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Sharp PC 1401

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Sharp PC-1401

The Sharp PC-1401 is a small pocket computer manufactured by Sharp. It was introduced in 1983 and is one of the first combinations of scientific calculator and portable computer with BASIC interpreter/bytecode compiler. The PC-1402 has the same features but includes 10K of RAM.

Contents

Technical specifications

  • CPU: Hitachi SC61860 (8-bit CMOS), 576 kHz clock frequency
  • 4 KiB RAM (3534 bytes usable) (Two 2К×8 CMOS Static RAM HM6116 chips)
  • 40 KiB ROM (SC613256 chip)
  • Display: monochrome LCD 16 digits (5×7 pixel) in 1 line (Controlled by SC43536 chip)
  • Integrated piezoelectric speaker
  • Keyboard: 76 keys, 1 switch on front, 1 key, 1 knob on back/side
  • 11-pin serial connector for printer/cassette controller CE-126P and floppy controller CE-140F
  • Powered from two CR2032 batteries, power consumption is less than 0.03 W
  • Size: 170×72×9.5mm, weighing around 150 grams

    • Peripherals

    The machine has an 11-pin serial connector, which is almost through-hole compatible. This connects to a proprietary thermal printer, such as a CE-126P. The printer will also serve as an adapter to connect to a tape recorder. The tape recorder provides program and data backup.

    PC-1421

    The PC-1421 is a variant of the PC-1401 for financial calculations. It differs from the PC-1401 only in the contents of its ROM.

    PC-1430

    The PC-1430 is a stripped-down variant of the PC-1401. The display and case are mostly the same (except for fewer keys), but the PC-1430 lacks the calculator modus (for calculations the BASIC mode has to be used), it offers less functions, only 2 KB RAM, and no speaker or buzzer.

    PC-1450

    The PC-1450 supports user changeable RAM cards: CE-211M (3070 bytes = 4 KB / Standard), CE-201M (7166 bytes = 8 KB) or CE-202M (15358 bytes = 16 KB).

    References

    Sharp PC-1401 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA