You can still purchase PC-2 printer pens? Excellent. Where?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Lauzon" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2018 9:46 PM
Subject: Re: [M100] TRS-80/Tandy Pocket Computer
My PC-4 was my constant companion through college and into my first
job. I picked up a PC-2 at the Tandy Corporate auction and got bit by
the pocket computer bug.
What I've put together is this:
+ PC-1 - usually had bad screens over time.
+ PC-2 - frequently people left the AA batteries in them when they
stopped using them. The batteries leaked. So always check the
battery compartment before buying one. Leaky batteries can cause a
great deal of damage.
The printer/cassette interface is where the flaws are. The printer
gears tended to wear out. Also the rechargeable battery packs are
shot by now and are leaking.
There are some people who refurbish the printers (new batteries and
new gears), but they will be more expensive. Surprisingly, you can
still purchase the pens.
+ PC-3 - Not much that I know of. I only have 1 in my collection and
it has no problems. The printer even works.
+ PC-4 - No problems with the pocket computer itself that I know of.
The printer batteries are shot by now. Usually they don't leak, but
the batteries are not meant to be replaced. But with some work, the
printers can be made to work with an AC-adapter.
On Tue, Aug 7, 2018 at 8:01 PM megarat <[email protected]> wrote:
Hey folks, a recent thread here highlighted my interest in the old
TRS-80/Tandy Pocket Computers (rebadged from existing Casio and Sharp
models). I always had a fascination with these things as a kid, and I was
lucky enough to own one of them for a while (a PC-5), so I'm entertaining
the possibility of hunting some of them down.
I'm concerned, however, with how well these models age. Specifically the
electrolytics (and how easy are they to replace?), the LCD display (do
they have a tendency to fade/bleed?), and the keypad (do those little
chicklet keyboards still hold up years later?).
Are there any PC collectors on this list that can offer me some
advice/guidance? Thanks.
/CAM
--
Ron Lauzon - rlauzon at acm dot org
Homepage: http://webpages.charter.net/rlauzon/
Weblog: http://ronsapartment.blogspot.com/
TRS-80 Pocket Computer 2 - TRS-80 Pocket Computer 4 - TRS-80 Model 100/102
Some people like to work on old cars. But old computers are cheaper
and don't require a big garage.
