Overview
NOTE: We ran out of the first batch already. Click on the button above to be notified when we have them back in stock. You can also use the 'Contact Us' page and tell us you want to be on the waiting list.
Back in 1982 Sharp came out with a real powerhouse of a pocket computer, the PC-1500. It had a 1mhz 8bit Sharp lh5801 processor capable of addressing 128K of memory and 128K of address space. This was a computer as powerful as the average desktop of the day and it would fit in a (large) pocket.
Sharp then came out with the CE-158 serial/parallel interface for the PC-1500 that offered greatly improved loading/saving speeds as well as the ability to use a wider range of printers, modems and other peripherals. The price of the CE-158 was almost as high as the PC-1500 itself so not many were sold making them quite rare today and expensive if you can find one.
We set out to make a replacement for the CE-158, the CE-158X. Some of the original parts are no longer made so we chose kore modern parts that are available. The original CE-158 ROM was dumped and reverse engineered so we could make the CE-158X compatible with original software. In the process of modifying the code to work with the newer parts we were also able to bump the BAUD rate from the original 2400BAUD up to 19200 BAUD (38400 BAUD max, but experimental).
New features were also added such as a second serial port which has a USB interface, and a special ‘Backpack’ mode to make use of the PC-1500 easier with the Backpack Plus drive. In addition to using the parallel port to print it can also now be used for parallel data input. The CE-158X can be powered by the micro-USB connection or a user supplied 18650 lithium battery.
Features
- Compact design
- Compatible with original Sharp CE-158
- BAUD rate increased to 19200 (max. 38400 experimental)
- A second serial port added with USB interface
- Bidirectional parallel port
- Optional 18650 battery (user supplied)
- Backpack Drive Plus (BPD+)mode
See the Downloads tab for user's manual and Quick Start video.
