Thread by @swartz_de

Hello fine folks! I bring you a thread! A long one! Pictured here is a new addition to my collection; the #Sharp #PC1100 aka #EL6300. It's a combination Pocket Computer/calculator/database. 1/12 #ポケコン

2/12 Sporting a clamshell case, the top half hosts the two line LCD display, the mode selector, power button, the numerical keypad and the keys for database functionality. It takes a lot of its design from the run-time Pocket Computers like the PC-1270.

3/12 The bottom half is where your membrane keyboard sits. Typing on that keyboard is better than I expected, or at least better than the PC-1246S or 1248. It features an extremely reduced BASIC command set.

4/12 We're talking bare minimum here. No PEEK, POKE, CALL. No BEEP, so no need for a piezo buzzer although the case has a spot for one. Despite the 2 x 16 character display, there is no CURSOR command like the 1260 series has.

5/12 Hell, even LIST doesn't work (although LLIST does), you just use the cursor keys for program navigation/editing. Standard Sharp BASIC abbreviations work & labels are supported.
Included is an extremely rudimentary database and a dedicated calculator mode.

6/12 RAM is provided via standard CE-21xM cards (2, 4 or 8KB) held in by the cheapest plastic cover I've ever seen on a Sharp Pocket. Data permanence is achieved via the Sharp 11 pin connector. Attach a CE-126P printer & a tape recorder and LPRINT/CSAVE/CLOAD away!

7/12 Saving database entries to tape is strange and involves using the recessed "in" and "out" buttons on the top half of the unit.

8/12 When disassembling the unit, you'll notice Sharp used 8 different screw types, although you'll only have to keep 7 types sorted, as the 2 outer screws holding the keyboard in place don't need to be removed.

9/12 Keep track of the rubber reset button and the zebra connectors for RAM and the keyboard. You don't want to lose those, trust me on that. At the heart of the unit you'll find a familiar SC61720 that powers quite a few Sharp models.

10/12 This is incidentally the most disgusting Pocket Computer I've ever had the displeasure of opening. It was filled to the brim with what I assume were the dead bodies of cockroach nymphs. This explains the buggy behavior the unit exhibited when I first powered it on ;)

11/12 Now that it's been scrubbed & disinfected, all works as it should. This model might be somewhat boring if you're used to Sharp's other offerings, but all in all, it's a nice addition to any Pocket Computer collection if you can find one.
You have to admit it's cute.

12/12 I didn't find much of any information on this unit besides the very sparse operating manual in German & English. If anyone happens to have a service manual or any advanced information, I'd really appreciate if you sent it my way. Thanks! #ポケコン #sharp #PC1100 #EL6300

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