{"id":2316,"date":"2025-12-13T18:15:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T17:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/?p=2316"},"modified":"2025-12-15T10:37:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T09:37:58","slug":"the-elektronika-mk-90","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/13\/the-elektronika-mk-90\/","title":{"rendered":"The Elektronika MK-90"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">( <strong>In  PockEmul 2.10.0 )<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Elektronika MK\u201190<\/strong> has always been a fascinating machine to me. I\u2019ve long wanted to integrate it into PockEmul because of its unique characteristics that fully justify its place ( a powerful CPU, a large display, &#8230; ).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting familiar with this computer will be a real challenge for pocket computer enthusiasts, since it uses <strong>Russian messages<\/strong> rather than the English interface common to most pocket computers of that era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The MK\u201190 features <strong>two extension slots<\/strong> for RAM\/ROM modules and a companion device\u2014the <strong>MK\u201192<\/strong>, a plotter combined with a cassette output (not emulated yet in PockEmul).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/?attachment_id=2317\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"401\" src=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_1-1024x401.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_1-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_1-300x117.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_1-768x301.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_1-1200x470.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_1.jpg 1252w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Functional Scope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CPU<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clock chip<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SMP (RAM\/ROM modules)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SMP<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The two RAM module slots (saved by battery) are managed directly through the contextual menu using PockEmul\u2019s Disk generic system. This system is gradually being extended to all models that use external modules or storage. It is currently used for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Casio MD\u2011100 floppy disks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HP\u201141 raw files<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MK\u201190 SMP modules<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/?attachment_id=2326\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_2-1024x580.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_2-1024x580.png 1024w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_2-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_2-768x435.png 768w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_2-1536x870.png 1536w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_2-1200x679.png 1200w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_2.png 1558w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">LCD Persistence Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many LCDs of that era, the MK\u201190\u2019s screen suffers from strong persistence. Developers experimented with simulating multiple shades of gray by rapidly toggling pixels on and off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve always wanted to emulate this characteristic, seen in other pockets such as the Sharp G850 or Casio Z1. It\u2019s quite complex, and the MK\u201190 is the first machine in PockEmul where I attempt to simulate LCD persistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/?attachment_id=2319\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"695\" height=\"408\" src=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2319\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result is far from perfect. <br>This is because I fully simulate the persistence of each pixel with a depth of 10 states (on\/off), tracking how long each pixel has been lit in order to generate a corresponding grayscale level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While this method is theoretically ideal, the timing of each frame must be absolutely precise to achieve an optimal rendering\u2014and that is not the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it\u2019s not all bad\u2014under normal use, the realism is greatly enhanced. You truly get the impression of working with the actual machine, complete with its quirks, rather than facing an LCD that looks unrealistically perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/?attachment_id=2328\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"837\" height=\"492\" src=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_life_1.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2328\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The transition between the values on the counter is particularly well rendered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And here, in slow motion, are the first frames\u2014just to better understand how it works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/?attachment_id=2329\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"837\" height=\"492\" src=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90_life_2.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2329\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Documentation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One major obstacle in integrating the MK\u201190 into PockEmul was the <strong>lack of accessible documentation<\/strong>. The only available user manuals were in Russian, making discovery nearly impossible for most users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I began translating the manual into English\u2014a long and tedious task. While searching for a high\u2011quality PDF, I found Vladislav\u2019s website, where he had retyped the documentation in Russian. So, I asked him if he could share his Word source to ease my translation work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To my delight, he sent me the <strong>already translated English documentation<\/strong>. I warmly thank him, as this documentation was absolutely essential to allow everyone to explore this monument of Russian microcomputing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\"  class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90eman_en.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of mk90eman_en.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-bc307669-b42b-41a5-b454-9fe3ff0e5aac\" href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90eman_en.pdf\">mk90eman_en<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk90eman_en.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-bc307669-b42b-41a5-b454-9fe3ff0e5aac\">T\u00e9l\u00e9charger<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the links to his Github space and his web site:<br><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/Bs0Dd\">Bs0Dd (Vladislav)<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/mk.bs0dd.net\/index.php?lang=eng\">https:\/\/mk.bs0dd.net\/index.php?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The MK\u201192 (Not yet released in PockEmul)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I managed to find ROM dump files for the MK\u201192 on a forum\u2014huge thanks to the enthusiasts who shared them. This gave me hope of offering the MK\u201192 in PockEmul, which would have been a first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, I still struggle to fully understand its operation. Despite a complete disassembly of its ROM, I was able to isolate the vector character generation for the plotter, but I still don\u2019t understand how the stepper motors are controlled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, the <strong>MK\u201192 is not yet enabled<\/strong> in this version of PockEmul ,but I\u2019m still working on it\u2014and believe me, I will succeed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/?attachment_id=2322\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"736\" src=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk92-1024x736.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2322\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk92-1024x736.png 1024w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk92-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk92-768x552.png 768w, https:\/\/pockemul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mk92.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Perfect emulation is an infinite quest. Please report us any inaccurate behaviour at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:contact@pockemul.com\">contact@pockemul.com<\/a>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A message for our longstanding users and subscribers :<br>PockEmul is a 25 years passion project and a labor of love.<br>We invite you to share the passion and love for vintage computing.<br>Help us make history like these computers have done in the not-so-distant past.<br>Help us shape the future of PockEmul. Spread the word!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>( In PockEmul 2.10.0 ) The Elektronika MK\u201190 has always been a fascinating machine to me. I\u2019ve long wanted to integrate it into PockEmul because of its unique characteristics that fully justify its place ( a powerful CPU, a large display, &#8230; ). Getting familiar with this computer will be a real challenge for pocket &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/13\/the-elektronika-mk-90\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;The Elektronika MK-90&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,58,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exotics","category-news","category-pockemullite"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2348,"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316\/revisions\/2348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pockemul.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}