website/content/museum/hewlett-packard-hp-150.md

---
title: Hewlett Packard HP-150
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- Intel 8088
params:
  name: HP-150
  image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_system_1.jpg
  company: /companies/hewlett-packard
  company_name: Hewlett Packard
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: HP-150
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Hewlett Packard
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1983'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: PAM (Personal Application Manager)
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Full-stroke 107 keys with function keys and numeric keypad
  - label: CPU
    value: Intel 8088
  - label: SPEED
    value: 8 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: 256 KB (up to 640 KB)
  - label: ROM
    value: Unknown
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 x 27 (the 25th and 26th lines are used for function key display and the 27th for status indicators)
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 512 x 384 dots
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome (green & black)
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 305 (W) x 305 (D) x 287 mm (H) / 9.82 Kg
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: HP-IB (IEEE-488), two RS232 serial ports, two expansion slots, Centronics (optional), keyboard port (HP-IL on the HP-150 II)
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: one or two 3.5'' disk-drives (270 KB each); optional hard disk (5 or 15 MB)
  - label: OS
    value: MS DOS 2.01, 2.11 and 3.2 for later models
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in switching power supply unit, 130w
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: Memory card, ink-jet, thermal or laser printer
  - label: PRICE
    value: 6100 (France, march 84) - £2995 (U.K., 1984)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - hardware
  - software
  - links
  forum_thread: 151
  photos:
  - title: HP-150
    subtitle: ''
    text: 5 MB Hard disc version.
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_hp150_1.jpg
  - title: HP-150 II
    subtitle: ''
    text: This is a completely reworked version of the HP-150. Most obvious feature is the 12" display replacing the original 9" display. Also has 4 expansion slots rather than 2 and used an HP-HIL keyboard interface rather than the HP 150 specific one on earlier models. The touchscreen was an option. Marketed as the HP Touchscreen II in the USA and the HP 150 II elsewhere. Unofficially known as the HP 150C.
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150-ii_1.jpg
  - title: BACK OF THE HP-150
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Dual floppy drive version.

      **(1)** 512 KB memory expansion board\
      **(2)** 2 x Serial DB25 connectors\
      **(3)** HP-IB connection between the main unit and the F.D. unit\
      **(4)** Clock backup batteries housing
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_back_1.jpg
  - title: THERMAL PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: The 2674A optional printer fitted in the top of the main unit and could be easily installed by the user. It used thermal paper rolls
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_printer_1.jpg
  - title: TOUCH SCREEN
    subtitle: ''
    text: Just point at what you want to do!
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_touchscreen_4.jpg
  - title: 'TOUCH SCREEN #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: See explanations about the touch screen photodiodes technology in the 'Read more' section.
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_touchleds_1.jpg
  - title: INSIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Inside the main unit.

      **(1)** CRT video board\
      **(2)** Main board (CPU board + 256 KB memory board + Serial board)\
      **(3)** Logic video board\
      **(4)** Power supply
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_inside_1.jpg
  - title: DUAL F.D. UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: 2 x 270 KB floppy drive unit. The disk drives are Sony single side, single density models.
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_fdunit_1.jpg
  - title: FD/HD UNIT
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      15 MB Seagate hard disc drive, and 270 KB floppy drive.\
      The logic board features a Motorola 6809 processor.
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_hdunit_1.jpg
  - title: MONITOR BEING ASSEMBLED
    subtitle: ''
    text: This monitor is being assembled in the HP factory of Grenoble (France). Grenoble was producing HP-150 for the european, african and oriental markets. In March 1984, it was making 5000 units a month, a quarter of the world production (20 000).
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150_montage.jpg
  - title: HP-150 II & LASERJET
    subtitle: ''
    text: This picture shows a HP-150 II connected to the first Laserjet printer!
    image: /media/museum/photos/hp_150-ii_2.jpg
  adverts:
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT (1984)
    subtitle: ''
    text: This is an official advert from Hewlett-Packard. It says "The easy touch".
    image: /media/museum/pubs/hp_150_pub_hp-1.jpg
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT (1984)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/hp_150_pub_lta.jpg
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT (1984)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/hp_150_pub_cf.jpg
  - title: THINKJET ADVERT
    subtitle: ''
    text: August 1985
    image: /media/museum/pubs/hp_150_pub_s1.jpg
  hardware:
  - title: MEM EXPANSION BOARDS
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Top: 256 KB RAM + 128 KB ROM expansion board\
      Bottom: 512 KB RAM expansion
    image: /media/museum/hardware/hp_150_memboards_1.jpg
  - title: THINKJET PRINTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: The ThinkJet was the first printer using the inkjet technology developped by H.P. It featured a 96 dpi printing quality for texts and graphics, and quieter operation than dot-matrix printers.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/hp_150_thinkjet_1.jpg
  screenshots:
  - title: EXAMPLE 1
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/hp_150_touchscreen_1.jpg
  - title: EXAMPLE 2
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/hp_150_touchscreen_2.jpg
  - title: EXAMPLE 3
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/software/hp_150_touchscreen_3.jpg
  links:
  - title: Hewlett Packard Series 100 FAQ
    url: http://www.blinkenlights.com/classiccmp/hp150faq.txt
    text: Very informative Frequently Asked Questions file!
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: Some stuff here
  oc_id: 139
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230130211549/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=139
    date: '2023-01-30'
---

The HP 150 was Hewlett Packard's attempt to produce a user friendly office computer. It is an MS-DOS based system, but is not IBM compatible. It made heavy use of function keys and the built in touch screen to attempt to produce easy to use software. The computer is built into the display unit with disk drives as external units.

It is the successor of the HP 120 (which runs under CP/M). It uses the same screen and the same case as the HP 120. The keyboard was made in Singapour and the cathodic tube was from Matsushita. But the whole system was assembled in the US Sunnyvale and Corvallis factories, and in Grenoble (France).

One of its main interesting characteristic is its "touch sensitive screen" (a 9" Sony screen). Actually, it's not a true touchscreen, there's a lot of infra red transmitters and receivers around the screen which detect the position of anything on the screen : a finger of course but a pencil too. The idea of the touch screen came from HP Grenoble, but the concept was developped in the USA.

The HP 150 uses a shell or interface program called the Personal Application Manager or PAM rather than the standard DOS command line shell. This allows the user to select installed applications from the screen. In addition there are utilities to install applications under PAM, format disks and configure peripheral devices.

Notice that the HP 150, as the HP 120, uses 3.5" floppy disks when all other computers used 5.25" floppy disks. The first models used 270 KB disks, they were replaced with 720 KB floppy disks.

It was possible to insert a small thermic printer into the screen. It was a user installed upgrade. It functioned via internal connections, and would work either as a DOS printer, or direct from the screen for logging, etc. It printed on 80 columns and used a continuous roll of special paper.

The packing of the 150 was very robust. More than one was rolled down a stairway, then powered up as a demo !