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Description
The Panasonic VW-KT300 is a video titler appliance. The standard package includes a specific keypad and a FS-JM1 mouse. The VW-EC300 editing controller completes the professional package.
This machine has superimposing feature and as it's aimed at the Japanese market, it includes the 'standard' Kanji-ROM level 1 from the FS-A1FX computer, with the indications "FX-FONT" and 1988 on the chip.
It has also 32kB SRAM and 3 chips that seem to come from two printers:
- a chip with the indication "FS-PK1", made in 1987, what refers to the FS-PK1 color 24 dot matrix printer
- a 24 dot Kanji-ROM, made in 1988
- a Jisho ROM (Kanji Dictionary), made in 1989, what refers to the FS-PC1 color 48 dot matrix printer
The main program (with a modified MSX2+ BIOS and a specific mapper) is on a 256kB chip, with the indication "FS-VA1".
From a hardware perspective this is an MSX2+ (Z80B and V9958), but strangely it does not use an MSX-Engine like the other MSX2+ systems from Panasonic.
The BIOS is also not a normal MSX BIOS, it does not contain any typical text strings you would expect an MSX BIOS to have, but the hardware is setup in a typical MSX way on boot.
Alexandre Tabajara has been able to boot the machine to a MSX1 BASIC prompt, by replacing the BIOS, but attempts to boot it as a MSX2+ have failed so far.
As this machine does not have any data recorder connector, floppy drive or MSX cartridge slot, loading software would probably have to be done from the IC memory card slot.
| Brand | Panasonic |
| Model | VW-KT300 |
| Year | 1990 |
| Region | Japan |
| Launch price | |
| RAM | 64kB in slot 3-0 + 32kB SRAM |
| VRAM | 128kB |
| Media | IC memory cards |
| Video | Yamaha V9958 |
| Audio | PSG |
| Chipset | none (separate IC's) |
| Keyboard layout | specific keypad |
| Extras | keypad, mouse, IC memory card slot, superimposing feature, switch to select Black&Wite or Color, superimpose hue regulator, Kanji-ROM level 1, Kanji dictionary, firmware, (version pro) VW-EC300 editing controller |
| Emulation | ROMs dumped but not yet emulated |
Pictures
Specifications
The VW-KT300 is a MSX2+ appliance, with a modified MSX2+ BIOS, a Z80B from Zilog running at 6.17Mhz and a NEC gate array D65042GD405.
Slot Map
The slot map of this appliance seems to be similar to the slot map of the FS-A1FX computer, but without cartridge slot or disk drive.
Connections
- One set of RCA Video/Audio + S-Video input connectors on the front
- One set of RCA Video/Audio + S-Video input connectors on the rear
- Two sets of RCA Video/Audio + S-Video output connectors on the rear
- Keyboard connector
- One general connector (joysticks, mouse, paddle controllers, ...)
- IC memory card slot
- Power Plug male for main power supply (JIS C 8303 class, AC 100V +/-10% 50/60Hz)
- power socket
Note: No Data recorder connector, floppy drive or MSX Cartridge slot!