Sony HB-101
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| HB-101P, drawn in Sony's service manual with the cursor joystick fitted. No freely licensed photograph of an HB-101 was found. | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sony |
| Type | MSX home computer |
| Released | 1984[1] |
| Intro price | ¥46,800 (Japan); 53,000 pesetas (Spain)[1] |
| CPU | Sharp LH0080A (Z80A); 3.5625 MHz on the HB-101P[2] |
| Memory | 16 KB (HB-101); 32 KB (HB-101P)[1][2] |
| Storage | MSX cartridges, cassette |
| Display | TMS9118NL (HB-101); TMS9129NL (HB-101P); 16 KB video RAM[1] |
| Sound | Yamaha YM2149F PSG[1] |
| ROM | 48 KB: MSX-BASIC 32 KB and Personal Databank 16 KB[2] |
| Power | Internal mains supply[3] |
| Dimensions | 380 × 70 × 275 mm (HB-101P)[2] |
| Weight | About 3.1 kg (HB-101P)[2] |
| OS / Firmware | — |
| Model no. | HB-101, HB-101P |
The Sony HB-101 is an MSX home computer that Sony sold from 1984, in Japan as the HB-101 and in Europe as the HB-101P. Sony called it the "Hit Bit Mezzo". It has a compartment underneath to store the mains cable, a retractable carrying handle, reset and pause buttons, and Sony's Personal Databank program in ROM, which starts when the machine is switched on.[1] The Sony HB-201 is the same design with 64 KB of RAM.[4]
Unlike the later Sony HB-10, the HB-101 has its power supply inside the case and plugs straight into the mains.[3]
Models
[edit | edit source]| Model | Market | RAM | Video chip | Mains | Video and audio out | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB-101 | Japan | 16 KB | TMS9118NL | 100 V | RF, composite video and audio | Red, black or grey |
| HB-101P type 1 (E) | Europe | 32 KB | TMS9129NL | 120 V or 240 V, switchable | RF, 6-pin DIN | Black |
| HB-101P type 2 (AE) | Europe | 32 KB | TMS9129NL | 220 V | RF, 6-pin DIN | Black |
[1][5] The Japanese model has a stick built into the middle of the cursor keys that works as a joystick. The MSX Resource Center gives the stick as an option on the HB-101P, while Sony's service manual lists the Curstick cursor joystick among the HB-101P's accessories.[1][2] Type 1 has no channel adjustment knob for the RF output; type 2 has one.[5]
In Japan Sony also sold the HB-101 in two "Paso-Compo" sets: the HB-P100 at ¥74,800 with a data recorder, joystick and software, and the HB-P200 at ¥118,000 with a data recorder and the PRN-C41 four-colour plotter.[6]
Personal Databank
[edit | edit source]The firmware offers BASIC, Address, Schedule, Memo and Transfer, and saves to cassette, to Sony's HBI-55 data cartridge or to a disk drive. To skip it, hold CTRL, SHIFT, CODE and GRAPH while switching on, then type SCREEN 0. From MSX-BASIC, CALL HITBIT returns to it. Unlike the firmware of the HB-55, it stays usable when a disk drive is connected.[1][6] The firmware ROM sits in slot 3, and the MSX Resource Center notes that it has to be removed before some other software, such as the Nextor disk system, will work.[1]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The HB-101P's electronics are on the PU-34 main board, which also carries the rectifiers and reservoir capacitors of the power supply. The mains fuse and power switch are on the small FU-29 board, the 5 V regulator on the RE-23 board, and the keyboard and LED on their own boards.[3][7] The video chip feeds a separate PAL encoder module.[8] The main chips are:[7]
- IC6: Sharp LH0080A or NEC µPD780C-1 CPU
- IC8: MSM38128A-F6RS Personal Databank ROM
- IC9: MSM38256-78RS MSX-BASIC ROM
- IC14: TMS9129NL video chip
- IC20 to IC23, IC46 and IC47: six TMS4416-15NL 16K × 4 dynamic RAMs, giving 16 KB of video RAM and 32 KB of main RAM
- IC26: YM-2149 PSG
- IC30: µPD8255AC-5 PPI
_main_board.jpg)
The Japanese HB-101 uses a different board. A photograph on the MSX Resource Center wiki shows it marked PU-28 and 1-614-830-12, with 100-series reference numbers such as IC101 and R138 and a TMS9118NL video chip.[9] Sony's HB-101P/201P service manual does not cover that board.
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- Sony HB-101P and HB-201P Service Manual: Sony's 69-page service manual for the European HB-101P and HB-201P, with schematics, board drawings, the clock adjustment and parts lists.
- Two Japanese HB-101 sales leaflets are on the Internet Archive.[1]
Repair guides
[edit | edit source]- Sony HB-101 General Maintenance
- Sony HB-101 Troubleshooting Guide
- Sony HB-101 Capacitor Replacement Guide
The Sony HB-201 pages refer to these for the steps the two models share.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Sony HB-201
- Sony HB-55, the first HitBit
- Sony HB-501, which runs the same Personal Databank program from tape
- Sony HB-10
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Sony HB-101, MSX Resource Center wiki—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Series page: "Hit Bit Mezzo" name, cable storage and carrying handle, HB-101 and HB-101P table, Personal Databank firmware and how to skip it, built-in stick on the Japanese model, specifications (Sharp LH0080A, 16 KB or 32 KB RAM in slot 0, TMS9118NL or TMS9129NL, YM2149F, separate ICs), prices, slot maps, connections and firmware behaviour with a disk drive.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Sony, HB-101P/201P Service Manual (File:Sony HB-101P HB-201P Service Manual.pdf), specifications, page 1-14: Z-80A at 3.56250 MHz; RAM 32 KB (HB-101P types 1 and 2) or 64 KB (HB-201P); ROM 48 KB (MSX-BASIC 32 KB, utility program 16 KB); TMS9129NL; 74 keys; type 1 120/240 V adjustable, type 2 and HB-201P 220 V; 15 W; 380 × 70 × 275 mm; about 3.1 kg; accessories include the Curstick cursor joystick.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sony, HB-101P/201P service manual (File:Sony HB-101P HB-201P Service Manual.pdf), power supply schematic, page 5-23: FU-29 board with mains fuse F901 (T400mA AE, T160mA E) and power switch S901, transformer T901 with thermal fuse, voltage change switch S902 on the E model; D1 and D2 (S2V20) with C30 and C31 (4700 µF 16 V) to the RE-23 board's SI-3052V for +5 V; D3, D4, C32 and C33 (330 µF 35 V) with IC48 (µPC78L12) and IC49 (NJM79L12A) for ±12 V.
- ↑ Sony HB-201, MSX Resource Center wiki—link(accessed 2026-10-21) The HB-201 is the HB-101 design with 64 KB of RAM.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sony, HB-101P/201P service manual (File:Sony HB-101P HB-201P Service Manual.pdf), page 1-1: the differences between the HB-101P type 1, HB-101P type 2 and HB-201P (memory, operating voltage, channel adjustment knob); the schematics label the versions E and AE.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sony HB-101, MSX Resource Center wiki—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Japanese model: ¥46,800; Paso-Compo sets HB-P100 (¥74,800) and HB-P200 (¥118,000); Personal Databank options; CALL HITBIT.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sony, HB-101P/201P service manual (File:Sony HB-101P HB-201P Service Manual.pdf), IC supply table on page 5-16: IC6 LH0080A or µPD780C-1 CPU; IC8 MSM38128A-F6RS firmware ROM (HB-101P) or TMM23128P-8712 (HB-201P); IC9 MSM38256-78RS MSX-BASIC ROM; IC14 TMS9129NL; IC20 and IC21 TMS4416-15NL; IC22, IC23, IC46 and IC47 TMS4416-15NL on the HB-101P, with µPD41254C-15 at IC22 and IC23 on the HB-201P; IC26 YM-2149; IC30 µPD8255AC-5; IC48 µPC78L12; IC49 NJM79L12A.
- ↑ Sony, HB-101P/201P service manual (File:Sony HB-101P HB-201P Service Manual.pdf), electrical parts list, page 7-7: mounted PU-34 boards A-8080-082-A (HB-101P E), A-8080-085-A (HB-101P AE) and A-8080-090-A (HB-201P AE); RF modulators 1-464-384-11 (HB-101P E) and 1-464-490-11 MDG-UE3602 (HB-101P and HB-201P AE); PAL encoder 1-464-507-11.
- ↑ File:Sony HB-101 (Japanese) main board.jpg, photograph uploaded to the MSX Resource Center wiki by Gdx on 16 November 2015: board marked PU-28 and 1-614-830-12, reference numbers IC101, IC104, IC106, R138, TMS9118NL video chip.