Sharp PC-3000

<p>The Sharp PC-3000 placed a complete MS-DOS computer into a one-pound palmtop case. Introduced in late 1991 and shipped widely in 1992, it displayed the standard 80-column DOS screen, included office applications in ROM and could run many familiar PC programs.</p><p>Two early PCMCIA memory-card slots, serial and parallel ports and an optional floppy drive made it unusually expandable. The otherwise identical PC-3100 increased the built-in working and RAM-disk memory from 1MB to 2MB.</p>

<h6>Notable Features</h6><ul><li>Full MS-DOS 3.3 environment with an 80-column CGA-compatible screen.</li><li>Two early PCMCIA Type I slots supported SRAM and selected flash cards.</li><li>Built-in word processor, calculator and Lotus 1-2-3-compatible spreadsheet.</li></ul><h6>Historical Significance</h6><ul><li>Designed by Britain’s DIP Research, whose team had earlier created the Atari Portfolio.</li><li>The PC-3100 was the same computer with 2MB rather than 1MB of pseudo-static RAM.</li></ul><h6>Collector's Notes</h6><ul><li>Proprietary serial, parallel and floppy cables are important because the physical connectors are non-standard.</li><li>Battery leakage, hinge condition and LCD contrast should be checked; compatible early PCMCIA cards are useful additions.</li></ul>

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Sharp PC-3000
Manufacturer	Sharp
Launched	Tuesday, January 1, 1991
Launch Price	Approximately US$1,000
Country	Japan
CPU	Intel 80C88A at up to 10 MHz
Units Sold
Power	Three AA batteries, CR2016 backup cell or AC adapter
Storage	RAM disk, ROM disk and optional external 1.44MB floppy drive
I/O	Serial, parallel and 80-pin expansion connector
Expansion	Two PCMCIA Release 1 Type I card slots
Keyboard	77 three-quarter-size keys with embedded numeric keypad
Operating System	MS-DOS 3.3 in ROM
Display	640×200 FSTN monochrome LCD; 80×25 text; CGA compatible
ROM	128KB BIOS plus 1MB ROM disk
RAM	PC-3000: 1MB; PC-3100: 2MB pseudo-static RAM plus 128KB static RAM
CPU Speed	Variable, up to 10 MHz