website/content/museum/casio-pb-300.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Casio PB-300	Computers	Pocket	Japan	1983	HD61913 CMOS VLSI	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos links related oc_id source PB-300 /media/museum/photos/casio_pb300_system_s1.jpg /companies/casio Casio label value NAME PB-300 label value MANUFACTURER Casio label value TYPE Pocket label value ORIGIN Japan label value YEAR 1983 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE BASIC interpreter label value KEYBOARD QWERTY calculator type 54 keys with numeric keypad label value CPU HD61913 CMOS VLSI label value SPEED 455 kHz, ceramic resonator used as system clock label value RAM 2 KB (1568 bytes for BASIC) label value ROM 12 KB label value TEXT MODES 1 line x 12 chars plus a 4 digit seven segment display part label value GRAPHIC MODES None label value COLORS Monochrome LCD label value SOUND None label value SIZE / WEIGHT 173 (W) x 90 (D) x 20 (H) mm / 258 g (with batteries) label value I/O PORTS 12-pin expansion port for cassette interface label value POWER SUPPLY 2 x CR-2032 lithium batteries\ Integrated NiCd batteries for printer. External charger CHA-1 (4.8V/4.1W) label value PERIPHERALS FA-3 cassette interface label value PRICE Unknown photos links 988 title subtitle text image FRONT PANEL /media/museum/photos/casio_pb300_frontpanel_s1.jpg title subtitle text image INSIDE The bottom card is dedicated to the printer management and battery charging. /media/museum/photos/casio_pb300_inside_s1.jpg title url text Silrun Systems http://www.silrun.info/ Documentations to download for Casio pockets ! Useful. title url text The Pocket Computer Museum http://pocket.free.fr/ The site to visit for pockets computers ! /museum/casio-fx-700p /museum/casio-fx-702p /museum/casio-pb-100 1014 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230605040059/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1014 2023-06-05

Basically, the PB-300 was a 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The PB-300 was also sold in Europe under the name Olympia OP-644.

Thanks to Roman von Wartburg (retrocomputing.ch) for information and pictures.