The Epson HX-20 computer hit the market in July 1982. It is the first legitimate member of the "laptop" category, and despite its technical limitations, it marked a before and after in the development of portable devices. The user "Don" acquired several HX-20s online and decided to create the Epson HX-2023 project with the parts left over after his restoration. The base is a Raspberry Pi 4, but we also find an SSD, a touchscreen, and a sound card with microphone.
In the early '80s, portable computers went from being true tanks like the Micral Portal or the Osborne 1 (12 and 11.1 kilograms respectively), to becoming technological feathers. The Epson HX-20 was an excellent example of that transformation, at just 1.6 kilograms, with an LCD screen, and a built-in printer.
Restoring an Epson HX-20 is not easy, and the most effective strategy to get parts is to look for another computer that acts as a donor. The user "Don" (also known as ac2ev on GitHub) did this to repair four HX-20s, and using some leftover pieces, he decided to upgrade the laptop with a Raspberry Pi and other special modules.
An Epson HX-20 with a Raspberry Pi Soul
This project uses an 8-gigabyte Raspberry Pi 4 with a heatsink, a 500-gigabyte SSD connected to the adapter of an Argon One case, a RaspiAudio module with sound card and microphone, a 4.3-inch Waveshare screen with touch support, the PiSugar S module that acts as a UPS, and the Adafruit KB2040 driver, which allowed Don to keep the original HX-20 keyboard.
As expected, the Raspberry Pi received some modifications (especially regarding USB ports), and the printer still needs a bit of extra work, but the most impressive thing is that Don didn't use any 3D printer: Pure Dremel, cuts, holes, and lots of sandpaper.
If everything goes well with the printer, Don said he will consider adapting the microcassette unit. I imagine the transfer speed leaves much to be desired, but the documentation available for the HX-20 is very good, and it should only be a matter of time.
Source: Hackaday.io
