Hotbit
MSX home computer sold in Brazil
The Hotbit HB-8000 is an MSX home computer developed and sold by the Brazilian subsidiary of Sharp Corporation through its Epcom home computer division in mid-1980s. The MSX machines were very popular in Brazil at the time, and they virtually killed all the other competing 8 bit microcomputers in the Brazilian market.
01Versions 1-1.2
The Hotbit had three versions: 1.0 and 1.1 with gray and white case and 1.2, with a black case and a ROM slightly modified to solve an ASCII table compatibility issue with the other popular Brazilian MSX, the Gradiente Expert.
02Technical specifications
The HB-8000 had the following technical specifications:
| CPU | Zilog Z80A @ 3.58 MHz |
| RAM | 64 KB (expandable to 512KB) |
| VRAM | 16 KB (TMS9928NL) |
| ROM | 32 KB |
| Keyboard | mechanic, 73 keys (with 4 cursor keys), reset key |
| Display | text: 40×24 rows; graphics: 256×192 pixels, 16 colours, 32 sprites |
| Sound | General Instrument AY-3-8910 (PSG), 3 voices, white noise |
| Ports | 2 joystick connectors, PAL-M composite or RF out, sound out, tape recorder connector, parallel port, 2 cartridge slots |
| Storage | tape recorder (FSK, 1200/2400 bps) or one or two external 51⁄4" disk drive (360 KB) |
03Peripherals
- HB-100: joystick
- HB-2400: tape recorder
- HB-3000 or HB-3001: external modem
- HB-3600: Dual disk drive controller and power supply. Sold in a bundle with one HB-6000 drive
- HB-4000: 80 columns card with the V9938 VDP inside
- HB-4100: 64KB RAM expansion
- HB-6000: 51⁄4" disk drive (slim height), 360 KB
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Hotbit”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Sharp HotBit MSX computer.jpg by Nate Cull from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cartucho Hotbit HB-3000.jpg by Cesar Cardoso, CC BY 2.0
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