Recently I found a good conditioned HX-10 MSX computer from a local recycling center and although I have very little experience in 80's computers I decided to buy it (cost 5 euros...).
Now I'm wondering what all nice things I could do with it? I started doing some code with Basic system, but since the package didn't contain a floppy nor a cassette drive I cant't save my works. Does anyone know is it still possible to get a functioning disk drive somewhere and some disks also? What models are (or were) compatible with Toshiba HX-10? Is it possible to use a 1,44 floppy drive from a PC? Can I use a cassette drive from a Commodore 64 in MSX?
I got some ROM modules with the machine. I suppose there aren't writable (RAM) modules? One of the modules is a "MSX ROM PACK - 8k, 16k, 32k" and it includes a game, however there isn't the games name on the covering so could this be somekind of "custom" module?
Also I'm wondering is it possible to save data from the MSX to a modern PC by using some home-made cable?
Are there any other basic "adjustments" that I can/should perform to my machine? 8)

-wilh0

wilh0@hotmail.com

hey, that was my 1st msx


hmm.. considering that the msx2 is sortof the game/scene standard, there's not much you can do with it except doing old games. You can add a single sided or double sided diskdrive if you can find one ... however, forget about 1.44mb. You can add a datarecorder if you can find one.. you can insert and play msx1 game roms, not very difficult to find them on ebay or fairs..

anyone with other suggestions?

I wouldn't be surprised if you could use the C64 data recorder. I think those things were pretty standard and I even used normal cassette recorders. (Many of the older ones have the needed MOTOR connection)

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Also I'm wondering is it possible to save data from the MSX to a modern PC by using some home-made cable? Are there any other basic "adjustments" that I can/should perform to my machine? 8)

You do not need a home-made cable to do this. You can plug your cassette cable to the audio entry of your computer to use your PC like a recorder. Use any audio capture program, even the Windoze recorder. And if you connect the EAR jack to audio output, you can load the programs from your PC. WAV is useful!

If you want to play ROM games in your computer and you haven't the cartridges, you can use WAVeR to do so. Have a look at http://www.robsy.net/romconv.htm

Kind regards,

Ed Robsy

I plugged the computer to a normal cassette recorder and even though it doesn't have the motor -connector I've been able to read/write some data. Still hoping to find a floppy drive soon
ROM transfer from a PC also works well.

Thanks a lot guys!

-wilh0

It will not be easy to find an external floppy drive !
I would be even cheaper for you if you were to find a simple MSX2 (e.g. VG-8235), nowadays those external floppy drives are more expensive than the common MSX 2 computers

Kris.

I'd go for a 8245 or higher, because the 8235 has a Single-Sided diskdrive and the first versions have a potential memory mapper problem

Could it be possible to use a "1541 floppy drive (Commodore)" in HX-10? I might be able to get one...

The 1541 drive is 5.25", right? MSX is used to 3.5" disks

And even then, no... C64 diskdrives are completely incompatible with MSX.
However, there are 5.25" diskdrives for MSX (and things like Quickdisks) the 'standard' is 3.5".

For 5 euro you could get a proper msx2 from a fleemarket orso.. or try some old schools where they used to have msx2 systems in the 80's .. probably they're just standing there doing nothing.. meaning that you could get them for free maybe!

I wouldn't struggle with diskdrives and such..

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For 5 euro you could get a proper msx2 from a fleemarket orso..

In the Netherlands you can, however... not everyone is lucky enough to live in NL

Just wanted to say my first toy was also an HX-10 Loved the weird color buttons and has a hidden reset button inside the cartslot I later sold it to a friend who eventually got an internal error(?) and i guess he recycled it

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Just wanted to say my first toy was also an HX-10 Loved the weird color buttons and has a hidden reset button inside the cartslot I later sold it to a friend who eventually got an internal error(?) and i guess he recycled it

Hmm.. The first MSX I saw was a beauty: the Sony HitBit-201P (or something like that). A very stylish MSX-1 which actually had a (removable) joystick @ the cursor keys. It belonged to my big bro, so I could hardly play with it. He gave the computer manuals he didn't like to me, though. One of 'm was "Learning Basic with Robo Dog Bobby" or whatever. Very simple, but whenever my bro was @ school and I was @ home, I sneaked into his room and tried out these commands I learned from Bobby. Things like "color 15,4,2"... wow, amazing results on that screen!!! Especially when the "circle", "line" and "draw" keywords kicked in.

Anyway, most of my friends had Philips computers (VG-8020), but one of 'm got a HX-10 too. It didn't look cool; more like a tool. Good thing about tools is that you can kick 'n smash 'm without breaking 'm. Same goes for the HX-10. It's the most enjoyable smash object you can imagine. No MSX will give you a higher Track & Field or HyperSports score than the HX-10 would. It's the ultimate gaming machine, whether you hit just a few keys during a game of Rollerball (Hal Labs) or whether you squeeze that colorful & shiny spacebar into the cheap plastic during an endurance battle in F1-Spirit: your HX-10 won't give a damn.

But it's ugly.

And it has a hidden reset button in the cartridge slot.

Yuck.

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But it's ugly. And it has a hidden reset button in the cartridge slot. Yuck.