NAME  

PX 8 / HC-88

MANUFACTURER  

Epson

TYPE  

Portable

ORIGIN  

Japan

YEAR  

1984

BUILT IN LANGUAGE 

Microsoft Basic

KEYBOARD  

Full-stroke 72 key with function keys and cursor keys

CPU  

Zilog Z80 (+ Hitachi 6301 for I/O)

SPEED  

2.45 MHz (Z80) / 614 KHz (6301)

RAM  

64 KB (up to 184 KB)

VRAM  

6 KB

ROM  

32 KB

TEXT MODES 

8 lines of 80 characters

GRAPHIC MODES  

480 x 64 dots

COLORS  

LCD monochrome display

SOUND  

Beeper - Volume control

SIZE / WEIGHT 

29.7 (W) x 21.6 (D) x 4.6 (H) cm (A4 size) / 1.8 Kg

I/O PORTS 

RS232, bar code reader, bus, ADC, cartridge, analog in (2)

BUILT IN MEDIA 

Small tape recorder

OS  

CP/M 80

POWER SUPPLY 

External 6V. AC adaptor and rechargeable Ni-cad battery

PERIPHERALS  

64 KB or 128 KB Memory expansion units, 3.5'' and 5.25'' FDD units

PRICE  

ё798

 

Epson Geneva PX-8

Geneva PX-8

The PX-8 was the successor of the PX-4 and HX-20. The main improvement was a twice bigger flip-up LCD screen.

It was sold with four cartridges which could be added to the base of the unit: a BASIC Programming Language, CardBox Plus, a diary for 400 names and address, Calc, a spreadsheet and WordStar the well known word processor. A double 5.25" floppy drive was available, and an Epson developed stand alone 3.5-inch floppy drive.


The PX-8 was designed to be compatible with CP/M programs but these may need some modifications due to the display system. Actually, 8 lines of 80 characters were shown at any one time, but the display could be scrolled through up to 48 lines. It may also act as a terminal for other computers.

The PX-8 was sold as Epson HC-88 in Japan.