I use my zq770 all the time. I prefer it to modern devices because it is so reliable, two rechargeable AAs last for 3-4 months, It boots up straight away, and I can touch type on it. It may be old-fashioned, but it works well, like pencil and paper..
Yes, though it's become a bit cumbersome. W7 doesn't support the Sharp PC-Link or Wiztools back programs so I use an old Dell laptop with XP to make backups. However, I can still use MELoader to move MemoEdit (v.1.88) text across to my W7 PC - which still has the 9 pin D socket (though I imagine I could get a 9 D pin socket > USB socket converter). I moved from Filofax to the zq-770 around 2000. I was passing through Singapore, where I was able to try it out and buy it much cheaper than in the UK (I had already researched and concluded that it was the best organiser around). I still think it's a great device for taking notes/diary, holding addresses and keeping expenses - the immediate boot-up, long battery battery life and good keyboard are the advantages over my smartphone and tablet. I understand that it was the most sophisticated organiser than Sharp made, and that they only stopped making it because they were getting too many screen failures in production. Emergence of vertical blank screen lines are the only flaw that I've come across. I've got a spare with this problem - I've taken it apart and fiddled with the screen connections to remove some of them.
I bet you could fix those arrow keys with some conductive contact solution(for calculator button repair) and a Q-tip. I bet you just used them to death. The conductive contact on the rubber might have just worn off.
Anyway, i am going to get one of these for the nostalgia I never got to have... I always wanted something like this but none of these were marketed in my area at any stores. Consequently, I had to make due with cheapo items much like the first one you showed, but in 2003! :
Nice! Hey I got the emulator...apparently, since the entire storage is mapped to memory, it is quite dangerous to write C software without simulating it first. The operating system is mapped on pages 0-8, and runs static on pages 0-3 in the lower 32k of the Z80. The problem is that you need the image of the device to plug into the emulator...do you have that? I can't seem to find it. The zip has various bits and pieces, but there should be a 3 MB file that contains the image of the 770. The 750 is the same, but with 128k more SRAM mapped at pages 500+. The other ones are also identical except for slighly less flash storage. So the page limit from the MMU is essentially slightly lower. The upper 1MB of pages on the 770 are just more application data space. Anyway, I also found a way to fix the screens! I have been reading like crazy and researching. I found out about a connector called a Zebra Connector. It's an isomeric polymer arranged as an oreo cookie 1000 layers thick and shrunk 1000x. In short, it acts like a ribbon cable made of foam. I am trying to source the parts right now.
I have seen a good number of videos covering PDA's, but this is the first that covered electronic organizers. I used them too, starting with a Casio Databank watch. I eventually got a series of PDA's including both Windows and Palm OS. I still carry a Palm Treo smartphone. Not for the phone. I use an Android phone for that, but I didn't want to lose all the databases and useful apps that I have come to rely on.
That takes me back, I used to love playing with my ZQ770, I seem to remember there being an excellent online community where you could swap programs and advice, think it might have been called mywizard.net
i have casio digital diary but i am not able to change alarm details all is working correct but could not change from am to pm plz can any one help me how change am to pm or pm to am?
Hello Everyone! Does anyone know where can I get a cable for OZ-770? I’ve lost mine and I do have my diary on it from 2001 and would like to make sure that is safe ;) Many thanks!
Just had a quick look and there's a seller on ebay selling them, or you could try and find a pinout diagram and make your own. It's only a 3.5mm jack so there wouldnt be many pins to map.
I've still got my ZQ-700, although the screen is really corrupt now... It's exactly the same form factor as the 770 but lacks sound, only has a megabyte of storage (I think the 770 had 1.5 megs(?)) and the processor isn't up to playing any of the games shown here. Kinda jealous about that!
That's interesting - weird that the processor is different. Could you download the same applications but they just ran slower? ZQ-770 has 3MB of storage :)
I probablydidn't even try! Think the website labelled apps on a compatibility bases. It's a while ago now, and I can only remember a couple games running on my 700, a Tetris clone and a minimal version of that Space invaders game... It could handle a text based adventure engine though.... had Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy running on it. For the most part though, I just used it as a portable text editor, and for reading ebooks. Lovely device that took a while to replace via Symbian and eventually Android…
That's weird, all the 700 series used embedded z88 (z80) processors. Maybe they clocked it lower for better battery life. An easy way to tell would be to look at the power consumption rating at the bottom. 770 uses about .33Wh@3Volts which is 110 mAh. This means that a set of two AAA batteries should last around ~27 hours of continuous use(assuming each battery has 1500mAh). Does that sound right to you Dave? [Edit: I just saw the manual says it uses AA, which is more than double the capacity. I calculate about 81 hours. They give in the manual 120 hours??? That is being very generous to themselves hehe. Although, I suppose with voltage recovery and a low power application like this you could drag it across the finish line to 100 hours... but 120?! lol ]
Also, I am starting to wonder if the failed LCDs that are almost universal on these is down to the LCD driver circuits...I bet there are some of those nasty 1990s era surface mount capacitors which all had an operating life of 200 hours before they started drifting way out of spec. I am exaggerating but not by much. Game Gears have the same problem for example. Totally messes up the signal. In this case it appears to be vertical lines, rather than horizontal. I ordered one just now with severe vertical banding (more than 50% of the screen) for $2 on ebay, and an RS232 > 3.5MM with 3 black bands(4 contacts) for $5. Hopefully, I can repair it. Now I just need to hunt down a CD image, and I'll have my ultra cool Z80 portable handheld computer for less than $10!
It's the parallel connection to the LCD glass itself which causes the banding issue. I am working to resolve it. Found a possible easy fix. I am also working on an internals manual. All of the 700 series run on a Z80 CPU clocked at 9.8mhz. It could be that your flash memory is crap. Only the upper 16K of the 64K blocks are mapped to SRAM. The rest is mapped to flash memory, which has a much slower write back time depending on the chip used. Apparently, if you jump up to page 401 in any 700, then entire upper 32k block of memory will be mapped to ram. page 400 is also ram, but that is where screen memory and IO buffers reside. Point being that all programs will run lightning fast in those pages(in theory). I will ahve to do more testing, but I need a working emulator.
Dave ! How in the hell do I override my forgotten password !!??? 😨😰😰🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ because the darn thing won’t even unlock etc the keys on the pad are not even responding whilst it is switched ON etc ! 😰😰😰🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ 👉The Sharp ZQ-700 !!
If the keys aren't working I suggest taking it apart and using some contact cleaner liquid on the keyboard circuit board. I think you can do a hard reset as well to clear the password and all data - think it explains in the manual which should be online somewhere
Dave Hulme Well Dave, Thx for your response reply etc ok BUT the only thing is that I take it too the actual persons who make these electronic devices or the manufacturer to FIX IT ! I can’t even access my data or information that I stored in this device going back at least 27 years ago ! 😨😰😰😰🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
I have my dads sharp zq770 but it's password locked. Does not have a manual and unfortunately my dad is dead so don't know how to reset the password. Does anyone know how to reset the password?
I remember making programs on the OZ770 as a kid. Used it to teach myself BASIC then C. The Loader program took me back seeing Alexander Pruss' (sp?) name as the programmer of it. He, myself and a few other main programmers of the third party utilities/games were all on a mailing list together sharing ideas and helping each other out. This really took me back, I almost forgot about that!
Hi Tom! Good to hear from you! I've just had a look through the old files, it seems Alexander R. Pruss was at University of Pittsburgh at the time. It must have taken him and others so long to put together the C compiler and libraries! I also saw your name against "Paint Demo 2"! I have so many good memories of this time, such a great community.
@@dhulme such a small world! I have great memories of that community and the email chains we all had together. I even tried to run a web site for the Wizard back then called The Wizard Source, not too much ever came from it though. Then there was Mike Bakshi and Mark Hammilton (if I remember his last name correct) who also developed great programs and ran their own respectivd web sites as well. Mark was developing his own OS for the Wizard using C toward the end of the community days, his web site was Eve Software I believe. Always was impressed and had such respect for Alexander R. Pruss for putting together hitech C for the Wizard, and all the other community developers who made it great. Thanks for bringing back the great memories!
I had all these and a lot more My favorite was the silver sharp Mine had an exel spread sheet I kept all them for years but finally threw them all out After powering them all up it just wasn't as great as I remembered Thanks your video was fun to watch
I use my zq770 all the time. I prefer it to modern devices because it is so reliable, two rechargeable AAs last for 3-4 months, It boots up straight away, and I can touch type on it. It may be old-fashioned, but it works well, like pencil and paper..
Good to hear! Do you use the serial connection to get data on and off it? I remember someone also made a basic web browser for it!
Yes, though it's become a bit cumbersome. W7 doesn't support the Sharp PC-Link or Wiztools back programs so I use an old Dell laptop with XP to make backups. However, I can still use MELoader to move MemoEdit (v.1.88) text across to my W7 PC - which still has the 9 pin D socket (though I imagine I could get a 9 D pin socket > USB socket converter).
I moved from Filofax to the zq-770 around 2000. I was passing through Singapore, where I was able to try it out and buy it much cheaper than in the UK (I had already researched and concluded that it was the best organiser around). I still think it's a great device for taking notes/diary, holding addresses and keeping expenses - the immediate boot-up, long battery battery life and good keyboard are the advantages over my smartphone and tablet.
I understand that it was the most sophisticated organiser than Sharp made, and that they only stopped making it because they were getting too many screen failures in production. Emergence of vertical blank screen lines are the only flaw that I've come across. I've got a spare with this problem - I've taken it apart and fiddled with the screen connections to remove some of them.
Michael kirk-smith
I bet you could fix those arrow keys with some conductive contact solution(for calculator button repair) and a Q-tip. I bet you just used them to death. The conductive contact on the rubber might have just worn off.
Anyway, i am going to get one of these for the nostalgia I never got to have... I always wanted something like this but none of these were marketed in my area at any stores. Consequently, I had to make due with cheapo items much like the first one you showed, but in 2003! :
Nice! Hey I got the emulator...apparently, since the entire storage is mapped to memory, it is quite dangerous to write C software without simulating it first. The operating system is mapped on pages 0-8, and runs static on pages 0-3 in the lower 32k of the Z80. The problem is that you need the image of the device to plug into the emulator...do you have that? I can't seem to find it. The zip has various bits and pieces, but there should be a 3 MB file that contains the image of the 770. The 750 is the same, but with 128k more SRAM mapped at pages 500+. The other ones are also identical except for slighly less flash storage. So the page limit from the MMU is essentially slightly lower. The upper 1MB of pages on the 770 are just more application data space.
Anyway, I also found a way to fix the screens! I have been reading like crazy and researching. I found out about a connector called a Zebra Connector. It's an isomeric polymer arranged as an oreo cookie 1000 layers thick and shrunk 1000x. In short, it acts like a ribbon cable made of foam. I am trying to source the parts right now.
I have seen a good number of videos covering PDA's, but this is the first that covered electronic organizers. I used them too, starting with a Casio Databank watch. I eventually got a series of PDA's including both Windows and Palm OS. I still carry a Palm Treo smartphone. Not for the phone. I use an Android phone for that, but I didn't want to lose all the databases and useful apps that I have come to rely on.
There were some INCREDIBLE programs and games made for the 770. Several ports of games and originals in assembly ran really well.
That takes me back, I used to love playing with my ZQ770, I seem to remember there being an excellent online community where you could swap programs and advice, think it might have been called mywizard.net
Yup! That was it! I used to love browsing through and trying out new programs!
Hi how so I change the time and date on my old organiser please anyone????
Dave Hulme is nice
Andrew Jones No he isn’t.
Acer N300 PDA
Hi
i have casio digital diary
but i am not able to change alarm details
all is working correct but could not change from am to pm
plz can any one help me how change am to pm or pm to am?
Cool video! I wish I still had my collection of pdas and things from highschool.. 2003-07
Very nice video and thank you for the links and programs ;v
Such fond mementoes from the older days 🤓
Hello Everyone! Does anyone know where can I get a cable for OZ-770? I’ve lost mine and I do have my diary on it from 2001 and would like to make sure that is safe ;)
Many thanks!
Just had a quick look and there's a seller on ebay selling them, or you could try and find a pinout diagram and make your own. It's only a 3.5mm jack so there wouldnt be many pins to map.
I've still got my ZQ-700, although the screen is really corrupt now... It's exactly the same form factor as the 770 but lacks sound, only has a megabyte of storage (I think the 770 had 1.5 megs(?)) and the processor isn't up to playing any of the games shown here. Kinda jealous about that!
That's interesting - weird that the processor is different. Could you download the same applications but they just ran slower? ZQ-770 has 3MB of storage :)
I probablydidn't even try! Think the website labelled apps on a compatibility bases. It's a while ago now, and I can only remember a couple games running on my 700, a Tetris clone and a minimal version of that Space invaders game... It could
handle a text based adventure engine though.... had Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy running on it. For the most part though, I just used it as a portable text editor, and for reading ebooks. Lovely device that took a while to replace
via Symbian and eventually Android…
That's weird, all the 700 series used embedded z88 (z80) processors. Maybe they clocked it lower for better battery life. An easy way to tell would be to look at the power consumption rating at the bottom. 770 uses about .33Wh@3Volts which is 110 mAh. This means that a set of two AAA batteries should last around ~27 hours of continuous use(assuming each battery has 1500mAh). Does that sound right to you Dave? [Edit: I just saw the manual says it uses AA, which is more than double the capacity. I calculate about 81 hours. They give in the manual 120 hours??? That is being very generous to themselves hehe. Although, I suppose with voltage recovery and a low power application like this you could drag it across the finish line to 100 hours... but 120?! lol ]
Also, I am starting to wonder if the failed LCDs that are almost universal on these is down to the LCD driver circuits...I bet there are some of those nasty 1990s era surface mount capacitors which all had an operating life of 200 hours before they started drifting way out of spec. I am exaggerating but not by much. Game Gears have the same problem for example. Totally messes up the signal. In this case it appears to be vertical lines, rather than horizontal.
I ordered one just now with severe vertical banding (more than 50% of the screen) for $2 on ebay, and an RS232 > 3.5MM with 3 black bands(4 contacts) for $5. Hopefully, I can repair it. Now I just need to hunt down a CD image, and I'll have my ultra cool Z80 portable handheld computer for less than $10!
It's the parallel connection to the LCD glass itself which causes the banding issue. I am working to resolve it. Found a possible easy fix.
I am also working on an internals manual. All of the 700 series run on a Z80 CPU clocked at 9.8mhz. It could be that your flash memory is crap. Only the upper 16K of the 64K blocks are mapped to SRAM. The rest is mapped to flash memory, which has a much slower write back time depending on the chip used. Apparently, if you jump up to page 401 in any 700, then entire upper 32k block of memory will be mapped to ram. page 400 is also ram, but that is where screen memory and IO buffers reside. Point being that all programs will run lightning fast in those pages(in theory). I will ahve to do more testing, but I need a working emulator.
Dave ! How in the hell do I override my forgotten password !!??? 😨😰😰🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ because the darn thing won’t even unlock etc the keys on the pad are not even responding whilst it is switched ON etc ! 😰😰😰🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
👉The Sharp ZQ-700 !!
If the keys aren't working I suggest taking it apart and using some contact cleaner liquid on the keyboard circuit board. I think you can do a hard reset as well to clear the password and all data - think it explains in the manual which should be online somewhere
Dave Hulme Well Dave, Thx for your response reply etc ok BUT the only thing is that I take it too the actual persons who make these electronic devices or the manufacturer to FIX IT !
I can’t even access my data or information that I stored in this device going back at least 27 years ago ! 😨😰😰😰🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
oi briefcase!
Any chance of downloading all those apps?
Hi, follow the link in the video description - there is a download link in the blog post
I have my dads sharp zq770 but it's password locked. Does not have a manual and unfortunately my dad is dead so don't know how to reset the password. Does anyone know how to reset the password?
Does resetting the organiser not help? www.manualslib.com/manual/151828/Sharp-Oz-770.html?page=63#manual
Did you unlock it. We are in the same boat.
I remember making programs on the OZ770 as a kid. Used it to teach myself BASIC then C. The Loader program took me back seeing Alexander Pruss' (sp?) name as the programmer of it. He, myself and a few other main programmers of the third party utilities/games were all on a mailing list together sharing ideas and helping each other out. This really took me back, I almost forgot about that!
Hi Tom! Good to hear from you! I've just had a look through the old files, it seems Alexander R. Pruss was at University of Pittsburgh at the time. It must have taken him and others so long to put together the C compiler and libraries! I also saw your name against "Paint Demo 2"! I have so many good memories of this time, such a great community.
@@dhulme such a small world! I have great memories of that community and the email chains we all had together. I even tried to run a web site for the Wizard back then called The Wizard Source, not too much ever came from it though. Then there was Mike Bakshi and Mark Hammilton (if I remember his last name correct) who also developed great programs and ran their own respectivd web sites as well. Mark was developing his own OS for the Wizard using C toward the end of the community days, his web site was Eve Software I believe. Always was impressed and had such respect for Alexander R. Pruss for putting together hitech C for the Wizard, and all the other community developers who made it great. Thanks for bringing back the great memories!
I had all these and a lot more
My favorite was the silver sharp
Mine had an exel spread sheet
I kept all them for years but finally threw them all out
After powering them all up it just wasn't as great as I remembered
Thanks your video was fun to watch
Can you help? How do I change time and date on my organiser? I've tried alsorts
@@swirlworld1103 i had these organizers in the 1990's I don't really remember