Casio PV-16

Rookie (31)

28-02-2018, 20:44

Hello everyone. Just received my very first MSX computer in the mail. A very nice small and compact Casio PV-16. After plugging it in and giving it a wirl. I noticed you have to push really hard on some of the keys for them to work. So it looks like I will be opening it up soon, but, before I do. Is the internal part of the keyboard a pcb or is it the plastic overlay type? I looked here at the wiki and there was no pics of the internal keyboard parts.

Thing that sucks it the guy from Japan said tested and works great. Then after I paid him he said there was an issue with the built in Joypad. So he sent me a Sega Genesis controller. Is that even going to work right? Ugggg.

Also wondering if anyone could give me a lead on getting a kb-7 expansion. Scoured ebay to no avail.

Thanks

By msxtrd

Champion (273)

28-02-2018, 21:37

Sega Genesis controller is not msx compatible out of the box. MSX has A and B button. you will need to modify the controller or buy an adapter (which enables patched games to use more buttons). KB-7 can be probably bought off yahoo auctions japan, but these ususally are sold together with the computer. This is a very poor msx machine , would rather go for an MSX with 64K, or MSX2 up , unless you want to play roms, that need only 16K .

By Grauw

Ascended (10768)

28-02-2018, 22:01

That’s a bit lame of that seller.

After modifying the Genesis controller though (fairly simple mod, or you could buy/make an adapter), you should have a nice 3- or 6-button controller for MSX though. Few games use it natively, but when loading them with software like SofaRun it has the capability to patch many games to make use of the extra buttons.

For cartridge games this MSX1 is fine, but cassette games will typically require more memory. If you buy a MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD or a similar device, with RAM option, you should be able to play most MSX1 games.

By Manuel

Ascended (19463)

28-02-2018, 22:03

This is one of the cheapest MSX's that were ever made, purely focused to have a minimal machine for minimal MSX1 gaming...

By cobracon2

Rookie (31)

28-02-2018, 22:14

Looks like I will have to contact this seller then. I did buy a 1mb popolon card for the unit. Will this help with loading cas based games?

Also any ideas about the keyboard being pcb or overlay style?

Thanks for all the info so far. Looks like I will have to find a kb-7 or get another machine. sigh. Guess thats what I get for just jumping in.

By Grauw

Ascended (10768)

28-02-2018, 22:21

Cobracon2, a (Musical) Memory Mapper from popolon-fr? Yes that one is MSX1-compatible and will expand the memory to the maximum of 64K unmapped RAM, enough for all cassette games. You can also run 16K and 32K ROM games on it, there are some tools to load them via the cassette port (WAVer I think one is called). I think in theory it can also run MegaROM games, but finding the right tools to getting them loaded on there without a disk drive may be a bit of a challenge.

By Fabf

Champion (266)

28-02-2018, 22:21

You also must know you can't heard SCC music without a KB7 as "sound in" is not wired in the PV16

PV7, PV16, MX10 and MX101 are definitively collectors machines and not users machines !

By Grauw

Ascended (10768)

28-02-2018, 22:57

Really… pfft, Casio, what were you thinking.

Anyway, there are a lot of games that will work, especially with RAM cartridge, so there’s still a lot to play. Knightmare, The Goonies, Eggerland, H.E.R.O., Come on! Picot, Dorodon, Penguin Wars, Rollerball, Snake It!, Skooter, Traffic, etc. All plain ROM games. Also many recent MSXDev competition games. So it’s not useless, just limited.

By hamlet

Scribe (4106)

28-02-2018, 22:33

Welcome cobracon2! I like the Casio. It is truly a collectors machine. As mentioned the keyboard is crab. Different to other MSX models, the big cursor keys are for gaming only. I guess you will not, also you cannot connect a printer to the Casio. But you can connect a tape player directly. I would't invest to much money in upgrading the Casio and spend the bucks into buying an MSX2.

By cobracon2

Rookie (31)

28-02-2018, 22:38

If I bought the 512k, mapper, sd card cartridge from 8bits4ever, would that help solve some of my issues? At least till I get another machine or expansion unit? Reall want to check out some games.

By Grauw

Ascended (10768)

28-02-2018, 22:46

I own the MegaFlashROM SCC+ SD 512K but I think the 8bits4ever SD-512 is very similar in capabilities (and also MSX1 compatible), so it should be a good purchase that will remain useful even if you get another MSX at a later time.

(But I think you should enjoy this MSX a bit before moving on to the next .)