EEVblog #116 Tandy Model 100 notebook

[RayJones]

Brilliant episode.

There was also an NEC version of these about, and I'm not sure who was really first, Tandy or NEC....

We used the NEC versions as the standard terminal interface into our weather radars to configure and calibrate the systems.
People found the Tandy model also worked, but the cursor keys were not so friendly.
If you approached one of our older radars, it would still function OK into one of these machines when switched into TELCOM mode.

Good ol Telcom - Real weird arse serial protocol, the closest match turned out to be the Heath 19 terminal format, of Heathkit fame.
It was definitely not VT100 or other more popular forms, and I think ANSI was still an itch in someone's pants back then.
Perhaps it was one of those "Microsoft standards" that never caught on!
I spent far too many years building menus that would work on that 40x8 display, and the cursor keys that the NEC was quite prominent with them in a diamond pattern, were used extensively.
I eventually wrote a PC application to emulate the terminal protocol used by these devices as the only thing that worked on the PC was Procomm in Heath-19 mode, and the NEC devices/Tandy devices were already unobtainium.

9600N81, it still brings a tear to the eye :-)

BTW, gotta love those sexy curved PCB traces, that's when a PCB design was a beautiful work of art/craftsmanship/design before PC software enforced those rigid angular corners.

[sonicj]

i was monkeying around inside my macbook pro the other nite... not nearly as interesting on the inside as that trs80! after looking at so many modern autorouted designs, those hand drawn traces instantly grab your attention!
-sj

[Uncle Vernon]

I miss my Trash-80 those were the day in one arm a Hung-Chang Battery CRO in the other an attache with my Trash-80 a collection of cables and sufficient shirts and underpants for a five day stint. It kind of explains why I want a net-book and cannot find a reason why.
In the days when multi-tasking involved having as many VT-220's as was possible to reach , having a Trash-80 in hand was the the ultimate tech tool.

I see TRS-80's from time to time on e-bay and have to fight back the urge to reunite with Tandy's finest.

[JohnS_AZ]

Just uncovered this bailing out my shop last night...

http://twitpic.com/3rrx15

[Frangible]

I love my two Model 100s.  I don't have much use for them, but I can't bear the thought of chucking them!