CE-158X - 1
CE-158X - 1
CE-158X - 2
CE-158X - 3
CE-158X - 4
CE-158X Case 1
CE-158X Case 2
CE-158X Case 3

CE-158X Serial Parallel Interface for Sharp PC-1500

A modern recreation of the Sharp CE-158X Serial / Parallel interface for the PC-1500, PC-1500A, PC-1600 pocket computers
1 review(s)
Manufacturer: StarDust
*
$90.00
Ship to
*
*
Shipping Method
Name
Estimated Delivery
Price
No shipping options

Overview

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.

NOTE: A padded zipper case is available as an optional extra.

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.

 

Downloads and Video

CE-158X User's Manual. Click Here


This video is a Quick Start for the CE-158X. 

Product tags
Customers who bought this item also bought
CE163F

Sharp PC-1500 Memory Modules

Banked RAM or Banked RAM/FLASH for Sharp PC-1500, PC-1500A, TRS-80 PC-2
$23.50
Alps Gear 1

Alps Printer-Plotter Mechanism Pinion Gears (Set of 2)

Repair your vintage printer/plotters with new brass gears!
From $4.50
uBPD_1

Universal Backpack Drive

The Backpack is a small SD card ‘disk drive’ for vintage computers that runs from a single AA battery
$70.00
SOI-MBAT-1 1

Memory Backup Battery - MBAT1

NiMh battery for TRS-80 Model 100, 200, etc.
From $4.25
Existing reviews
Helping to repurpose the SHARP PC1500/TANDY PC-2
5
I've always held a soft spot for the SHARP / TANDY Pocket Computers - so imagine my delight and surprise when I saw that someone had gone to the effort of engineering a modern answer to the no longer available (and somewhat hard to obtain) CE-158 serial/parallel interface.

But that's only half the deal - once purchased, I also found myself up and running and 'CLOAD'ing / 'CSAVE'ing applications in a very short space of time with the documentation, videos and general support available in the offered package and its associated web resources.

I would recommend the CE-158X to anyone with a small budget for exploring (and expanding) the possibilities made available to the SHARP/TANDY Pocket computers trough this great interface. No RS232C interface on your modern machine? No problem, the CE-158X comes with a COM-2 installed via the micro USB port, which by the way, can be used to power the CE-158X if you don't have a battery installed in it already.

Lots of fun, lots of satisfaction and, if you splurge out a few dollars extra it even comes with its own dedicated zip up carrying case.

Nice job! It's great to see vintage kit like these pocket computers being catered for so that they're just as useful now as they were 40+ years ago. A win for me and, a win for the environment - I think there should be more projects like this so that enthusiasts can have the option to repurpose vintage computers like this if they want to.
Edward | 1/12/2025 11:11 AM
Was this review helpful? Yes No (0/0)
Only registered users can write reviews