Yeah, I recall the call &cd71 to switch off the machine from the code. I also loved the fact that it was possible to do graphics. Yes, a full dot-matrix line (7 x 156 pixels). And I used it. I wrote two great software: Dungeons & Dragons (with graphics a-la Ultima II & Wizardry) and Pastèque (in fact an Aztec-like game). I remember spending hours to tune the graphics routines and the animations. The best was the black cheetah. If I have the time, I will try to re-code it. J’en ai les larmes à l’ œil. So what about the x in the intro. In fact, instead of the PC-1500, we should talk about the PC-1500 family. First, Sharp did produce multiple versions over time and geographies: PC-1500A and PC-1501. Second, Sharp sold the machine’s license to many manufactures out of Japan: Tandy in the US (producing the PC-2) and Hiradástechnika Szövetkezet in Hungary (producing the PTA-4000 and PTA-4000+16). You will see all the details in the photos. Users could buy several peripherals (x-y, 4-color graphic printer, cassette interface, touch table, memory modules, etc.). Last but not least, there are two models I am missing: the PC-1500 (Japanese model) and the mythical PC-1500D with its blue bezel (if you have one, I am interested ;-)). 

Pin