website/content/museum/sony-hit-bit-55.md

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Sony Hit-Bit 55	Computers	name image company company_name tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware emulators links related oc_id source Hit-Bit 55 /media/museum/photos/sony_hitbit55_system_s3.jpg /companies/sony Sony photos adverts hardware emulators links 765 title subtitle text image SILVER MODEL /media/museum/photos/sony_hitbit55_system_s4.jpg title subtitle text image RED MODEL /media/museum/photos/sony_hb55_red_1.jpg title subtitle text image LEFT & RIGHT SIDES Two joystick connectors are located on the right side. /media/museum/photos/sony_hitbit55_sides_s1.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARD CLOSE-UP In spite of its flat keys, the keyboard has a goof typing feeling. /media/museum/photos/sony_hitbit55_keyboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image REAR CONNECTORS **(1)** Expansion connector, protected by a plastic lid\ **(2)** RF/aerial video output\ **(3)** Parallel printer connector\ **(4)** Tape recorder DIN socket (In, Out and remote control).\ **(5)** Composite PAL video output, some models had a RGB output, depending on the country they were sold.\ Pal pinouts:\ 1 - +12v\ 2 - Composite video out\ 3 - Ground\ 5 - Not used\ 6 - Audio out /media/museum/photos/sony_hitbit55_rearside_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MOTHERBOARD **(1)** Z80 microporsessor, here a Sharp version\ **(2)** Yamaha sound generator chip, AY-8910 equivalent\ **(3)** 16 KB user RAM (8x4116)\ **(4)** 16K BASIC and 8K built-in applications ROMs\ **(5)** TMS 9929 video chip and its heat sink\ **(6)** 16 KB video RAM (8x4116)\ **(7)** Keyboard connectors\ **(8)** Power supply connector\ **(9)** 8255 I/O chip\ **(10)** Provision is made for a SCART interface and socket. /media/museum/photos/sony_hitbit55_mainboard_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE ELECTRONICS One can spot the power transformer and a rather complicated add-on card which holds the power regulation and video output components. /media/museum/photos/sony_hitbit55_inside_s3.jpg title subtitle text image BOOT SCREEN Boot screen allowing to select built-in firmware options or the Basic interpreter. Thanks to **Jorge A. Gutiérrez** /media/museum/photos/sony_hitbit55_bootscreen_s1.jpg title subtitle text image BUILT-IN SOFTWARE This is the HB-55 running the built-in schedule software... /media/museum/photos/sony_hb55_in-use.jpg title subtitle text image JAPANESE ADVERT (1984) /media/museum/pubs/sony_hb55_jap-pub_1.jpg title subtitle text image SONY EXPANSIONS This is a most complete HB-55 system with a Sony monitor, disk-drive, printer, joystick and infra-red controller, game cartridges, memory cartridge, etc. /media/museum/hardware/sony_hb55_complete.jpg title subtitle text image NATIONAL CF-2131 16 KB RAM expansion /media/museum/hardware/national_cf2131_16k-cart.jpg title subtitle text image CASIO OR-216 - 16 KB RAM EXPANSION Box /media/museum/hardware/casio_or216_16kbramexpansion_box.jpg title subtitle text image PHILIPS RAM EXPANSION RAM expansion and LOGO language cartridges. Thanks to Daniele from Italy /media/museum/hardware/philips_vg8020_cartridges_s1.jpg title subtitle text image MEGA RAM DISK 256 from DDX (Brazil) This is the famous Megaram cartridge made in Brzail, used to play all Konami cracked Megarom games.6401999243 /media/museum/hardware/msx_megaram256-ddx_1.jpg title subtitle text image PANASONIC FS-IFA1 & FW-RSU1W Scanner/Printer interface 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. /media/museum/hardware/msx_fs-ifa1_fw-rsu1w.jpg title subtitle text image SONY HBI-232 RS232c cartridge Used to connect serial printers. /media/museum/hardware/sony_msx_rs232c-cartridge.jpg title subtitle text image YAMAHA MOUSE #1 This mouse was compatible with all MSX systems. It connects to the first Joystick port. Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com** /media/museum/hardware/yamaha_mouse_s2.jpg title subtitle text image YAMAHA MOUSE #2 Brand new! Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com** /media/museum/hardware/yamaha_mouse_s1.jpg title subtitle text image PHILIPS VW0020 80-col dot-matrix printer 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. /media/museum/hardware/philips_vg8020_printervw0020_s1.jpg title subtitle text image SANYO PHC-DR II Side /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc-drii_side_1.jpg title subtitle text image SANYO PHC-DR II Front /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc-drii_front_1.jpg title subtitle text image SANYO DR-202 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. /media/museum/hardware/sanyo_phc28_dr202tapedrive_s1.jpg title subtitle text image NATIONAL RQ-8030 tape-recorder /media/museum/hardware/national_tape_rq8030.jpg title subtitle text image BIT-CORDER Cassete recorder dedicated to Hit-Bit MSX systems, though it could be used with any home computers. /media/museum/hardware/sony_hb201_bitcorder_1.jpg title url platform text fMSX for MS DOS Homepage http://www.komkon.org/~dekogel/fmsx.html MS DOS title url platform text BlueMSX http://www.bluemsx.com/ Windows Excellent free MSX emulator title url platform text BrMSX http://www.lsi.usp.br/~ricardo/brmsx.htm Windows A Bresilian MSX Emulator written in 100% assembler title url platform text CompuJunk's MSX Emulator http://ftp.castel.nl/msx/ Windows A MSX1 and MSX2 Emulator title url platform text RuMSX http://members.eunet.at/lexlechz/msx.html Windows A MSX Emulator for Win95 and Win NT + Direct X title url platform text fMSX for MAC OS Homepage http://www.emulation.net/msx/index.html Apple title url platform text fMSX official Homepage http://www.komkon.org/fms/fMSX Multiplatform 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 url platform text openMSX - The MSX emulator that aims for perfection. http://openmsx.sourceforge.net/ Multiplatform 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. title url text Baboo! http://www.baboo.net/baboo.shtml MSX dedicated Yahoo clone. Essential ! title url text FILE-HUNTER.COM http://www.file-hunter.com/ Excellent! All MSX emulators, sources and utilities! title url text FTP da MSXBr-L/MSX.Org.Br http://www.caetano.eng.br/msxsoft/ Excellent brasilian software archive title url text MOAI TECH http://www.moai-tech.com/ Spanish/English website with interesting content title url text MSX Hardware List http://www.faq.msxnet.org/hardware.html An impressive list of MSX hardware. The Bible !!! title url text MSX Ressource Center http://www.msx.org/ Essential site ! title url text Possi's Konami MSX Page http://dynamo.geol.msu.ru/MSX/ Nice page dedicated to all Konami MSX games (roms, scans, mids, etc.) title url text The MSX Games Box http://www.msxgamesbox.com All about MSX gaming (games, covers.etc.). More Fun, Less Mhz! title url text The MSX Museum BOX http://www.msxmuseumbox.com More than 190 different MSX models in pictures. title url text The ultimate MSX Faq http://www.faq.msxnet.org Here, you can find near all hardware pieces related to MSX. title url text Web Wiz CAPTCHA http://www.webwizcaptcha.com The MSX home computer system /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/epcom-sharp-hotbit-hb-8000 /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-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-64 784 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230328221645/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=784 2023-03-28

The Hit-Bit 55 was a classic MSX1 computer. It was very similar to the Hit-Bit 75. Its most distinctive sign was its flat but good quality keyboard. It was one of the few MSX with the Philips VG-8000 to have a low-cost keyboard.

Unlike the HB-75, it had only 16 KB RAM. There was a built-in software (scheduler and memo) which was a kind of cut-down version of the one built-in the HB-75, program size was only 8 KB against 16 KB on the HB-75, it seems that some version had the 16 KB version though. To save files made with this apps, a 4K S-RAM non-volatile cartridge was used (called HBI-55).

The Hit-Bit 55 was clearly marketed as the low-range MSX model of the Hit-Bit serie. It was also available in a red and black cases.

We need more info about this console ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.