Sharp x68000
Japanese 16-bit computer system
TheSharp x68000 is the one computer system Iwished I had the opportunity to own and I only discovered it via emulation and going through the retro ads on ebay and other sites. This is because the x68K was only released in Japan and where I live, the most popular systems were the Amiga and to a lesser extent, the Atari ST, which alsohappens to be the machine I used the most.
I've learnt quite a bit about this machine through reading magazines, system manuals and a few Japanese websites/forums dedicated to this system. I have compiled some of the details about this system here and I will add to it as I discover new things. I hope this becomes a useful article about this vastly unknown, yet wonderful system which was produced in Japan between 1987 and 1993.
Two Japanese Ads for the Sharp x68000
Sharp x68000 System Details
Let's start with some hardware specs for thestandard X68000 ACE model which was released early 1998 (source:x68000 User Manual):
Sharp x68000 Hardware Specification
| Component | Specification |
|---|
| CPU | - Motorola-Clone 68000 CPU (HD68HC000) made by Hitachi
- Running at 10 MHz
|
| ROM: Total 1Mb ROM | - 128Kb BIOS
- 768Kb Character Generator (16x16, 8x16, 8x8 - JIS 1+2)
|
| RAM: Total 1Mb RAM | |
| VRAM: Total 1Mb VRAM | |
| Other RAM/VRAM | - 32Kb Sprite VRAM
- 16Kb Static RAM
|
| Screen Resolutions | - 256x240, 256x256
- 512x240, 512x256, 512x512
- 640x480
- 768x512
- 1024x1024
|
| Screen Colors | - 65,536 Total Color Palette
- Max. 256 Simultaneous Colors on Screen
|
| Sprites | - 16x16 pixels
- 128 sprites per screen
- 16 sprites per line
- 16 colors per sprite selectable from 16 palettes
|
| Graphics | - Hardware scrolling
- priority control
- super-impose
- 2 backgrounds
|
| Sound - FM Synth | - Yamaha YM2151 paired with a YM3012 DAC
- 2 channels (stereo or 2 mono)
- 8 voices
- 8 octaves
- Noise Generator
- Sample Rate 22KHz
|
| Sound - ADPCM | - OKI MSM6258V
- a 4 bit mono PCM
|
| Expansion Slots | - 2 slots available
- 4 slots available on Pro models
|
| Input/Output Ports | - VGA Monitor Port - 15/24/31 kHz refresh rates
- Component RGB In/Out - equipped for NTSC-J Cable TV
- 2 x MSX Joypad Ports
- Headphones Jack
- Microphone Input
|
| System Case and Input Devices | - 2 x 5.25" floppy disk drives with 'soft eject'
- The tower case looks like two connected towers, with a retractable carrying handle
- Software controlled power switch
- QWERTY keyboard, 113 keys
- Single Button Mouse
|
Hardware Variations
| Component | Specification |
|---|
| RAM | - Many models were upgradable to a total of 12Mb RAM
- The majority of applications and games did not require more than 2Mb RAM
- Street Fighter II is an exception and I believe it will not run with less than 4Mb RAM.
|
| CPU | - XVI Model (1991) - Genuine Motorola 68000 CPU running at 16 MHz
- X68030 Model (1993) - Genuine Motorola 68030 CPU running at 25 MHz.
|
| Hard Drive - SASI Hard Disk Interface | - ACE-HD: 20MB
- EXPERT-HD: 40MB
- PRO-HD: 40MB
- EXPERT II-HD: 40MB
- PRO II-HD: 40MB
|
| Hard Drive - SCSI Hard Disk Interface | - SUPER-HD: 80MB
- XVI-HD: 80MB
- X68030-HD: 80MB
|
Sharp x68000 Power Supply Issues
One of the most common issues with x68000 systems are issues with the power supply unit 'blowing up'. This may have been contributed to by the fact that the power supply was in an 'always on soft power state' and there were no switches other than via the front of case power button that performed a timed power off. If you happen to get one of these machines, most likely they will be sold with power supply issues. If so,you will have to seek out a suitable replacement power supply or be prepared to 'convert' a suitable PC power supply for usage inside the x68000.
To convert a PC power supply you will need to get yourself an instruction manual with the power pinouts for your model to make sure you are doing everything correctly plus you will need to use a 4.7k Ohm resistor, a suitable chip that performs an inverting role (because the power polarity is actually reversed) and be capable of doing some soldering. If you are not confident doing this, I suggest you seek out the services ofsomeone with electronics repair skills as I take no responsibility offering this rough guide.
The power connections are no doubt different with each model - but this is a rough guide diagram for the ACE-HD model that I have come across via research.
For more in-depth details on fixing power supplies, these two links should be useful:
The Sharp x68000 Operating System
The X68k ran an operating system developed for Sharp by Hudson Soft, called Human68k, which features commands very similar to those in MS-DOS (typed in English). Pre-2.0 versions of the OS had command line output only for common utilities like 'format' and 'switch' while later versions included forms-based versions of these utilities, greatly improving their usability. At least three major versions of the OS were released, with several updates in between. Other operating systems available include NetBSD for X68030 and OS-9.
Early models had a GUI called "VS"; later ones were packaged with SX-WINDOW. A third GUI called Ko-Windows existed; its interface is similar to Motif. These GUI shells could be booted from floppy disk or the system's hard drive. Most games also booted and ran from floppy disk; some were hard disk installable and others require hard disk installation.
Since the system's OS Human68k, BIOS ROMs, console and SX-Window C compiler suites have been released as PUBLIC DOMAIN- all thanks to the @nifty Sharp Products Users' Forum (FSHARP) - from April 1, 2000 with the consent of Sharp, Hudson, and other contributing companies, they are freely available for download. That forum is no longer available but what it means is that x68000 system emulation is actually 100% legalso you are able to emulate this machine without feeling 'guilty'!Some software and the games on the system may still have copyright applicable.
Sharp x68000 Games
There seems to be a 'rough rule' where if an arcade conversion was made, the x68000 version is likely to be oneof the best. This has been true for many games that I have discovered particularly for titles made by Capcom and Konami, but like all systems, there are some failures too. Take a look at mySix of the BestSharp x68000 Games.
Sharp x68000 Game Box Art
Along with great games and near arcade perfect conversions, the x68000 also has in my opinion some of the best boxed art fromthe late 80's and early 90's. Many of the titles are hand drawn artworks and the amount of detail inthese artworks is something else. Below are two examples of box art that I thought were impressive:
Daimakaimura
Strider Hiryu
Sharp x68000 Emulation
With the system's power supply problems, this makes the computer unfortunately a reasonably difficult machine to maintain. However, with emulation of the x68000 virtually 100% accurate, you can experience this machine in all it's glory using an emulator under Windows.
The emulator I recommend is called WinX68k High-Speed V0.95. I have decided to host theWinX68k High Speed 0.95 emulator with System Roms plus four games (Rygar, Gradius, Final Fight, Flying Shark) inside a single zip file so you canquickly obtain what you need to get going with x68000 emulation. I hope after reading this you have decided to givethis wonderful Japanese release system a go, and it may have sparked your interest in other Japanese systems.
Links to more Sharp x68000 Information
