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HP F1216A

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article HP F1216A, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 8 August 2025
Hewlett-Packard
IndustryComputer hardware, Personal digital assistants
FoundedJanuary 1, 1939; 87 years ago (1939-01-01)
Headquarters
Palo Alto
,
United States
ProductsHP 200LX Palmtop PC

The HP 200LX Palmtop PC (models F1060A, F1061A, F1216A), codenamed project Felix, is a personal digital assistant launched by Hewlett-Packard in August 1994. Positioned as a Palmtop PC, it stood out for its extensive DOS compatibility within a compact design, equipped with a monochrome graphic screen, QWERTY keyboard, serial interface, and a PCMCIA expansion slot. The "LX" designation represented "Lotus Expandable".

Description

The HP 200LX incorporates a compact QWERTY keyboard combined with a numeric keypad housed in a clamshell chassis roughly one-quarter the size of a conventional laptop. It is powered by two AA alkaline or Ni-Cd rechargeable batteries, delivering around 30 to 40 hours of operation, with recharging facilitated through a 12 V DC power adapter.

At its core lies an Intel 80186-compatible "Hornet" processor running at approximately 7.91 MHz, which can be overclocked to nearly 15.8 MHz. Memory configurations include 1, 2, or 4 MB—comprising 640 KB of RAM with the remainder assignable as expanded memory (EMS) or storage space. Third-party enhancements can increase RAM capacity up to 64 MB, thus preserving the PCMCIA slot for modem or Ethernet cards from manufacturers such as Silicom, Accton, Netgear FA411, and Sohoware ND5120. Operating MS-DOS 5.0 directly from ROM and maintaining IBM PC/XT compatibility, it supports most applications designed for Intel 8086/8088/80186 processors and CGA graphics. Additionally, it can execute certain Intel 80286 programs provided they do not utilize protected mode.

Connectivity options include a Type II PCMCIA slot delivering 5 V at a maximum of 150 mA, an Infrared Data Association (SIR) compliant infrared port, and a full serial port featuring a proprietary miniaturized connector designed to conserve space.

Preloaded ROM software encompasses Lotus 1-2-3 Release 2.4 spreadsheet, calendar, phone book, terminal emulator, Lotus cc:Mail client, and scientific/business calculator tools. When paired with a large CompactFlash card and serial mouse, Microsoft Windows 3.0 can operate in Real Mode—limited by hardware constraints—with Word 1.x and Excel 2.x available for creating MS Office-compatible files.

Its CGA-compatible LCD provides a monochrome display at a resolution of 640×200 pixels with four shades of gray but lacks built-in backlighting; however, third-party electroluminescent backlight kits have been available since 2004. Due to the limited screen size, users often rely on zoom functions.

Unlike standard CGA displays that use hardware code page 437 without font customization, the HP 95LX supported code page 850. From the HP 100LX onward—including the LX series—these devices offer user-selectable text mode ROM fonts for code pages 437 and 850 along with software-definable RAM fonts supporting multiple code pages (such as 437G, 437T, and 852). Lotus 1-2-3 utilizes the Lotus International Character Set (LICS), which maps characters to code page 850 for both display and printing purposes.

HP 100LX (F1020A / F1022A)

The HP 100LX Palmtop PC (F1020A with 1 MB RAM and F1022A with 2 MB RAM), internally known as project Cougar, was released prior to the 200LX in 1993. It came in International English, U.S. English, French, German, and Spanish editions featuring localized keyboards and language-specific messages. This model also employed the Hornet CPU and ran MS-DOS version 5.0 but included earlier iterations of built-in applications.

HP Palmtop FX

Introduced in 1993, the HP Palmtop FX is a specialized edition of the HP 100LX featuring up to 2 MB of flashable memory. Users could generate FAT flash disk images and write them to the F: drive using a dedicated utility. This model was reportedly created specifically for a Korean insurance firm.

HP 200LX AIA

The HP 200LX AIA represents a 2 MB, double-speed version of the HP 200LX, tailored exclusively for the insurance provider American International Assurance (AIA).

HP 1000CX

Known as the HP 1000CX Palmtop PC (identified by model numbers F1203A for 1 MB released in March 1995 and F1222A for 2 MB issued in February 1997), or internally as project Puma, this unit is a cost-effective variant of the 200LX. It shipped without pre-installed software aside from MS-DOS 5.0 embedded in ROM. The device found extensive use among companies such as Coca-Cola, where warehouse managers deployed customized logistics programs. Unlike the dark green casing of the 200LX, it features a black clamshell design.

HP OmniGo 700LX

Developed by HP’s Singapore calculator division, the HP OmniGo 700LX Communicator Plus (model F1206A), codenamed Columbia, is a modified version of the HP 200LX with 2 MB RAM. It was engineered to integrate with a Nokia 2110 GSM mobile phone, enabling wireless communication by adding a second PCMCIA slot for a Nokia Data Card. Its distinctive pebble-shaped housing accommodated this phone attachment. Announced toward the end of 1995 and available from March 1996, this device emerged from collaboration between HP and Nokia. Production ended as the Nokia 2110 became outdated. The OmniGo 700LX anticipated features later seen in smartphones like the Nokia 9000 Communicator.

HP 95LX

Launched in April 1991 under project name Jaguar, the HP 95LX Palmtop PC (models F1000A with 512 KB and F1010A with 1 MB) set the foundational design for later models. Powered by a NEC V20 CPU running at 5.37 MHz, it was constrained by its quarter-CGA LCD and MDA-compatible graphics, limiting compatibility with many PC applications. Operating on MS-DOS 3.22 and including Lotus 1-2-3 Release 2.2 built-in, it utilized a CR2032 battery to preserve memory contents when AA batteries were exhausted.

HP OmniGo 100

The HP OmniGo 100 Organizer Plus (models F1305A and F1310A) was developed as an advanced successor to the LX line, incorporating functionality from the HP-12C calculator. It featured a graphical user interface navigated via pen input or keyboard but lacked compatibility with standard DOS applications without modification. Its main operating environment was DOS-based PEN/GEOS version 2.1, which supported Graffiti handwriting recognition on top of Datalight ROM-DOS 6.22. Despite its innovative features, it failed to establish itself as a calculator replacement amid competition from Palm and Pocket PC devices dominating the PDA sector. Equipped with 1 MB RAM, it ran on a Vadem VG230/V5H system controller paired with a 16 MHz NEC V30HL CPU compatible with the Intel 80186 instruction set.

Current usage

Although production ceased to prioritize HP’s Windows CE devices starting with the HP 300LX, the HP 200LX has maintained considerable interest due to being HP’s final palmtop running MS-DOS. This allowed users access to a broad range of PC software, including bundled titles like Lotus 1-2-3 and Quicken. Compared to Windows CE platforms, DOS applications were generally more compact and efficient. Utilities such as Software Carousel enabled multiple programs to be loaded concurrently.

Third-party providers continue offering upgrades, repairs, and refurbishments that prolong these devices’ operational lifespan.

The HP 200LX enjoyed particular popularity in Japan, inspiring an open-source initiative led by to develop an AMD Élan SC400-based replacement in 2001. Unfortunately, only one prototype was completed before the company declared bankruptcy in 2003 amid disputes over unfulfilled deposits. Project leaders attributed this failure largely to component shortages caused by demand within the mobile phone industry.

Frequent issues

  • Cracks commonly appear near the right hinge of the injection-molded case top, often caused by inadequate molding flow; typical repairs involve reinforcing the area with industrial-strength super glue or epoxy along with metal braces.
  • Failures in the case latch mechanism can be remedied by placing thin rubber or sponge inserts to serve as springs.
  • To avoid leakage that may harm the LCD flat video cable, it is essential to use only premium-grade AA rechargeable batteries.
  • Older units can experience loss of pixel columns due to pins detaching from the display chip; functionality can be restored by carefully resoldering these connections.
  • Intensive usage may cause detachment of the space bar and enter keys, which typically requires replacing the keyboard.
  • The flexible strip connector linking the screen to the motherboard is prone to tearing from friction and usually must be replaced when damaged.
  • Keys that fail to respond are often due to deteriorated graphite-to-gold pad contacts on the keyboard ribbon; restoring conductivity with silver paint or copper tape can resolve this. Corroded motherboard contact pads may be cleaned using fine steel wool for repair. These procedures demand proficiency in electronics repair and meticulous reassembly.

Limitations in complete IBM PC compatibility

  • The HP 100LX/200LX's digital-to-analog converter does not support audio tone playback; instead, it functions to monitor battery status and charging.
  • The system lacks BIOS support (specifically INT 13h) for hard disk access. Partial driver development has been undertaken to facilitate booting MINIX 2.0.

Additional information

  • The HP 200LX was employed during NASA's Discovery OV103 Mission STS-95—the last flight of Senator John Glenn—in an Electronic Nose experiment created by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Caltech, overseen by Dan Karmon from JPL.
  • Playback of video and audio files is possible through software developed by Stefan Peichl, though the output quality remains modest. Limited sound recording capabilities exist as well. While no PCMCIA sound card is compatible, Yamaha MU10 MIDI synthesizers operate via serial port using Voyetra or GSPlay MIDI applications. For gaming purposes, Terrence Vergauwen utilizes a PCMCIA parallel port card combined with an OPL3LPT Adlib-compatible sound card connected through the parallel interface.
  • Both hardware and software methods allow the HP 200LX to connect to the Internet.
  • Serial numbers on HP 100LX, 200LX, 1000CX, and OmniGo 700LX models follow this pattern:
XXYWWNNNNN
XX indicates the country of manufacture (e.g., SG represents Singapore)
Y corresponds to the final digit of the production year (e.g., 6 stands for 1996)
WW denotes the week number within that year when manufactured
NNNNN specifies the sequential unit number produced during that week

Hidden features

The HP 200LX contains multiple embedded easter eggs:

Secret gallery

Within the built-in game "Lair of Squid," entering "gallery" (or its equivalents "gallerie" in French, "siegergalerie" in German, and "galeria" in Spanish) at startup unlocks a maze segment showcasing photographs of principal software developers:

  • Andy Gryc
  • Pat Megowan
  • Everett Kaser
  • Bill Johnson
  • Lynn Winter
  • Susan Wechsler
  • Eric Evett

The concluding panel displays a gratitude message from the Felix software team expressing appreciation to all individuals involved in developing the palmtop device.

Self-test poem 1

Within the HP 200LX self-diagnostic mode, which can be accessed by pressing when the device is powered off and selecting the display option, pressing fourteen times unveils a limerick:

Self-test poem 2

Also found in the self-test mode, pressing followed by holding while pressing thirteen times uncovers a mysterious poem that alludes to the obstacles encountered by the software development team:

Self-test poem 3

An additional hidden poem appears when pressing , then holding while pressing thirteen times. This allegorical verse reflects on the development journey and future prospects of the HP LX palmtop series. Notable project codenames include 'Jaguar' (HP 95LX), 'Cougar' (HP 100LX), and 'Felix' (HP 200LX—the initial LX model to incorporate Quicken):

Concealed development feature in 'More Applications'

Inside the HP 200LX's integrated System Manager, holding while pressing four times, then pressing once (after launching 'More Applications' with the blue key) reveals extensive information about System Manager-compatible (.EXM) applications and other internal program details—most likely designed as a tool for developers rather than as an easter egg.

Undocumented hex calculator

The HP 200LX contains a hidden calculator program named HEXCALC, created by Andrew Gryc. This utility supports arithmetic and logic operations in binary, octal, decimal, and hexadecimal numbering systems. HEXCALC can be added to the applications menu using the following entry:

  • Name: He&x Calc
  • Path: D:\BIN\HEXCALC.EXM

See also

Further reading

  • The Evolution of the HP Palmtops – An HP engineer’s account of developing the HP 95LX and HP 100LX.
  • The First Real Palmtop – A summary of pioneering palmtop innovations.
  • The story of the 1991 HP DOS Palmtop – Transitioning from an enhanced calculator to a full DOS-compatible computer.
  • Rob Tillotson’s review of the HP 200LX.
  • Sy’s evaluation of the HP 200LX.
  • Articles covering NASA’s STS-95 E-Nose experiment.
  • Usage of an "Off-the-Shelf" 200LX by a "Shade Tree Engineer."
  • Insights into The Electronic Nose and The Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer Array.
  • Findings from The Space Shuttle STS-95 Electronic Nose Experiment.
  • HP 200LX profile at Old-Computers.com Museum.

External links

  • 200LX Software S.U.P.E.R. – Collection featuring over 1500 programs and 200 databases for the 200LX.
  • HP Palmtop Paper Online – Marketplace for buying, selling, and repairing devices.
  • HP Palmtop Ring Homepage.
  • Skolob's Hewlett Packard 95LX Palmtop Page – Detailed information and FAQs about the HP 95LX.
  • Networking on an HP palmtop – Details on compatibility with the Sohoware ND5120 network card.

Related profiles

HHP OmniGo 100HHP 100LXHHP OmniGo 120HHP 200LX
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