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Sharp PC-1500

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Sharp PC-1500
Sharp PC-1500
A Sharp PC-1500 (photo: Pieter-ZA, public domain)
Specifications
ManufacturerSharp Corporation
TypePocket computer
Released1981 (Japan), 1982 (Europe, Australasia and North America)[1]
Discontinued1985[1]
CPUSharp LH5801 8-bit CMOS; 2.6 MHz crystal, 1.3 MHz machine cycle[2]
Memory3.5 KB RAM (2.6 KB user area); 16 KB system ROM[3]
StorageCassette, through the CE-150 interface[4]
DisplayLCD, 26 characters, 7 × 156 dots[5]
SoundBuzzer[6]
PowerFour AA (UM-3) dry cells, 6.0 V DC, 0.13 W; EA-150 AC adaptor[5][7]
Dimensions195 × 86 × 25.5 mm[5]
WeightAbout 375 g with batteries[5]
OS / FirmwareBASIC in ROM[5]
SuccessorSharp PC-1500A
Model no.PC-1500; sold by Tandy as the TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-2[1][8]

The Sharp PC-1500 is a pocket computer made by Sharp Corporation from 1981 to 1985. The Japanese version came first, in 1981, and the version for Europe, Australasia and North America followed in 1982. Tandy sold it as the TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-2.[1][8] It runs BASIC from a 16 KB ROM on Sharp's LH5801 8-bit CMOS processor, and has a one-line, 26-character dot-matrix LCD that can also be addressed as a 7 × 156 dot graphics display.[5][2]

The PC-1500 has 3.5 KB of RAM, of which 2.6 KB is the user area. The Sharp PC-1500A is the same machine with 8.5 KB of RAM; Sharp's service supplement for it deals only with the memory change and says the functions are otherwise almost identical.[3][9]

Specifications

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PC-1500 specifications (Sharp)
Item Specification
Processor LH5801 CMOS 8-bit; 2.6 MHz crystal, 1.3 MHz internal machine cycle[2]
System ROM 16 KB[3]
RAM 3.5 KB: 0.9 KB system area (80-byte input buffer, 196-byte stack), 2.6 KB user area[3]
User area 624 bytes fixed memory (A to Z, A$ to Z$), 1850 bytes BASIC program and data, 188 bytes reserve area[5]
Display Liquid crystal, 26 characters wide, 7 × 156 dot graphics[5]
Keyboard 65 keys: alphabetic, numeric, user-definable function and pre-programmed[5]
Memory protection CMOS battery back-up of program, data and reserve memories[5]
Power supply 6.0 V DC from four AA (UM-3, R6) dry cells[5]
Power consumption 0.13 W; about 50 hours on dry cells[5]
Operating temperature 0 to 40 °C[5]
Dimensions and weight 195 × 86 × 25.5 mm; about 375 g with batteries[5]

The machine switches itself off if no key is pressed for seven minutes. Pressing ON afterwards returns it to the state it was in before it switched off.[10]

Hardware

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Sharp PC-1500 main board, LH5801 and LH5810
The LH5801 processor and LH5810 I/O port on a PC-1500 main board. This board carries blue wire links and parts added by hand on the left (photo: Asgalon, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Sharp's Technical Reference Manual and service manual list the main parts as follows.[2][11][6]

Main integrated circuits
Function Part Notes
Processor LH5801 8-bit CMOS; 2.6 MHz crystal[2]
I/O port LH5810 or LH5811 Key strobe outputs PA0 to PA7; the same chip is used in the CE-150, CE-153 and CE-158[2]
System ROM SC613128 16 KB, at C000H to FFFFH[2]
System RAM Two TC5514P 4-bit × 1 KB each, used as a pair, at 7800H to 7BFFH[2]
User RAM HM6116 2 KB, at 4000H to 47FFH[2]
Display drivers Four SC882G 4-bit chips used in pairs; also hold the display buffer at 7600H to 77FFH[2]
LCD LF8082GE 7 × 156 dot[2]
Clock and timer µPD1990AC With a 32.768 kHz crystal[2]
Chip select TC40H138F and TC40H139F [2]
Power regulator "Hi-MIC" resin-moulded module, EHM718L70 Stabiliser, temperature compensation and bleeder circuits in one package[12][6]

The computer is built on two boards, the key board and the main board (the "calculation PWB" in the parts list). A flexible printed cable joins them: it is soldered to the key board and held to the main board by a crimp metal.[13] The LCD sits on rubber connectors.[6] The board drawing in Sharp's service manual is marked F2026C.[14] PC-1500.info reports that an early European and American machine with the A01 ROM has boards marked F2075 and F2076, and that early machines with the A03 ROM sometimes carry blue wire straps.[15]

Power

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Four AA cells or the EA-150 AC adaptor supplied with the CE-150 printer feed the Hi-MIC regulator module through diodes. The module produces VGG and VCC, both 4.7 V, and the LCD voltage VDISP, 3.7 V, at 25 °C. Two 10 V 220 µF electrolytic capacitors sit between VGG and ground.[12][16] When a charged CE-150 is attached, its Ni-Cd battery powers the PC-1500 and the computer's own cells are not used.[4]

Connectors

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  • A 60-pin connector on the left side takes the CE-150 printer and cassette interface and the CE-158 interface. It is covered by a protective pin cover when nothing is attached.[2][17]
  • A 40-pin connector in the module compartment on the underside takes one memory or program module.[2][7][6]
  • The adaptor jack accepts the EA-150 adaptor.[10]

Sharp notes that the 40-pin and 60-pin connectors may differ between product revisions.[18]

Peripherals

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PC-1500 system units described in the Technical Reference Manual[4]
Unit Description
CE-150 Four-colour ball-point pen X-Y plotter with 8 KB ROM and a built-in cassette interface; five AA Ni-Cd cells
CE-151 4 KB memory module (two 2 KB RAM chips)
CE-152 Cassette tape recorder; four AA dry cells
CE-153 Software board with 140 programmable keys, powered from the PC-1500
CE-154 Carrying case for the PC-1500, CE-150, CE-152 and CE-153
CE-155 8 KB memory module (four 2 KB RAM chips)
CE-158 RS-232C serial and Centronics parallel interface with 16 KB ROM; four AA Ni-Cd cells
CE-159 8 KB program module; an internal lithium battery keeps its contents when it is removed from the computer

Documentation

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Four Sharp documents are hosted on the wiki and described on Sharp PC-1500 Documentation:

General maintenance

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Main article: Sharp PC-1500 General Maintenance

Battery care, cleaning, the module compartment and the LCD and keyboard construction are covered in Sharp PC-1500 General Maintenance.

Troubleshooting

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Main article: Sharp PC-1500 Troubleshooting Guide

Sharp's all-reset procedure, the supply voltages and the common faults are covered in Sharp PC-1500 Troubleshooting Guide.

Capacitor replacement

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Main article: Sharp PC-1500 Capacitor Replacement Guide

The PC-1500 has four electrolytic capacitors, all listed in Sharp's service manual. See Sharp PC-1500 Capacitor Replacement Guide.

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  • PC-1500 in a CE-150 printer and cassette interface (Hubcapp, CC BY 4.0)
    PC-1500 in a CE-150 printer and cassette interface (Hubcapp, CC BY 4.0)
  • Power supply circuit from the service manual
    Power supply circuit from the service manual
  • LH5801 and LH5810 (Asgalon, CC BY-SA 4.0)
    LH5801 and LH5810 (Asgalon, CC BY-SA 4.0)
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sharp PC-1500, Wikipedia—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Produced 1981 to 1985; Japanese version 1981; European, Australasian and North American version 1982; rebadged as the TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-2.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 Sharp, PC-1500 Technical Reference Manual, section 4-2-1 "Outline", printed pages 88 to 89 (PDF pages 93 to 94): CPU, I/O port, timer IC, chip select decoder, display chips, system ROM, system RAM, user RAM, 40-pin and 60-pin connectors, LCD.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Sharp, Service Manual, Model PC-1500 & Option, section 1 (3) "Specifications", printed page 2 (PDF page 4): 16 KB ROM; 3.5 KB RAM with 0.9 KB system area, 80-byte input buffer and 196-byte stack; power consumption 0.13 W; 195 × 86 × 25.5 mm; 375 g.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Sharp, PC-1500 Technical Reference Manual, sections 4-1-1 and 4-1-3, printed pages 86 to 87 (PDF pages 90 to 91): the system units; CE-150 Ni-Cd battery powers the PC-1500; CE-159 lithium battery. Hosted as File:Sharp PC-1500 Technical Reference Manual.pdf.
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 Sharp, PC-1500 instruction manual, "PC-1500 specifications" (PDF page 5). Hosted as File:Sharp PC-1500 Instruction Manual.pdf.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Sharp, Service Manual, Model PC-1500 & Option, section 11 "Parts list & guide" (PDF pages 32 to 33), with the exploded view (PDF page 34).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sharp, PC-1500 instruction manual, appendix B "Battery replacement for the PC-1500" (PDF pages 144 to 145): four AA (R6, UM-3) 1.5 V dry cells; rechargeable cells cannot be used; the EA-150 adaptor for the CE-150 also powers the PC-1500; module compartment.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sharp Pocket Computers, Printers, Cables, Level Converters & Accessories, sharppocketcomputers.com—link(accessed 2026-10-21) PC-1500 row: "also sold by Tandy/Radio Shack as the PC-2"; PC-1500A and PC-1501 identical units; price $279; January 1982.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sharp Corporation, Model PC-1500A Service Manual, October 1982, sections 1 to 3 (PDF page 2). Hosted as File:Sharp PC-1500A Service Manual.pdf.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Sharp Corporation, Service Manual, Model PC-1500 & Option, February 1982, section 1 "General description", printed pages 1 to 2 (PDF pages 3 to 4): adaptor jack for the EA-150; prompt and "NEW0?: CHECK" after battery replacement; "CHECK" message for a peripheral failure; auto power-off after seven minutes. Hosted as File:Sharp PC-1500 Service Manual.pdf.
  11. ↑ Sharp, Service Manual, Model PC-1500 & Option, section 2 "Block diagram", printed page 3 (PDF page 5).
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sharp, Service Manual, Model PC-1500 & Option, section 4, "6) Power supply circuit", printed page 18 (PDF page 20): the power supply is a single resin-moulded IC with stabiliser, temperature compensation and bleeder circuits; VGG 4.7 V, VCC 4.7 V ±0.02 V, VDISP 3.7 V ±0.01 V at 25 °C.
  13. ↑ Sharp, Service Manual, Model PC-1500 & Option, section 5 "Servicing", printed pages 19 to 20 (PDF pages 21 to 22): FPC removal and replacement.
  14. ↑ Sharp, Service Manual, Model PC-1500 & Option, section 8 "PC-1500 main P.W.B.", printed page 23 (PDF pages 26 to 27).
  15. ↑ PC-1500, one of the first EU/US version with A01 ROM, PC-1500.info, 2014-10-11—link(accessed 2026-10-21)
  16. ↑ Sharp, Service Manual, Model PC-1500 & Option, section 6 "PC-1500 key & power supply circuit", printed page 21 (PDF page 23).
  17. ↑ Sharp, PC-1500 instruction manual, "Connecting the computer to the interface" (PDF page 103): protective pin cover on the left side.
  18. ↑ Sharp, PC-1500 Technical Reference Manual, section 4-3, printed page 101 (PDF page 106).


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