Epson PX-8

The Epson PX-8 is a Zilog Z80–based portable computer manufactured in 1984, running CP/M-80. It is an extremely limited machine by modern standards.

During the summer of 2022, I spent a considerable amount of time attempting to make the PX-8 my daily driver as a Linux terminal, connected to a modern system over RS-232 serial.

While I was never able to get terminal emulation completely correct — most notably issues around screen clearing and cursor control — the process itself was worthwhile.

Terminal Work

At some point in the future, I may attempt to reverse engineer the PX-8’s terminal behavior and build a custom Linux terminfo entry to better accommodate the machine.

A more ambitious (and more fun) idea would be to write a VT-compatible terminal emulator specifically for the PX-8.

Music Use

The most successful and practical use I’ve found for the PX-8 is managing TidalCycles scripts for music orchestration.

Used in this way, the PX-8 functions less as a general-purpose terminal and more as a dedicated control surface — a place to write, edit, and trigger musical structures.

Aesthetically, the PX-8 fits perfectly alongside the Roland TR-909 and Akai S6000 samplers I use in the same setup. The visual language of these machines feels coherent in a way that modern hardware rarely does.

Notes

I also occasionally use the PX-8 for email and spending time on sdf.org — a kind of proto-social media built on heritage UNIX software from the 1970s.

I spent an entire summer getting this configuration to work. It was worth it.