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
106 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
106 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Casio PB-300
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categories:
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- Computers
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types:
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- Pocket
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origins:
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- Japan
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years:
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- '1983'
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cpus:
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- HD61913 CMOS VLSI
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params:
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name: PB-300
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image: /media/museum/photos/casio_pb300_system_s1.jpg
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company: /companies/casio
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company_name: Casio
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specs:
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- label: NAME
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value: PB-300
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- label: MANUFACTURER
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value: Casio
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- label: TYPE
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value: Pocket
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- label: ORIGIN
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value: Japan
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- label: YEAR
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value: '1983'
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- label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
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value: BASIC interpreter
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- label: KEYBOARD
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value: QWERTY calculator type 54 keys with numeric keypad
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- label: CPU
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value: HD61913 CMOS VLSI
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- label: SPEED
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value: 455 kHz, ceramic resonator used as system clock
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- label: RAM
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value: 2 KB (1568 bytes for BASIC)
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- label: ROM
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value: 12 KB
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- label: TEXT MODES
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value: 1 line x 12 chars plus a 4 digit seven segment display part
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- label: GRAPHIC MODES
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value: None
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- label: COLORS
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value: Monochrome LCD
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- label: SOUND
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value: None
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- label: SIZE / WEIGHT
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value: 173 (W) x 90 (D) x 20 (H) mm / 258 g (with batteries)
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- label: I/O PORTS
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value: 12-pin expansion port for cassette interface
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- label: POWER SUPPLY
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value: |-
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2 x CR-2032 lithium batteries\
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Integrated NiCd batteries for printer. External charger CHA-1 (4.8V/4.1W)
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- label: PERIPHERALS
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value: FA-3 cassette interface
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- label: PRICE
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value: Unknown
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tabs:
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- photos
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- links
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forum_thread: 988
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photos:
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- title: FRONT PANEL
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subtitle: ''
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text: ''
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image: /media/museum/photos/casio_pb300_frontpanel_s1.jpg
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- title: INSIDE
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subtitle: ''
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text: The bottom card is dedicated to the printer management and battery charging.
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image: /media/museum/photos/casio_pb300_inside_s1.jpg
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links:
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- title: Silrun Systems
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url: http://www.silrun.info/
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text: Documentations to download for Casio pockets ! Useful.
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- title: The Pocket Computer Museum
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url: http://pocket.free.fr/
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text: The site to visit for pockets computers !
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related:
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- /museum/casio-fx-700p
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- /museum/casio-fx-702p
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- /museum/casio-pb-100
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oc_id: 1014
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source:
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url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230605040059/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1014
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date: '2023-06-05'
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---
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Basically, the PB-300 was a [PB-100](/museum/casio-pb-100/) with more RAM and a built-in thermal printer. To our knowledge, Casio was the only company who designed real pocket size computers with integrated printers.
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Of course, the PB-300 was substantially larger than its elder brother, therefore the keyboard could be laid out more generously, with a real space bar and an additional key for paper feed.
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Due to the different physical dimensions, the main PCB had a different layout. However, the logic circuits were identical to the PB-100, with an additional HD61914 RAM chip. No further RAM expansion was made available.
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As printers needed much more energy than the computer components, a 4 x 1.2V NiCad battery pack had to be integrated, which needed to be charged with an external power adaptor. The necessary printer and battery charging circuits were built onto a second PCB.
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The printer used thermal paper of 39 mm width and was able to print 20 characters per line, making printed listings a little bit more legible than on the 12-character display.
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To sum up, the PB-300 was a really cute machine. Imagine taking it with you in 1983 and impressing your friends by printing business cards when needed.
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The PB-300 was also sold in Europe under the name Olympia [OP-644](/museum/olympia-op-544-op-644/).
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Thanks to **Roman von Wartburg** ([retrocomputing.ch](http://retrocomputing.ch/)) for information and pictures.
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