
Sharp PC-1500

The Sharp PC-1500 was a pocket computer produced by Sharp during 1981-1985. A rebadged version was also sold as the TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-2.
The whole computer was designed around the LH5801, an 8-bit CPU similar to the Zilog Z80, but all laid-out in power-saving CMOS circuits. Equipped with 2KB of on-board RAM, the programming language is BASIC. Later German engineers provided an assembler for the machine. Later even a C compiler followed.
An external slot is available and accept memory (from 4 KB to 32 KB) and rom modules.
Eight versions of this pocket computer with 2 KB memory:
Two versions with 8 KB memory:
Technical specifications.
Accessories.
 Page 0 [enter] POKE&5804,0 [enter]
 Page 1 [enter] POKE&5804,1 [enter]
BASIC compatibility with early models.
Some earlier model PC-1500s will show a value 1 less in the FOR...NEXT counter on exiting the loop compared to later PC-1500s and the PC-1600.
For example:
10 FOR K=1 TO 10
20 NEXT K
30 PRINT K
K will be set to 11 on later model PC-1500s and PC-1600s, but will be 10 on early PC-1500s.
Consider this example:
10 S=0
20 FOR K=1 TO 10 STEP 4
30 S=S+1
40 NEXT K
50 PRINT S
S will be set to 3 on later model PC-1500s and PC-1600s, but will be 4 on early PC-1500s.
Early model PC-1500s evaluate IF...THEN statements differently. The behaviour can be summarised thus:
An early model PC-1500 can be detected by using the command: PEEK&C5C0.
If the value returned is 6, it is an early model.
Example program in BASIC.
 1 ARUN 10
 5 REM "PC1500 VAT Program:"
 10 INPUT "Price: ";P
 20 PRINT P;" ";P*V;" ";P*V*M 
 30 GOTO 10
 40 END
The PC-1500 allows special abbreviations, and the syntax can also look as follows:
 20 PRINT P;" ";PV;" ";PVM
Usage of variables.
 P = Purchase Price
 V = VAT (%/100) - To be input by hand before calculation begins, e.g.: V=1.14 ("Enter")
 M = Markup (%/100) - To be input by hand before calculation begins, e.g.: M=1.15 ("Enter")
Display of the answers are as follows.
 Answer1; Answer2; Answer3
 Purchase Price; VAT Price; Sales Price
 Value: P; Value: P*V; Value: P*V*M
Significance.
The design of initial prototypes of EMKE series of public transport cash registers were built around customized versions of the PC-1500 and its Hungarian clone PTA-4000. The series production models used almost exclusively in Hungarian regional and national bus services up to present day, are built around a version designed by EMKE and are heavily influenced by the PC-1500 design.
Emulation.
With the "SHARP PC-1500A emulator" and the "PockEmul" you can emulate a PC-1500A.