Just a word to "me": Take a deep breath and repeat "I can learn to deal with this," until you begin to see that is true. Nobody is born with a soldering iron in hand; you are just on the low end of a learning curve. The rate at which you progress is immaterial; you are going where you want to go.
At some point the knowledge you gain by participating in this fascinating activity - and it is fascinating or we wouldn't be hearing from you, would we? - will serve to protect you from the dishonest and the merely ignorant; you'll know better. One day you may turn the tables and get a great deal on something that is sold as "unworking", "for parts only", and you will know what is wrong and how to fix it, maybe just by turning a dial.. You are fortunate to have acquired a Model 100; in its own right one of the most remarkable computers in Radio Shack / Tandy history. This one needs some TLC; probably a set of capacitors and a new NiCd battery, as has been suggested. The parts aren't very expensive and if you do the work yourself it will cost less than a meal at a restaurant. Depending on where you live you may find assistance from someone more knowledgeable who shares the interest or makes a second income from repairs. And you can count on cogent advice from the dedicated forum of Model 100 enthusiasts, the Bitchin' 100. So screw up your courage; ask a lot of questions, take your time, accept that frustration and failure are part of learning, but do it. If I can do it, you can do it, believe me. -CH-
