Engineering:Sanyo PHC

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Short description: Microcomputer series
Sanyo PHC-28S, an MSX-compatible model

Sanyo PHC was a brand/prefix used by Sanyo on a number of early microcomputer models released by them during the late 1970s and the 1980s.

Early models in the line include the PHC-1000 and the PHC-10, PHC-20 and PHC-25 family.

Sanyo later used the PHC name on many of its MSX,[1] MSX2[2] and MSX2+ compatible machines.[3]

PHC-1000

The Sanyo PHC-1000 was released in 1979[4][5] and was marketed towards small businesses as well as the fields of education, hardware control and hobbyist use.[4]

It was an integrated unit,[6] featuring a built-in 12-inch CRT-based display (supporting 80 x 24 characters), cassette-based data recorder and a keyboard (including numeric keypad).[4] It was based around an Intel 8085A CPU and included 32 kB of RAM.[4]

The PHC-1000 was exhibited at the 1980 Microcomputer Show in Heiwajima, Tokyo.[7][6]

PHC-10, PHC-20 and PHC-25

The PHC-10, PHC-20 and PHC-25 are a group of low-end home computers announced simultaneously by Sanyo in mid-1982.[8] All shared the same basic dimensions (51 x 160 x 300 mm)[9] and similar styling.

Each model aimed at a distinct market segment, with the technical specification and price increasing from the low-end PHC-10 and the mid-range PHC-20, to the high-end PHC-25 model.[10][8]

Models

Main articles: Engineering:Sanyo PHC-10, Sanyo PHC-20, and Sanyo PHC-25

The PHC-10 is the lowest-priced and most basic model. It is a battery-operated training machine with an inbuilt single-line 16-character LCD display and a limited implementation of BASIC.[11] It lacks any external display support[12][9] or the ability to load or save programs.[13][9]

Examples of the PHC-10 are rare, although as of January 2025, there were at least two known to exist.[12]

The PHC-20 is an integer-only model which generates a monochrome-only display signal and was placed between the PHC-10 and PHC-25 in terms of capability and pricing.[10] It is based on a Z80A-compatible CPU and includes 4 kB of RAM.[10]

The PHC-25 was the highest-end model, based on a Z80A-compatible CPU with 16 kB of RAM and supporting colour graphics with various display modes.

Release, marketing and availability

In Japan, all three models were announced simultaneously in mid-1982 with the PHC-10 and 20 scheduled for release in May (at ¥24,800 and ¥47,800 respectively) and the PHC-25 to follow June (at ¥69,800).[8]

In France, both the PHC-20 and the PHC-25 were announced in late 1982 (alongside the PHC-8000)[14] for planned sale at 1500 F and 2200 F respectively.[15] L'Ordinateur individuel magazine considered the PHC-20 the less interesting of the two and observed that Sanyo France seemed "to be showing little enthusiasm for its distribution".[15] While it is not clear whether the launch of the PHC-20 went ahead in France, Sanyo sold and continued to promote the PHC-25 there until at least late 1983/early 1984.[16]

In the UK, it had been announced that all three would launch in January 1983, with prices set at £60 (PHC-10), £100 (PHC-20) and £150 (PHC-25).[17] They were all reviewed by Your Computer magazine in October 1982,[11] but a later issue noted they had all "disappeared again in November"[18] and there is no indication that they reached the UK market.

Sanyo had planned to market the PHC-20 and PHC-25 in the United States, and advance reports appeared in the press there.[19] However, they later reversed the decision in both cases- the PHC-20 was withdrawn before it reached dealer shelves[19] and they similarly decided against launching the PHC-25 there due to cutthroat competition in the low-end market.[20] (The PHC-10 was never intended for release in the US, although it had been exhibited at the January 1983 CES show with that proviso.)[21]

MSX-compatible PHC models

Sanyo PHC-77, an MSX2-compatible model

Sanyo later became a supporter of the MSX standard. It used the PHC name on a number of MSX (e.g. PHC-30N),[1] MSX2 (e.g. PHC-77)[2] and MSX2+-compatible machines (e.g. PHC-70FD).[3]

Other MSX-compatible models included the PHC-23, PHC-25SK, PHC-27, PHC-28, PHC-30, PHC-33, PHC-35J, PHC-50FD2, PHC-55FD2, PHC-70FD, PHC-70FD2 and PHC-77.[22][23]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "[Image of PHC-30N with original MSX logo"]. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230224060621/https://www.msx.org/wiki/images/c/ce/Phc30na.jpg. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 佐々木 潤 (3 February 2022). "MSX-Write内蔵でプリンタも一体化したMSX2パソコン「SANYO PHC-77(WAVY77)」". Archived from the original on 25 April 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250425164418/https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrohard/1385230.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sanyo Wavy 70FD (PHC-70FD) MSX2+ computer advertisement" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 5 August 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250805160217/https://www.msx.org/wiki/images/a/a2/Sanyo_wavy70fd_pub.jpg. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Sanyo Personal Computer PHC-1000" (in Japanese). Sanyo. May 1979. Archived from the original on 6 September 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250906143018/https://static.mercdn.net/item/detail/orig/photos/m50380244043_1.jpg. 
  5. ↑ "SANYO」60年の履歴書 ヒット商品を作った"奇才"たち エネループや太陽電池に続く道～事故の試練を乗り越えて［三洋電機の歴史 3］". Nikkei Business Publications. 25 February 2011. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190617225553/https://trendy.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/column/20110224/1034609/?SS=expand-life&FD=-1870658112. "三洋電機のパソコン第1号機である「PHC-1000」。1979年に発売した8ビットパソコンで、CRT一体型となっていた" 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Microcomputer Show '80". July 1980. p. 124. https://archive.org/details/io-198007/page/124/mode/2up. "サン ヨー の パー ソナ ル ・ コ ンピュータ P HC- 1000 は グリ ー ン ・ デ ィ ス プレ イ , デジ タル ・ カ セッ ト な どの 入出 力 機能 を 一 体 化 し た も の で" 
  7. ↑ "マイ コン ショ ウ 80". 月刊マイコン ('Monthly Microcomputer'): 41. July 1980. https://archive.org/details/micom-1980-07/page/40/mode/2up. "サジ ュー の パーン ナル コシ ピュ デー み PHC- 1000 は デジ タル カセ ッ ト を 内 蔵 し て 出品 。 音 声 認識 装置 と し て 活". 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Micom News". 月刊マイコン ('Monthly Microcomputer'): 496. June 1982. https://archive.org/details/micom-1982-06_202301/page/406/mode/2up. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 ""New Products [.. PHC-10, PHC-20, PHC-25, PHC-8000" [ PHC-10 details column ]"] (in Japanese). I/O: 365. June 1982. https://archive.org/details/Io19826/page/n367/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 "Review [Joint review, PHC-20 sections"]. Your Computer [UK]: 24,25,27. October 1982. https://archive.org/details/your-computer-magazine-1982-10/page/n23/mode/2up. "PHC-20, a 4K RAM. machine with no colour capability for about £100 [..] PHC-20 is Z-80A based with 8K of ROM and 4K RAM of which 3K is available to the user. [..] Although the PHC-20 is quite fast it is severely limited by an integer-only ROM. [..] [PHC-20 was reviewed alongside the lower-end] PHC-10 [and the] top of the range [colour-capable] PHC-25 for about £150.". 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Review [Joint review, PHC-10 sections"]. Your Computer [UK]: 24,25,27. October 1982. https://archive.org/details/your-computer-magazine-1982-10/page/n23/mode/2up. "PHC-10 is a battery-powered £60 ... training computer [with] single-line [16-character LCD,] no [TV output,] ... no potential for expansion [..] excellent...keyboard, but a maximium RAM of only 4K. [..] major draw-back is the 4K Tiny Basic. With less than 2K of user RAM, and a very limited range of commands, the PHC-10 would be restrictive even for a beginner. [..][..] can only handle integers [..] also produces [limited 'beep' sound]". 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Here Be Dragons (21 January 2025). "[PHC-10 BlueSky post from volunteer at Centre for Computing History"]. Archived from the original on 6 September 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250906200601/https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/heredragons.be/post/3lgbfqhnxzc2a. "[First two images show very yellowed PHC-10] What I wasn't expecting was no outputs at all. Not even a tape output. Or power input. You have one program, and it dies when your batteries die. [..] I did eventually get one in better condition. [Third image shows another PHC-10 with less yellowing than the first]" 
  13. ↑ Here Be Dragons (20 June 2020). "[PHC-10 Twitter post from volunteer at Centre for Computing History"]. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200620160147/https://twitter.com/herebedragons3/status/1274371247816822784. "[Images of yellowed-with-age PHC-10 uploaded by author interspersed with text] [PHC-10] until recently, I had seen just two photos of and was convinced was never actually sold. [..] The rest disappeared into obscurity. Especially the Sanyos. [..] [On PHC-10...] There's not even the ability to save to tape." 
  14. ↑ "Entrées : Pour noël ou le jour de l'an". Micro7: 19. December 1982. https://archive.org/details/Micro7-01/page/18/mode/2up. "La fin de l'année a vu l'arrivée sur le marché de la micro-informatique de nouveaux produits Sanyo. Déjà présentés, ils seront commercialisés en décembre ou au plus tard début janvier 83. Le PHC20 [..] Plus doué que son frère, le PHC 25 [..] Enfin, encore un portable, le PHC 8000 et son module d'extension, le PHC 8010.". 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Nouveau Produits". L'ordinateur Individuel (Paris ("L'ordinateur Individuel, Paris"): Groupe Tests): 61,62. December 1982. https://archive.org/details/ord-ind-s1-043/page/60/mode/2up?q=%22sanyo+france%22. "Les nouveaux Sanyo seraient arrivés dans le courant du mois de novembre. Ce sont notamment les modèles PHC 20 et 25. [PHC 20] coûte 1 500 FF ttc. Le PHC 25 [..] pour 2 200 FF tte. (Le modèle 20 est toutefois nettement moins intéressant que le PHC 25 vu la différence de pnx de 700 FF ttc, et Sanyo France semble manifester peu d'empressement pour sa diffusion.)". 
  16. ↑ Sanyo France (January 1984). "[Sanyo PHC-25 advertisement"]. Micro et Robots (Société des Publications Radio-Electriques et Scientifiques [..] 75940 Paris) (3): 5. https://archive.org/details/micro-et-robots-03/page/4/mode/2up. 
  17. ↑ "Three New Micros from Sanyo". Popular Computing Weekly: 5. 4 November 1982. https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/popular-computing-weekly/29/1/1982/11/4#4. "Sanyo will launch three new microcomputers in the UK in January 1983. [..] PHC-25 is the most advanced. It will be priced at £150. [..] PHC-20, to cost around £100 [..] PHC10, planned for £60". 
  18. ↑ "Editorial". Your Computer [UK]: 41. November 1984. https://archive.org/details/your-computer-magazine-1984-11/page/n39/mode/2up. "Remember Sanyo's enigmatic PHC range which appeared in October 1982 [issue in which PHC-10, 20 and 25 were reviewed] and disappeared again in November?". 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Arielle Emmett (February 1984). "Why Japanese Computers Aren't Selling in America". Personal Computing (Hayden): 237. https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputing198402/page/n237/mode/2up. "[Sanyo] had planned to market a home computer known as the PHC 20 series in the U.S., but pulled the machine out before it even hit the dealer shelves, according to Ron Milos, marketing manager for Sanyo. “We had a lot of trouble with that one,” [..] there were already advance press reports [..] [It] was “nice,” he reports, but not unique.". 
  20. ↑ David H. Ahl (January 1984). "IFIP, SICOB and PCW". Creative Computing: 148. https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan198401/page/n149/mode/2up?q=%22sanyo%22+%22phc-25%22. "Another small machine we saw previously at CES is the Sanyo PHC-25. [..] We were told it would not be marketed in the U.S. because of the cutthroat price competition at that end of the market.". 
  21. ↑ John Dvorak (31 January 1983). "CES [Consumer Electronics Show | Inexpensive home computers highlight winter CES"]. InfoWorld: 18. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250910180754/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ATAEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22sanyo%22%20%22phc-20%22#v=snippet&q=%22sanyo%22%20%22phc-20%22&f=false. "Three [Sanyo] models were shown [..] The PHC 10 [..] won't be released in this country [the United States], and no price was available. [..] The PHC 20 [costs] $99 [plus] a more expensive version, the PHC-25". 
  22. ↑ "Category:Sanyo - MSX Wiki". https://www.msx.org/wiki/Category:Sanyo. 
  23. ↑ Generation-MSX.nl. "All Sanyo hardware that they developed" (in en). https://www.generation-msx.nl/company/sanyo/519/hardware/. 



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