EEVblog #1348 - World's First IBM Compatible PC - The Compaq Portable

[EEVblog]

A look at and teardown of the world's first IBM PC compatible PC, the Compaq Portable.
Also some meter and oscilloscope part 1 repair action...

[nctnico]

Halt and catch fire 

[CJay]

Oh hells that brought back memories, those damn power supplies

[Handy84]

some dodgy spots on the pcb found. (see attachment)

[SmokedComponent]

Poof goes the usual suspect! Can't believe it you actually missed it in an earlier shot of that floppy controller.

Btw. I'm drooling for that sexy meter! Apparently I still do it after owning 5 DMMs already. Hopefully you will ship to EUSSR without too much problems.

[rsjsouza]

This was a great video and a beautiful machine. I enjoyed watching it immensely.

There's something about the discrete computer flooded with glue logic and bypass capacitors that fascinates me.

[nctnico]

This was a great video and a beautiful machine. I enjoyed watching it immensely.

There's something about the discrete computer flooded with glue logic and bypass capacitors that fascinates me.

Not just that. I really miss the days where you'd go through TTL or CMOS datasheet books to find the chips offering the best match for the circuit you where making. Nowadays you just slap a microcontroller, CPLD or FPGA onto the schematic and be done with the design.

[rsjsouza]

This was a great video and a beautiful machine. I enjoyed watching it immensely.

There's something about the discrete computer flooded with glue logic and bypass capacitors that fascinates me.

Not just that. I really miss the days where you'd go through TTL or CMOS datasheet books to find the chips offering the best match for the circuit you where making. Nowadays you just slap a microcontroller, CPLD or FPGA onto the schematic and be done with the design.

Exactly. The sheer amount of processing power available in tiny and cheap devices has reduced the need to synthesize functions in hardware - although one could still potentially a FPGA using a schematic capture. 

[james_s]

I had one of those when I was a teenager, it had a 10MB Rodime hard drive and I even had the padded carry bag for it. I think I traded it for something or gave it away at some point, sometimes I wish I'd kept it but then it took up a lot of space and most of the software that ran on vintage x86 machines will run fine on much newer stuff.

[Kellopeli]

Oooh, sweet memories. This was my first computer (actually my fathers, but I was mostly using it at the age of ten). Ours had a 10MB hard drive, and a thermo printer on top. If I remember correctly it was running Dos 1.0 at 4MHz on 8086. Print screen actually printed the screen on paper. Simple times back then. Thanks Dave!

[calzap]

I remember the Compaq portable … I was almost killed by one.   Some years ago, I was attending a meeting at the Boston Convention Center.   The entrance to the main hall was in the basement, reached by a several stories tall escalator from the street-level lobby. Shortly after I got on the up escalator, a man carrying a Compaq was at the top and lost his grip.   The thing came bounding down the channel, ricocheting from one side wall to the other and at times, bouncing higher than the side walls.  I tried to avoid it by jumping to the side at the last second, but it still whammed into my right hand.

I turned around and went down the up escalator as quickly as I good.  My hand really hurt and was starting to swell.  The computer weighed about 15 kg; the case was still intact!  Fortunately, the Compaq owner and I were the only ones on the escalator.  Soon the owner showed up.  I chewed him out and told him he should’ve taken the elevator.  He sheepishly agreed.

The security folks were really good … showed up almost immediately.  One had EMT training and examined my hand.  We both agreed nothing was broken.  He strapped an ice pack on it and sent me on my way.  The hand was swollen and discolored for a few days but recovered with no problems.

Mike in California

[Clear as mud]

Picture at 3:34 - that's Ronald Reagan on the left, correct?  And is that George Bush, second from right?

[dcac]

Picture at 3:34 - that's Ronald Reagan on the left, correct?  And is that George Bush, second from right?

Yes.

https://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lg.php?variable=di_05812

[VK3DRB]

It was a very interesting video. I doubt most young so-called computer geeks would even know what a clone is, let alone know what VHS and Beta is.

Actually around 1983 IBM was not "left in the dust". They were by far the biggest manufacturer world wide in the 1980's and early 1990's on IBM type PC's, partly because IBM had the most reliable machines due to the highest quality design and manufacture. Because it was a major investment, corporations tended to prefer IBM. There was a saying in the industry, "No-one ever got fired for buying IBM". On the consumer market, IBM machines were too expensive for most people. Many of the clones has problems with compatibility, especially due to the early ISA bus timings which were never properly published by IBM, so clones often had problems in the early days.

It is true, Compaq did rewrite the BIOS from scratch. That is remarkable. In contrast, I think Dick Smith could shed some truth on where the Dick Smith System-80 got its Tandy TRS-80 Model 1 compatible ROM from. Yes we know it was EACA in Hong Kong that designed and manufactured the System-80, but I wonder if anyone has done a ROM comparison between the TRS-80 and the System-80. I would not mind getting the ROM of both and doing a comparison. And exactly why was the System-80 withdrawn from sale very quietly all of a sudden? Hmmm.

By the way, Potter might have been related to the Potter and Brumfield company (not sure about this), who also supplied to IBM.
 

[james_s]

The BIOS was the main thing that led to less than 100% compatible clones. IIRC Compaq was the only clone that had BASIC in the ROM which was required for a significant amount of software to work.

[DTJ]

I used on of those in the 80s.

Rather than change folders and type in the name of the program we wanted to run "WordPerfect.exe" or whatever we had a menu program.

I think it was called 'LeMenu'.

It gave your 10 or so options shown as big rectangular icons on the screen that you'd select and press enter to run the desired program.




Jeez, it seems others reminisced about this in 2006:

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/topic/130558-old-dos-based-menu-system/

[nctnico]

I used on of those in the 80s.

Rather than change folders and type in the name of the program we wanted to run "WordPerfect.exe" or whatever we had a menu program.

I think it was called 'LeMenu'.

I will confess I'm using Linux' incarnation of Norton Commander (Midnight Commander) on a daily basis. Some old habbits just never die.

[CJay]

I used on of those in the 80s.

Rather than change folders and type in the name of the program we wanted to run "WordPerfect.exe" or whatever we had a menu program.

I think it was called 'LeMenu'.

I will confess I'm using Linux' incarnation of Norton Commander (Midnight Commander) on a daily basis. Some old habbits just never die.

Ah now that brings back memories but I was an XTreeGold user myself

[TheNewLab]

The first Compaq portables initially came with CP/M my cousin bought one for tax auditing working for IRS. later they bundled with MS-DOS.  The Mac/Microsoft wars...have blurred the early history.
Regarding IBM PC's half bought for personal use ended up in closets or garages. Too hard to figure out how to use. I remember this because I was one to get these people to use the IBM, typically for their small business. Ah, the entrepreneurial days of the Reagan era.

That was a strange period. Gary Kildall (Digital Research, Inc),really screwed up with his arrogance towards those "Blue Suits."

Geez, how on earth did I remember Kildall's name after all these years??

[TheNewLab]

Then the PC Junior. Does anyone have one ot those lying ajround?
I think the next PC portable was in the late 1980's using MS DOS 3.0. It was actually portable like a thick binder notebook. Now does anyone have one of those lying around??

[rsjsouza]

Then the PC Junior. Does anyone have one ot those lying ajround?

There are quite a few PC Juniors around where I live - an old company has a warehouse full of ancient equipment, including these. I was fortunate to get a NOS a few years ago together with some spare parts.

[5-HTP]

Hi Dave,
Excellent video - brought back many memories of repairing those 'luggables' back in the day.
They actually had a special tool (still have one) that facilitated reaching and loosing the screw down fastener that holds the power supply in place.
I do have the schematic and many original parts for the power supply so let me know if any of that would be of help to you.

Thanks,
Mark