Retro & Vintage Compaq Computers & Other Vintage Technology
When it comes to battery-powered laptops that utilise a gas-plasma screen, the choices are limited. To the best of my knowledge, there were only two models made, both manufactured by Toshiba. The main reason why battery powered gas plasma laptops
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It’s been a while since my last post – I had been really busy with work and other things in my life, but recently have found some time to get back into retro tinkering. The T6400 still sits on my
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If you like the IBM P75, you will love the Toshiba T6400 – one of the last portable computers to be offered with a gas-plasma display, which was becoming obsolete when the computer went on sale on sale in 1992.
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This is going to be a short post to try and help those who have faulty displays to attempt a repair. However, the usual disclaimer applies: WARNING, HIGH VOLTAGE – Plasma displays operate at voltages around 100 – 300 volts
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The Macintosh Portable is perhaps the only vintage computer that I have come across that does not require a screwdriver to disassemble, (which is amazing!) You can take apart the computer, all the way down to its bare PCB with
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Continued from Part 1 <<< Well, in typical Apple fashion, we will never know exactly what happened as Apple closely guards its secrets then and now – but we can still piece some things together. In a recent (2018) blog
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Despite my previous post decrying the Macintosh Portable for its hefty weight, identity crisis, and somewhat misguided design principles – it is actually a joy to use as a retro portable Mac. If you look at it through the lens
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The need for a Portable Macintosh We take our MacBooks for granted today, tossing them into our bags without much of a second thought – but have you ever stopped to wonder exactly when did Apple make its first foray
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Ah, gas-plasma, one of the oldest and most fascinating flat-panel display technologies. For many, the warm amber glow was welcoming for strained eyes and was a reminder that you were using a premium computer, back in the ’80s and ’90s.
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Background & history The IBM P75 was the most powerful portable computer released in 1990 as it was the first mobile computer to sport the then cutting-edge, Intel 486 CPU. It was also perhaps the most expensive personal computer that
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First things first, we need to talk about the IBM reference diskette. You will need this diskette to boot and configure your IBM P75 successfully. Though if you are having trouble getting POST (meaning getting a full count of the
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IBM computers of the late ’80s and early 90’s certainly has a distinct aesthetic – beige and monolithic, yet elegant and sophisticated. You knew when you saw an IBM computer, and you knew it meant business (literally). IBM computers were
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The IBM P75 has pretty impressive specs for 1990, with its 486 CPU, SCSI hard disk, and onboard XGA-1 (VGA) card – let’s take a closer look and see how it all fits together in this neat package. We can
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The IBM P75 (and its younger brother, the IBM P70) can be a little tricky to restore and get back up and running, perhaps even more so than your average 30+ year-old computer. Typical issues include bad capacitors, a dead
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Continued from previous post, overview & background on the Compaq Portable 486 <<< Setting up the Compaq Portable 486 is a bit of a hassle similar to the Compaq Portable 386 – it does not have a BIOS – meaning
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In early 1992, Compaq released their last “luggable / portable” computer, the Compaq Portable 486, marking the end of an era. Background The Compaq Portable 486 was the last portable computer in Compaq’s original “Compaq Portable” line. By the time
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Installing MS-DOS on the Compaq Portable 386 is pretty straight forward, but before we get into retro-gaming on it, I thought I’d post a quick intro on installing Windows 3.1 on a Compaq Portable 386. Getting Windows 3.1 / 3.11
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This is the last post in a 6 post series on the Compaq Portable 386 Computer. In this section, we take a look at installing MS-DOS and using FDISK after using the diagnostic diskette. You can jump to: First Impressions
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This is the 5th post in a 6 post series on the Compaq Portable 386 Computer. This part focuses on the Conner hard disk, the BIOS settings, its limitations, and alternatives to using a real hard disk. You can jump
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This is the 4th post in a 6 post series on the Compaq Portable 386 Computer. This section looks at the floppy drive, the 720K disks it accepts, and the Compaq Diagnostics program to configure the computer. You can jump
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This is the 3rd post in a 6 post series on the Compaq Portable 386 Computer. In this section, we look at turning the computer on, getting it to POST, and taking a peek at the insides & motherboard. You
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This is the 2nd post in a 6 post series on the Compaq Portable 386 Computer. This section looks at the Gas Plasma Screen, the computer’s specifications, and what the display looks like running MS-DOS games. You can jump to:
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This is the first post in a 6 post series on the Compaq Portable 386 Computer covering its history & legacy, price, capabilities, and relative importance at the time. You can jump to: First Impressions The Gas Plasma Screen Booting
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