--- title: Canon X-07 categories: - Computers types: - Portable origins: - Japan years: - '1983' cpus: - National Semiconductor NSC 800 params: name: X-07 image: /media/museum/photos/canonx07.jpg logo: /media/museum/logos/canon_x07_logo.gif company: /companies/canon company_name: Canon specs: - label: NAME value: X-07 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Canon - label: TYPE value: Portable - label: ORIGIN value: Japan - label: YEAR value: '1983' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Microsoft Basic - label: KEYBOARD value: QWERTY / AZERTY, 60 chicklet keys, 5 function keys, arrow keys and a sort of numeric keypad (mapped on the letters) - label: CPU value: National Semiconductor NSC 800 (CMOS technology, Z80 compatible) - label: RAM value: 8 KB (6748 bytes free for Basic) - label: ROM value: 20 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 4 x 20 - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 120 x 32 - label: COLORS value: monochrome LCD display - label: SOUND value: Yes, beeper - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 20 x 13 x 2,6 cm / 480 gr - label: I/O PORTS value: Parallel port, Expansion port,Tape recorder, Serial port, Cart slots, card slot - label: BUILT IN MEDIA value: RAM-cards - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External PSU (4.5v - 450 mA) or 4 battery cells - label: PRICE value: |- 610 (France, september 83)\ 457 (France, november 83)\ 335 (France, march 84) tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - connectors - software - links - docs forum_thread: 268 photos: - title: JAPANESE X-07 subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/canon_x07_jp.jpg - title: ENGLISH X-07 subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/canon_x07_top.jpg - title: FRENCH MODEL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/canon_x07_french.jpg - title: SUIT CASE subtitle: '' text: The Canon X-07 and its small plotter in its suit case... image: /media/museum/photos/canon_x07_malette.jpg - title: PARIS-DAKAR subtitle: '' text: This is a small french advert boasting the qualities of the Canon X-07, since it survived the Paris-Dakar big race... image: /media/museum/photos/canon_x07_dakar.gif - title: BOX (TOP) subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/canon_x07_box-top.jpg adverts: - title: FRENCH ADVERT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/canon_x07_pub1.jpg - title: 'FRENCH ADVERT #2' subtitle: '' text: |- Dated 1985 "I pianote, it takes note" image: /media/museum/pubs/canon_x07_pub_je-pianote_1985.jpg - title: 'FRENCH ADVERT #3' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/canon_x07_pub3.jpg - title: 'FRENCH ADVERT #4' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/canon_x07_pub5.jpg - title: JAPANESE ADVERT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/canon_x07_pub4.jpg - title: 'JAPANESE ADVERT #2' subtitle: '' text: Thanks to [Handheld computer & Pocket calculator Museum](http://osaki.cool.ne.jp/hc/computer/canon/canon.html#x07) for this picture image: /media/museum/pubs/canon_x07_jap-pub_1.jpg - title: 'JAPANESE ADVERT #3' subtitle: '' text: Thanks to [Handheld computer & Pocket calculator Museum](http://osaki.cool.ne.jp/hc/computer/canon/canon.html#x07) for this picture image: /media/museum/pubs/canon_x07_jap-pub_2.jpg - title: 'JAPANESE ADVERT #4' subtitle: '' text: Thanks to [Handheld computer & Pocket calculator Museum](http://osaki.cool.ne.jp/hc/computer/canon/canon.html#x07) for this picture image: /media/museum/pubs/canon_x07_jap-pub_3.jpg hardware: - title: AN OVERVIEW subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_extensions.jpg - title: CONNECTIVITY SCHEME subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_schema.gif - title: X-710 subtitle: Color graphic plotter text: |- It is in fact a small plotter like the famous MCP-40 (at least in France) of the Oric for example. To print it uses 4 small ink pens: a red, a black, a blue and a green. This technology was found in many cheap printers of that time... **Caracteristics**\ Paper : Plain Paper for 114 mm broad printers.\ Impression : 16 formats (smallest characters: 80 car/line)\ Graphics : X-Y Plotter\ Interface : Centronics specifications\ Accumulators : Ni-Cd\ Print speed : 10 caracters/sec (smallest size)\ Dimensions : 200 x 35,5 x 120 mm\ Weight : 570g image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_x710.jpg - title: X-711 subtitle: Thermic printer text: |- This is a thermic printer which is much more difficult to find than the small X-710 plotter, but which was more practical for printing listings. And it was twice faster ! **Caracteristics**\ Paper : Special heat-sensitive paper (57mm wide)\ Impression : 10 characters/line (large size)\ 20 characters/line (standard format)\ System : Thermic printer\ Interface : Centronics Specifications\ Accumulators : Ni-Cd\ Print speed : 20 characters/sec\ Dimensions : 194,5 x 30 x 87,5 mm\ Weight : 420g image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_x711.gif - title: X-720 subtitle: Canon Video Interface text: Canon also produced a very interesting video interface but also very expensive. Indeed it cost more than 2000 fr! But thanks to it, it was possible to use the Canon X-07 with a television or a monitor, and to have a new text mode of 40 X 24 and a new graphic mode of 256 x 192 with 6 colors ! Fantastic ! image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_interface_video.jpg - title: X-721 subtitle: Optical transmitter text: |- Ha! The optical transmitter ! This is the star of the canon X-07 peripherals. A crazy extension which came out of the delirious brains of those sympathetic small Japanese people. In fact the optical transmitter makes it possible to connect the Canon X-07 to another computer (Canon X-07, Canon V-20...) or any other machine via the X-722 RS-232C converter, without any wire and up to 5 meters ! All the communications are made through infra-red signals, excellent ! Moreover the thing looks like a large futuristic joystick... The signals sent by the X-721 are "serial asynchronous signals" compliant. For the software, the signals are handled just as it was an access to the serial port. The X-721 is connected to the X-07 as indicated on the picture above. image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_x721.jpg - title: X-721 subtitle: A small sketch text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_x721_sketch.gif - title: X-721 subtitle: How to connect it to the Canon X-07 text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_x721_connection.gif - title: X-721 subtitle: Another picture text: On this picture, we can see the two transmitters distant from each other. image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07__x721_1.jpg - title: X-721 AND X-722 subtitle: '' text: Here, you can see the transmitter and the X-722 converter connected together. image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_x721_3.jpg - title: X-722 subtitle: RS232c Converter text: This extension converts the output of the X-721 optical transmitter or the serial port into RS-232c signals. image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_x722.gif - title: X-722 subtitle: Another picture text: Here, you can see the X-722 convertings signals coming from the X-721 optical transmitter and sending them to a machine through a RS-232c plug.. image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_x722_1.jpg - title: KIT'APPEL subtitle: from DDI text: This little kit was used to compose a phone number from the Canon X-07 and to caculate the price of the communication, still by the Canon X-07. A software with a phone book manager was delivered on tape with the kit. (France 84, 350 fr). image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_kitappel.jpg - title: CMOS MEMORY BOARD subtitle: To upgrade the memory text: |- In an old magazine I found this extension manufactured by Info-Systèmes. It's a CMOS memory board upgrading the X-07 memory sizz to 40 kb of RAM, with a mercury cell allowing to keep data and programs up to ten years. So if you own one like this, your datas must be lost now... Price ? 2400fr ! (February 85) In addition, Info-systèmes sold at the same time (at the beginning of 85) an Eprom memory board 32k ROM making it possible to definitively back up BASIC or language machine programs. The access times were in between 250 and 450 nanoseconds which was not fantastic even at that time, since it was slower than the hard disks and disk drives. And it cost 1450fr! The two boards could be connected through the X-07 extension port via a 40 pins flat cable. image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_rampackcmos.gif - title: CAN'ELL VIDEO INTERFACE subtitle: '' text: |- Can'ell is a software package with a cable offering a video interface for the X-07 sold at that time by Feeling Soft. With this package you could go from the basic 4 x 20 mode to a cool 19 x 40 text mode through a french Minitel screen (videotext terminal)! The package is made of 3 parts. The first one is a serial DIN cable to connect the computer to the Minitel. Connections are made on the serial port of the Canon et on the "péri-informatique" plug of the Minitel. Then, you have a tape with the emulation software on it and a documentation. With this extension you thus have a video extension with an integrated modem for cheap since the Minitel is free! The display rate is also faster by approximately 40 percent compared to the original LCD display. The cable price was 250fr and 180fr for the software, or 380fr for the whole package (back in 85) If this extension really existed, it seemed to be a good and ingenious alternative to the Canon video interface which was worth 2000fr and more ! image: /media/museum/hardware/none.jpg - title: RAM EXPANSION subtitle: Home made ? text: Personally, I own a "home-made" memory extension which seems to add 36k of RAM. It consists of 9 x 4k chip memories. It could in fact be the card described elsewhere on this page (CMOS memory board) but without its plastic case, since it seems to be exactly of the same size... image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_ext_ram.jpg - title: SPORT TESTER PE-3000 subtitle: '' text: |- This splendid unit includes a cardio-frequencymeter which records your heartbeats and that you wear on a belt around your body. The signals are sent by a small transmitter to a computer-watch which you carry around your wrist (that sounds normal for a watch...), and which stores these signals in its 2k memory. At any time, one can re-examine the evolution of the cardiac effort during the training. The watch can also transfer the data to the Canon X-07. Thus, it's possible to print the data on the small plotter, and to compare them with the oxygen consommation compatible with the provided effort. This cute little unit was manufactured in Finland by Polar Electronic. The watch was sold in France for only 2250 Fr and the whole watch-computer-interface-printer unit for 17 760 francs in 1985! image: /media/museum/hardware/canon_x07_sport_tester.jpg connectors: - title: PARALLEL CONNECTOR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/connectors/canon_x07_parallel-connector.gif - title: SERIAL CONNECTOR subtitle: '' text: |- **1** - LT x D - **->** - OPR data transmission\ **2** - FG - Ground shield\ **3** - N.C.\ **4** - T x D - **->** - DATA transmitted\ **5** - R x D - **<-** - DATA received\ **6** - CTS - **<-** - Reception from other unit\ **7** - RTS - **->** - X-07 reception\ **8** - SG - Ground signal\ **9** - VBB - **->** - Instable power image: /media/museum/connectors/canon-x07_serial-connector.jpg - title: EXPANSION CONNECTOR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/connectors/canon_x07_connector_40pins.gif - title: TAPE-RECORDER CABLE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/connectors/canon_x07_tape-recorder-cable.gif - title: PRINTER CABLE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/connectors/canon_x07_printer-cable.jpg - title: CENTRONICS / PARALLEL CABLE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/connectors/canon_x07_centronics-cable.gif - title: TAPE-RECORDER CONNECTOR subtitle: '' text: |- **1** - REM+ - wire to REMOTE plug\ **2** - GND - Ground signal\ **3** - REM- - Wire to REMOTE plug\ **4** - MON - connected to the READ plug (EAR)\ **5** - MIC - connected to the RECORD plug image: /media/museum/connectors/canon-x07_tape-connector.jpg - title: SERIAL CABLE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/connectors/canon-x07_serial-cable.jpg screenshots: - title: BOOT SCREEN subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/canon_x07_prompt_ss.jpg - title: TITLE SCREEN subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/canon_x07_aventurier_ss2.jpg - title: IN-GAME SCREENSHOT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/canon_x07_aventurier_ss.jpg - title: SPREADSHEET PROGRAM subtitle: screenshot text: '' image: /media/museum/software/canon_x07_spreadsheet_ss.jpg links: - title: Canon X-07 pages - Silicium.org url: http://www.silicium.org/calc/x07/index.htm text: Best site dedicated to this machine, very detailed (in french though) - title: Daniel Brettnacher home page url: http://collection.sasfepu.free.fr/ text: Useful information. Daniel even show how to build a Serial <-> RS232 cable link! - title: POCKET-MUSEUM url: http://pocket.free.fr/html/canon/x-07_e.html text: Nice information & all add-ons pictured docs: - title: USER GUIDE (FRENCH) url: http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm#userguide cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/canon_x07_guide-utlisateur.jpg text: |- [**USER GUIDE (FRENCH)**](http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm#userguide)written by Canon  compiled/archived by Silicium\  type of document : PDF\  size : 11.6 MB\  source : [www.silicium.org](http://www.silicium.org) - title: BASIC REFERENCE CARD (FRENCH) url: http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm#carteref cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/canon_x07_basic-reference-card.jpg text: |- [**BASIC REFERENCE CARD (FRENCH)**](http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm#carteref)written by Canon  compiled/archived by Silicium\  type of document : PDF\  size : 1.52 MB\  source : [www.silicium.org](http://www.silicium.org) - title: X-720 VIDEO INTERFACE - USER GUIDE (FRENCH) url: http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/canon_x07_x720-extension-video.jpg text: |- [**X-720 VIDEO INTERFACE - USER GUIDE (FRENCH)**](http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm)written by Canon  compiled/archived by Silicium\  type of document : PDF\  size : 2.4 MB\  source : [www.silicium.org](http://www.silicium.org) - title: LES MYSTÈRES DU XO7 - L'ASSEMBLEUR DU CANON X07 (FRENCH) url: http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/canon_x07_les-mysteres-du-x07.jpg text: |- [**LES MYSTÈRES DU XO7 - L'ASSEMBLEUR DU CANON X07 (FRENCH)**](http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm)written by André Tonic / Adward Arevian / Philippe MILLET  compiled/archived by Silicium\  type of document : PDF\  size : 7.2 MB\  source : [www.silicium.org](http://www.silicium.org) - title: APPLICATIONS EN ASSEMBLEUR DANS L'UNIVERS DU CANON X-07 (FRENCH) url: http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/canon_x07_application-en-assembleur.jpg text: |- [**APPLICATIONS EN ASSEMBLEUR DANS L'UNIVERS DU CANON X-07 (FRENCH)**](http://www.silicium.org/oldskool/calc/x07/docs.htm)written by André Tonic / Adward Arevian / Philippe MILLET / Jean-Jacques ROUSSEAU  compiled/archived by Silicium\  type of document : PDF\  size : 12.8 MB\  source : [www.silicium.org](http://www.silicium.org) oc_id: 258 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608221120/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=258 date: '2023-06-08' --- The Canon X07 was very popular. The RAM could be extended thanks to small cards (which looked like credit cards), although these cards were very expensive. ROM cards were also available for professional applications. The Canon X07 had a video interface and uses a cathodic screen. Thanks to this interface, the X07 could use a new text mode, 40 x 24, and a new graphic mode, 256 x 192, with 6 colours. It is unknown if the two displays could be used simultaneously. An infrared interface was also available to allow the connection of peripherals without the use of cables. --- Contributors: John J. Diamond (editor)