I'll keep that in mind. But so far, so good. ----- Original Message ----- From: you got me To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2018 1:26 AM Subject: Re: [M100] TRS-80/Tandy Pocket Computer
be careful about the pc-2 and printing. You can always make or refill your own pens.... but the MAJOR problem is a plastic cog within the printing mechanism itself. Over time these things would crack and then you would have abnormal printing operations. A brass or 3d printed version of that cog would revitalize 98% of those ancient pc-2 printers. (that, and changing the ni-cad batteries with ni-mh ones). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: M100 <[email protected]> on behalf of Jim Toth <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, August 8, 2018 2:08:03 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [M100] TRS-80/Tandy Pocket Computer 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.
