website/content/museum/sharp-pc-5000.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Sharp PC-5000	Computers	Portable	Japan	1983	Intel 8088	name company company_name specs tabs photos adverts hardware screenshots links comments oc_id source PC-5000 /companies/sharp Sharp label value NAME PC-5000 label value MANUFACTURER Sharp label value TYPE Portable label value ORIGIN Japan label value YEAR 1983 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Microsoft Basic 1.0 label value KEYBOARD Full-stroke 72 keys with 8 function keys and arrow keys (English, German and French versions) label value CPU Intel 8088 label value SPEED 4.77 Mhz label value RAM 128k, up to 256k (Magnetic Bubble Memory, 64k and 128k modules) label value ROM 192k (64k system program + 128k for Basic/MS-DOS) label value TEXT MODES 80 chars x 8 lines (LCD screen) label value GRAPHIC MODES 640 x 80 dots label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND Beeper label value SIZE / WEIGHT 325 (W) x 305 (D) x 85 mm (H) / 4.5 Kg label value I/O PORTS Bubble memory cartridge slot\ Serial port (proprietary)\ RS232c port\ Bus expansion port\ Tape-recorder label value OS MS-DOS label value POWER SUPPLY 12vdc 850mA / + -(O- - label value PERIPHERALS Built-in thermal transfer printer (optional), double 5''1/4 disk-drive (360k), numeric keypad label value PRICE 3506 (France, 1985)\ £1195 (U.K., 1984)\ 350 000 yens (Japan, 1985) photos adverts hardware software links title subtitle text image SYSTEM CLOSED In fact the PC-5000 is quite big for a laptop computer, it's rather a transportable computer... null title subtitle text image RIGHT SIDE VIEW Thanks to [Oh no, not another computer museum!](http://www.xs4all.nl/~fjkraan/comp/index.html) for this picture. null title subtitle text image LEFT SIDE VIEW null title subtitle text image FRONT VIEW null title subtitle text image ACCESSORIES HOUSING A convenient accessories housing is located at the back of the LCD display. Printer ribons, bubble memory modules, ROM packs, etc. could be stored here. null title subtitle text image ROM MODULES HOUSING Two ROM modules housing are located under the system. To note also: **(1)** The permanent clock switch\ **(2)** The sound volume and display contrast adjustments. null title subtitle text image BUBBLE MEMORY CARTRIDGE HOUSING Bubble memory is seen by the system as a disk drive. null title subtitle text image REAR CONNECTORS **(1)** Power switch. An external P.S.U. or an internal battery supply the power\ **(2)** Serial I/O connector intended for Sharp devices\ **(3)** Serial RS-232C standard connector\ **(4)** Expansion bus connector\ **(5)** Tape recorder ear/micro/remote jacks\ **(6)** AC adaptor plug null title subtitle text image INSIDE PC-5000 As always with Sharp company, technological innovation is the priority. To design such a complex computer the engineers used almost none of the existing components and prefered to design innovative and complex chipsets. That allows them and the company to be at the leading edge of fundamental search, not to be copied and to preserve a permanent technological advance from competitors. **(1)** Thermal or ribbon graphic integrated printer (optional).\ **(2)** Sharp ceramic chipsets in charge, inter alia, of serial communications, floppy discs management and intelligent power regulation.\ **(3)** Intel 8088 microprocesseur, assisted by a second Sharp 8 bits CMOS microprocessor.\ **(4)** CMOS chipset that supervises the whole system and stops the operations of the circuits not in use in order to save energy.\ **(5)** Expansion connector for RAM or ROM optional cards or cartridges.\ **(6)** On this board, we can find:\ • 128 Kb. of ROM memory holding MS-DOS 2.11 operating system, Microsoft GW-BASIC interpreter and characters generator,\ • Some system Input/Output modules,\ • The PISCS chipset which allows MS-DOS to recognize bubble memory as floppy disc drives A: or B:\ **(7)** This board acts as a floppy disc controller for bubble memory.\ **(8)** 16 memory chips holding 128 kb of standard RAM memory.\ **(9)** Housing for bubble memory modules. null title subtitle text image THE BOX null title subtitle text image BROCHURE COVER null title subtitle text image FLOPPY DISC UNIT **Double 5''1/4 diskette drive unit.** The two diskette drives of this unit are labelled C and D, as A: and B: are used by the bubble memory modules. Drives are 360 Kb. double side, single density TEAC brand and the unit must be connected to main power. Despite of manufacturing quality, the price was really excessive (1525 Euros) null title subtitle text image 1P-01 PRINTER This optional graphics printer took place inside the PC-5000. It could print on thermal paper or normal paper with a ribbon. null title subtitle text image EASYPAC ROM CARTRIDGE EasyPac ROM cartridge (CE-116M), features a software suite including the word processor **EasyWrite II**, the graph module **EasyReport** and the communication module **EasyComm**. This cartridge tooke place at the bottom of the PC-5000 null title subtitle text image MICROSOFT BASIC CARTRIDGE This cartridge allowed the PC-5000 to run any BASIC program written with IBM-BASIC, MS-BASIC or GW-BASIC null title url text Handheld Computer Museum http://member.nifty.ne.jp/handheld/computer/pc5000/pc5000.html Interesting info and good pictures (japanese & english) title url text Oh no, not another computer museum! (PC-5000 page) http://www.xs4all.nl/~fjkraan/comp/pc5000/index.html Interesting infos and great pictures here title url text Uncle Roger's Classic Computers (PC-5000 page) http://www.sinasohn.com/cgi-bin/clascomp/bldhtm.pl?computer=shp5000 Has useful information about the PC-5000 author date text Rob Taylor (Whitby, Canada) Wednesday 20th February 2002 I had this machine in the late 80's.\ Nice, long-lasting battery. The printer was a very keen feature, and I used to run Borland Turbo Pascal on it to develop small programs. Ah, memories...\ RT 476 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230609171922/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=476 2023-06-09

The PC-5000 is the Sharps's first attempt to produce a laptop computer, and was one of the first clamshell style portable computer with the Grid Compass and the Gavilan.

So it is a clamshell style portable computer : when you open the PC-5000, the LCD screen (8 x 80) is lifted to reach its ''in-use'' position, and when you close the computer the screen tilts until it covers the keyboard.

There is an optional printer which can be mounted into the case of the PC-5000 (see picture).

The type of memory used here is quite special, it's magnetic bubble memories. The advantage is that it's quite fast and you can change the memory cartridges (64k or 128k each) in the computer. Thus you can reach 256k RAM, or you can insert applications stored on ROM modules. But the main drawback of theses memories, is that there are very expensive !

The PC-5000 uses MS-DOS but is not really PC compatible, although Sharp tried to sell it by focusing on this point.

Some good software was available for the PC-5000, including Easy-Writer II (wordprocessor), Easy-Comm (communications)and Easy-Planner (spreadsheet). There were sold together as the EasyPac (some sources say that Easy-Report was included).
EasyMenu was the menu-interface built-in the PC-5000.