Sharp PC-1211

Sharp PC-1211

Sharp PC-1211
Also known as	Lesa
Manufacturer	Sharp Corporation
Generation	First
Release date	1980 (1980)'s
CPU	SC43177/SC43178 processors at 256 kHz
Memory	three TC5514P 4 Kbit RAM modules
Display	24 digit dot matrix LCD
Input	Full QWERTY-style keyboard
Power	four MR44 1.35 V Mercury button cells
Successor	Sharp PC-5000
Related	Sharp PC-1500 Sharp PC-1251

The Sharp PC-1211 is a pocket computer marketed by Sharp Corporation in the 1980s. The computer was powered by two 4-bit CPUs laid out in power-saving CMOS circuitry. One acted as the main CPU, the other dealt with the input/output and display interface. Users could write computer programs in BASIC.

A badge-engineered version of the PC-1211 was marketed by Radio Shack as the first iteration of the TRS-80 Pocket Computer with just a marginally different look (outer plastic parts in black, not brown, gray display frame)

Technical specifications

• 24 digit dot matrix LCD
• Full QWERTY-style keyboard
• Integrated beeper
• Connector for printer and tape drive
• Programmable in BASIC
• Uses four MR44 1.35 V Mercury button cells
• Battery life in excess of 200 hours
• 1424 program steps, 26 permanent variable locations (A-Z or A$-Z$) and 178 variables shared with program steps
• Built out of off-the-shelf CMOS components, including SC43177/SC43178 processors at 256 kHz and three TC5514P 4 Kbit RAM modules

Accessories

• CE-121 Cassette Interface
• CE-122 Printer

TRS-80 Pocket Computer ("PC-1")

A badge-engineered version of the Sharp PC-1211 was marketed by Radio Shack as the original TRS-80 Pocket Computer. (This was later referred to as the "PC-1" to differentiate it from subsequent entries (PC-2 onwards) in the TRS-80 Pocket Computer line.)^[1]

Introduced in July 1980, the "PC-1" measured 175 × 70 × 15 mm and weighed 170 g, and had a one-line, 24-character alphanumeric LCD.^[2][3]

The TRS-80 Pocket Computer was programmable in BASIC, with a capacity of 1424 "program steps". This memory was shared with variable storage of up to 178 locations, in addition to the 26 fixed locations named A through Z. The implementation was based on Palo Alto Tiny BASIC.

Programs and data could be stored on a Compact Cassette through an optional external cassette tape interface unit. A printer/cassette interface was available, which used an ink ribbon on plain paper.

• 
  Sharp PC-1211. This example exhibits a display that is failing, a very common problem with Sharp's displays of the time.
• 
  CE-122 printer in a travel case.
• 
  Rebadged "TRS-80 Pocket Computer" version.

See also

• Sharp pocket computer character sets

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sharp PC-1211.

• Sharp PC-1211 on MyCalcDB (database about 1970s and 1980s pocket calculators)
• www.promsoft.com/calcs Sharp Pocket Computers
• Daves Old Computers - TRS-80 Pocket Computer
• The TRS-80 Pocket Computer

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This page was last edited on 8 July 2023, at 11:17