The MSX cartridge slot is the standard expansion port, as defined in the MSX standard definition. It can be used for program cartridges, such as games, or for hardware expansion. It was inspired by the NEC PC-6001 slot.
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Nevertheless, most Japanese computer makers did attempt to sell their hardware overseas. NEC had a subsidiary company based in Boston, and presented various computers at American electronics shows in the early 1980s, such as the PC-6001 (rebranded the NEC Trek), the PC-8001, and the PC-9801 (rebranded the NEC APC). In Europe, computers from Panasonic, Sharp, Casio, and Fujitsu were debuted at the 1983 Hanover Messe, and Sharp's MZ series attracted a loyal following. The NEC APC (PC-9801) was even voted the Australian personal computer of the year for 1983. In general, Japanese computers received glowing reviews, as seen in this review of the NEC APC (1, 2, 3, 4), and this review of the NEC APC III (1, 2, 3), both published in a New Zealand computing magazine. Unfortunately, third-party support was a problem, and only a few Western software companies (such as Magicsoft) actively supported Japanese systems. Sales were sluggish, and these early computers were eventually forgotten.
Released as the successor to the PC-8001 (1979) and hobbyist variant PC-6001 (1981), the PC-8801 saw several upgrades and became Japan's number one 8-bit computer, helping NEC to become the dominant force in the Japanese computer industry for most of the 80s and 90s. Originally intended for business use, the PC-8801 was capable of a high-resolution 640x400 monochrome display mode. It was repositioned as an entry-level home machine following the release of the 16-bit PC-9801, however. The PC-8801 series eventually became known for its adventure games and RPGs, and birthed many hits such as Hydlide, Thexder, Xanadu, Ys, Sorcerian, Silpheed, Jesus, and Snatcher. The PC-8801 was also quite popular among doujin circles, and became something of a haven for eroge. Hudson also released several conversions of Nintendo games, including a few awesome originals using Mario!
Because of its popularity, Football was quickly cloned; the clones were easy to emulate because they used well-documented microcontrollers like Texas Instruments'TMS-1000, National Semiconductor's COP400, and General Instruments' PIC1650. But the Mattel games used unknown Rockwell chips in weird 42-pin quad in-line packages. The only markings on the chips were the Rockwell logo, a date code, and IDs: B6000 for Auto Race, B6001 for Space Alert, B6100 for Football, B6101 for Baseball, and B6102 for Gravity.
Some later Mattel LED games used PPS-4/1 chips, but the pinouts did not match the earlier games. I purchased all the games, many Rockwell calculators, and several PPS-4/1 chips and decapped them to compare the dies. B6000 and B6001 are the same chip with different ROM contents. Likewise, B6100, B6101 and B6102 are the same chip with different ROM. The ROM in the B61xx chips contained 896 bytes, compared to 512 bytes in B60xx. Although the January 1978 issue of Popular Electronics states that the games used PPS-4/1 chips, it was evident from the die shots that this wasn't true. The PPS-4/1 chips and many of the calculator chips were more complex, but some, like B5000 from the 8R calculator were very similar to B6000. B5000's ROM held only 448 bytes, though. 2ff7e9595c
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