Gakken Study Computer

[y-bot]

Anyone know anything about this? A Google search comes up with nothing. I got it yesterday along with a sack of Famicom games that my friend bought for me in Japan. It has a membrane keyboard (I think that's what it's called, like Odyssey 2) with three keyboard overlays. It has a cassette drive built in and a cartridge port that fits MSX carts. It has a cartridge with it that says "Gakken Study Computer" and it also says it on the computer. It has a built-in power supply and RF, A/V. and RGB outputs. When turned on a title screen comes up and by randomly pushing buttons it sometimes beeps and the cassette drive makes a clicking noise. I can't get it to do anything else. The cartridge looks like MSX but I tried a couple of MSX carts I have and the screen is blank. Any info about this console and how to use it would be greatly appreciated. I can take some pics but I have nowhere to host them.
Thanks, Y-bot

[slapdash]

Pictures! If they're not too big, or too many, I'll even host them (though I assume Joe might host them here).

Might be a SMS clone?? Or maybe it is an MSX, but the cart port is busted?

[Ed Oscuro]

Sounds familiar, maybe it's a Chinese pirate MSX? Hmm. I've never thought about seeing if MSX and SMS carts are the same size...I've got a few of both so I'll check that out.

[y-bot]

The cart that is in it is in an MSX style case (it has the little notch in the back) and it makes the "Gakken Study Computer" title screen come up. I'll try and take some pics tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks, Y-bot

[slapdash]

I've put up a pic that Toby sent me:

http://users.rcn.com/slapdash/pix/y-bot.gakken.jpg

It doesn't look like a clone of anything I know...

As far as normal MSX carts not working, I have two theories:

1) they built in with existing hardware for the carts & cart port, but it is not actually an MSX compatible machine

or

2) the hardware only accepts certain carts (and/or vice versa -- have you tried the cart on another MSX machine?)

Hmm, maybe a third possibility is that it requires a tape in the machine before the cart will run??? Did you have a tape in when trying other carts? That doesn't seem very likely though...

[IntvGene]

I did some searching around and didn't find anything useful. Does anyone know who makes this machine? If you can find the manufacturer, it might be able to help us a bit.

[y-bot]

I did some searching around and didn't find anything useful. Does anyone know who makes this machine? If you can find the manufacturer, it might be able to help us a bit.

Gakken is the manufacturer. They made mostly handhelds and tabletops I think.

@slapdash-I tried the "Gakken Study Computer" cart in another MSX computer and it does nothing. The Gakken study computer does nothing with no cartridge in it, nothing with MSX carts in it, but comes up with a title screen saying "Gakken Study Computer" and some other english word that I forget and some Japanese characters. Pushing buttons on the keyboard makes a beeping noise come from the monitor and one of the buttons makes the cassette drive click. I had the same thought about the cassette having to load to make it work. I took it apart last night and checked out the cassette drive and it looks OK. I cleaned the head, oiled the motor and checked the belts but it still does nothing. The three keyboard overlays are qwerty style, abcdefg style, and letters & numbers.

Thanks, y-bot

[slapdash]

Weird... I don't know man, still sounds a bit broken I guess. Shame, because that's a very interesting find otherwise.