Pocket Computers in the 80s

[Harrison]

Did anyone own one of the first pocket computers in the 1980's?

I owned one but I've been looking though the models on a couple of sites and can't work out which one it was. It was either a Casio or Sharp one. I need to search and see if I still have it somewhere.

It was like a large calculator with a single LCD text line display, and rubber qwerty keyboard and number pad with keys the same as the calculators.

The one I had was quite easy to program, although I don't remember ever coding anything that useful on it. You could also buy an expansion unit for it that it plugged into and this added a data tape and thermal printer for saving code to tape or printing things out into receipt style rolls of thermal paper (much like the old ZX Spectrum thermal printers).

I'm not even 100% why I actually bought it at the time. Think it looked like something interesting to own at the time.

[Buleste]

It would be a Casio as they did all the cool calculators. Try here and here.

[Harrison]

Yeah, I had a look on that site earlier today and that is what confused me because none of the models look exactly as I remember it. The Casio PB-100 could be it but I'm sure the on/off switch was at the top right of the device. And it isn't the PB-700 as that has a graphical display. Now I would have loved that one at the time! (how sad!).

However, looking at the Sharp range, the PC1500 looks very familiar and could be the one. But it might also have been the PC-1245.

I must dig it out when I have time to look and see what model and make it really was.

I do remember I stopped using it because the on/off switch fell off and I couldn't find a way to switch it on without the proper switch.

[Demon Cleaner]

(much like the old ZX Spectrum thermal printers)

I still have one of these, well mine is for the ZX81.