Contents |
Description
The HB-55 is the first MSX computer released by Sony. It has a low-cost keyboard. The following models exist:
| Product | Region | PSU | Keyboard | Video and audio out | Colour | Expansion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony HB-55 | JP | 100V 60Hz | QWERTY w/JP ANSI | RF, Composite video and audio | Red or Gray | 1 Cart + 1 Exp |
| Sony HB-55P | Europe | ?V 50Hz | QWERTY with £ key | RF, Composite V+A DIN | Gray | 2 Cartridges |
From the beginning, Sony wanted to distinguish itself from its competitors, that's why the machine comes with a built-in Personal Databank with saving to cassette tape or the included HBI-55 data cartridge. HB means Hit Bit and there's also a special logo saying 'It's a Sony'.
The Japanese model has only one cartridge slot, but an expansion bus can be converted to be used as a second cartridge slot. On the international version, the expansion bus slot is replaced by a second cartridge slot.
The firmware is launched automatically when you boot the machine. Due to some limitations of the original firmware, there have been two releases of the Japanese machine. The international model is based on the second version of the firmware.
| Brand | Sony |
| Type | HB-55 / HB-55P |
| Year | 1983 (HB-55 1st version) - 1984 (HB-55 2nd version and HB-55P) |
| Region | HB-55: Japan HB-55P: Europe |
| Original price | JP: ¥54,800 NL: ƒ899 |
| RAM | 16kB in slot 0 |
| VRAM | 16kB |
| Media | MSX cartridges |
| Video | Texas Instruments TMS9918ANL (HB-55) or TMS9929A (HB-55P) |
| Audio | PSG (AY-3-8910A or YM2149F) |
| Chipset | none (separate IC's) |
| Extras | Personal Databank, reset button, HBI-55 S-RAM cartridge |
Pictures
Check also the pages about the different models!
Specifications
The HB-55 is a MSX1 with a Z80A from NEC (D780C-1).
Slot Map for HB-55 model
| Slot 0 | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page C000h~FFFFh | RAM | Front cartridge slot | Expansion Bus | ||||
| Page 8000h~BFFFh | DataBank | ||||||
| Page 4000h~7FFFh | Main-ROM | ||||||
| Page 0000h~3FFFh |
- Note about the firmware (DataBank): first version is a 8kB ROM (8000h-9FFF), second version is a 16kB ROM (8000h-BFFFh).
Slot Map for HB-55P model
| Slot 0 | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page C000h~FFFFh | RAM | Front cartridge slot | Back cartridge slot | ||||
| Page 8000h~BFFFh | DataBank | ||||||
| Page 4000h~7FFFh | Main-ROM | ||||||
| Page 0000h~3FFFh |
- Note about the firmware (DataBank): only the second version was built-in in this model, it is a 16kB ROM (8000h-BFFFh).
Connections
- RF output
- Analog sound output (mono) and composite output on HB-55
- 6-pin DIN Audio/Video connector on HB-55P
- Data Recorder connector
- Centronics compatible Parallel port for a printer
- 2 general connectors (Joysticks, Mouse, Paddle controllers, etc)
- 1 cartridge slot (HB-55) or 2 cartridge slots (HB-55P)
- 1 Expansion bus slot with two polarizing keys (only HB-55)
- Power plug for main power supply
Upgrades
Adding a disk drive to this system has the effect that the firmware menu (Personal Data Bank) is skipped on startup. If both a disk drive and S-RAM cartridge, such as the HBI-55 is present the menu is not skipped, but the disk drive is disabled. No workaround is available for this.
External links
- Manual HB-55P / HB-75-P / HB-75B (Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Italian)
- Service Manual HB-55P / HB-75P / HB-75B
- Blog post about the HB-55 and 75 (Korean)
- Blog post about a HB-55 repair (Korean)
- Blog post about an early model HB-55 PCB (Korean)
- https://archive.org/details/sonyhb55 Sony HB-55 marketing flyer] (Japanese)
Pages in category "Sony HB-55"
The following 2 pages are in this category, out of 2 total.