HFU HF Underground
General Category => For Sale / Wanted / Barter => Topic started by: ChrisSmolinski on August 25, 2022, 1932 UTC
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Got some old 1980s/90s computers (Atari, Commodore, Apple, TRS-80, TI, etc.) gathering dust in the basement or attic that you're looking to get rid of? Please send me a PM before you take them to the trash/dump, my kids and I are into restoring them.
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Got some old 1980s/90s computers (Atari, Commodore, Apple, TRS-80, TI, etc.) gathering dust in the basement or attic that you're looking to get rid of? Please send me a PM before you take them to the trash/dump, my kids and I are into restoring them.
Any interest in the early 1980s Tandy Model 102 and peripherals? I'm clearing out my closets and found my old school laptop from years ago. I thought I'd already donated it years ago when I gave away my old compact Macs and second gen Macs.
Still works, although all data was cleared. Intact, in great shape, but missing the original slide-in cover for the RAM/ROM slots. The battery compartment is clean, no corrosion, and still has the slide. These things will run for many hours on four AA batteries, which only power a gray LCD, no built in illumination. I'm not sure I still have the wall wart adapter, but it's a standard device.
There's an Ultimate ROM II plugged into the ROM slot for extending features. This adds more advanced word processing, spreadsheet, database, etc., features than the basic Tandy Model 100/102 included. I used those at work quite a bit back in the 1990s. There's also a Lucid ROM for a spreadsheet program that was quite advanced by early 1990s standards, but I rarely used it.
Includes the acoustic coupler for the built in modem, portable disk drive version 2 for 3.5" discs, probably some cables, etc. Haven't checked to see whether the peripherals still work.
Free. I'm pretty sure it'll all fit in a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate box.
The original spiral bound manual is still intact but musty from getting damp. It was in a different box with just magazines, so the dampness didn't affect the actual equipment. But if you or the kids have allergies or asthma, either wear a dust mask while browsing the manual, or read it outdoors. It irritates my asthma and allergies. There's probably a PDF version of the entire manual somewhere online.
Back in the 1980s-90s there was an entire online club and BBS devoted to the Kyocera-made Tandy Model 100, 102 and related laptops, including programming tutorials. I wrote a few BASIC programs, and transcribed some machine code programs back then, but never really learned to like it and gave up on coding decades ago.
At one time maybe 20 years ago I'd considered setting up the Model 100 or 102 as a remote device with a receiver or transmitter, but these little laptops emit way too much RFI, probably from the unshielded LCD. But for years some geo survey and monitoring teams used these for logging temblors, since the laptops could run for months with an extended battery pack, usually using D cells.
Anyway, clever little devices. But I haven't used it in about 15-20 years. It was great in its day, especially for traveling, and a reminder of the old days of efficient coding for minimalist computers in an era when RAM was outrageously expensive.