Gradiente Expert
Encyclopedia
The Expert, made by Gradiente Eletrônica
(to date best known as a game console
and Hi-Fi equipment company) was the second and last MSX
home computer
launched in the Brazil
ian market, in mid-1980s. Released one month after Epcom's Hotbit
(just in time for 1985's Christmas), the Expert model XP-800 was an inferior clone of the National CF-3000
, with a computer case
resembling a stereo system, a detached keyboard with a proprietary connector, no caps lock
LED
and no reset key.
The Expert XP-800 was followed by the Expert GPC-1 ("Gradiente Personal Computer") in 1987, and by Expert Plus and Expert DD Plus (a system with a built-in 720 KB 3½" disk drive) in 1988. The Expert users waited in vain for a MSX2
machine, but Gradiente never produced it and discontinued the MSX line in 1991.
chips
, who provoked a chronic problem: when the machine heated, the chips frequently pulled out and the system "frozen". Also, the GPC-1, released in 1987, had a ROM
slightly modified to solve an ASCII table compatibility issue with the other popular Brazilian MSX, the Sharp's Hotbit
.
one. Nevertheless, the RAM
was mapped to a secondary slot and, although it was straight by the MSX standards, caused a lot of crashes with programs who searched for memory in the wrong place. It not contributed to add popularity to both Plus versions.
Gradiente
Gradiente is a Brazilian consumer electronics company based in São Paulo. The company designs and markets many product lines, including video , audio, home theater, high end acoustics, office and mobile stereo, and wireless. The company was founded in 1964...
(to date best known as a game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
and Hi-Fi equipment company) was the second and last MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
launched in the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian market, in mid-1980s. Released one month after Epcom's Hotbit
Hotbit
The Hotbit HB-8000 was a MSX1 home computer marketed by Epcom, and developed by the Brazilian subsidiary of Japanese corporation Sharp, in mid-1980s...
(just in time for 1985's Christmas), the Expert model XP-800 was an inferior clone of the National CF-3000
National (brand)
National was a brand used by Panasonic Corporation to sell home appliances, personal appliances, and industrial appliances and was the first name used by Konosuke Matsushita's electric firm to sell his battery-powered bicycle lamps, hoping that they would be a product used by all of Japan, hence...
, with a computer case
Computer case
A computer case is the enclosure that contains most of the components of a computer...
resembling a stereo system, a detached keyboard with a proprietary connector, no caps lock
Caps lock
Caps lock is a key on many computer keyboards. Pressing it sets an input mode in which typed letters are uppercase by default. The keyboard remains in caps lock mode until the key is pressed again...
LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
and no reset key.
The Expert XP-800 was followed by the Expert GPC-1 ("Gradiente Personal Computer") in 1987, and by Expert Plus and Expert DD Plus (a system with a built-in 720 KB 3½" disk drive) in 1988. The Expert users waited in vain for a MSX2
MSX2
MSX2 may refer to:* Msh homeobox 2, a human gene* The second generation of the MSX home computers...
machine, but Gradiente never produced it and discontinued the MSX line in 1991.
Versions XP-800/GPC-1
The two first versions had a graphite case and socketedJack (connector)
In electronics and electrical assemblies, the term jack commonly refers to a surface-mounted connector, often, but not always, with the female electrical contact or socket, and is the "more fixed" connector of a connector pair...
chips
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
, who provoked a chronic problem: when the machine heated, the chips frequently pulled out and the system "frozen". Also, the GPC-1, released in 1987, had a ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
slightly modified to solve an ASCII table compatibility issue with the other popular Brazilian MSX, the Sharp's Hotbit
Hotbit
The Hotbit HB-8000 was a MSX1 home computer marketed by Epcom, and developed by the Brazilian subsidiary of Japanese corporation Sharp, in mid-1980s...
.
Versions Plus/DD Plus
The two last versions had a black case and the problematic socketed chips was replaced by an ASICASIC
ASIC may refer to:* Application-specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit developed for a particular use, as opposed to a customised general-purpose device.* ASIC programming language, a dialect of BASIC...
one. Nevertheless, the RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
was mapped to a secondary slot and, although it was straight by the MSX standards, caused a lot of crashes with programs who searched for memory in the wrong place. It not contributed to add popularity to both Plus versions.
Technical specifications
| CPU | Zilog Z80 Zilog Z80 The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes... A (XP-800 & GPC-1) @ 3.58 MHz MSX Engine T7937A (Plus & DD Plus) @ 3.58 MHz |
| RAM | 64 KB |
| VRAM | 16 KB (Texas Instruments TMS9918 Texas Instruments TMS9918 thumb|VDP TMS9918Athumb|VDP TMS9918Athumb|VDP TMS9928AThe TMS9918 is a Video Display Controller manufactured by Texas Instruments.-General information:... ) |
| ROM | 32 KB |
| Keyboard | mechanic, 89 keys (with 4 cursor keys), number pad |
| Display | text: 40×24 rows; graphics: 256×192 pixel Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel, or pel, is a single point in a raster image, or the smallest addressable screen element in a display device; it is the smallest unit of picture that can be represented or controlled.... s, 16 colours, 32 sprite Sprite (computer graphics) In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene... s |
| Sound | General Instrument AY-3-8910 General Instrument AY-3-8910 The AY-3-8910 is a 3-voice Programmable Sound Generator designed by General Instrument, initially for use with their 16-bit CP1610 or one of the PIC1650 series of 8-bit microcomputers... (PSG), 3 voices, white noise White noise White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency... |
| Ports | 2 joystick Joystick A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or... connectors, TV out, RGB monitor out, sound out, tape recorder Tape recorder An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage... connector, parallel port Parallel port A parallel port is a type of interface found on computers for connecting various peripherals. In computing, a parallel port is a parallel communication physical interface. It is also known as a printer port or Centronics port... , 2 cartridge slot Slot Slot may refer to:* A narrow opening through which an object can pass, for example in a:** Vending machine slot** Slot machine, a type of casino game* Slot, a space for a container on a ship, usually expressed as a 20' or 40' slot Slot may refer to:* A narrow opening through which an object can... s |
| Storage | tape recorder Tape recorder An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage... (1200/2400 bit/s) or one or two external disk drive (5¼", 360 KB or 3½", 720 KB) |
Peripherals
- DR-1 ("data-corder"): tape recorderTape recorderAn audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
- JS-1: joystickJoystickA joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
- MM-12: 12" monochrome monitorMonochrome monitorA monochrome monitor is a type of CRT computer display which was very common in the early days of computing, from the 1960s through the 1980s, before color monitors became popular. They are still widely used in applications such as computerized cash register systems...
- TA-1: TV adapter
- TM-1: 1200/75 bit/s modemModemA modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
with a RS-232RS-232In telecommunications, RS-232 is the traditional name for a series of standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals connecting between a DTE and a DCE . It is commonly used in computer serial ports...
C port