Sanyo PHC

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.

Sanyo PHC-28S, an MSX-compatible model

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: 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]