What is the best BASIC Pocket Computer

[ZQ8000_dude]

(07-08-2020 12:05 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  

(07-08-2020 11:52 AM)ZQ8000_dude Wrote:  Sorry I misunderstood, I thought maybe the cards with the "fixed" commercial software on e.g. 3D spreadsheet could be re-burnt with new data as they were just an EPROM "under the hood". I imagine this isn't the case though. But if I ever get one, I'll probably undo/undscrew it out of curiosity!

The mass-produced ones are most likely just a mask ROM - or possibly a PROM - plus some SRAM. I'm not sure how the EPROM ones were programmed, but I'm guessing it involved inserting them into a Wizard and connecting it to a PC via serial cable, which would be fine for small production runs by an ISV.

I'm not sure about that, but looks like you can get an adaptor (CE-170) to attach the EPROMs to a standard EPROM programmer. Mentioned here (https://sharppocketcomputers.com/) -- There is also a manual on that site for CE-170

Edit: Having just learned the difference between a PROM, EPROM and EEPROM. EPROMS are programmed by UV light. EEPROMS are programmed by electrical charge, but I don't think the Sharp would have that built in - it would cost a LOT more!