Panasonic FS-A1F

The FS-A1F added an internal 3.5-inch floppy drive to Panasonic’s compact MSX2 A1 computer, supporting disk-based applications and MSX-DOS without a separate drive.

It turned the affordable A1 into a more complete general-purpose MSX2 system.

Notable Features

• Built-in 720 KB floppy drive
• MSX2 V9938 graphics
• Integrated A1 firmware

Historical Significance

• It turned the affordable A1 into a more complete general-purpose MSX2 system.

Collector’s Notes

• The floppy belt is a routine service item; Japanese-market software and power requirements should be retained.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Panasonic FS-A1F
Manufacturer	Panasonic
Launched	Thursday, January 1, 1987
Country	Japan
CPU	Zilog Z80A compatible
Units Sold
Form Factor	Keyboard console
Power	Internal mains power supply
Networking	None built in
Operating System	MSX BASIC / MSX-DOS as supported
Expansion / I/O	Two cartridge slots on later models, joystick, printer and video connections
Keyboard	Integrated Japanese keyboard
Storage	Built-in 720 KB 3.5-inch floppy drive
Sound	AY-3-8910-compatible three-voice PSG plus noise
Colours	MSX palette and modes appropriate to generation
Graphics	Yamaha V9938: up to 512 x 212 pixels
Display	Television or RGB monitor
ROM	MSX BIOS, BASIC and model-specific firmware
RAM	64 KB main RAM and 128 KB video RAM
CPU Speed	3.58 MHz