Tag Archives: extension

TE-1507 : Prototype updated

Hi, In my PC-1500 i had problems with the first TE-1507 version using Xicor memory.
It was impossible to write something in an unprotected X28HC256.
http://www.pc-1500.info/2015/07/30/te-1507-the-memory-module-for-developers/

The Team1560 needs were to have a big system RAM and a place to test system ROM extensions.
Done ! The TE-1507 is now working with 2 RAM ICs and the R/W protection is done by jumper.

Here are some pictures the prototype :

TE-1507_Proto_900_001

TE-1507_Proto_900_002TE-1507_Proto_900_004

TE-1507_Proto_900_006TE-1507_Proto_900_007

TE-1507_Proto_900_008TE-1507_Proto_900_009

This one, number 3, is reserved for…….. ? Stay tuned 😉

The release version should be available in one month.

BMC : The MC-12A (PartI)

The MC-12A, the most advanced acquisition tool.
As you can see, it fits perfectly with the PC-1500/CE-150 system.
BMC_MC-12A_002

What can this do ?
– Digital Multimeter -5V to +5V
– Data logger
– Transient
– Fonctions generator
– Data analyzer
– Regulation/Control unit

How can it communicate ?
– 5 input channels
– 2 analog outputs
– 4 CMOS switch
– 2 output relays
– 24 pol. l / O port
– V.24 interface
– 60 pins connector to PC-1500 or CE-150

It’s a strong tool, isn’t it ? It’s as wide as the CE-150.
BMC_MC-12A_001
BMC_MC-12A_004 BMC_MC-12A_005

The power supply adapter EA-150 is plugged directly in the MC-12A and is transferred to the CE-150 with a grey cable.
A very nice idea !
BMC_MC-12A_006

Removing the CE-150 is not really easy. You have to remove 2 screws and move the printer to separate it.
BMC_MC-12A_008 BMC_MC-12A_007

DO you see the white tube on the metal plate ? It goes directly to a hole under the CE-150.
BMC_MC-12A_009

Here is the CE-150 connector :
BMC_MC-12A_010

Now let’s opening the MC-12A and see inside.
There are some options installed. A really good thing ? All the ICs are on sockets ! Easy repairing…
BMC_MC-12A_011
There is a place on the left with corroded marks. It’s the battery.
The whole system can be used out of 110/220v ! You can take it and go on site.
BMC_MC-12A_017

Let’s open a bit more… there is a RAM and a ROM. Two sockets are unused for future extension.
BMC_MC-12A_012

The ROM IC will give you a really good surprise… stay tuned…

PC-1500 28Kb – Part 2

This PC-1500 is more than an updated version with huge memory amount and double-speed oscillator.
It’s one of the firsts samples of the A04 production.

In this picture you can see the ROM version on the SC613128 IC.
Do you remember the A03 versions ? They have blue straps… like here on the display board :
PC-1500_28Kb_015

And now lets see under the memory extension…
The board shows many blue straps like the A01 and A03 versions :
PC-1500_28Kb_016

Sure this is a rare item for collectors.
It’s serial number is 20024876.
PC-1500_28Kb_017

Who owns a such collector version ?
Take a screwdriver and verify your PC-1500s 🙂

Thanks again to Lukas ZELLER for this gift.

IWS Video adapter for the Sharp PC-1500 (Part 1)

Many of us have dreamed of this device!
But his selling price was 800DM did not make him accessible to all budgets.

It was designed by “Ingenieurbüro Walter Speidel” and sold a few hundred copies. To my knowledge the IWS is the only video interface for Sharp PC-1500.

So the mysterious listing we had:

IWS interface and PC-1500 connected to the TV IWS interface in it's original box

This peripheral offers the following features:
– Playback on TV with the resolution of 25×40 or 25×80 characters.
– Input / Output cassette
– Speaker Output

Opening the IWS video interface box Inputs and outputs of the IWS video interface for the PC-1500

The save/load with the tape are faster than Sharp instructions.

It is accompanied by a user manual in A5 size.
All is correctly described, the new Basic instructions, the memory organization, except the schematics.

IWS user manual
DOWNLOAD the user manual

And there exist a 3 page correction to it :

IWS user manual correction
DOWNLOAD the correction

It can connect directly to the PC-1500 but needs it’s only power adapter.

IWS video interface connected to the Sharp PC-1500 front view IWS video interface connected to the Sharp PC-1500 rear view

And to the printer :

IWS video interface connected to the Sharp CE-150 front view IWS video interface connected to the Sharp Sharp CE-150 rear view

Next time we will talk about hardware considerations…

TRAMsoft Gmbh, Swiss know-how ! (part 2)

On the last page of TRAMsoft advert we see “SRS Ing. R.W. Fankhauser” which was one of the best reseller for their modules.
One other was “GEWA COMPUTERS”.
(If some of you have informations about GEWA then please contact me)
Here is an extract from the GEWA catalog 2/84 :
(You can watch the prices on the red page.)

TRAMsoft_Gewa1

Download

TRAMsoht TOOLs were very well known in Germany as showed by the following article :

TRAMsoft_Computer0

Download

Remember that you can have more informations about TOOLS on TRAMsoft website. And you can buy some available extensions too.
Manuals are available for download.

Next time i will show you their storage solution…

TRAMsoft Gmbh, Swiss know-how ! (part 1)

In the 80s we saw a lot of things appear for the Sharp PC-1500. Listings, tapes, memory modules and Eprom … and rare extensions.
In 1983 a company was established in Switzerland by two young graduates of technical high school “Technikum Winterthur” Reto Ambühler and Thomas Müller. With their initials they named their company TRAMsoft.

Reto TRAMsoft_logo Thomas

There are some months I contacted them and Reto was kind enough to answer me. He also agreed to give me a few things which I will soon. I hope Thomas will say us a few words and tell us this wonderful time of the arrival of the PC-1500.

But back to their company and their products … that still exist !
And you can order their last items for PC-1500 and PC-1600 😉

They were interested in the PC-1500 and managed to overcome its limitations both in terms of the Basic language as its features.

Thus users are able to “open” their machines to the environment.
Their best-known products are the TOOLS.
There are 4 TOOLS organized by theme.

TOOL1: Editing utilities
TOOL2: Fast tape operations
TOOL3: Additional BASIC-functions
TOOL4: Statistics and synthetic programming

TOOLS on TRAMsoft website

But unlike the EC-50xA/B Sharp modules, the TOOLS do not come onto the memory port on your machine but in an external box. You can continue to use your extensions CE-151, CE-155, CE-159 and CE-161 and the program modules from Sharp.
All these TOOLS can all be integrated into the same housing. Great, right?

Here is their flyer from 1986:

TRAMsoft_Advert_001 Full advert 1 as .pdf file

Reto sent me other versions of their commercials :

TRAMsoft_ExpansionBox Full advert 2 as .pdf file

Thanks to trade with other people I acquired a catalog of “Ingenieurbüro Walter Speidel” dated 1984. Their tools are already on the market but we can see that at that time the TOOLS have yet no box. It is printed with EPROM circuit, address decoding and a connector.

TRAMsoft_IWS0
Extract from IWS catalog as .pdf file

The prices are quoted in Deutschmark.
At that time I was living in Germany and remember that conversion to Franc had a ratio close to 3 This gives us about 150 euro for each TOOLS.

Ah, perhaps you noticed the initials “Ingenieurbüro Walter Speidel”? This will be the topic of another article by the end of the year …;)

For now I leave you to discover the site TRAMsoft.
http://www.tramsoft.ch/index_en.html

CE-165 W Specifications

Yes, you have correctly read the title !
I have informations about the unfindable PC-1500 extension : the CE-165W !

CE-165W

Many of us have long sought this device without finding anything.
But luckily a friend had a few pages stapled, lost in a pile of documents.

What is the CE-165 W ?
This is not an EPROM programmer.
I guess you are disappointed …
But it is actually a programmer for the CE-160 modules.
It can program 16 once.
The verification phase is done by module.

You can download all 4 pages of specifications by Sharp.
CE-165 specifications.pdf

I will speak later of the CE-160 and we will detail its operation.
Ah, many sites say that its capacity is 16Kb … but this is false, it is 7.8 Kb.

Please, note that the CE-165W needs a CE-155 module plugged inside the PC-1500.
The pocket computer must have enough memory to store the source program.

If you want to share these informations please share the link to this page. Thanks.