Sharp PC-4600

<p>The Sharp PC-4600 series increased the performance and display resolution of Sharp’s portable MS-DOS line. Introduced around 1988, its 10 MHz 80188-compatible processor drove a large backlit supertwist LCD capable of 640 by 400 graphics.</p><p>The PC-4602 used two 720KB floppy drives, while the PC-4641 paired one floppy with a 40MB hard disk. Both offered 640KB of RAM, battery operation and expansion intended for professional portable computing.</p>

<h6>Notable Features</h6><ul><li>High-resolution 640×400 illuminated supertwist LCD with four simulated grey shades.</li><li>PC-4602 provided twin floppy drives; PC-4641 combined a floppy with a 40MB hard disk.</li><li>RAM could be expanded to 1.6MB and optional ROM cards enabled rapid application startup.</li></ul><h6>Historical Significance</h6><ul><li>Succeeded the PC-4500 family with a faster processor and substantially improved display.</li><li>Part of Sharp’s late-1980s move toward professional battery-powered PC-compatible laptops.</li></ul><h6>Collector's Notes</h6><ul><li>Lead-acid battery packs normally need rebuilding and the electroluminescent backlight may be weak.</li><li>Original hard disks and 720KB floppy drives can be difficult to replace, making working examples valuable.</li></ul>

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Sharp PC-4600
Manufacturer	Sharp
Launched	Friday, January 1, 1988
Launch Price	From approximately US$2,195
Country	Japan
CPU	NEC V40 80188-compatible processor at 10 MHz
Units Sold
Configurations	PC-4602 and PC-4641
Power	Rechargeable lead battery or AC adapter
I/O	Parallel, serial, CRT adapter and external floppy connections
Expansion	1MB EMS memory card and ROM disk card options
Keyboard	Full-size keyboard with separate cursor and numeric keypads
Storage	PC-4602: two 720KB 3.5-inch floppies; PC-4641: one floppy and 40MB hard disk
Operating System	MS-DOS 3.3
Display	Backlit supertwist LCD, 640×400 pixels with four simulated grey shades
RAM	640KB standard; expandable to 1.6MB
CPU Speed	10 MHz