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Sharp PC-7000
The Sharp PC-7000 is a luggable portable computer released by Sharp Electronics in 1985. The PC-7000 was Sharp's second entry into the IBM PC-compatible portable computer market, their first being the PC-5000.
The PC-7000 eschewed the PC-5000's clamshell design, battery operation, and lighter weight—19 pounds (8.6 kg) for the PC-7000 versus the PC-5000's 11 pounds (5.0 kg). The compromise was an LCD display with electroluminescent backlighting, as well as an increased display line count—25 for the PC-7000 versus the PC-5000's eight. Sharp also replaced the predecessor's Intel 8088 processor with an 8086 running at a user-switchable 7.37 MHz and bumped the stock memory from 128 to 320 KB. These improvements led to higher performance and near-true IBM PC compatibility, in turn leading to a wider range of software that could be used with the computer.
Sharp released the PC-7000 in October 1985 to high praise. It spawned a series of luggable computers featuring improvements to the original PC-7000's hardware. Sharp sold hundreds of thousands of units under this series—including the original—over the years, before discontinuing it in 1990.
The Sharp PC-7000's case sports the luggable form factor for portable computers; journalists compared it to a portable radio, a toaster, and a lunchbox. Its keyboard detaches from the display and serves as protection of the latter. The computer's case measures 16 by 8.5 by 6 inches (41 by 22 by 15 cm) and weighs almost 19 pounds (8.6 kg). The computer's chassis was fabricated from steel and provides much of the weight.
The PC-7000's dimensions, when closed, were compliant with the contemporaneously revised restrictions on carry-on luggage set by the Federal Aviation Administration. The same was true even with the computer's optional printer attached. To further assist travelers, Sharp offered a carrying case through mail order.
On the right side of the Sharp PC-7000 are two half-height, 5.25-inch floppy disk drives, mounted vertically and with shock absorption. These drives were manufactured by Canon and were designed as one piece, making it impossible to replace the unit with a hard disk drive while retaining one of the original floppy disk drives. On the back of the computer are ports for parallel and RS-232 serial. Additional ports for RGBA video output and an internal modem—should these parts have been ordered—are also located on the back.
The PC-7000 uses an Intel 8086 processor, by default running at clock speed of 7.37 MHz, switchable to the IBM PC standard 4.77 MHz. A stock PC-7000 comes with 384 KB of RAM, only 320 KB of which is available to the user. Sharp offered through mail order a memory expansion card which increases the RAM to 704 KB with 640 KB available to the user. A socket for a 8087 coprocessor is included on the mainboard.
The PC-7000's display measures 10.5 inches (27 cm) diagonally with an aspect ratio of 2.1:1. Its display resolution is 640 by 200 pixels, making it compatible with up to the CGA standard only. The portable computer was one of the first to adopt electroluminescent backlighting, at a time when most other LCD screens on portable computer monitors relied on large amounts of ambient lighting for visibility. To further increase this visibility among its competitors, the PC-7000's display can be tilted at angles of 5, 10, and 15 degrees, to accommodate for the user's display contrast preference. Sharp measured the display's half-life at 1,000 hours, at which point the display will lose half its brightness. The display is removable, and Sharp provided replacement displays through mail order for US$49 (equivalent to $140 in 2024). Sharp also provided the option to replace the default white backlighting element with a green element.
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Sharp PC-7000 AI simulator
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Sharp PC-7000
The Sharp PC-7000 is a luggable portable computer released by Sharp Electronics in 1985. The PC-7000 was Sharp's second entry into the IBM PC-compatible portable computer market, their first being the PC-5000.
The PC-7000 eschewed the PC-5000's clamshell design, battery operation, and lighter weight—19 pounds (8.6 kg) for the PC-7000 versus the PC-5000's 11 pounds (5.0 kg). The compromise was an LCD display with electroluminescent backlighting, as well as an increased display line count—25 for the PC-7000 versus the PC-5000's eight. Sharp also replaced the predecessor's Intel 8088 processor with an 8086 running at a user-switchable 7.37 MHz and bumped the stock memory from 128 to 320 KB. These improvements led to higher performance and near-true IBM PC compatibility, in turn leading to a wider range of software that could be used with the computer.
Sharp released the PC-7000 in October 1985 to high praise. It spawned a series of luggable computers featuring improvements to the original PC-7000's hardware. Sharp sold hundreds of thousands of units under this series—including the original—over the years, before discontinuing it in 1990.
The Sharp PC-7000's case sports the luggable form factor for portable computers; journalists compared it to a portable radio, a toaster, and a lunchbox. Its keyboard detaches from the display and serves as protection of the latter. The computer's case measures 16 by 8.5 by 6 inches (41 by 22 by 15 cm) and weighs almost 19 pounds (8.6 kg). The computer's chassis was fabricated from steel and provides much of the weight.
The PC-7000's dimensions, when closed, were compliant with the contemporaneously revised restrictions on carry-on luggage set by the Federal Aviation Administration. The same was true even with the computer's optional printer attached. To further assist travelers, Sharp offered a carrying case through mail order.
On the right side of the Sharp PC-7000 are two half-height, 5.25-inch floppy disk drives, mounted vertically and with shock absorption. These drives were manufactured by Canon and were designed as one piece, making it impossible to replace the unit with a hard disk drive while retaining one of the original floppy disk drives. On the back of the computer are ports for parallel and RS-232 serial. Additional ports for RGBA video output and an internal modem—should these parts have been ordered—are also located on the back.
The PC-7000 uses an Intel 8086 processor, by default running at clock speed of 7.37 MHz, switchable to the IBM PC standard 4.77 MHz. A stock PC-7000 comes with 384 KB of RAM, only 320 KB of which is available to the user. Sharp offered through mail order a memory expansion card which increases the RAM to 704 KB with 640 KB available to the user. A socket for a 8087 coprocessor is included on the mainboard.
The PC-7000's display measures 10.5 inches (27 cm) diagonally with an aspect ratio of 2.1:1. Its display resolution is 640 by 200 pixels, making it compatible with up to the CGA standard only. The portable computer was one of the first to adopt electroluminescent backlighting, at a time when most other LCD screens on portable computer monitors relied on large amounts of ambient lighting for visibility. To further increase this visibility among its competitors, the PC-7000's display can be tilted at angles of 5, 10, and 15 degrees, to accommodate for the user's display contrast preference. Sharp measured the display's half-life at 1,000 hours, at which point the display will lose half its brightness. The display is removable, and Sharp provided replacement displays through mail order for US$49 (equivalent to $140 in 2024). Sharp also provided the option to replace the default white backlighting element with a green element.