website/content/museum/sharp-pc-1401-pc-1402-pc-1421.md

---
title: Sharp PC-1401 PC-1402 PC-1421
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Pocket
origins:
- Japan
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- SC 61860
params:
  name: PC-1401 PC-1402 PC-1421
  image: /media/museum/photos/sharp_pc1401_system_s1.jpg
  company: /companies/sharp
  company_name: Sharp
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: PC-1401 PC-1402 PC-1421
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Sharp
  - label: TYPE
    value: Pocket
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Japan
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1983'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Sharp BASIC interpreter
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: 76 keys, QWERTY calculator type with numeric key-pad and math function keys
  - label: CPU
    value: SC 61860 (8 bits)
  - label: SPEED
    value: 'PC-1401, PC-1402: 576 kHz - PC-1421: 768 kHz'
  - label: RAM
    value: 'PC-1401, PC-1421: 4.2 KB - PC-1402: 10.2 KB'
  - label: ROM
    value: 40 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 1 line x 16 chars. (LCD screen), 5x7 dot matrix
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome LCD
  - label: SOUND
    value: CPU controlled piezo buzzer, fixed frequency and duration via BASIC statement
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 170 (W) x 72 (D) x 9.5 (H) mm / 150 g (with batteries and hard cover)
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: Proprietary 11-pin expansion bus
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: 6 volts, 2 x CR 2032 lithium cells
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: CE-126P thermal printer and tape interface
  - label: PRICE
    value: 'PC-1401: 155 , PC-1402: 181 (Germany)'
  tabs:
  - adverts
  - emulators
  - links
  adverts:
  - title: NEW ZEALAND ADVERT
    subtitle: ''
    text: Dated February 1984 from Bits & Bytes magazine
    image: null
  emulators:
  - title: POEMS
    url: http://sourceforge.jp/projects/poems/
    platform: Unix / Linux
    text: PC-12xx, 14xx & 13xx emulator
  - title: PockEmul
    url: http://pockemul.free.fr/
    platform: Multiplatform
    text: Emulates nearly all Sharp pocket computers!
  links:
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: ''
  comments:
  - author: Henk
    date: Wednesday 11th November 2020
    text: Used it in 1986 in school, now changed batteries and works fine. Still know how to use it. Only lost the plastic foil to note the "macro''s".
  - author: mike123go (Canada)
    date: Friday 29th April 2016
    text: I''m starting a new course in financial business.. just put battery after so many years (of course, I''ve been smart enough to take them out back then) seems to be working just fine, so I''ll use it again :)
  - author: Michelle (Canada)
    date: Wednesday 25th June 2014
    text: I used my Sharp 1401 all through University and now (31 years after purchase) my daughter is using it in high school. Still works like new - despite having taken at least one beer bath and a coffee bath.
  - author: lodger (Germany)
    date: Monday 17th December 2012
    text: |-
      I remember that in 1987 I got a Sharp PC-1430, which is not yet featured in this museum, for my birthday (price: \~150 Marks / 75 Euro). My parents bought it for me to be used as a calculator for my school stuff as well as in acknowledgement of my interest in computers. I remember there was a "bug hunt" game printed in the manual, where you were guessing coordinates of a bug.\
      The line editor in program mode was quite sophisitcated and the manual was well structured. Although it was certainly perfect for cheating, I mostly used it to impress my friends and soon lost interest in it. Looking back after all these years, I think the Sharp series of pocket micros were real miracles, the finest in tech gear at the time and I feel a bit ashamed of my juvenile ignorance.
  - author: Richie (Germany)
    date: Sunday 15th April 2012
    text: I have just stumbled across my 1984 PC1401, changed the batteries and switched it on. Fantastic! It still works like it used to :-)
  - author: Alex (Germany)
    date: Wednesday 6th February 2008
    text: |-
      I just got an old Sharp PC-1401, it's been used very often but it still runs good, I'm already trying out the basic language and it also works pretty good.\
      Even though I never had one of these old computers (i'm 17) they fascinate me...
  related:
  - /museum/sharp-pc-1210-1211-1212
  - /museum/sharp-pc-1245
  - /museum/sharp-pc-1250-pc-1251
  - /museum/sharp-pc-1260-pc-1261-pc-1262
  - /museum/sharp-pc-1403-h
  - /museum/sharp-pc-1500-pc-1500a
  - /museum/sharp-pc-2500
  oc_id: 1170
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230605031213/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1170
    date: '2023-06-05'
---

The PC-1401 was the first of a series of pocket computers with a new concept.

It combined the advantages of a BASIC programmable pocket computer and a scientific calculator. Nevertheless, it was much thinner than, for instance, the [PC-1500](/museum/sharp-pc-1500-pc-1500a/), and well worth its price.\
Therefore, the PC-14xx series was very successful, especially among students.

The PC-1401 was developed based on the [PC-125x](/museum/sharp-pc-1250-pc-1251/) series, thus it possessed the same BASIC core capabilities. In addition, it had a separate calculator mode, in which it could be used like any of Sharp's scientific calculators, such as the EL506H.\
For this purpose, the right section of the keyboard had 18 additional math keys, and it could be used as any standard AOS entry calculator. Moreover, a set of statistics functions was implemented.

In BASIC mode, the additional math buttons could be used as shortcut keys to enter the BASIC keywords of these math functions. A downside was the small display with only 16 characters, which made it somewhat hard to keep track of your BASIC program while programming.

As the PC-125x series, the PC-1401 was based on the SC61860 8-bit CMOS microprocessor, clocked with a 576 kHz ceramic resonator circuit, and the same display driver chip (SC43536). It had 4.2 KB RAM (two HM6116 2k x 8 chips plus some bytes in the display driver chip) and 40 KB ROM (SC613256). All chips and other components were soldered onto a single PCB. The RAM of the PC-1401 could not be extended by modules.

The PC-14xx series consisted of various models; here, only those directly derived from the PC-125x hardware are described. At least three different models were widely available in the West:\
**PC-1401**: This was the first machine of the series, released in 1983.\
**PC-1402**: Released about one year later. Basically the same machine, but with more RAM. One of the HM6116 chips had been replaced by a D4364G 8k x 8 chip, resulting in 10.2 KB RAM (9678 bytes for BASIC).\
**PC-1421**: This machine was also released in 1984. As the PC-1401, it had 4.2 KB RAM (3454 for BASIC). However, it was powered by a later release of the CPU and clocked with a higher clock rate (768 kHz), which made it one third faster. From the software's point of view,it was equipped with special math functions for business/financial matters.

Together with the PC-1401, the CE-126P thermal printer and micro cassette interface unit was introduced. It was alcaline battery powered and could print 24 characters per line on special thermal paper.

Special thanks to **Roman von Wartburg** and his [Website](http://retrocomputing.ch/), who provided us all this information.