Sony Hit Bit HB-F700

The Sony Hit Bit HB-F700 was a high-specification European MSX2 desktop with a separate keyboard, 256KB memory mapper and built-in 720KB floppy drive. It shipped with a mouse and disk-based productivity and graphics software.

British, German, French, Spanish and general European suffixes changed the keyboard and system ROM but shared the same hardware. Its broad interfaces and external-drive connector suited serious MSX users.

Notable Features

• Large 256KB memory mapper and built-in 720KB floppy drive.
• Separate keyboard and supplied mouse gave it a professional desktop layout.

Historical Significance

• One of Sony’s strongest European MSX2 systems.
• Regional B, D, F, P and S versions differ mainly in keyboard and ROM localisation.

Collector’s Notes

• The original floppy mechanism and drive belt are common service points.
• Some software requires the known MSX slot-selection workaround used by this architecture.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Sony Hit Bit HB-F700
Manufacturer	Sony
Launched	Wednesday, January 1, 1986
Launch Price	ƒ1,799 in the Netherlands
Country	Japan
CPU	Zilog-compatible Z80A at 3.58 MHz
Units Sold
Operating System	MSX BASIC 2.0; MSX-DOS 1; HiBrid and Halos software
I/O	RGB/composite, cassette, Centronics, two joystick, two cartridge and external floppy interfaces
Keyboard	Separate regional keyboard with numeric keypad
Storage	Built-in 720KB 3.5-inch floppy; external second-drive connector; cartridges and cassette
Sound	YM2149, three tone channels plus noise
Graphics	Yamaha V9938: up to 512x212 in 16 colours or 256x212 in 256 colours
Display	Composite or RGB monitor, 40- or 80-column text
ROM	MSX2 BASIC and disk ROM
RAM	256KB main RAM and 128KB video RAM
CPU Speed	3.58 MHz