Category Archives: Hardware

System hardware and extensions

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

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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

Sharp Technical Reference Manual

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The blue bible, well known as the TRM !
It was the graal for users in the 80’s.
Here is it, as a PDF file (OCR) with a separate file for the schematics.

All manuals are scanned from my own materials.
If you have some of the missing manuals (or not in this list) to offer (or sell) please tell me.
If you download something, please feel free to write a little comment.


Download
Download schematics

Sharp and Tandy service manuals

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Do you know the Sharp and Tandy Service Manuals ?
Here are they, modified to have one PDF file (OCR) per item.

All manuals are scanned from my own materials.
If you have some of the missing manuals (or not in this list) to offer (or sell) please tell me.
If you download something, please feel free to write a little comment.


Download
Download
CE-151 4Kb
MISSING		CE-152 Tape
MISSING

Download		CE-154 Wallet
Not exist

Download		CE-156 Soft tape
Not exist
CE-157 ROM 4Kb
MISSING
Download

Download		CE-160 7,8Kb
MISSING

Download
Download
CE-163 32Kb
MISSING		CE-165 Writer for CE-160
MISSING

Download
Download

Download
Download schematics

CE-165 W Specifications

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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.

Many versions of PC-1500 ? PC-1600 too !

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Hey, we focused on the PC-1500 and PC-2 versions but do you know the PC-1600 versions ?
As this pocket is compatible with PC-1500 we can talk about it.

I have two PC-1600 but they are not exactly same.
Lets see the old version :
PC-1600 V1

and the new one :
PC-1600 V2

The memory place is different, as small board for the V1 and on CPU board for the V2.
If you look at the Technical Reference Manual you will have the first version :
PC-1600SCH V1

And if you look at the Service Manual there is the V2 :
PC-1600SCH V2

Are you looking for a screwdriver to open your precious PC-1600 ? 😉

Tandy a full system closed to Sharp one.

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Most of you better know the Sharp system. Why ?
Maybe because Tandy/Radio shack didn’t follow Sharp along the years for this pocket computer.
Here is the Tandy system :
EMI_2609

We know some PC-3, PC-4… but the PC-2 is still at the PC-1500 step.
I don’t know exactly why…
Someone can help me with this item ?

I already presented the PC-2.
To be precise I presented one version of the machine.
Yes, you really read “one version”, maybe the third one.
On the picture you can see lot of blue straps and a IC named “SC613128” with “A03”.
TRS-80_PC2_004

We know it’s the firmware revision. Then A03 seems to be the third.
Does someone have the first and the second ? Uh… that sounds mysterious…

I have the fourth !
Tandy_PC2_A04

As you see, no blue straps on the CPU board.
In fact it’s exactly closed to the PC-1500 evolution.
But… one moment please…
With some friends we had a really interesting discuss about Tandy and Sharp.
Like the chicken and the egg … which came first?

After reading this first article you have more questions than answers, isn’t it ?
– who have the versions one and two ???
– who can answer the chicken/egg question ???

PC-1560 : CE-161 to replace system ROM ?

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Working on the PC-1560 project need some tools.
We have to design a new system ROM but at this time don’t have to work with (E)EPROM programmers.
The best way is to look at our hardware stuff !

We most have CE-161, isn’t it ?
Ok, how does this memory module work ?
It need to be plugged on the 40 pins bus.
The PC-1500(A) schematics shows that we have these signals available on the connector:
– /Y0
– /Inhibit (active low to disable the system ROM)

CE-161 schematics shows a 40H138 (Demux) selected by /Y0 (active low) going to /G2A (active low). This signal is nothing but &0000H address.

The system ROM is at &E000H… /Y3 from the 40H139 in the PC-1500.
Simple, no ?

Ok, a DOUBLE hardware inverter is all we need.
The inverter will a the same time :
– connect 40H139 signal /Y0 or /Y3 to the CE-161 on /G2A
– connect /Inhibit to GND or let it to it’s high value.

The inverter must be inside the PC-1500.
Cut the strap from pin 4 of the 40H139.
Connect this pin to one side of the inverter.
Connect pin 7 to inverter’s other side.
Connecter inverter middle pin to the cutter strap.
Now you can choose CE-161 function : RAM or system ROM.
… don’t miss the /INHIBIT pin…

I will soon show your a picture of the system.

Here is the updated schematics.
CE-161_ROM

CE-163 owners will have a dual ROM system… but be careful to switch ROM when powered off.