I also still have my PC-4 that I used all through college. Still works great.
- Dan On Tue, Aug 7, 2018 at 8:47 PM Ron Lauzon <rlau...@gmail.com> wrote: > My PC-4 was my constant companion through college and into my first > job. I picked up a PC-2 at the Tandy Corporate auction and got bit by > the pocket computer bug. > > What I've put together is this: > + PC-1 - usually had bad screens over time. > + PC-2 - frequently people left the AA batteries in them when they > stopped using them. The batteries leaked. So always check the > battery compartment before buying one. Leaky batteries can cause a > great deal of damage. > The printer/cassette interface is where the flaws are. The printer > gears tended to wear out. Also the rechargeable battery packs are > shot by now and are leaking. > There are some people who refurbish the printers (new batteries and > new gears), but they will be more expensive. Surprisingly, you can > still purchase the pens. > + PC-3 - Not much that I know of. I only have 1 in my collection and > it has no problems. The printer even works. > + PC-4 - No problems with the pocket computer itself that I know of. > The printer batteries are shot by now. Usually they don't leak, but > the batteries are not meant to be replaced. But with some work, the > printers can be made to work with an AC-adapter. > > On Tue, Aug 7, 2018 at 8:01 PM megarat <mega...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > Hey folks, a recent thread here highlighted my interest in the old > TRS-80/Tandy Pocket Computers (rebadged from existing Casio and Sharp > models). I always had a fascination with these things as a kid, and I was > lucky enough to own one of them for a while (a PC-5), so I'm entertaining > the possibility of hunting some of them down. > > > > I'm concerned, however, with how well these models age. Specifically > the electrolytics (and how easy are they to replace?), the LCD display (do > they have a tendency to fade/bleed?), and the keypad (do those little > chicklet keyboards still hold up years later?). > > > > Are there any PC collectors on this list that can offer me some > advice/guidance? Thanks. > > > > /CAM > > > > -- > Ron Lauzon - rlauzon at acm dot org > Homepage: http://webpages.charter.net/rlauzon/ > Weblog: http://ronsapartment.blogspot.com/ > > TRS-80 Pocket Computer 2 - TRS-80 Pocket Computer 4 - TRS-80 Model 100/102 > Some people like to work on old cars. But old computers are cheaper > and don't require a big garage. >