Sony XV-T600 Picture Computer

We already know that home video equipment and MSX are very related things. And Sony made both, MSX and video equipment. The Sony's video equipment catalog is a good place to search for MSX machines. In our last posts, we show two Sony's video titlers: XV-J550 and XV-T550. And we know that Sony have many other hidden MSXs!

Then, searching for these hidden MSXs, I found this machine:

XV-T600 Picture Computer

This is the Sony XV-T600, a "Picture Computer", it cames with a small scanner that you can use to digitize any picture:

The XV-T600 Image Scanner

You can also draw your own graphics using the (optional) trackball and superimpose the pictures and graphics to a live video stream:

A nice Sony Trackball

Hey! This optional trackball that came with XV-T600 looks very familiar to MSX fans:

Sony MSX F1-System's advertising, showing the various devices
related to MSX made by Sony, including the GB-6 Trackball.
(page from MSX-Fan 1991-01)

Yes, like the XV-J550 uses a MSX mouse from Sony (MOS-1), the XV-T600 uses the Sony GB-6 trackball. And in the back of main unit, we have a MSX compatible cassette connector:

MSX compatible tape connector

If you are curious about this device features, you can see a XV-T600 "in action" in this video:

Now we only need to link the dots: MSX can digitze images, MSX trackball, MSX interface, Sony built MSX video equipment, this machine needs to be a MSX, right?

Wrong. XV-T600 is not a hidden MSX.

And what is inside Sony XV-T600?

Sony XV-T600 have the same dimentions, colors and overall design of XV-J550, which is not surprising, since those machines are part of the same line of video editing equipment.

Sony XV-T600 front.

Scanner and trackball connector (DB-9 male).
You can also select the appropriate video/audio source

Here you can choose video editing function and color do you want to use.

Sony XV-T600 back.
Here we have the audio/video inputs (two sets of three RCA connectors),
the many outputs and the MSX cassette connector.

After opened you can't see any of the ICs associated with MSX, there is no MSX-Engine or MSX-System, no Yamaha V99X8 video processor and no Z80.

And finally the opened device

The circuit board. It's easy to see that there is no Yamaha V99X8.
But the small QFP IC at bottom left could be a Z80, and the board
have a "shack" which can hide something.

Nope. Below the "shack" there is another QFP IC and both chips are from Ricoh

And this is the last significant IC on this PCB

The Ricoh processors are RF5C16Y and RF65C027Y. The first one is a Video Controller and the other I guess it's a 65C02 compatible. I did not find the datasheet but the component name (and previous Ricoh's experience with MC6XXX processors). The NEC D1510ACU-608 is a operational amplifier.

I didn't dump the ROMs and, to be honest, after seeing this is not even remotely a MSX machine I lost the interest on it.

Another one to the Not MSX category. At least I can enjoy the GB-6 Trackball.