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yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 b274874139 All machines linked to their forum thread (full comment import) 
1,289 discussions, 9,527 archived comments; pages no longer carry the comments themselves.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
2026-10-13 17:26:43 +02:00

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---
title: EPCOM / SHARP Hotbit HB-8000
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Home Computer
origins:
- Brazil
years:
- '1985'
cpus:
- Zilog Z80A
params:
name: Hotbit HB-8000
image: /media/museum/photos/epcom_hb8000_system_s1.jpg
logo: /media/museum/logos/epcom_hotbit_8000_logo.gif
company: /companies/epcom-sharp
company_name: EPCOM / SHARP
specs:
- label: NAME
value: Hotbit HB-8000
- label: MANUFACTURER
value: Epcom / Sharp
- label: TYPE
value: Home Computer
- label: ORIGIN
value: Brazil
- label: YEAR
value: December 1985
- label: END OF PRODUCTION
value: '1988'
- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
value: Hot-Basic v1.2
- label: KEYBOARD
value: Full-stroke keyboard, 5 function keys and 4 arrow keys. 73 keys. Portuguese special characters
- label: CPU
value: Zilog Z80A
- label: SPEED
value: 3.58 MHz
- label: CO-PROCESSOR
value: TMS-9128NL video processor
- label: RAM
value: 64 KB (28 KB free with MSX Basic)
- label: VRAM
value: 16 KB
- label: ROM
value: 32 KB BASIC/BIOS ( MSX BASIC V1.0)
- label: TEXT MODES
value: |-
Mode 0 : 40 x 24\
Mode 1 : 32 x 24
- label: GRAPHIC MODES
value: |-
Mode 2 : 256 x 192 with 16 colors (Hires mode)\
Mode 3 : 64 x 48 with 16 colors (Multi colour mode)\
32 sprites
- label: COLORS
value: '16'
- label: SOUND
value: |-
General Instruments AY-3-8910 Programmable Sound Generator\
3 channels, 8 octaves
- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
value: 405 x 280 x 58 mm / 3,2 Kg
- label: I/O PORTS
value: Audio output, 2 controller ports, 1 cartridge slot, Tape interface (1200/2400 bauds), Composite video output (PAL-M), RF TV output, Printer / Centronics interface
- label: OS
value: MSX DOS
- label: POWER SUPPLY
value: Built-in PSU, 120/220V AC60Hz
- label: PRICE
value: Unknown
tabs:
- photos
- adverts
- hardware
- software
- emulators
- links
forum_thread: 814
photos:
- title: BEIGE VERSION
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/hotbit_hb8000_system_2.jpg
- title: BLACK VERSION
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/epcom_hb8000_system_s2.jpg
- title: BOTH SIDES
subtitle: ''
text: |-
The power switch is on the right side.\
The reset switch and second cartridge or expansion slot are on the left side.\
Two joystick connectors are on the front side.
image: /media/museum/photos/epcom_hb8000_sides_s1.jpg
- title: REAR CONNECTORS
subtitle: ''
text: 'Three switches are accessible from the underneath of the case: TV channel 2 or 3, B/W or colour video output, 110/220V power supply.'
image: /media/museum/photos/epcom_hb8000_rearcon_s1.jpg
- title: INSIDE
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Very classical MSX-1 board, designed by Sharp in Japan, but made in Brazil by Epcom.
**(1)** Reset switch\
**(2)** Both cartridge slots\
**(3)** General Instruments AY-8910 sound generator\
**(4)** Sharp LH0080A processor, Z80A compatible\
**(5)** 32 KB EPROM chip, holds the MSX-Basic interpreter\
**(6)** Texas Instruments TMS-9128NL video chip, an heat sink is roughly glued on it\
**(7)** Keyboard connector\
**(8)** 16 KB video RAM chips (2x4416)\
**(9)** NEC 8255 I/O chip\
**(10)** Tape recorder remote relay\
**(11)** TV/UHF and composite video module\
**(12)** 110/220V Power supply unit\
**(13)** 64 KB RAM chips (8x4864)
image: /media/museum/photos/epcom_hb8000_inside_s1.jpg
- title: LOGO
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/hotbit_hb8000_logo.jpg
- title: BOX
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/photos/epcom-sharp_hb8000_box_1.jpg
adverts:
- title: 'ADVERT #1'
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to [COB-Clube Old Bits](http://www.cobit.kit.net) for this picture.
image: /media/museum/pubs/hotbit_hb8000_pub_1.jpg
- title: 'ADVERT #2'
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to [COB-Clube Old Bits](http://www.cobit.kit.net) for this picture.
image: /media/museum/pubs/hotbit_hb8000_pub_2.jpg
- title: 'ADVERT #3'
subtitle: ''
text: Thanks to [COB-Clube Old Bits](http://www.cobit.kit.net) for this picture.
image: /media/museum/pubs/hotbit_hb8000_pub_3.jpg
hardware:
- title: HB-6000
subtitle: 5,25'' Floppy Disk Drive
text: We can see here two HB-6000 (5,25'' 360 KB floppy disk drives) and one HB-3600 (Dual disk drive controller).
image: /media/museum/hardware/hotbit_hb8000_diskdrive.jpg
- title: NATIONAL CF-2131
subtitle: 16 KB RAM expansion
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/national_cf2131_16k-cart.jpg
- title: CASIO OR-216 - 16 KB RAM EXPANSION
subtitle: Box
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/casio_or216_16kbramexpansion_box.jpg
- title: PHILIPS RAM EXPANSION
subtitle: ''
text: |-
RAM expansion and LOGO language cartridges.
Thanks to Daniele from Italy
image: /media/museum/hardware/philips_vg8020_cartridges_s1.jpg
- title: MEGA RAM DISK 256
subtitle: from DDX (Brazil)
text: This is the famous Megaram cartridge made in Brzail, used to play all Konami cracked Megarom games.6401999243
image: /media/museum/hardware/msx_megaram256-ddx_1.jpg
- title: PANASONIC FS-IFA1 & FW-RSU1W
subtitle: Scanner/Printer interface
text: The FS-IFA1 is the printer/scanner interface (left on the picture) and the FW-RSU1W is the handheld scanner (right on the picture). These expansions are for MSX2 systems.
image: /media/museum/hardware/msx_fs-ifa1_fw-rsu1w.jpg
- title: SONY HBI-232
subtitle: RS232c cartridge
text: Used to connect serial printers.
image: /media/museum/hardware/sony_msx_rs232c-cartridge.jpg
- title: 'YAMAHA MOUSE #1'
subtitle: ''
text: |-
This mouse was compatible with all MSX systems. It connects to the first Joystick port.
Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com**
image: /media/museum/hardware/yamaha_mouse_s2.jpg
- title: 'YAMAHA MOUSE #2'
subtitle: ''
text: |-
Brand new!
Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com**
image: /media/museum/hardware/yamaha_mouse_s1.jpg
- title: PHILIPS VW0020
subtitle: 80-col dot-matrix printer
text: |-
This printer was a rebadged version of the Seikosha GP-500.\
It was a 80-column, 50 CPS model with a 7x5 dot matrix head.\
Commodore and Atari used same hardware basis for their MPS-801 and 1029 printers.
image: /media/museum/hardware/philips_vg8020_printervw0020_s1.jpg
- title: SANYO PHC-DR II
subtitle: Side
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc-drii_side_1.jpg
- title: SANYO PHC-DR II
subtitle: Front
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc-drii_front_1.jpg
- title: SANYO DR-202
subtitle: ''
text: The ADSS system allowed to quickly search a specific program in a cassette tape and load it. Seach time for a C60 cassette was less than 1 minute.
image: /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc28_dr202tapedrive_s1.jpg
- title: NATIONAL RQ-8030
subtitle: tape-recorder
text: ''
image: /media/museum/hardware/national_tape_rq8030.jpg
- title: BIT-CORDER
subtitle: ''
text: Cassete recorder dedicated to Hit-Bit MSX systems, though it could be used with any home computers.
image: /media/museum/hardware/sony_hb201_bitcorder_1.jpg
screenshots:
- title: TITLE SCREEN
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/software/hotbit_hb8000_ss_demo_1.gif
- title: KEYBOARD EXPLANATION
subtitle: ''
text: ''
image: /media/museum/software/hotbit_hb8000_ss_demo_2.gif
emulators:
- title: fMSX for MS DOS Homepage
url: http://www.komkon.org/~dekogel/fmsx.html
platform: MS DOS
text: ''
- title: BlueMSX
url: http://www.bluemsx.com/
platform: Windows
text: Excellent free MSX emulator
- title: BrMSX
url: http://www.lsi.usp.br/~ricardo/brmsx.htm
platform: Windows
text: A Bresilian MSX Emulator written in 100% assembler
- title: CompuJunk's MSX Emulator
url: http://ftp.castel.nl/msx/
platform: Windows
text: A MSX1 and MSX2 Emulator
- title: RuMSX
url: http://members.eunet.at/lexlechz/msx.html
platform: Windows
text: A MSX Emulator for Win95 and Win NT + Direct X
- title: fMSX for MAC OS Homepage
url: http://www.emulation.net/msx/index.html
platform: Apple
text: ''
- title: fMSX official Homepage
url: http://www.komkon.org/fms/fMSX
platform: Multiplatform
text: 'fMSX is a portable MSX emulator ported on : Amiga OS, Mac OS, MS DOS, OS/2, Sony Playstation, Risc OS, Towns OS, Unix / X, Win95 / NT, X68K.'
- title: openMSX - The MSX emulator that aims for perfection.
url: http://openmsx.sourceforge.net/
platform: Multiplatform
text: This new MSX emulator can reproduce, among many other MSX, MSX2and MSX2+ machines, both Panasonic Turbo-R models. Be sure to get the catapult frontend and the system roms from FUNET.
links:
- title: Baboo!
url: http://www.baboo.net/baboo.shtml
text: MSX dedicated Yahoo clone. Essential !
- title: FILE-HUNTER.COM
url: http://www.file-hunter.com/
text: Excellent! All MSX emulators, sources and utilities!
- title: FTP da MSXBr-L/MSX.Org.Br
url: http://www.caetano.eng.br/msxsoft/
text: Excellent brasilian software archive
- title: MOAI TECH
url: http://www.moai-tech.com/
text: Spanish/English website with interesting content
- title: MSX Hardware List
url: http://www.faq.msxnet.org/hardware.html
text: An impressive list of MSX hardware. The Bible !!!
- title: MSX Ressource Center
url: http://www.msx.org/
text: Essential site !
- title: Possi's Konami MSX Page
url: http://dynamo.geol.msu.ru/MSX/
text: Nice page dedicated to all Konami MSX games (roms, scans, mids, etc.)
- title: The MSX Games Box
url: http://www.msxgamesbox.com
text: All about MSX gaming (games, covers.etc.). More Fun, Less Mhz!
- title: The MSX Museum BOX
url: http://www.msxmuseumbox.com
text: More than 190 different MSX models in pictures.
- title: The ultimate MSX Faq
url: http://www.faq.msxnet.org
text: Here, you can find near all hardware pieces related to MSX.
- title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
text: The MSX home computer system
related:
- /museum/canon-v-10
- /museum/canon-v-20
- /museum/canon-v-8
- /museum/casio-mx-10-mx-101
- /museum/casio-pv-16
- /museum/casio-pv-7
- /museum/fujitsu-fm-x
- /museum/general-paxon-pct-50
- /museum/goldstar-fc-80-fc-200
- /museum/gradiente-expert-plus
- /museum/gradiente-expert-xp-800
- /museum/hitachi-ah-200
- /museum/hitachi-h1-h1e
- /museum/hitachi-h2
- /museum/mitsubishi-ml-f110-ml-f120
- /museum/mitsubishi-ml-f48-ml-f80
- /museum/mitsubishi-ml-fx1-fx2
- /museum/mitsubishi-ml-g10
- /museum/msx-1
- /museum/national-cf-2000
- /museum/national-cf-2700
- /museum/national-cf-3000
- /museum/national-fs-4000
- /museum/national-fs-4500
- /museum/olympia-phc-2
- /museum/panasonic-cf-2700
- /museum/philips-nms-801
- /museum/philips-vg-8000-8010
- /museum/philips-vg-8020
- /museum/philips-vg-8235
- /museum/pioneer-palcom-px-7
- /museum/sanyo-mpc-100
- /museum/sanyo-phc-28
- /museum/sanyo-phc-30
- /museum/sanyo-phc-33
- /museum/sanyo-wavy-10-mpc-10
- /museum/sanyo-wavy-23
- /museum/sanyo-wavy-3
- /museum/schneider-philips-mc-810
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-10
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-101
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-20
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-201
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-501
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-55
- /museum/sony-hit-bit-75
- /museum/spectravideo-svi-728
- /museum/toshiba-hx-10-pasopia-iq
- /museum/toshiba-hx-20-hx-21-pasopia-iq
- /museum/toshiba-hx-52
- /museum/victor-hc-6
- /museum/yamaha-cx5
- /museum/yamaha-cx5m-music-computer
- /museum/yamaha-sx-100
- /museum/yamaha-yis-303
- /museum/yamaha-yis-503-diabolik
- /museum/yashica-yc-64
- /museum/yeno-dpc-64
- /museum/yeno-mx-64
oc_id: 833
source:
url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604025938/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=833
date: '2023-06-04'
---
The HOTBIT HB-8000 was, along with the [Gradiente Expert](/museum/gradiente-expert-xp-800/), the only MSX system officialy available in Brasil (though imported MSX systems like the Canon V-20, Yamaha CX5, Yashica YC-64, etc. could be bought). It was developped by Sharp and marketed by Epcom. It is a classic MSX 1 computer, with 64 KB RAM and two cartridge slots (one on top, and the "expansion" port on the side of the system).
MSX systems did very well in Brasil and litteraly killed the previous micro-computer market populated with TRS-80, Apple II and Spectrum clones from local companies. Gradiente (sound / HIFI products) and Epcom/Sharp (video products) were big companies, and put a lot of money in the marketing of their MSX computers.
Though the Hotbit was more respectful of MSX standards than the Gradiente Expert, it did not win the marketing battle, and its production was stopped in 1988.
There are several versions of the Hotbit HB-8000: version 1.0 and 1.1 use a white case, while version 1.2, released to be compatible with the Gradiente Expert ASCII table (problem related to portuguese special characters), use a black case.\
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
**Djogo Patrao** adds:\
Back on these days, the most annoying difference between Hotbits and Experts was in which slot were the RAM. A great deal of software didn't autodetected this, and assumed the Expert default, which caused bad (and wrong) opinions about Hotbit.
**Rafael Rigues** reports:\
If you look on the back of a black Hotbit, you will notice that the area surrounding the ports is covered by a thin plastic mask, as it was originally recessed. Removing this mask, you will find a circular opening for an extra port marked RGB (the text is molded in the plastic). This leads to the speculation that this model was originally designed as an MSX 2 machine.
However, I had the opportunity to help in an interview with the marketing manager of Sharp on that era, and he knew nothing about this. According to him, the 1.2 models are black simply to make them more appealing and fit better with A/V equipment of the time.
<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>
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