What is a PX4?

From: Russ Blakeman <rhblake_at_bigfoot.com>
Date: Fri Oct 30 20:48:19 1998

Tony Duell wrote:

> >
> > I have been told by the software house who supply us at work that there
> > might be some old PX4s and PX8s in their storeroom which no-one wants any
> > more. Does anyone know what these are?
>
> A PX4 is either an output triode (:-))

haven't thought of that :-)

> or more likely, an Epson laptop
> that runs CP/M. It used EPROMs as pseudo disk drives (read-only of
> course). A PX8 is similar, except that it has an 80 column display and a
> built-in microcassette drive.
>
> Not bad little machines, actually.

The PX8 (don't know about the PX4) could use an external 3.5" floppy drive
option as well as the ROM disk drives. The programs on microcassette were near
as bad as a Vic 20 on loading BASIC programs too. 80 columns yes, 24/25 lines
no. It (PX8) had a mere 8 lines, being a pain to run that flight sim in BASIC
on. I beleive that most of the bundled software existed on ROMs as well. Damark
started out pretty much in the surplus computer sales on the PX8's and a few
others around 85/86..

I think I still have a null modem cable I made up way back when to attach to
the serial port of the PX8 mini-din (printer connection essentially) to go to
my then hi-tech Sanyo pain-in-the-butt MBC-555-2. I think I should have kept
the PX8 and sold the Sanyo now that I reflect on it. ;-o
Received on Fri Oct 30 1998 - 20:48:19 GMT