HB-F9P

The HB-F9P was a Sony MSX2-computer, launched in 1985. The abbreviation HB stands for Hit Bit.[1]

The HB-F9P was unusual in the sense that it did not come with a built in floppy disk drive, instead it had a built in software suite "Memovision" that would run automatically unless a program cartridge was inserted in the cartridge slot or the GRAPH key was pressed during booting.

Memovision could store data on the special HBI-55 (battery backed RAM) "data cartridge" [2] that Sony originally had developed, for their HB-55 and HB-75 MSX computers. These systems contained a simple built in program called the "Personal Databank".[3] [4] Memovision was a continuation of the same idea, but much extended, as it contained stuff like a (birthday) calendar with alarm system, a "family databank" (a combination of a text editor and database) a built in calculator and a timer and time calculator, all rendered in pseudo 3D style.[5]

Variants

Of the HB-F9 there were many different localized variants produced:

  • HB-F9P, with QWERTY-keyboard layout was designed for the PAL-standard, and meant for European countries, except Germany, France, Spain and the former Soviet Union.
  • HB-F9R, had a Russian keyboard.
  • HB-F9D, had a QWERTZ-keyboard for the German market
  • HB-F9F, had an AZERTY-keyboard for the French market, and was designed for the SECAM-standard.
  • HB-F9S, had a modified QWERTY-keyboard for the Spanish market.

Technical specifications
Processor
memory
  • ROM: 96 KB
    • MSX BASIC version 2.0: 48 KB
    • software suite: 48 KB
  • RAM
    • VRAM: 128 KB
    • main memory: 128 KB
Video
  • VDP
    • Yamaha V9938
    • text: 80×24, 40×24 en 32×24 (characters per line × lines) four colors, two foreground colors and two background colors
    • graphical: maximal 512×212 pixels (16 colors of 512) and 256×212 (256 colors)
    • colors: 512 maximal
Engine
  • MSX-Engine: S-1985
  • real-time clock with trickle-charged battery backup
sound
  • 3 sound channels and one noise channel
  • 8 octaves
Interfaces

References
  1. "HB-F9P at oldcomputers.com". Archived from the original on 2010-11-20. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
  2. "Sony data cartridge" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
  3. "Screen shot of the Personal Databank of the HB-55 and HB-75". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
  4. site explaining the HBI-55 in combination with the HB-55
  5. Screenshots of Memovision
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