Matsushita JR series

Short description: Brand of microcomputers

The National JR series (including some models also sold as the Panasonic JR) was a line of 8-bit personal computers developed by Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd., a division of Matsushita Electric Industrial (now Panasonic). Based on the success of the Sharp MZ and NEC PC-8000 series, these computers aimed primarily at the home computer and educational markets during the early 1980s.

The JR series included four computer models: the JR-100,[1] the JR-200,[2][3] the JR-300[4] and the JR-800.[5] All four were sold under Matsushita's 'National' brand;[6][7][8][9] the JR-100 and JR-200U were also sold elsewhere as 'Panasonic' (another Matsushita brand).[10][11][12]

The JR series found a strong foothold in Japanese schools, particularly the JR-200, which became a standard machine for teaching programming in BASIC.

## Contents

* 1 JR-100
* 2 JR-200
* 2.1 Specifications
* 2.2 International Variants
* 3 JR-300
* 3.1 Specifications
* 4 JR-800
* 4.1 Specifications
* 5 Character set
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## JR-100

The National JR-100[13] (sold in some markets as the Panasonic JR-100)[10][11] was released on November 21, 1981, with a price of 54,800 yen.[14] It was the cheapest domestically produced personal computer at the time of its release.

Like the Hitachi Basic Master and Sharp MZ-80, it was a low-performance, low-priced personal computer offering basic semi-graphic character based graphics, a monochrome display, and minimal sound ability. The CPU was an 8-bit Panasonic MN1800A NMOS microprocessor[15] (compatible with the Motorola MC6802, a slightly improved version of the Motorola MC6800) running at a slow 0.89 MHz, and it came with 16 KB of RAM (expandable to 32 KB).[16] Compared to the cheaper imported Sinclair ZX81 (38,700 yen), the larger RAM on the JR100 made it possible to create better programs.

The computer case is angular and cream-colored, measuring 296mm wide x 154mm deep x 45mm high, being extremely compact. The green keyboard was made of rubber due to its low price, and was mockingly called the "eraser keyboard". It had a shortcut key function, allowing users to enter commands in one go. There was no space bar at the bottom, and the right shift key was replaced with a space bar.

Specifications:

* CPU: MN1800A (MC6802 compatible)
* Clock speed: 890 kHz
* RAM: 16-32 KB
* ROM: 8 KB
* Graphics: Monochrome; 768 32 × 24 text characters; 3072 64 × 48 semi-graphic characters with 64 8 × 8 pixel matrix
* Sound: Internal speaker
* Connections: Monitor, Expansion, Tape (Frequency-shift keying encoding with 1200 Hz for space and 2400 Hz for mark; 600 baud)
* OS: JR-BASIC 1.0[14]

## JR-200

Main article: Engineering:Panasonic JR-200

The National JR-200[7] (also sold as the Panasonic JR-200U variant in some countries)[12] was released at the end of 1982 with a price of 79,800 yen. It was a higher-end model than the JR-100, but not compatible with this machine.

The JR-200[2][3] is made of silver grey plastic, and has a black matte area around the chiclet keyboard area. It used the same MN1800A CPU as the previous model, but added a second processor, the 4-bit MN1544CJR,[17] which is used for I/O and contains 128 bytes of RAM plus four kilobytes of ROM.

The computer received favorable reviews on its launch. Creative Computing wrote "The Panasonic JR-200 is one of the nicest new computers to make the scene in some time."[18]

### Specifications

* CPU: MN1800A + MN1544
* Clock speed: 890 kHz
* RAM: 36 KB
* ROM: 16 KB
* Graphics: 8 colors (black, blue, red, magenta, green, cyan, yellow, white); 49152 256 × 192; 768 32 × 24 text characters; 3072 64 × 48 semi-graphic characters with 64 8 × 8 pixel matrix[17]
* Sound: 3 voices, 5 octaves, square wave. Generated by the MN1271 sound, I/O and timer chip.[19][17]
* Connections: Composite and RF video, expansion, tape (600/2400 baud), printer port, floppy drive, joystick
* OS: JR-BASIC 5.0

### International Variants

Versions of the JR-200 were developed for the North American and European markets and announced in January 1983:[20]

* JR-200U: Designed for North American and European markets, with modified power supply and video output standards;
* JR-200UP: Included a built-in printer interface to meet business and educational needs.

## JR-300

The National JR-300,[8][4] released in 1984 with a price of 159,000 yen, was completely redesigned in comparison with the earlier JR-100 and JR-200 models. The JR-300 was a hybrid 8/16-bit machine, having a Zilog Z80A CPU as well as a second MN1800A CPU to allow backwards compatibility with the JR-200.[4]

It was advertised as "PC & TV 300" and came standard with a genlock function. A dedicated display (TH15-M300) was available for this. The size and design are similar to the Matsushita MSX machines with separate keyboard.

The JR-300 was primarily delivered to schools as an educational computer, and only a very limited number of machines were released to the general public.

### Specifications

* CPU: MN1800A + Z80A
* Clock speed: 4 MHz
* RAM: 82 KB
* ROM: 40 KB
* Graphics: 8 colors; 64000 320 × 200, 128000 640 × 200, 256000 640 × 400
* Sound: Yamaha 8910 (3 voices, 5 octaves)
* Connections: RGB, Composite and RF video, sound out, expansion, tape (600/2400 baud), printer port, floppy drive, joystick
* OS: JR-BASIC 5.0, Extended Basic

## JR-800

A handheld model called the National JR-800[9] was launched in 1983 with a price of 128,000 yen,[21] but it was not compatible with the previous JR computers.[5] It was based around a Hitachi HD63A01V CPU[22] (MC6801 compatible) running at 4.9152 MHz, with 16 KB of RAM, and featured a 12288 192 × 64 pixel LCD screen.[23]

It was a B5 sized handheld computer, powered by four AA batteries or an AC adapter. A dedicated portable printer, the JR-P20, was also released.

### Specifications

* CPU: HD63A01V
* Clock speed: 4.9152 MHz
* RAM: 16 KB
* ROM: 16 KB
* Graphics: monochrome LCD, 256 32 × 8 characters; 12288 192 × 64 pixels
* Connections: tape, RS-232, printer, sound
* OS: BASIC

## Character set

The table below shows the semigraphics character set available on the Matsushita JR series, as shown on the operations manual.[24] Characters are rendered using modern equivalents, the exact hardware font it not simulated.

| 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 8  | 9  | E  | F

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

0  |  | 0  | @  | P  |  | ┌  | ◯  | ┘
1  | !  | 1  | A  | Q  | ♠  | ▁  | ▗  | ▏
2  | “  | 2  | B  | R  | ♥  | ▂  | ▞  | ▎
3  | #  | 3  | C  | S  | ♦  | ▃  | ▙  | ▖
4  | $  | 4  | D  | T  | ♣  | ▄  | ▛  | ▌
5  | %  | 5  | E  | U  | ⬣  | ▅  | ▎  | ▊
6  | & | 6  | F  | V  | ←  | ▆  | ▜  | ▟
7  | '  | 7  | G  | W  | ↓  | ▇  | ▚  | ▟
8  | (  | 8  | H  | X  | ↑  | ├  | ▐  | ▘
9  | )  | 9  | I  | Y  | →  | ┤  | ┼  | ▊
A  | *  | :  | J  | Z  | 🛉  | │  | ▒  | ▝
B  | \+  | ;  | K  | [  | ☺  | ─  | ┬  | ◟
C  | ,  | < | L  | ¥  | ▓  | ◣  | ┴  | ●
D  | \-  | =  | M  | ]  | ┐  | ◝  | ░  | ◞
E  | .  | > | N  | ^  | █  | ╳  | ▀  | ◜
F  | /  | ?  | O  | _  | ◢  | ╱  | └  | ╲

## See also

* JR-BASIC
* Panasonic JR-200
* Sharp MZ
* PC-8000 series

## References

1. ↑ "MATSUSHITA National JR 100". https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=320.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "MATSUSHITA National JR 200". https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=324.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Service Manual Personal Computer JR-200U. Panasonic. http://vintagevolts.com/wp-content/uploads/Panasonic-JR-200U-Service-Manual.pdf.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "MATSUSHITA National JR 300". https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=321.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hawkings, William (November 1983). "Low-cost computers". Popular Science: pp. 150. https://books.google.com/books?id=EpSrYt9lFLMC&dq=Panasonic+JR-800&pg=PA150.
6. ↑ "National JR-100". Hobby PC Catalog: 82. https://archive.org/details/HobbyPCCatalog/page/82/mode/2up. "[Image shows 'National'-badged JR-100]".
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "National JR-200". Hobby PC Catalog: 84,85. https://archive.org/details/HobbyPCCatalog/page/84/mode/2up. "[Images show 'National'-badged JR-200]".
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "National JR-300 (catalogues)". National catalogues (1983-10, 1984-3). Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250902135731/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DoBsJtDUUAAgHyN?format=jpg&name=4096x4096.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "[JR-800-related article"]. Technopolis. June 1983. https://archive.org/details/technopolis-volume-11-june-1983/Technopolis - Volume 11 - June 1983/page/104/mode/2up. "[Image showing National-badged JR-800".
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "[Image of Panasonic-branded JR-100"]. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250902170418/https://www.1000bit.it/lista/p/panasonic/jr100u.jpg.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Panasonic JR-100 advertisement". Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250902170417/https://www.1000bit.it/lista/p/panasonic/nzbits&bytes_198306_jr100_ad.jpg.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "[Image of Panasonic-branded JR-200U and box indicating name"]. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250902195341/https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/H4UAAOSwNbFlw~Ds/s-l1600.webp.
13. ↑ マイコン1982年2月号
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "JR-100". May 28, 2017. http://asamomiji.jp/contents/documents/retropc/jr100.
15. ↑ PANASONIC INDL/ELEK {IC} 72. Panasonic. pp. 270. https://www.datasheetarchive.com/pdf/download.php?id=2fae23a9ce160f11ce15274d241e5a77bcb2b1&type=O&term=27--KUX.
16. ↑ Operating Instructions - Personal Computer JR-100U. Panasonic. https://archive.org/details/Panasonic_JR-100U_Operating_Instructions.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Reunanen, Markku. "Discovering the Panasonic JR-200U". http://www.kameli.net/marq/?page_id=1270.
18. ↑ Ahl, David (May 1983). "Panasonic JR-200". Creative Computing Magazine 9 (5): pp. 16. https://archive.org/details/creativecomputing-1983-05./page/n19/mode/2up.
19. ↑ PANASONIC INDL/ELEK {IC} 72. Panasonic. pp. 524. https://www.datasheetarchive.com/pdf/download.php?id=49f1a85cf9cac486c29073c0ad2058dce510c1&type=O&term=MN1271.
20. ↑ "PANASONIC JR-200U". https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=553. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
21. ↑ "JR-800(ポケコン・ポケットコンピュータ)のことなら「自分でドットコム」(DIY)". http://www.jibunde.com/pokecom/National/JR-800/index.html.
22. ↑ "National JR-800 Documentation". August 2020. https://pockemul.com/index.php/2020/08/28/national-jr-800-documentation/.
23. ↑ "The National JR-800 computer". http://pocket.free.fr/html/national/jr-800_e.html.
24. ↑ Operating Instructions Personal Computer JR-100U. Panasonic. pp. 8, 54. https://archive.org/details/Panasonic_JR-100U_Operating_Instructions/page/n9/mode/2up.

## External links

* The Pocket Computer Museum entry on the National JR-800 handheld computer
* BINARIUM museum entry on the Panasonic JR-100 (German language)

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