Searching for NEC PC-8001A software & hardware

[alank2]

You guys have all the awesome stuff! Very nice!

 

[jltursan]

Jltursan, Many thanks !

My configuration :

Wow, this is a full setup, nice!. Sadly I can't use my PC-8031 with the PC-8001 as I don't have the PC-8033 interface. I've tried to find any replica of it but although it exists, no one seems to have published schematics of the PCB, just useless tiny pics. Seems to be simple, a single 8255 wired with 3 logic ICs...

 

[seat safety switch]

Wow, this is a full setup, nice!. Sadly I can't use my PC-8031 with the PC-8001 as I don't have the PC-8033 interface. I've tried to find any replica of it but although it exists, no one seems to have published schematics of the PCB, just useless tiny pics. Seems to be simple, a single 8255 wired with 3 logic ICs...

You might have some luck on these two blog entries, although they are irritatingly incomplete:

• Make your own PC-8033
• Contents of PC-8033

They cite this third site which has a diagram that cobbles together the PC-8001 side of things to the 8255: http://w01.tp1.jp/~a571632211/pc8001/index.html

Right side 8255 to 8031 pinout is defined here. Seems like that might be enough to put one together, although I don't have an 8031 on hand to test against.

8001mkII+ FDC connector is here. A lot of Japanese info is still trapped in books which is very frustrating, but once in awhile something percolates up.

 

[jltursan]

Thanks!, these are the ones I've in mind when I said "useless tiny pics" and not a single schematic. I'm not enough knowledgeable enough to redesign myself the circuit; of course, with a real PC-8033 would be dead easy to clone the PCB.

There's another interesting page about this subject, using a Raspberry to emulate a PC-8031 without needing an interface: PC-80S31 floppy disk drive emulator using Raspberry Pi. No schematics either; but enough info to build one

 

[seat safety switch]

I started cloning the 8033 from the tiny pictures and scattered schematics last night, and I think I'm sort of halfway there. There were more than a few gaps in the provided info that needed a leap of faith or more research...

Next step is to fiddle with the floppy side connection so that I can support both the 36-pin PC-80s31 and the 34-pin edge connector PC-8031. My own 80s31 is sitting on the dock in Osaka, so it will be at least two months until it gets here to test, so no rapid testing is to be expected.

 

[jltursan]

Good to know!.. Maybe Ksinfos can help with some close pics of his 8033...

 

[Ksinfos]

Hi all,
@bruce7491 has this device, maybe it can make high resolution photos?
Carl

 

[jltursan]

Oops, true, sorry Ksinfos. Indeed it's bruce7491 who has a PC-8033...

 

[Ksinfos]

Hi All,
I have one more question about the color video output...of NEC PC8001A ou B...
There are several sites that offer cable assemblies but none of them work in color on a CGA or RGBi monitor?
the image remains in black and white and the color command does not display colors but the different black and white character modes....
Do you have a description of the 8-pin color video connector?

Someone tested this : https://tulip-house.ddo.jp/digital/DIGITAL_RGB_COMPONENT/english.html

or this assembly : https://hkjunk0.com/computer/hardware-and-maintenance/pc8001-rgb-output.html

Are there standard DIN pinouts for cassette and video ports on early Japanese 8-bit computers?

I have several different Japanese 8-bit computers, and they use similar DIN connectors for video and cassette I/O: Composite video: 180° 5-pin DIN: Fujitsu FM-7, NEC PC-8001mkII Color TTL (digital...

retrocomputing.stackexchange.com

pinout is this confirmed for 8001A or B ?


Thanks in advance,
Carl

 

[jltursan]

Yes, confirmed, indeed the DIN8P connector uses the same pinout for a lot of models with subtle variations. I'm using the same cable with a lot of computers and my Commodore 1084S and its digital RGB input.

 

[seat safety switch]

Yeah, digital RGB is the way to go. On my own PC-8001, I found that I could not get colour without typing this command to configure the console first:

CONSOLE ,,,1

Otherwise I just got this:

Instead of this:

 

[Ksinfos]

Fantastic, it's works fine !

For T=0 to 7 and not to 8 ;-)


Thanks so much

I should take the time to read the documentation ;-)



Carl

 

[jltursan]

Broken image links?

 

[Ksinfos]

For CGA or RGBi monitor

 

[1980s_john]

I started cloning the 8033 from the tiny pictures and scattered schematics last night, and I think I'm sort of halfway there. There were more than a few gaps in the provided info that needed a leap of faith or more research...

Next step is to fiddle with the floppy side connection so that I can support both the 36-pin PC-80s31 and the 34-pin edge connector PC-8031. My own 80s31 is sitting on the dock in Osaka, so it will be at least two months until it gets here to test, so no rapid testing is to be expected.

Hi,
Sorry for late reply, have you seen this PC-8033 clone (view in Chrome or Edge):

PC-8033を自作する - ブログの練習

PC-8033というのは、PC-8001にフロッピーディスクユニットPC-8031を接続するためのインターフェース装置です。PC-8001本体は中古で結構流通しているので入手は容易(数千円程度)。PC-8031も数は少ないものの入手困難というほどではなく、ジャンクなら送料込み5000円ぐらいで買えます。ただジャンクなので動作保証は無く、私の場合は1台目は片方のFDDが不良。2台目はコントロールボードが不良。2つを組み合わせて動作品が1台できあがりました。PC-8001とPC-8031は揃ったのですがPC-8033が無いのでつなげることができません。ちなみに上記のPC-8031の動作確認は...

blog.goo.ne.jp

Regards,
John

 

[seat safety switch]

Hi,
Sorry for late reply, have you seen this PC-8033 clone (view in Chrome or Edge):

PC-8033を自作する - ブログの練習

PC-8033というのは、PC-8001にフロッピーディスクユニットPC-8031を接続するためのインターフェース装置です。PC-8001本体は中古で結構流通しているので入手は容易(数千円程度)。PC-8031も数は少ないものの入手困難というほどではなく、ジャンクなら送料込み5000円ぐらいで買えます。ただジャンクなので動作保証は無く、私の場合は1台目は片方のFDDが不良。2台目はコントロールボードが不良。2つを組み合わせて動作品が1台できあがりました。PC-8001とPC-8031は揃ったのですがPC-8033が無いのでつなげることができません。ちなみに上記のPC-8031の動作確認は...

blog.goo.ne.jp

Regards,
John

No worries, yep, I used the pictures from that article as one of the primary references on my own board. Thank you anyway. Still waiting for the drive to weave its way through the international mail system!

 

[jltursan]

No worries, yep, I used the pictures from that article as one of the primary references on my own board. Thank you anyway. Still waiting for the drive to weave its way through the international mail system!

Let us know as soon as it arrives...

 

[Ksinfos]

Hi all,

I had fun transferring a few games from a D88 image (DSDD) to SSDD...with
j80 - PC 8000 Emulator
L3DiskExplorer v0.6.3
Samdisk 3.8.xx
ImageDisk 1.18
and patience...

L3DiskExplorer v0.6.3 doesn't know how to create a PC8000 DOS SSDD disk, so you have to start from a real SSDD disk and make an image of it, then add the programs to it...


Carl

 

[jltursan]

Cool!. Why both Samdisk and IMD?

 

[Ksinfos]

Hi !
Samdisk (Win10) to convert D88 to IMD...
Imagedisk (MSDOS) for writing IMD file to real floppy disk (floppy drive 360k)
L3diskex for manage image disk...



Carl