Rick Swartz Profile picture
Jul 8, 2022 12 tweets 9 min read Read on X
Thread time once again! A Package from a fine fellow in Valencia! The contents are something I've been trying to find for quite a bit now. A bit more expensive than what I'm usually willing to spend, but this is special. #ポケコン The address sticker on a package from Valencia, as yet unope
Random side note: It would seem that Lidl Spain had a sale on Milbona products back in March. I hope the Spanish among you had a chance to grab some cheap dairy goodness. Also, nachos.
Well, there you are, my little lovely! I hope you had a nice & gentle journey.
Apparently, you did indeed! Mates, I present the #Casio fx-5400p, the scientific calculator brother to the PB-80!
#fx5400p #ポケコン #pb80
Thanks to @ledudu, I found that there was a calculator version of the PB-80 series, the fx-5400p. Since then, I've been looking for one high and low. Recently, I managed to bag the manual from a US seller, but I didn't have much hope for the unit itself. #ポケコン
And then I get an ebay notification for an fx-5400p. I've been looking for almost three years and finally it shows up! #ポケコン #fx5400p
Compared to its brother, the fx-5400p comes in an identical clamshell case, but different colour scheme. The LCD module is not shared between models, reflecting the extended modes the 5400 has to offer. The dot matrix on the PB-80(bottom) is also decidedly more slanted. #ポケコン
The keyboards are multifunction membrane affairs & as good as those keyboards get, a buzzer mode can give acoustic feedback for input. The fx-5400p has more functions per key & those extra modes are accessed via the EXT, ALPHA, SHIFT & VALUE keys. #ポケコン
The number pad on the #fx5400p also gives you access to the same physical constants that the #FX750P has. #ポケコン
Sadly, you lose the memo function (mode 9) on the fx-5400p. I guess the extra math functions needed space. The BASIC on the fx-5400p gets added math commands lacking in the PB-80. Although it has a functional piezo buzzer, the 5400 doesn't understand BEEP. #ポケコン
RAM size on both units is a paltry 544 bytes. This can be expanded via a 1 KB OR-1 RAM pack. Sadly, both models have no I/O ports for a cassette recorder / printer. Casio dropped the ball here. This would've been a perfect tiny lab computer otherwise. #ポケコン #fx5400p
The PB-80 is already my favourite of the small factor Pocket Computers. The fx-5400p is the icing on the cake. The well protected unit with the added math functions, the programming capability plus the budget pricing would have made this my choice in the 80's.
#ポケコン
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More from @swartz_de

Oct 14, 2022
My friends, a thread! I managed to bag a #casio #fa10 with case, a #pb700 and 2 RAM modules from a friendly chap in Switzerland. The unit was not in the best condition when it arrived. 1/8 #ポケコン
I did the case cleanup first, because easiest. It was mostly dirty & the metal parts very rusty with quite a bit of pitting. I used car cockpit cleaner to scrub the case & removed the rust with a wire brush. 2/8 #ポケコン
After polishing it doesn't look half bad. The metal parts are still pitted, but other than grinding off a lot of material, I don't see how to get rid of that. Next on the list, the #fa10 itself. Amazingly, there was no corrosion and the NiCd is ok! 3/8 #ポケコン
Read 9 tweets
Jun 1, 2022
1/8 Hello my friends, it's been a while, but today I bring a new thread! It stars the handsome bugger pictured below. "But Rick," I hear your imaginary voices protest, "that's not a Pocket Computer!". Well right you are, sort of. #ポケコン Image
2/8 This beautiful #Sharp #IQ8200 comes courtesy of a nice chap in France. Although a great piece of kit, the real magic happens when you add this little IC-Card (#IQ871). A 128 KB #BASIC card which goes into the expansion slot on the Organizer. #ポケコン ImageImageImage
3/8 Well, would you look at that! BASIC! Although the card only has A-T descriptors marking the sensor keys, the functions are identical to the ones on the IQ-707 pictured. Except the 2ndF key which is NCR / NPR on this card. #ポケコン ImageImage
Read 9 tweets
Sep 3, 2021
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 ImageImageImage
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. ImageImage
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. Image
Read 13 tweets

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