---
title: Sharp PC-3201
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- Japan
years:
- '1980'
cpus:
- Z80-A
params:
  name: PC-3201
  company: /companies/sharp
  company_name: Sharp
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: PC-3201
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Sharp
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Japan
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1980'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Sharp BASIC interpreter
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full stoke 96 key with 10 function keys, arrow keys and numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: Z80-A
  - label: SPEED
    value: 4 MHz.
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: None
  - label: RAM
    value: 32 KB expandable to 64 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 32 KB (Sharp BASIC)
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 chars. x 25 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Tape recorder, Parallel printer
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: 2 x 5.25'' FDD unit (142 or 285 KB per drive)
  - label: OS
    value: FDOS (Sharp Operating System)
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: I/O card slots
  - label: PRICE
    value: About $5200 with printer and 2 x 142 KB discs
  tabs:
  - photos
  - links
  photos:
  - title: SHARP PC-3201
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to **Martin Willemsen**
    image: null
  - title: TOP VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to **Martin Willemsen**
    image: null
  - title: DISPLAY UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to **Martin Willemsen**
    image: null
  - title: FD UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: Thanks to **Martin Willemsen**
    image: null
  links:
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: ''
  comments:
  - author: Martial (France)
    date: Monday 20th August 2012
    text: |-
      In France, was sold in from 1981 to 1983. Mainly for business purposes and running "Mercure" operating system (who became MOS) and many applications.\
      The typical system was 2 FD and a dot matrix printer (Manessman Tally MT1000).
  - author: Stephen Page (UK)
    date: Wednesday 25th April 2012
    text: My first computer at work was a Sharp PC-3201 with dual 5.25 inch disk drives that seemed to be here one week and gone for calibration the next, every two weeks! You would often forget to switch the hardware switch from program to operation. And it ran on CP/M. This machine ran our whole company, from managing our parts system of over 1 Million parts with Dbase II to doing the word processing and spreadsheets with Ashton Tate''s Smartware software.
  - author: Nic (New Zealand)
    date: Saturday 18th February 2012
    text: This was the first PC I ever had at the grand age of four. lol. I remember there being a version of the Star Trek game from 1971 along with a heap of other ASCII type games like Pedestrian and Othello.
  - author: Craig Knights (New Zealand)
    date: Sunday 7th November 2010
    text: |-
      One was turned in for recycling this week and will be auctioned.

      http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/135181/eight-tonnes-all-edays-work
  related:
  - /museum/atari-pc
  - /museum/sharp-pc-3101
  oc_id: 811
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230607230135/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=811
    date: '2023-06-07'
---

The PC-3201 was an evolution of the [PC-3101](/museum/sharp-pc-3101/) model. It was aimed at the small business users.

Like the 3101, it was a keyboard unit, but the monochrome monitor was a 12" 80 column version and the dual floppy disc drive unit could store 2 x 142 KB or 2 x 285 KB. Several standard interface cards (RS232, IEEE488, etc.) could be plugged into the main unit.

The system offered 32 KB of RAM expandable to 64 KB, and 32 KB of ROM holding the Sharp specific BASIC interpreter.

A dot-matrix printer was also sold by Sharp for the 3101 - 3201 series. In fact it was an Epson FX-80 with a specific character generator ROM.

PC-3000 series systems were very reliable but, because of a strange price policy from Sharp, they never met success.