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You are here: Home / History of portable computers with a rugged bias / Sharp PC-1211

Sharp PC-1211

Sharp PC-1211 or TRS-80 Pocket Computer – 1980

TRS-80 Pocket computer or Sharp PC-1211

Handheld computer!

Sharp PC1211 Specifications

The Sharp PC-1211 (also sold as the Tandy TRS-80 Pocket Computer) was a technologic marvel when it was released in 1980.  Having said that, it was built using off the shelf CMOS components and was really just a very clever piece of packaging.  Utilizing two four-bit processors, one for compute “power” and one for I/O, it was hardly a power-house…

Carry case with printer

Rugged carry case with printer for PC-1211

Sharp PC-1211 carry case with printer

PC-1211 components

SHARP.PC-1211.insides

Interior view of the Sharp PC1211

insides2

Manual

PC-1211 Manual

Specifications (from Wikipedia)

  • 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

<<1978 IBM Portable PC 5110 – 1980 – Osborne1 1981>>

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Previous posts:

  • Contact
  • First Garfield comic strip
  • History of portable computers with a rugged bias
    • AGS MilPAC-III C4ISR Portable with 3 x 17.3″ displays
    • AGS-MRPC-4 – Lunchbox Computer – 2011
    • Compaq Portable III lunchbox computer
    • Dolch FlexPAC
    • Fieldworks FW7500 – 1994
    • Getac A320 Rugged Notebook
    • Getac B300
    • Getac Z710 – Rugged Android Tablet
    • GRiD Compass – 1982
    • IBM Convertible PC
    • IBM Portable 5155 – questionably rugged, questionably portable
    • IBM Portable PC 5110
    • IBM ThinkPad 700
    • iTronix GoBook XR-1 (General Dynamics)
    • Kontron IN-Lite
    • Kontron IP-Lite
    • Kookaburra PC / Dulmont Magnum 1983
    • Osborne 1 – The first portable PC
    • Osborne Vixen rugged luggable
    • Panasonic CF19
    • Panasonic Toughbook CF-25
    • PSION Series 5
    • Sharp PC-1211
    • TRS-80 Model 100 (Radio Shack)
    • TRS-80 Tandy/Radio Shack
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  • Rugged Handheld Computers

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