Controls engineer Don Kiser has taken a traditional Epson HX-20, one of many first really transportable pocket book computer systems, and turned it into one thing a bit of extra fashionable — powered by a Raspberry Pi 4 single-board pc (SBC).
“It began with only one Epson HX-20 gained at public sale,” Kiser explains of the challenge’s roots. “After buying a number of and refurbing them I had just a few spare elements. Why not do one thing fascinating with it? That is my challenge to re-imagine the Epson HX-20 right into a kind of retro cyberdeck for 2023.”
Don Kiser has given a pile of Epson HX-20 spares a Twenty first-century improve with a Raspberry Pi 4-powered cyberdeck conversion. (📷: Don Kiser)
The Epson HX-20 launched in 1982 as the primary business battery-powered notebook-form-factor pc. Constructed round a pair of Hitachi 6301 CPUs working at 614kHz and with 16kB of RAM expandable to a beneficiant 32kB, the machine proved widespread with those that wished to work on the go — specific because of a built-in receipt-style printer and full-size keyboard.
These specs are a bit of tame by fashionable requirements, although, which is the place Kiser’s sleeper construct is available in. The chassis’ internals have been completely changed, now boasting a Raspberry Pi 4 Mannequin B with 8GB of RAM — a mere 524,288 occasions greater than the unique inventory HX-20 — and a 500GB SSD for storage. There is a devoted soundcard, a PiSugar S battery pack, and an Adafruit KB2040 Kee Boar — the latter utilizing a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller to adapt the HX-20’s unique keyboard for USB use.
The {hardware} is hosted on protoboard, sliced to slot in the confines of the unique HX-20 shell. (📷: Don Kiser)
Not all of the modifications are purely inside, both. The HX-20’s unique single-colour 120×32 show, able to exhibiting the person 4 traces of simply 20 columns width, has gone, changed by a Waveshare 4.3″ coloration touchscreen show linked to the Raspberry Pi’s MIPI Show Serial Interface (DSI).
“There is no 3D printing right here,” Kiser notes of the case modifications. “All the pieces was accomplished by hand utilizing numerous Dremel instruments, ‘Xacto’ knife, and plenty of sand paper. [The] LCD bezel was customized constructed from expanded PVC plastic board. The rear and aspect plates are constructed from acrylic sheet.”
Printer help is within the wings, although nonetheless on the breadboard prototype stage for now. (📷: Don Kiser)
Kiser’s challenge is not fairly full but, although: he is additionally trying to get the HX-20’s unique printer up and working with the Raspberry Pi. “The printer is at present on [a] breadboard,” he explains.
“I’ve obtained a small Arduino to deal with printing. Proper now I’ve obtained it working as much as the purpose to place dots on the paper. It runs the motor, counts the pushes, goes to stability and sends the alerts to print however the solenoids to fireside. As soon as I get the printer working I will suppose I will set it up on the Pi as a serial printer.”
Kiser’s full challenge write-up is accessible on his Hackaday.io web page.
