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SharpDataExchange User Manual

SharpDataExchange transfers data between a modern PC and Sharp Pocket Computers (PC-1500, PC-1500A, PC-1600) via a serial/USB connection. It handles BASIC programs, machine language, Reserve Area contents, and variable data.

Table of Contents

  1. Requirements
  2. Hardware Setup
  3. Quick Start
  4. Concepts
  5. Command Reference
  6. Pocket Computer Commands
  7. Data Formats
  8. Common Workflows
  9. Troubleshooting

Requirements

  • Java 21 or higher
  • A command line (Terminal, PowerShell, etc.)
  • A serial connection between your PC and the Pocket Computer (see Hardware Setup)

Run the tool as:

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar <command> [options] <file>

Hardware Setup

PC-1500 / PC-1500A: CE-158X

The PC-1500 and PC-1500A do not have a built-in serial port. The original Sharp CE-158 add-on provided serial and parallel ports; the modern CE-158X by Jeff Birt (available at soigeneris.com) is the recommended replacement and is what this software is tested against.

Connect the CE-158X to the PC via its USB port (labeled U1). No driver configuration is necessary on modern systems; the device appears as a standard USB serial adapter.

PC-1600: USB/UART Adapter

The PC-1600 has a built-in 5V TTL serial port via a 15-pin connector. Connect it to the PC using an FTDI USB/UART adapter (e.g. TTL-232R-5V-WE). The adapter signals must be inverted before use — this is a one-time operation using FTDI's configuration utility on a Windows machine.

Wiring (pin 1 is the rightmost pin of the PC-1600's 15-pin connector):

PC-1600 pin Signal Adapter wire
2 TX RX (yellow)
3 RX TX (orange)
4 RTS CTS (brown)
5 CTS RTS (green)
7 Ground Ground (black)

Do not connect the red (5V) wire of the adapter.

Note for Apple Silicon Mac users: A hardware bug in the macOS RTS/CTS driver causes data loss when sending to the PC-1600. The workaround is to build on the Mac and run SharpDataExchange on a Raspberry Pi connected to the PC-1600 via a remote SSH session.

Serial Port Auto-Detection

SharpDataExchange automatically detects the serial port:

  • macOS: looks for cu.usb*
  • Linux / Raspberry Pi: looks for ttyACM* or ttyUSB*

If more than one matching port is present, use -p to specify the port explicitly.

Quick Start

Receive a BASIC program from the PC-1500

On the PC-1500, enter:

SETDEV U1,CI,CO
CSAVE

On the PC, run:

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar get

The program is saved as readable ASCII BASIC. SharpDataExchange derives the filename from the received header and de-tokenizes the binary data automatically.

Send a BASIC program to the PC-1500

On the PC-1500, enter:

SETDEV U1,CI,CO
CLOAD

On the PC, run:

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar put myprogram.bas

Receive a BASIC program from the PC-1600

On the PC-1600, enter the serial setup (once after power-on or reset):

SETCOM "COM1:",9600,8,N,1,N,N
INIT "COM1:",4096
OUTSTAT "COM1:"
RCVSTAT "COM1:",24

Then save:

SAVE "COM1:"

On the PC, run:

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar get myprogram.bas --device pc1600

Send a BASIC program to the PC-1600

After completing the serial setup above, on the PC-1600 enter:

SNDSTAT "COM1:",24
LOAD "COM1:"

On the PC, run:

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar put myprogram.bas --device pc1600

Concepts

Two commands: get and put

All transfers involve the Pocket Computer as one party. The two commands describe what the PC does:

  • get — the PC receives data from the Pocket Computer and saves it to a file
  • put — the PC reads a file and sends it to the Pocket Computer

On the Pocket Computer side, get corresponds to a save command (e.g. CSAVE), and put corresponds to a load command (e.g. CLOAD). This naming avoids confusion with the Pocket Computer's own SAVE and LOAD commands.

Who goes first

For get: start the PC command first, then issue the save command on the Pocket Computer. For put: issue the load command on the Pocket Computer first, then start the PC command.

The exact ordering matters because the Pocket Computer does not buffer data. The PC waits for incoming data (get), but the Pocket Computer does not wait when sending (put).

ASCII by default

When receiving data from the Pocket Computer, SharpDataExchange always saves it as ASCII by default. The recommended way to send data from the Pocket Computer is the standard binary save command (CSAVE / SAVE "COM1:"): it is faster than ASCII transfer and SharpDataExchange de-tokenizes the result automatically.

  • A program saved with CSAVE or SAVE "COM1:" (binary) is de-tokenized and written as readable ASCII BASIC.
  • Reserve Area data is written in a readable structured format (SDAR) showing the three layers, labels, and key definitions with BASIC keywords de-tokenized. (PC-1500 only; the PC-1600 does not support Reserve Area transfer via serial).
  • Variable data is written in a readable key-value format (SDAV). (PC-1500 only; the PC-1600 does not support variable transfer via serial).

The ASCII save variants (CSAVEa, SAVE "COM1:",A) still work and produce the same result on the PC, but are slower and are not normally needed.

Use --format binary to skip conversion and save the raw binary instead.

Content detection

SharpDataExchange identifies the type of data from its content, not from the file name or extension. This means .bas, .bin, or any other extension can be used freely.

Command Reference

get — Receive from Pocket Computer

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar get [options] [<output-file>]

Waits for the Pocket Computer to send data, then writes it to <output-file>.

If <output-file> is omitted, the filename is derived from the serial header sent by the Pocket Computer. If the header also lacks a filename, unnamed is used. A warning is printed to the console in these cases.

If a filename is provided but lacks an extension (no dot in the name), the appropriate extension is appended automatically based on the data type:

Data Type Extension
BASIC program .bas
Reserve Area (PC-1500 only) .sdar
Variables (PC-1500 only) .sdav
Machine code .bin
Option Description
-d, --device <device> Target device: pc1500 (default), pc1500a, pc1600. Required to configure the serial port (baud rate and handshaking) before data arrives. The received header is used for decoding, so an incorrect --device does not affect the output content.
-p, --port <port> Serial port name (auto-detected if omitted)
-f, --format <format> Output format: ascii (default), binary
--skip-header Omit the serial header from the saved binary file (--format binary only). Not recommended — see warning below.
-v, --verbose Verbose logging
-vv, --debug Debug logging
-V, --version Print version and exit
-h, --help Print help

Output formats for get:

Format Description
ascii Human-readable ASCII. BASIC programs use full keyword names. Reserve Area uses SDAR format. Variables use SDAV format. Default.
binary Raw binary as received, including the serial header. The resulting file can be sent back with put without re-tokenizing.

Warning — --skip-header: Without the header, SharpDataExchange cannot identify the file type and will refuse to load it. Only use this option when you need a raw payload for an external tool. A warning is printed to the console when --skip-header is active.

put — Send to Pocket Computer

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar put [options] <input-file>

Reads <input-file> and sends it to the Pocket Computer.

Option Description
-d, --device <device> Target device: pc1500 (default), pc1500a, pc1600. Optional when sending a binary file that already has a header — the device is inferred from the header automatically. Required for ASCII input and for headerless machine code.
-p, --port <port> Serial port name (auto-detected if omitted)
-f, --format <format> Override detected input format: ascii, binary
--start-address <hex> Load address for machine language programs (e.g. 38C5)
--run-address <hex> Auto-run address for machine language programs
--add-utils Prepend serial utility sub-program (shortcuts at line 61000+)
-v, --verbose Verbose logging
-vv, --debug Debug logging
-V, --version Print version and exit
-h, --help Print help

The file format is detected automatically from the file content. Use --format only if detection fails or to override.

When sending a binary file with a CE-158 or PC-1600 header, --device can be omitted: SharpDataExchange reads the device type from the header and configures the serial port accordingly.

Pocket Computer Commands

Sharp PC-1500 / PC-1500A

One-time serial port setup

The PC-1500 uses the CE-158X's USB port (U1). Before each session, redirect serial I/O to that port:

SETDEV U1,CI,CO

This command must be re-entered after each power cycle or NEW.

Receive a program from the PC (put)

Issue the load command on the PC-1500 before starting put on the PC:

To receive... Command
Tokenized binary (default) CLOAD
ASCII BASIC CLOADa

SharpDataExchange sends binary by default for the fastest and most reliable transfer. When loading binary, the PC-1500 does not need to parse each line, which avoids timing problems.

Send a program to the PC (get)

Start get on the PC first, then issue the save command on the PC-1500:

CSAVE

or with a filename:

CSAVE"filename"

SharpDataExchange de-tokenizes the binary data and writes readable ASCII BASIC to the file. Binary is faster than ASCII transfer and is the recommended method.

The ASCII variant (CSAVEa) also works and produces the same result on the PC, but is significantly slower and is not normally used.

Save/load the Reserve Area

CSAVEr"filename"    (binary, Reserve Area)

The Reserve Area is always saved as binary from the PC-1500. SharpDataExchange converts it to SDAR format by default.

To send a Reserve Area file back:

CLOADr

Serial utility shortcuts (optional)

If you use --add-utils when sending a program, three shortcut functions are added at line 61000:

Key Action
Def-J Re-initialize the serial port (SETDEV U1,CI,CO)
Def-S Save the program via serial
Def-L Load a program via serial

Sharp PC-1600

Serial port setup (after each power-on or reset)

The PC-1600 serial port must be configured before first use. Enter these commands:

SETCOM "COM1:",9600,8,N,1,N,N
INIT "COM1:",4096
OUTSTAT "COM1:"
RCVSTAT "COM1:",24

For sending data from the PC-1600 to the PC, additionally enter:

SNDSTAT "COM1:",24

These settings configure the port at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, with RTS/CTS hardware flow control. The buffer is set to 4096 bytes.

Receive a program from the PC (put)

Issue the load command on the PC-1600 before starting put on the PC. The PC-1600 auto-detects whether the incoming data is ASCII or binary:

LOAD "COM1:"

To auto-run the program immediately after loading:

LOAD "COM1:",R

Send a program to the PC (get)

Start get on the PC first, then issue the save command on the PC-1600:

SAVE "COM1:"

SharpDataExchange de-tokenizes the binary data and writes readable ASCII BASIC to the file. Binary is faster than ASCII transfer and is the recommended method.

The ASCII variant (SAVE "COM1:",A) also works and produces the same result on the PC, but is significantly slower and is not normally used.

Serial utility shortcuts (optional)

If you use --add-utils when sending a program, three shortcut functions are added at line 61000:

Key Action
Def-J Re-initialize the serial port (repeats the SETCOM/INIT/OUTSTAT/RCVSTAT sequence)
Def-S Save the program via SAVE "COM1:"
Def-L Load a program via LOAD "COM1:"

PC-1600 serial command reference

The following commands are available for advanced serial configuration on the PC-1600:

SETCOM — Configure baud rate and protocol:

SETCOM "COM1:",<baud>,<bits>,<parity>,<stop>,<xon>,<shift>

Example: SETCOM "COM1:",9600,8,N,1,N,N

INIT — Set receive buffer size (default after power-on is 40 bytes; increase to avoid overflow):

INIT "COM1:",<buffer-size>

Example: INIT "COM1:",4096

OUTSTAT — Configure RTS/DTR signals. Call without a parameter to enable dynamic flow control:

OUTSTAT "COM1:"

RCVSTAT — Set receive handshake and timeout:

RCVSTAT "COM1:",<protocol>[,<timeout>]

24 enables CTS handshake. Timeout is in units of 0.5 seconds; 0 disables it.

SNDSTAT — Set send handshake and timeout:

SNDSTAT "COM1:",<protocol>[,<timeout>]

24 enables CTS handshake. 28 disables all flow control.

SETDEV — Redirect INPUT and/or LPRINT/LLIST to the serial port:

SETDEV "COM1:"[,KI][,PO]

Call SETDEV without parameters to release the port.

PCONSOLE — Set line length and line ending for serial output:

PCONSOLE "COM1:",<line-length>,<eol>

EOL codes: 0=CR, 1=LF, 2=CR/LF. Example: PCONSOLE "COM1:",80,2

terminal — Experimental interactive mode

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar terminal [options]

Starts a passive terminal session. All data received from the Pocket Computer is displayed on the console, and all keyboard input is sent back to the Pocket Computer.

Non-printable characters (control codes, and all characters with values > 127) are displayed in hex format (e.g., 0x0B).

PC-1600 Redirection

On the PC-1600, terminal mode can be used to redirect standard I/O:

  • Output: Use SETDEV "COM1:",PO then LLIST to print a program listing to your host console.
  • Input: Use SETDEV "COM1:",KI to provide input for an INPUT statement from your host keyboard.
  • Terminal I/O: By combining PRINT# and INPUT (with KI redirected), you can use the host PC as a multi-line terminal for the Pocket Computer.

To exit: Press the ESC key twice.

Option Description
-d, --device <device> Target device: pc1500 (default), pc1500a, pc1600. Required to configure the serial port baud rate and handshaking.
-p, --port <port> Serial port name (auto-detected if omitted)
-v, --verbose Verbose logging
-vv, --debug Debug logging

Data Formats

ASCII BASIC

Standard Sharp BASIC source code, one line per line number:

10 FOR I=1 TO 10
20 PRINT I
30 NEXT I

Full keyword names are used (not abbreviations). This is the default output of get for all BASIC programs, whether they were sent from the Pocket Computer in binary or ASCII mode.

Binary

Raw binary format as used by the Pocket Computer's cassette interface. The PC-1500 uses a 27-byte CE-158 header; the PC-1600 uses a 16-byte header.

Use --format binary with get to save the file in binary form. The header is included by default, making the file directly usable with put without re-tokenizing. Use --skip-header to omit it — but note that SharpDataExchange cannot identify or reload a headerless binary file, and will print a warning when this option is used.

Reserve Area (SDAR) — PC-1500 only

A human-readable format for the PC-1500 Reserve Area. The PC-1600 does not support Reserve Area transfer via serial (it is only available via the tape interface).

; SDAR:1.0 pc1500
; Filename: MYAPP

[layer 1]
label: ABS FOR SIN COS TAN ATN
key 1: ABS(
key 2: FOR
key 3: SIN(
key 4: COS(
key 5: TAN(
key 6: ATN(

[layer 2]
label: IO
key 1: LOAD "
key 2: SAVE "
key 3: NEW
key 4:
key 5:
key 6:

[layer 3]
label:
key 1:
key 2:
key 3:
key 4:
key 5:
key 6:

Layer label: Free-form text chosen by the user; typically a compact string that identifies what the keys on that layer do, such as ABS FOR SIN COS TAN ATN. The label is not validated against the key contents — keeping them aligned is up to the user.

Key content: BASIC keywords are written in their full names (PRINT, FOR, SIN(, etc.) and are re-tokenized automatically when the file is loaded back. Empty keys are left blank after the colon. All six keys must be present in each layer, even if empty.

Lines beginning with ; are comments and are ignored when reading the file back. Blank lines between sections are also ignored.

Size limit: The total content across all layers must fit within the hardware Reserve Area. SharpDataExchange checks this when converting from SDAR to binary and reports an error if the limit is exceeded.

Variables (SDAV) — PC-1500 only

A human-readable key-value format for variable data on the PC-1500. The PC-1600 does not support variable transfer via serial.

; SDAV:1.0 pc1500
; Count: 4
; Filename: MYAPP
A=3.14159265
B$="HELLO"
C=0
D$=""

Numeric variables are written in decimal. String variables are enclosed in double quotes. Internal double quotes are escaped as \", and control characters as \xHH.

Common Workflows

Transfer a BASIC program to the PC-1500 and keep it editable

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar get myprogram.bas

On the PC-1500: SETDEV U1,CI,CO then CSAVE — SharpDataExchange de-tokenizes the binary and writes readable ASCII BASIC.

Send a modified program back to the PC-1500

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar put myprogram.bas

On the PC-1500: SETDEV U1,CI,CO then CLOAD — the program is sent as tokenized binary for fastest transfer.

Send as ASCII instead of binary (e.g. to diagnose a tokenization problem)

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar put --format ascii myprogram.bas

On the PC-1500: SETDEV U1,CI,CO then CLOADa.

Back up the Reserve Area from the PC-1500

On the PC-1500: SETDEV U1,CI,CO then CSAVEr"MYAPP"

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar get reserve.sdar

The Reserve Area is saved in SDAR format — a structured, human-readable file showing the three layers, labels, and key definitions. BASIC keywords are de-tokenized to full names so the file can be read and edited directly.

Restore the Reserve Area to the PC-1500

On the PC-1500: SETDEV U1,CI,CO then CLOADr

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar put reserve.sdar

Load a machine language program onto the PC-1500

If the binary file has no CE-158 header, provide the addresses:

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar put --start-address 38C5 --run-address 38C5 program.bin

On the PC-1500: SETDEV U1,CI,CO then CLOAD.

Specify the serial port manually

java -jar SharpDataExchange.jar get myprogram.bas --port /dev/cu.usbserial-A50285BI

Troubleshooting

The tool exits immediately without waiting for data (get) The serial port was not found. Check that the CE-158X or USB/UART adapter is connected. Use --port to specify the port explicitly.

ERROR 67 on the PC-1500 when loading ASCII A line in the program exceeds 80 characters. Load as binary instead (omit a from CLOADa).

ERROR 61 on the PC-1500 when loading binary The binary file lacks a CE-158 header. SharpDataExchange adds the header automatically when sending; this error should not occur with files produced by get. If sending a third-party binary file, ensure it either has a header or supply --start-address.

Data corruption or incomplete transfer (PC-1500) The PC-1500 requires paced transmission. SharpDataExchange applies a 1 ms delay between bytes and a 300 ms pause after the header automatically. If problems persist, check the USB cable and CE-158X connection.

Data loss when sending to PC-1600 on Apple Silicon Mac A macOS driver bug causes RTS/CTS flow control to malfunction on Apple Silicon. Run SharpDataExchange on a Raspberry Pi connected to the PC-1600, and use SSH from the Mac to operate it.

The PC-1600 serial port stops responding Re-enter the full setup sequence:

SETCOM "COM1:",9600,8,N,1,N,N
INIT "COM1:",4096
OUTSTAT "COM1:"
RCVSTAT "COM1:",24

If --add-utils was used, Def-J runs this sequence automatically.