Unboxing: 1984 EPSON PX-8 portable computer
Posted by Current_Yellow7722@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 6 comments
Back in 2010, I made an unboxing video for a recently purchased Epson PX-8 computer. What was neat about this computer was its size. Other portable computers of the time were... huge. Just 3 years earlier, the Osborne 1 weighed close to 25 pounds and was the size of a large luggage bag! This was due to having a CRT monitor and full-size disk drive. The PX-8 used interchangeable ROM chips for software and an LCD screen for a monitor which brought down the size & weight. Well, let's see what it's like to open an old computer package for (almost) the first time.
Steelejoe@reddit
Great find!
Hjalfi@reddit
I've got one! It's wonderfully janky and poorly designed. There are three separate CPUs in it. It runs CP/M, despite only having minicassette storage out-of-the-box. Applications are shipped on ROM, except all the data has to get routed through one of the secondary CPUs, making access really slow. It's so weird. The main CPU itself runs at 2.45MHz, making it half as fast as a ZX81.
Keyboard's nice, though. Here's 90 minutes of PX-8 keyboard noises. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3MARL-F8NI
Steelejoe@reddit
Wow - this really unlocked some memories. I have one of these also. Got it from my uncle when I was much younger. I loved the keyboard and the little mini-cassettes. Barely used it though since I inherited a GRiD right after and the keyboard was MUCH better.
Hjalfi@reddit
BTW, make sure you do a batteryectomy. There's an internal battery soldered to the motherboard which will leak.
OurSponsor@reddit
Thank you for this. I guess I know what I'm doing this evening.
Fingers crossed...
RottenSalad@reddit
I bought one new in box from some obscure retailer online 15 or 20 years ago. Can't really remember now. I eventually sold it and have regretted it ever since. A really cool CP/M laptop. Though the screen is hard to read when you're middle-aged lol.