The Epson HX-20 – A Contrarian’s View

The Epson HX-20 is sometimes called “the primary laptop computer” and hailed as a masterpiece of business design. Nevertheless the truth is
that it’s a contradictory, compromised machine that by no means achieved the popularity it’s exceptional launch implied. Let’s discover
why.

The First True Laptop computer

First created in 1980, the HX-20 was devised as a showcase for the applied sciences of Suwa Seikosha, the manufacturing department of Seiko
that specialised in printers and miniature gadgets. It was formally introduced in 1981, first in Japan because the HC-20 and later in
America below the Epson model identify because the HX-20.

On the time the shape issue was exceptional. In a package deal concerning the measurement of an A4 notepad Epson had crammed in a mechanical keyboard,
LCD show, tiny printer and microcassette drive. With rechargeable batteries that provided “as much as” 50 hours run time, the machine
delivered what no-one else had – a really moveable laptop. Famously, BusinessWeek journal known as it the “fourth revolution in private
computing”. Epson took out daring double web page adverts in magazines, benefiting from the HX-20’s small footprint.

But regardless of the bottom breaking expertise a 12 months later Byte Journal would describe the HX-20 as a failure. It bought in comparatively
small numbers on the time and acquired very restricted software program assist. Today, there are a scattering of articles describing
the machine, just about no archived software program and one somewhat incomplete emulator.

What went fallacious?

A World of Contradictions

Our trendy understanding of the phrase “laptop computer” carries with it a fantastic weight of expectations. We use our laptops as cellular work stations,
anticipating to show them on and do something from looking the online to writing a novel. Even early on, cellular computer systems have been bought
with productiveness suites that allowed customers to edit paperwork, create spreadsheets and construct easy databases on the transfer.

The HX-20 predates such conveniences. Swap it on and also you’re confronted with… Microsoft Fundamental?!

That is the center of the issue with the HX-20. Devised when the Apple II was a prime vendor and lots of prehistoric laptop firms
have been preventing over incompatible views of what folks wished from their machines, the Epson introduced collectively the important thing parts everybody
anticipated on the time – a keyboard, display screen, tape drive and printer – after which left the consumer to their very own gadgets.

Although the HX-20 has battery backed reminiscence that permits the consumer to retailer a handful of BASIC applications, it has no actual idea of a file
system, no in-built software program, not even a serial switch utility. That’s not so shocking within the context of the early 80’s, however
somewhat negates your entire idea of a transportable machine. Moderately than having the ability to begin working wherever you have been, you have been confronted
with a BASIC immediate and the problem of discovering appropriate software program on cassette.

Epson then had compacted down tools that might take up a complete desk, however hadn’t actually recognized a use for it, a cause to want
it to be moveable. On the time folks have been nonetheless determining what they might use their computer systems for, shopping for open ended however naked
machines and writing primitive instruments to assist their companies. The HX-20 was true to the imaginative and prescient of that open world of
prospects however didn’t come filled with a compelling use case to justify a machine that price the equal of over $2000 in
at this time’s cash.

Software program for the Epson barely trickled out. It took over a 12 months earlier than fundamental utilities turned obtainable. EpsonLink supplied serial
communications. A phrase processor (Ski Author) and spreadsheet package deal (EpsonCalc) have been equally gradual to reach. Today, copies
of those instruments are very arduous to search out. While there are a handful of archives of BASIC video games, the ROM chips that have been used to distribute
larger software program don’t seem to have been dumped to any present web sites. The microcassettes seem like equally arduous to protect,
and I’ve been unable to search out any copies of economic software program or utilities to make use of with my machine. The early dearth of software program has
translated into nearly no assist for a retro fanatic eager to discover the HX-20.

However that is solely half of the story.

Nonetheless Accessible

Regardless of the shortage of public success, the Epson did promote to very particular niches. While the restricted out-of-the-box performance seems notably
irritating by at this time’s requirements, the HX-20 was ideally suited to vertical markets. In case you had an absolute must handle warehouse
inventory on the transfer or calculate flight information, then this was the best instrument – certainly, in 1982 it was the solely instrument. It does seem that Epson had anticipated a minimum of
a few of these use instances, with an optionally available bar-code scanner and (uncommon for the time) actual time clock offering {hardware} assist for
area of interest software program.

Mixed with the fantastically top quality of Epson’s design and building, this meant that many HX-20’s discovered use in workplaces and
warehouses and have been saved practical for years if not many years after they have been final bought. The result’s that although it
stays obscure and unsupported on-line, it isn’t an unusual sight on public sale websites and a great situation mannequin will be purchased for a fairly
affordable payment.

In your cash, you’re more likely to get a machine with a battery that wants changing, no paper within the printer and a dry printer ribbon.
Remarkably although, all of those will be purchased on-line. The battery is a NiCad pack that may nonetheless be bought from specialist websites,
or changed with an AA battery pack if you happen to want to hack your machine. The printer remained in manufacturing in an analogous type for
many years, utilized in money registers and card machines, so alternative ink cartridges are nonetheless obtainable at very low
costs (half quantity ERC-09 B). Although trendy until printers normally take a really a lot bigger
paper roll than the HX-20 may slot in it’s slim physique, the 57mm (2 1/4 inch) paper width is commonplace, so it’s attainable to purchase
a plain paper roll and hand wind it onto a smaller tube to slot in the Epson. Beware although that thermal print rolls are the dominant
selection today, and these should not designed to work with the HX-20 pinter.

In fact there isn’t a assure that the printer or cassette mechanisms can have survived the 40+ years because the HX-20 was
manufactured, however if you happen to’re fortunate sufficient to search out working machines then they are often fed with contemporary consumables. In the event that they’re not
absolutely working, then the remarkable level of technical documentation
that was equipped with the HX-20 may also help an skilled engineer diagnose issues. These paperwork very a lot replicate the time
through which the machine was launched. They introduce the essential constructing blocks used to design digital gadgets, clarify particular person
logic chips, and go into nice element as to how the machine works. The HX-20 was by no means a productiveness instrument, however a platform
on which Epson anticipated customers to construct their very own software program and even {hardware}.

Uncooked Energy

So what’s the HX-20 like to make use of?

Once more, trendy expectations shine a harsh mild on the previous machine, however I think that the issues we’d now regard as deadly omissions
have been inconveniences even when the Epson was first launched. It’s not a straightforward system to make use of.

For a begin, Epson insists that it should solely be run from batteries, not from the charger that’s equipped with the machine. They
count on you to cost the machine, then run it from batteries, then return it to cost after they run low. Nevertheless, the charging
circuit is, to place it mildly, primitive. There isn’t any charging indicator. Neither is there an indication that the batteries are absolutely charged.
The HX-20 handbook states that vacant batteries must be placed on cost for 8 hours. Leaving them longer dangers damaging them, however with out
any solution to inform that they’re full there isn’t a manner to make certain you’ve timed it proper.

When operating, there may be equally no solution to verify the extent of the batteries. The one info given is a (typically somewhat sudden) “Low battery”
message on display screen, at which level the pc can usually simply flip itself off in the midst of the present operation. To be truthful, the
batteries do final an astonishing time even by trendy requirements as long as you’re not utilizing the printer or cassette. Nevertheless, utilizing the
in-built peripherals can devour as a lot as 15 occasions the facility of the core laptop (1.5W versus a exceptional 0.1W). This
enormous variation makes it extraordinarily tough to estimate how lengthy you may need left earlier than needing to cost.

See Also

The Artwork of Conducting – Terry Teachout, Commentary Journal

The show is equally compromised. At launch the 120 by 32 pixel display screen was novel, having the ability to show graphics or 4 rows of
20 characters, however by any requirements this can be a low, low decision. Machines launched solely a 12 months or two later would present eight occasions as a lot textual content,
however the HX-20 has to make do with a scroll mechanism whereby the cursor keys transfer the small view window over a bigger digital show.
Epson later supplied an exterior monitor adapter that produced a full video output – that is pushed by a serial socket on the again of the
machine. Fortunately this implies a contemporary PC can act as an exterior monitor, so customers can obtain
flashx20, which not solely acts as a show adapter, but additionally as
a digital disk drive for the Epson.

In case you’re caught with the in-built show, there may be one last reminder of simply how primitive LCD expertise was on the time – the
viewing angle is extremely slim. Fortunately Epson accounted for this, and supply a big and simply adjusted dial on the aspect of the
machine so you possibly can modify the display screen to get a snug distinction.

The keyboard is probably probably the most profitable a part of the HX-20. While not fairly full measurement, full journey, it’s a good high quality mechanical
design that might disgrace most modern machines. Typing is snug, although it takes some time to neglect the muscle reminiscence of
standardised trendy layouts.

The printer is clearly a compromise for the small type issue of the Epson. While it’s a show-piece for his or her mechanical design, it
is actually the naked minimal wanted to assert to be a printer. In case you’ve acquired a printed until receipt within the final thirty years, you’ll
recognise the output. The miniaturised 4-pin(!) print head produces monochrome textual content and graphics on the 57mm broad paper roll that will serve
as a bodily file, however is definitely not appropriate for sharing any doc of be aware.

The HX-20 is sort of properly served for connectivity and enlargement. It has two RS-232C serial connections (one used for Epson particular
enlargement), a spare inner ROM socket for industrial software program to be put in and an enlargement connector that permits a aspect dock
to be added, which may prolong each RAM and ROM.

Lastly the microcassette is a great little system. With solely a single bodily button to eject cassettes, it’s absolutely managed from
software program. The Operate keys can be utilized to rewind and quick ahead cassettes, however BASIC instructions enable much more fine-grained management,
with choices to wind ahead and again by particular quantities. It’s removed from a quick system (solely 1300 baud), however customers have reported
efficiently loading software program written many years in the past, so if the drive belts should not rotten it might work properly.

Software program

In the case of software program, there may be little to guage the HX-20 given the naked catalogue on-line. The in-built Microsoft BASIC is fairly
complete, with additional instructions to regulate all the {hardware} of the system. Nevertheless software program is by definition gradual, as the principle
CPU runs at a tiny 614kHz. Sure, kilohertz – to maintain battery life excessive, the Epson ran at slightly greater than half the velocity of the
modern Apple II.

In addition to BASIC, the naked HX-20 additionally offers a low degree Monitor program that permits the consumer to change {hardware} settings (comprehensively
documented within the handbook) and edit reminiscence immediately. Internally, the machine has a pair of similar Hitachi 6301 CPUs that talk
over a quick serial hyperlink. One in every of these CPUs is accessible to the Monitor and runs BASIC and different purposes in addition to driving the
show. The opposite controls the HX-20 peripheral {hardware}, together with the printer, cassette and cartridge port. The 6301 is slightly
recognized processor with little or no on-line documentation, apparently primarily based on the Motorola 6801. With subsequent to no info obtainable
about it, growing native purposes for the HX-20 doesn’t seem like a lot of an possibility.

For individuals who are decided so as to add to their software program catalogue, there are a handful of on-line sources
such as this archive of a Geocities website, that present BASIC
listings that may be typed in.

Conclusion

It stays a proven fact that the Epson HX-20 is a formidable, nearly distinctive design that also feels good to carry and sort on. The intelligent
miniaturised peripherals are equally notable. Sadly, the entire right here is lower than the sum of it’s elements.

As a technological demonstrator it was manner forward of it’s time, however it was far too forward of it’s time to have a agency grasp on what a
“laptop computer” laptop ought to truly do. This lack of utility was maybe it’s downfall, and the rationale it by no means acquired the eye
it’s sensible structure and top quality construct deserved. Nevertheless, the expertise of the HX-20 started to crystallise concepts about cellular
computing within the business – and it might be solely a 12 months after the Epson went on sale that the TRS-80 Mannequin 100 “pocket book” laptop
would seem. That machine would go on to promote over six million models.

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