Casio PB-1000, a flagship mobile computer from 1986

Hi there, friends! Today we'll have a bit of a look at the Casio PB-1000. 

Released in 1986, the Casio PB-1000 could be considered one of the flagships of Casio's "classic" Pocket Computer line. Sporting a classy metal clamshell design, this Pocket Computer was a powerhouse.

Although the 8KB of RAM (expandable up to 40K) was mediocre, you also got built in assembler in addition to BASIC, a database and calculator mode, a real file system (instead of the classic P0 to P9 program areas Casio normally opted for), time and date functionality, 16 user definable characters, a graphically addressable, 4 line x 32 character display and a touch screen(!) 

Yes, back in 1986, Casio made the first pocket computer with a programmable 4x4 resistive touch screen key matrix. To put this into perspective; the first resistive touch screen had just been shown in 1982. This was cutting edge technology in pocket format. 

You can see the family resemblance to Casio's other clam shell models, although the PB-1000 dwarfs them in both size and weight. The chunkiness comes in no small part from the 3 AA batteries needed to power the unit.

The case design wasn't one of Casio's best. The positioning of the batteries at the top of the case means you aren't going to be using the computer at any other angle than flat on a table. 

The hinges weren't very sturdy even when the PB-1000 was new and it hasn't gotten better in the 35 years since. The number one issue you'll see with these units is broken hinges. 

The battery cover fits so tightly that you'll fear breaking the unit when trying to switch batteries, and because the battery compartment is nestled next to the LCD screen with plenty of drainage possibilities inside, when batteries leak, they tend to do quite a bit of damage. Those issues aside, the PB-1000 is an amazing and beautiful piece of retro tech and still has quite the following in Japan and to a lesser degree in Europe. 

The PB-1000 is relatively rare, but does show up from time to time. Good units demand high prices at the moment, but I personally wouldn't opt to pay more than €150-200 for a unit in excellent condition, preferably with RP-32 RAM expansion. Units in combination with the MD-100 disk drive are extremely rare and very expensive. My last PB-1000 was purchased off eBay for €30 in December. It had slight corrosion issues and the slider to open the unit is missing, other than that it works perfectly. Below you can see it with a disk emulator unit to replace the almost unobtainable MD-100 disk drive.

The PB-1000 is certainly a unit worth having in any Pocket Computer collection, so if you can find one for a decent price, go for it.

#ポケコン #casio #pocketcomputer