My latest yard sale score

[PaulQ]

Okay...those of you who know me know that I don't have many kind words for the Tandy TRS-80 computer. Specifically, for the CoCo series. However, I do admit that Tandy was the first to bring a realistic laptop computer solution to the masses for a reasonable price in the TRS-80 model 100.

I confess; as much as I adored my 64, and as much as I loved my Vic, every time I went into a Radio Shack and saw one of the model 100's, I wanted one. It made the dream of computing anywhere and everywhere a reality way back in 1983, and while it was out of my price range, it was quite affordable as far as portable computers went. Ergonomically, I think that even modern day laptops don't match it.



Friends, I scored the mother lode today at a yard sale. Look at what I got for only $5, and everything in barely used mint condition: The TRS-80 model 100 with faux leather carrying case, modem and cassette deck cables (the actual modem is built in), printer, tractor feed for the printer, manual for the printer, an owners manual for the computer, a quick reference guide for the computer, "A Complete Step-by-step learner's manual," a "Portable computing with the Model 100" user manual, a photocopy of an article reviewing the Model 100 from 80 Micro magazine July '93, and a photocopy of some programs for the Model 100 from the same issue.



Yes, it does suffer from the Y2k bug, but apparently there are work-arounds. Not that it concerns me much. I was just thrilled that the thing actually worked.



Yes, the printer works too. I can't wait to retire so I can dig into this thing. Only 25 more years to go...

If only Commodore had the vision to sell such a machine. Of course, there was the SX-64, but it wasn't nearly as portable as the Tandy.

[PhotoJim]

Commodore did have a similar machine planned called the LCD. It was to be released simultaneously with the C128. I had a brochure for it once; I wish I'd kept it. The machine never saw the light of day except in prototype form.

[carlsson]

The Secret Weapons of Commodore has an entry about the LCD.

[6502dude]

I saw an article in an old Transactor magazine earlier this week about C128 and C128 with LCD display. I had never heard of the C128 LCD before reading that article.

For interest, there was a hardware project online with modern LCD display & mod to the C64 kernel to support it.

I have it booked marked somewhere. If anyone is interested, I search for link and post it.

There is an idea in there somewhere that is part of my September '07 Vic-20 hardware project.

BTW, nice score on the trash '80 stuff.

The first one I used was TRS80 model 1 at a Rat Shack store back in the late '70s, just after it was introduced.
It was monochrome with audio cassette recorder used to store basic programs.

I knew more about the machine than the sales staff. Which is no big deal as most Rat Shack staff had very little knowledge about the products they sold.

[ral-clan]

That's an amazing find! I've really been impressed with those computers ever since reading about their cult following a few years ago.

Yes, Commodore had the Commodore LCD ready to go. However, supposedly one of the executives of Commodore knew a Tandy executive very well, and over a lunch discussion they both came to the conclusion that there was no money to be made in portable LCD computers.'

Six months later Commodore had scrapped its LCD project, and Tandy unveiled the model 100 to raging success. So obviously there was some bluffing on the Tandy executive's part.

This is the story as paraphrased from Brian Bagnall's book, anyway.

[PaulQ]

Something doesn't add up.

All information points to the Commodore LCD being introduced in 1985, yet my documentation shows that the TRS-80 Model 100 was launched in 1983, and apparently was met with great success then. Also, I did some research on the Model 100. It wasn't made by Tandy; rather, it was made by Kyocera in Japan for Tandy, with the software written by Microsoft, which explains why it was better than the standard TRS-80 fare. Supposedly, the software in the Model 100 was the last that Bill Gates himself wrote commercially.

Technically, the machine was, with the exception of its processor, a bit under par for its day back in '83: A 2.4Mhz 8 bit processor, 8-32k of RAM, 8 line x 40 column display with a resolution of 240x64 pixels, a built-in 300 baud modem, a real RS-232 port, a Centronics parallel port, a barcode reader port, and a cassette tape port (the cable works with any standard tape deck). What was remarkable (even by todays standards) is the fact that it can last for days on a set of 4 AA batteries.

I confess, I really like the keyboard. It has a really nice feel to it. It's not difficult to see why this was favored by journalists.

[PhotoJim]

The Model 100 was definitely out by 1984 . My neighbour had one.

As for the LCD, I remember the Commodore Canada product representative coming into the computer store where I worked and telling us about the LCD and the C128. Of course I desperately wanted both.

I wanted the C128 more but I never got one until just a few years ago.

[PaulQ]

I discovered an old brochure for the Model 100 in the manual; I decided to scan it and put it on my server for all of you to enjoy. It's definitely from 1983, you can tell.

[ral-clan]

I love the narrative!

[Doppleganger]

I remember when RS was getting rid of those things for $99-199 at the end... I'm kicking myself for not picking one up.

[Jeff-20]

I just saw this system at a thrift store for $10. I haven't been keeping up with this thread. I decided not to get it because I couldn't remember if anyone really wanted it. Did I miss out on a good deal?

[PaulQ]

If it's in good shape, it'll fetch a decent dollar on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Vintage-Radio-Shack- ... dZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.ca/TRS-80-Model-100-Nic ... dZViewItem

It actually has a pretty powerful BASIC interpreter.