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Sony HB-F500

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Sony HB-F500
Sony HB-F500
Japanese HB-F500 with its separate keyboard
Specifications
ManufacturerSony
TypeMSX2 home computer
Released1985 (Japan); 1986 (Europe)[1]
Intro price¥128,000 (Japan)[2]
CPUZ80A (Sharp LH0080A), 3.58 MHz
Memory64 KB RAM, 128 KB VRAM
StorageBuilt-in 3.5-inch 720 KB drive; two or three cartridge slots
DisplayYamaha V9938
SoundPSG in the Yamaha S3527
Power100 V, 47 W (HB-F500); 220 V, 45 W (HB-F500P)
Dimensions355 × 76 × 325 mm (main unit, HB-F500P)
WeightAbout 6.3 kg (main unit, HB-F500P)
OS / Firmware—
Model no.HB-F500, HB-F500F, HB-F500P

The Sony HB-F500 is Sony's first MSX2 computer. It is a desktop unit with a built-in 3.5-inch floppy drive and a separate keyboard.[1] Sony showed it at the Japan Electronics Show in October 1985 and sold it in Japan for ¥128,000.[2] The European HB-F500P and French HB-F500F followed in 1986, with a third cartridge slot at the rear in place of the Japanese model's Kanji ROM.[1]

Versions

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HB-F500 versions[1]
Model Market Mains Keyboard Video and audio outputs Cartridge slots
HB-F500 Japan 100 V KBD-1, QWERTY and kana, numeric keypad Composite video and audio, RGB21 2
HB-F500F France 220 V KBD-1F, AZERTY, numeric keypad RGB DIN 3
HB-F500P Europe 220 V KBD-1P, QWERTY with £, numeric keypad Composite and audio DIN, RGB DIN 3

All three are cream white and have a 720 KB drive. The Japanese machine came with the Kanji MEMO disk of office programs; the European models came with MSX-DOS.[2][1]

RAM layout

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On the first Japanese version (serial numbers below 5500) and on the export models, the 64 KB of RAM is split into two 32 KB blocks in slots 0-0 and 0-2. Some badly written software crashes on this layout. Japanese machines from serial number 5500 have all 64 KB in slot 3-2. In Europe the layout stayed until the Sony HB-F700.[1][3]

Specifications

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Sony's service manual for the European models gives:[4]

HB-F500P and HB-F500F specifications
Item Figure
CPU Z80A, 3.58 MHz, one wait state in each M1 cycle
ROM 64 KB: BASIC 48 KB, Disk BASIC 16 KB
RAM 64 KB main RAM, 128 KB VRAM
Video V9938; RGB on an 8-pin DIN (0 to 0.7 V, 75 Ω); composite 1 V p-p on the 6-pin audio/video DIN
Sound 8 octaves, three tones and one noise channel
Drive 3.5-inch, single- or double-sided disks, 720 KB formatted, 80 cylinders, MFM, 300 rpm, 250 kbit/s
Interfaces Cassette (8-pin DIN, 1200 or 2400 bps), printer (14-pin), two 9-pin controller ports, three cartridge slots, connector for a second drive
Keyboard KBD-1P, 90 keys
Power 220 V AC, 50/60 Hz, 45 W (main unit)
Size and weight Main unit about 355 × 76 × 325 mm and 6.3 kg; keyboard about 409 × 32 × 183 mm and 1.2 kg

The Japanese HB-F500's rating label reads 100 V, 47 W, 50/60 Hz.[5]

Hardware

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Sony HB-F500 main board
Main board of a Japanese HB-F500 (PU-46)

In the European models the electronics are spread over several boards:[6][7][8]

  • PU-35: the main board, with the CPU, the Yamaha S-3527 MSX-SYSTEM chip (which includes the PPI and the sound generator), the V9938 and its four MB81464 VRAM chips, two µPD41254C main RAM chips, the RP5C01 clock, and the CXD1032Q floppy interface with the WD2793 controller.[9][3]
  • PS-101: the power supply, a transformer and three linear regulators (STR9005 for +5 V, SI-3122V for +12 V, NJM79L12A for −12 V) under a heat sink. LE-38 carries the power lamp.[7][10]
  • EX-101: the cartridge slot board, behind the front panel.[6]
  • DUS-111: the video and audio output board with the RGB and audio/video DIN sockets and, on the HB-F500P, the PAL encoder.[8]
  • CN-109, CN-110 and CN-120: small connector boards; the 13-pin keyboard jack is on CN-110.[10]

The Japanese HB-F500 uses a different main board, marked PU-46 and 1-617-525-12, on which the floppy controller is IC52, not IC56.[11][9] Its drive is a Mitsumi direct-drive unit with no belt, powered at +5 V and +12 V through a 4-pin connector.[12]

The calendar clock is backed up by a rechargeable Ni-Cd battery, BATT501 on the DUS-111 board. A full charge keeps the clock running for about two months with the machine off.[13][14]

Known problems

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Owners on the MSX Resource Center list these weak points:[15]

  • the floppy drive, whose heads fail or can be torn off when disks are inserted and removed; the drives look like the Philips NMS 8250's but are not interchangeable with them;
  • the V9938, which fails easily if a cartridge is inserted with the machine switched on;
  • fragile circuit board tracks that lift when soldered or desoldered;
  • the split RAM on early machines;
  • cartridges going in label downwards in the front slots, as Sony's manual also directs.[16]

A Dutch repair note describes a small modification to the drive's eject mechanism that stops the head catching on the disk shutter.[17] Repairs are covered in the Sony HB-F500 Troubleshooting Guide, Sony HB-F500 General Maintenance and Sony HB-F500 Capacitor Replacement Guide.

Documentation

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Sony's service manual for the HB-F500P and HB-F500F is hosted here as the Sony HB-F500P and HB-F500F Service Manual, in two parts. It does not cover the Japanese model.[4][11]

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  • HB-F500P, the European version
    HB-F500P, the European version
  • HB-F500P rear panel, with the third cartridge slot
    HB-F500P rear panel, with the third cartridge slot
  • Japanese HB-F500 rating label: 100 V, 47 W
    Japanese HB-F500 rating label: 100 V, 47 W
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Category:Sony HB-F500, MSX Resource Center wiki—link(accessed 2026-10-21) The HB-F500 series, Sony's first MSX2: HB-F500 (Japan, 1985, 100 V, KBD-1 keyboard, composite and RGB21 outputs, two cartridge slots, Kanji ROM), HB-F500F (France, 1986, 220 V, AZERTY, RGB DIN, three slots) and HB-F500P (Europe, 1986, 220 V, composite and RGB DIN, three slots); all cream white, with a 720 KB 3.5-inch drive and separate keyboard; Yamaha S3527 and V9938; Sharp LH0080A; WD2793A-PL; 64 KB RAM split into 32 KB blocks in slots 0-0 and 0-2 on the first Japanese version (serial numbers below 5500) and on the export models, which can crash poorly written software; the second Japanese version, from serial number 5500, has the RAM in slot 3-2; connector for a second drive (HBD-30W); price ¥128,000 in Japan. The export models are based on the first Japanese version, and the RAM layout was not changed in the European range until the HB-F700, which was not sold in Japan.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sony HB-F500, MSX Resource Center wiki—link(accessed 2026-10-21) The Japanese HB-F500, first shown at the Japan Electronics Show '85 (17 to 22 October 1985); keyboard KBD-1; launch price ¥128,000; supplied with the Kanji MEMO disk of office programs.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 2, PDF pages 5, 6, 10, 11 and 13 (printed 3-1 to 3-7): slot 0 is expanded; MSX2 BASIC ROM in slot 0-0 pages 0 and 1; main RAM in slot 0-0 pages 2 and 3 and slot 0-2 pages 0 and 1; extended BASIC and Disk BASIC share one 32 KB ROM (IC47) in slot 0-1; IC18 (S-3527, MSX-SYSTEM) includes the PPI and the sound generator; I/O ports 90H/91H printer, 98H/99H VDP, A0H to A2H PSG, A8H to ABH PPI, B4H/B5H timer; the floppy interface IC50 (CXD1032Q) decodes Disk BASIC and the WD2793 registers (IC56) at 7FF8H to 7FFFH.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 1, PDF page 3 (printed page 1-2), specifications of the HB-F500P: Z80A at 3.58 MHz with one wait state in each M1 cycle; ROM 64 KB (BASIC 48 KB, Disk BASIC 16 KB); RAM 192 KB (main RAM 64 KB, VRAM 128 KB); V9938; RGB output 8-pin DIN (0 to 0.7 V, 75 ohms); audio/video output 6-pin DIN (composite 1 V p-p, 75 ohms); sound 8 octaves, three tones and one noise channel; cassette 8-pin DIN, 1200 or 2400 bps, with remote control; printer 14-pin, TTL, 8-bit parallel; two 9-pin controller connectors; three MSX cartridge slots; keyboard KBD-1P, 90 keys; drive for 3.5-inch single- or double-sided disks, 1 MB unformatted, 720 KB formatted (512 bytes per sector, 9 sectors per track, 80 cylinders, 160 tracks), MFM, 300 rpm, 250 kbit/s, average access 350 ms; 220 V AC, 50/60 Hz, 45 W (main unit only); operating 5 to 35 °C, 20 to 80 % humidity; main unit about 355 × 76 × 325 mm (w/h/d) and 6.3 kg; keyboard about 409 × 32 × 183 mm and 1.2 kg. See Sony HB-F500P and HB-F500F Service Manual.
  5. ↑ Rating label of a Japanese HB-F500, photographed for the MSX Resource Center wiki (File:Sony HB-F500 rating label.jpg, uploaded by Mars2000you, 7 January 2023): "MODEL HB-F500 HOME COMPUTER", "100V 47W 50/60Hz", ソニー株式会社, Made in Japan.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 2, PDF pages 3 and 4 (printed 2-1 and 2-2), removal: front panel (upper case off, six front panel screws, unplug CNP26 on the PU-35 board, pull the panel forward); EX-101 board (upper case and front panel off, four cartridge holder screws, two cartridge holders, unplug CNP19, CNP13 and CNP11 on the PU-35 board, pull the board out); floppy drive (upper case off, unplug the two connectors at the rear of the drive, remove two drive screws, slide the drive out; the front panel need not come off); heat sink (upper case off, loosen the nine bottom plate screws, remove two screws holding the PS-101 board to the bottom plate and two heat sink screws, and keep the insulating sheet). Components marked with a warning triangle are safety-critical and must be replaced with the Sony part.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 2, PDF page 47 (printed 5-25), schematic of the PS-101 and LE-38 boards: mains from CN901 through S901 (power switch, with C920 2200 pF 400 V across it), fuse F901 (T630mA) and line filter L901 with C917 and C918 (0.022 µF 250 V) to the 220 V primary of T901. An 8 V winding feeds bridge D901 (D5FB20), reservoir C901 (22,000 µF 16 V) and IC901 (STR9005) for +5 V, output capacitor C907 (100 µF 10 V). A 16 V winding feeds D902 (S2V20F), C902 (printed 15,000 µF 25 V) and IC902 (SI-3122V) for +12 V, output C908 (100 µF 16 V). A second 16 V winding feeds D903 (S2V20F) and D904 (10E2), C903 (printed 330 µF 35 V) and IC903 (NJM79L12A) for −12 V, output C909 (100 µF 16 V). The rails leave on CNP11 for CN12 on the PU-35 board. The power lamp D905 (GL-3NG5) is on the LE-38 board.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 2, PDF page 68 (printed 7-12), electrical parts list, DUS-111 board (with the PAL encoder 1-464-577-11 on the AEP model). Electrolytics: C501, C506, C510, C515 1-123-310-00 470 µF 10 V; C502, C507, C509, C511 1-123-307-00 100 µF 10 V; C504, C508, C512, C514 1-123-369-00 4.7 µF 25 V; C505, C516 1-123-333-00 100 µF 16 V; C513 1-123-332-00 47 µF 16 V; C524 1-123-379-00 0.47 µF 50 V; C527 1-123-306-00 47 µF 10 V; C529 1-123-306-00 47 µF 6.3 V. CN501 and CN502 8-pin DIN sockets, CN503 6-pin DIN; IC501 NJM78M09A; IC502 CX-7925B; RV501 to RV503 1 kΩ presets.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 2, PDF pages 65 and 66 (printed 7-9 and 7-10), electrical parts list, PU-35 board (A-8080-134-A for the AEP model, A-8080-151-A for France). Electrolytics: C6 1-123-298-00 470 µF 6.3 V; C12 1-123-382-00 3.3 µF 50 V; C17, C29, C96 1-123-332-00 47 µF 16 V; C25, C26, C38, C54, C93 1-123-369-00 4.7 µF 25 V; C41, C80 1-123-306-00 47 µF 6.3 V; C46 1-123-318-00 33 µF 6.3 V; C65 1-123-356-00 10 µF 16 V; the rest are ceramic and film. CV1 and CV2 trimmer capacitors. ICs include IC5 RP5C01, IC6 V9938, IC7, IC12, IC58 and IC59 MB81464-12, IC18 S-3527, IC26 LH0080A, IC41 MB83256-251 (AEP) or -253 (France), IC47 MB83256-256 (AEP) or -254 (France), IC48 and IC54 µPD41254C-15, IC50 CXD1032Q, IC52 TL431CP and IC56 WD2793A-PL02.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 2, PDF pages 70 and 71 (printed 7-14 and 7-15), electrical parts lists. PS-101 board: C901 1-125-413-00 electrolytic 22,000 µF 16 V; C902 1-124-772-11 electrolytic 10,000 µF 25 V; C903 1-123-348-00 electrolytic 470 µF 35 V; C904 to C906 film 0.33 µF 50 V; C907 1-123-307-00 electrolytic 100 µF 10 V; C908, C909 1-123-333-00 electrolytic 100 µF 16 V; C910 to C916 ceramic 0.022 µF 50 V; C917, C918 1-130-456-00 film 0.022 µF 250 V and C920 1-161-742-00 ceramic 0.0022 µF 400 V, all marked safety-critical; D901 D5FB20F; D902, D903 U05G; D904 10E-2; F901 1-532-284-00 fuse, time-lag 0.63 A (safety-critical); IC901 STR9005; IC902 SI-3122V; IC903 NJM79L12A; L901 coil (safety-critical). EX-101 board: C69, C75 1-123-306-00 electrolytic 47 µF 6.3 V; C70, C71 1-123-369-00 electrolytic 4.7 µF 25 V. KEY board: C6 1-124-896-00 electrolytic 33 µF 16 V. LE-38 board: D905 GL-3NG5. CN-110 board: CN20, 13-pin jack. CN-120 board: 34-pin connector.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 File:Sony HB-F500 main board.jpg, main board of a Japanese HB-F500 photographed for the MSX Resource Center wiki (uploaded by Mars2000you, 7 January 2023). Read from it: printed PU-46 and 1-617-525-12; the WD2793A-PL floppy controller is IC52 on this board.
  12. ↑ HB-F500– up-c, 2012–2013—link(accessed 2026-10-21) In Japanese, with linked detail pages. An owner's look inside a Japanese HB-F500: S3527 MSX-SYSTEM (the HB-F900 and HB-T600 use the S1985); WD2793A floppy controller; main RAM in two NEC µPD41254C 64K × 4 DRAMs; two 256 Kbit mask ROMs and a 1 Mbit mask ROM; a sub-board carrying the RGB connector, composite video and audio outputs and the RF box, with a further daughterboard; the power section with its own heat sink and transformer; a Mitsumi 3.5-inch 2DD drive of the same type as in the HB-F900 and HB-T600, direct drive without a belt, with a 34-pin interface and a 4-pin power connector needing +5 V and +12 V.
  13. ↑ Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 2, PDF page 15 (printed 3-11), timer circuit: a 24-hour clock, IC5 (RP5C01), backed up by a built-in Ni-Cd battery; the back-up supply comes from BATT501 on the DUS-111 board.
  14. ↑ Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 1, PDF page 8 (printed 1-7): the calendar clock is backed up by a nickel-cadmium battery. After the HB-F500P has been on for 8 hours, the battery keeps the clock for 1 week with the machine off; it recharges whenever the machine is on, and a full charge lasts about 2 months. When it is weak the clock does not keep time and the memory-switch settings (title, prompt, screen and beep) are lost; Sony advises switching the machine on from time to time.
  15. ↑ [WTS] MSX2 Sony HB-F500 (Japanese), August 2025—link(accessed 2026-10-21) Replies: Pencioner (4 August 2025), the Japanese connector is RGB21 (JP21) with a different pin-out from SCART, so a SCART cable will not work and is dangerous; Wierzbowsky (7 August 2025), the drives in Sony's F-series machines fail often, with one or both heads dead, and are not interchangeable with Philips NMS 8250 drives although they look the same; SonyTEL (8 August 2025), an HB-F500F ran a bulletin board around the clock from 1988 to 2003 with 25 mm spacers under its feet for ventilation, and its drive is a Mitsumi D357; gdx (12 August 2025), common HB-F500 problems are the RAM split across slots 0-x on some models, fragile PCB tracks that lift easily when soldering or desoldering, a VDP that fails easily if a cartridge is inserted with the machine on, the drive's upper head being torn off when disks are inserted or removed, and cartridges going in label down.
  16. ↑ Sony, HB-F500P/F500F Service Manual, part 1, PDF pages 4 to 7 (printed 1-3 to 1-6), controls, connections and start-up: EXT DRIVE connector (34-pin) for a second drive unit such as the HBD-30W, connected with the HBK-35 cable; a disk drive unit must not be connected to the cartridge slots; ON/STANDBY switch; cartridge slots 1 and 2 at the front and slot 3 at the rear; TAPE (8-pin DIN), AUDIO/VIDEO (6-pin DIN), RGB (8-pin DIN) and PRINTER (14-pin) connectors; RESET button, which clears the memory; ground terminal; keyboard connector; protection caps on the joystick connectors; front-slot cartridges go in label downwards and rear-slot cartridges label upwards; do not remove a disk or switch off while the IN USE lamp is lit; cartridges must not be inserted or removed with the power on; if a password has been set and forgotten, the system can be started by holding down GRAPH and STOP and pressing RESET until the display changes.
  17. ↑ Modificatie dubbelzijdige diskdrive, Repair Bas, hosted by File-Hunter, 2010—link(accessed 2026-10-21) In Dutch, two pages with photographs. The double-sided drive it covers is used in, among others, the Sony HB-F500P/D/F, HB-F700, HB-F900, HB-T600 and HBD-30W and the Philips NMS 8250, 8255 and 8280. For drives that still work: tightening the eject mechanism stops it springing back while a disk is being removed, so the head does not catch on the disk's shutter. The white plastic part indicated is removed and a small lug cut off it with a knife, as shown in before and after photographs.


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