TRS-80 PC-2
 | |
| TRS-80 PC-2 Pocket Computer (Oldlaptop321, CC BY-SA 3.0) | |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sharp, for Radio Shack (Tandy Corporation) |
| Type | Pocket computer |
| Released | 1982 |
| Intro price | US$279.95, later US$199.95 |
| CPU | Sharp LH5801, CMOS 8-bit, 1.3 MHz |
| Memory | 3.5 KB RAM; 4 KB or 8 KB modules |
| Storage | Cassette, through the 26-3605 interface |
| Display | LCD, 156 × 7 dots |
| Sound | Speaker for tones (BEEP) |
| ROM | 16 KB Extended Pocket BASIC |
| Ports / interface | 60-pin I/O connector, memory module slot |
| Power | Four AA cells, or a DC adaptor |
| Dimensions | 195 × 86 × 25.5 mm |
| Weight | 375 g with cells |
| OS / Firmware | Extended Pocket BASIC in ROM |
| Model no. | 26-3601 |
The TRS-80 PC-2 (catalogue number 26-3601) is a pocket computer that Radio Shack sold from 1982. It is a Sharp PC-1500 with Radio Shack badging, and it was sold alongside the original TRS-80 Pocket Computer (from then on called the PC-1) as a more powerful and more expensive model. It shares no software or peripherals with the PC-1.[1] Because the hardware is Sharp's, the Sharp PC-1500 pages cover the same circuit; the pages for the PC-2 concentrate on Radio Shack's own documentation, part numbers and accessories.
Guides: TRS-80 PC-2 General Maintenance, TRS-80 PC-2 Troubleshooting Guide and TRS-80 PC-2 Capacitor Replacement Guide. Radio Shack's service manual is described on TRS-80 PC-2 Documentation.
History
[edit | edit source]The PC-2 cost US$279.95 when it appeared in 1982; by the following year it was US$199.95. Matthew Reed describes it as the only one of Radio Shack's pocket computers whose speed and memory came close to a desktop machine of the time. In late 1984 Radio Shack sold off the PC-2, the printer and cassette interface and the RS-232C interface at US$99.95 each, and dropped the line soon after. Sharp kept selling the PC-1500 until at least 1985; Radio Shack never sold a version of Sharp's successor, the PC-1600.[1]
Cameron Kaiser notes that the computer and its plotter together could cost over US$500, and that Tandy never released the system ROM option the hardware allowed for.[2]
Specifications
[edit | edit source]| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Processor | Sharp LH5801, CMOS 8-bit, 1.3 MHz[1][2] |
| ROM | 16 KB, Extended Pocket BASIC[3] |
| RAM | 3.5 KB, of which 0.9 KB is the system area[3]; Kaiser gives 1,850 bytes free for programs[2] |
| Display | LCD, 156 × 7 dots; Reed gives 26 characters, Kaiser 24[1][2] |
| Keyboard | 65 keys, QWERTY[1] |
| Other | Speaker, real-time clock, 60-pin I/O connector, memory module slot[1] |
| Power | Four AA cells, about 75 hours; 0.13 W; optional DC adaptor[1][3] |
| Size and weight | 195 × 86 × 25.5 mm; 375 g with cells[3] |
Accessories
[edit | edit source]| Catalogue no. | Item | Sharp equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 26-3605 | Printer and cassette interface (later the Printer/Plotter/Dual Cassette Interface): four-colour pen plotter, two cassette ports, built-in NiCd cells | CE-150 |
| 26-3612 | RS-232C interface | CE-158, modified |
| 26-3615 | 4 KB memory module | CE-151 |
| 26-3616 | 8 KB memory module | CE-155 |
| 26-3606 | Printer paper, 58 mm rolls | – |
| 26-1480, 26-1481 | Plotter pens: black; blue, green and red | – |
| 26-3608 | Padded vinyl carrying case | – |
Catalogue numbers and Sharp equivalents are Kaiser's;[2] the pen and paper numbers are also in the service manual's interface specifications.[4] Reed gives 26-1489 for the black pens.[1] Sharp's 16 KB battery-backed CE-161 module was never sold by Tandy, though Kaiser notes it sometimes turns up fitted in PC-2s.[2]
The 26-3605 is larger than the computer, which docks into it and runs from the interface's cells while connected. It adds 25 BASIC commands for the printer and cassettes, and can control two recorders.[1] Its NiCd pack is five AA-size cells, good for about 1,100 lines of printing per charge.[4][5]
Hardware
[edit | edit source]The power supply is a single resin-moulded module containing the stabiliser, temperature compensation and bleeder circuits, with two trimmers for VCC and the LCD voltage.[6] The keyboard board joins the main board through a flexible printed cable, soldered at the keyboard end and held by a crimp fitting at the other.[7] The Sharp PC-1500 page has the full hardware description.
Known faults
[edit | edit source]- All keys dead, including BREAK/ON, after electrical noise or a knock. Radio Shack's cure is the ALL RESET procedure on TRS-80 PC-2 Troubleshooting Guide.[7]
- The 26-3605's NiCd pack. Kaiser warns that the plotter will be useless unless the cells are replaced from time to time.[2]
- Plotter gears. Kaiser reports that the 26-3605's gears tend to strip and break even under light load.[2] Radio Shack's repair guide lists replacement of the X and Y idle gears and the bobbin gear unit among its remedies.[8]
Documentation
[edit | edit source]- TRS-80 PC-2 Documentation: Radio Shack's service manual for the PC-2 and the 26-3605.
- Sharp's own PC-1500 service manual and technical reference manual are described on the Sharp PC-1500 page.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- TRS-80 Pocket Computer (the PC-1, and an overview of the whole range)
- TRS-80 PC-3
- Sharp PC-1500
- Sharp PC-1500 General Maintenance
- Sharp PC-1500 Troubleshooting Guide
- Sharp PC-1500 Capacitor Replacement Guide
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Matthew Reed, "The TRS-80 Pocket Computer 2", TRS-80.org (retrieved 2026-10-21). Catalogue numbers, prices, specifications, accessories, software, the late-1984 clearance and the end of the line.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Cameron Kaiser, "Tandy Radio Shack Pocket Computer PC-2", Floodgap Retrobits, Tandy! Pocket! Mania! (retrieved 2026-10-21). Specifications, memory map, prices, the 26-3605 plotter (NiCd cells, gear failures), the Sharp CE-161 and the list of PC-2 accessories with Sharp equivalents. Community source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Radio Shack, Service Manual: TRS-80 Pocket Computer, Printer and Cassette Interface, catalogue numbers 26-3601 and 26-3605, p. 1, specifications of the 26-3601. Hosted here as File:Radio Shack TRS-80 PC-2 Pocket Computer and Printer Cassette Interface Service Manual (26-3601, 26-3605).pdf (see TRS-80 PC-2 Documentation).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Service Manual, p. 28, specifications of the 26-3605: X-Y plotter, pens 26-1481 (blue, green, red) and 26-1480 (black), paper 26-3606, rechargeable battery and AC adaptor, about 1,100 lines per charge, 330 × 115 × 50 mm, 900 g.
- ↑ Service Manual, p. 29, system block diagram and description of the 26-3605: CMT interface with remote relay, printer interface (LH5367-02 character ROM, LH5810 I/O port, motor and solenoid drivers, pen colour detector), and a simple stabiliser that charges the built-in NiCd cells from the AC adaptor.
- ↑ Service Manual, p. 16, "6) Power supply circuit": the resin-moulded module, VGG 4.7 V, VCC 4.7 V ±0.02 V, VDISP 3.7 V ±0.01 V at 25 °C, and the adjusting method with VR1 and VR2.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Service Manual, pp. 17-18, "5. Servicing": all-reset procedure and replacing the flexible printed cable.
- ↑ Service Manual, pp. 56-63, repair guide for the 26-3605 printer mechanism.