Toshiba Pasopia 7 (also known as PA7007) is a computer from manufacturer

Toshiba is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...

, released in 1983 and only available in Japan, with a price of $1350. It was intended as the successor of the Toshiba Pasopia, offering improved sound and graphics. The machine is partially compatible with the original Pasopia, and supports connecting cartridge-type peripherals. Graphic memory is increased to 48 KB and two

SN76489 The Texas Instruments SN76489 is a programmable sound generator chip from the 1980s, used to create music and sound effects on computers and video game systems. Initially developed by Texas Instruments for its TI-99/4A home computer, it was later ...

sound chip A sound chip is an integrated circuit (chip) designed to produce audio signals through digital, analog or mixed-mode electronics. Sound chips are typically fabricated on metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) mixed-signal chips that process a ...

s are available, producing six five-octave channels and two noise channels. A new version of the

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...

, T-BASIC7, is also available. This version is based on

Microsoft BASIC Microsoft BASIC is the foundation software product of the Microsoft company and evolved into a line of BASIC interpreters and compiler(s) adapted for many different microcomputers. It first appeared in 1975 as Altair BASIC, which was the first v ...

and adds specific commands for this model, such as higher numerical precision or support for extra colors. Available peripherals for the Pasopia 7 are a 5"

disk drive Disc or disk may refer to: * Disk (mathematics), a two dimensional shape, the interior of a circle * Disk storage * Optical disc * Floppy disk Music * Disc (band), an American experimental music band * ''Disk'' (album), a 1995 EP by Moby Other ...

, a

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

ROM, a

RS-232 In telecommunications, RS-232 or Recommended Standard 232 is a standard introduced in 1960 for serial communication transmission of data. It formally defines signals connecting between a ''DTE'' (''data terminal equipment'') such as a compu ...

interface and a printer. The

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...

is full-stroke JIS standard, with a separate

numeric keypad A numeric keypad, number pad, numpad, or ten key, is the calculator-style group of ten numeric keys accompanied by other keys, usually on the far right side of computer keyboard. This grouping allows quick number entry with right hand, ...

and some

function key A function key is a key on a computer or computer terminal, terminal computer keyboard, keyboard that can be programmed to cause the operating system or an application program to perform certain actions, a form of soft key. On some keyboards/com ...

s. After 1988, some Pasopia 7 computers were donated to other countries (ex: Poland) under the " International Development of Computer Education Program".

Related models

Released in 1985, the Pasopia 700 is based on the Pasopia 7, and was intended as a home learning system developed by Toshiba and Obunsha. Two disk-drives were added to the side of the main unit and the keyboard is separate. This machine has two cartridge slots (one at the front).

Color palette

The Pasopia 7 uses hardware

dithering Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise used to randomize quantization error, preventing large-scale patterns such as color banding in images. Dither is routinely used in processing of both digital audio and video data, and is often ...

to simulate intermediate color intensities, based on a mix of two of eight base RGB colors displayed using the 640 x 200 resolution. This allows the machine to display a maximum of 27 colors ( 3-level RGB). ''The 8 base colors are displayed in bold.'' Actual color limits depend on the graphic mode used: * Text mode: characters in 8 base colors, graphics in 4 colors (from 27); * Fine graphics mode:

Kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

characters in 8 base colors, graphics in 8 colors (from 27); * Palette function: 8 or 4 colors (from 27) depending on the overlap of Kanji and graphics; * Hardware tiling function: 27 colors can be displayed by combining 2 pixels, with 8 base colors available per pixel.

References

{{Comp-hardware-stub Pasopia Z80-based home computers Computer-related introductions in 1983

Related models

Color palette

See also

References