Re: [M100] Cap kit in Canada and Hello!

[Brad Grier]

Alberta??! Cool, now there's two of us :) I'm in Leduc.

Picked up my last cap kit from ArcadeShopper a couple of years ago... 
worked like a charm.


--Brad

On 2024-03-12 08:30, Jason Jorgenson wrote:
Hi everyone!  Can anyone recommend a place for me to get a cap kit and 
battery for my model 100 here in Alberta, Canada? I am looking to get 
mine working again, and then see what I can do with it. I'm interested 
in that REX but am still learning what can be done with it. It's pretty 
cool that this group exists to bring enthusiasts together!


Jason

Re: [M100] M100 repairs (LCD, keyboard)

[Brad Grier]

Hi David, regarding the contrast pot -  I couldn't find a modern 1-1
replacement so I made something up using a 3D printed holder and a modern
pot. It'll have longer legs and may work for you. I think Greg still has a
few in his shop:
https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/store/#!/Drop-in-VR1-replacement/p/399304936

Feel free to ping me if you have questions etc.

Brad

On Sat, Apr 29, 2023 at 1:01 PM David Plass  wrote:

> Latest update:
>
> I used lots of 99% IPA and got much (but not all) of the paint off the
> keyswitches and PCB. I gave up after a while and decided it's good enough.
>
> I found a replacement contrast potentiometer. Its leads are a little too
> short so it's too loose in the PCB and therefore intermittent, so I may use
> a regular pot sticking through the hole, which is TBD.
>
> I derusted and painted the metal bracket at the top of the keyboard and
> reassembled everything.
>
> Working off a wall wart, it was fine, but when I popped in some batteries,
> it didn't turn on.
>
> I tracked it down to the barrel jack "interlock" failing, so it always
> thinks there's a power plug inserted. I removed the old barrel jack and
> installed a new one that is *almost* the right size. I'm going to have to
> modify the case to get it to fit flush.
>
> Two steps forward, one step back, but it's still progress.
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 23, 2023 at 5:37 PM David Plass  wrote:
>
>> An update:
>>
>> Unfortunately there was a freak accident in the workshop... I'm
>> de-rusting some of the keyswitches and the on/off switch and figured after
>> removing the rust I'd paint over the rusty areas (it's not ideal, but the
>> best I could do).
>>
>> One of the switches was "clean" so I temporarily installed it on the
>> keyboard PCB. To paint, I was going to use a silver "paint-pen". While
>> shaking the pen (according to the directions), the pen exploded and
>> splattered paint on the keyboard and PCB. About 4 switches were inundated
>> with paint and another 2 or 3 got some paint splattered on them.
>>
>> I spent about a half an hour cleaning the paint as best I could using 99
>> IPA, but there's still some paint on the PCB.
>>
>> A few hours later I checked some of the affected switches and I think the
>> paint has dried inside them, because they're open circuits now. I tried
>> De-Oxit, and they are revived, but I fear it's only temporary.
>>
>> My question for the forumbrain is: can the keyboard switches be
>> disassembled for 'deep cleaning'? I would desolder them first, obviously.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 20, 2023 at 10:48 AM Gregory McGill 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> thanks!
>>>
>>> On Thu, Apr 20, 2023 at 4:14 AM David Plass  wrote:
>>>
>>>> I was surprised too but it's a near exact match. I tried the key caps
>>>> and, while they're tight, they definitely fit.
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Apr 20, 2023, 6:25 AM Louis Ciotti  wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I would have never thought these would have been used back when the
>>>>> M100 was designed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>
>>>>> On Apr 19, 2023, at 10:03 PM, David Plass  wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> 
>>>>> The function keys are 12x12x7.3mm tactile switches with square tops
>>>>> and PCB/through-hole mounting pins.
>>>>>
>>>>> For example:
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/TWTADE-Momentary-Tactile-Button-12x12x12mm/dp/B07CG7VTGD?th=1
>>>>> or
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/ACEIRMC-12x12x7-3mm-Momentary-Tactile-Arduino/dp/B091HL5YBD/ref=sr_1_3
>>>>>
>>>>>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] M100 repairs (LCD, keyboard)

[Brad Grier]

RE: the polarizing film -- Jeff Birt (on this list) suggested
https://3dlens.com/

I have some, just haven't got to my project that needs it yet :D and with
the onset of spring, that one may sit for a bit.

--Brad

On Sun, Apr 16, 2023 at 2:10 PM David Plass  wrote:

> I couldn't resist a recent M100 on ebay listed as "not working". The main
> issue was a dead contrast pot, which I have temporarily worked around and
> ordered a hacky replacement.
>
> The polarizing film is also very bubbly and no amount of smoothing made it
> stay flat on the LCD. Is there a known replacement for the film?
>
> Most importantly, I noticed about a half dozen non-functional keys. After
> disassembly I discovered corrosion on their diodes. Upon closer
> "inspection", said diodes disintegrated.
>
> So my second question is: Is there a particular diode I should replace
> them with? I have tons of 1N4148s, which look like a match (and
> electrically drop about the same voltage), but I can't find a spec for
> those diodes on the m100 schematics.
>
> Thanks
> -David
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] (no subject)

[Brad Grier]

Wow, that's a lot of canuck-bucks for untested equipment.

On Sat, Nov 19, 2022 at 8:05 PM Josh Malone  wrote:

> No kidding! I made an utterly pointless bid at 10 mins to go and was
> outbid immediately.
>
> *grumble* didn't need that one anyway *grumble*
>
> On Sat, Nov 19, 2022 at 10:02 PM Stephen Adolph 
> wrote:
>
>> Wow that went like crazy in the last few seconds!
>>
>> On Thursday, November 17, 2022, Stephen Adolph 
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> https://www.ebay.ca/itm/125605198509?mkcid=16=1=711-127632-2357-0=KIRv0wNRSty=2349624=UdOsFOYySKy=_ver=artemis=COPY
>>>
>>> On a brighter note
>>>
>>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] (no subject)

[Brad Grier]

That's a great looking unit! If I were looking to buy I'd consider it. An
interesting package.

I noticed a few minor things ... can't see the battery compartment. I'd get
the seller to send a photo of the battery compartment, as well as inside
the other underside (modem) compartment. It also looks like the polarizing
filter is starting to lift from the LCD -- I'm fixing mine this winter with
that same issue. No power supply for the drive? But it does have the
cardboard transport insert :) I wonder if the belt has gone gummy...

Still, if I were in the market for a possible project unit, I'd consider
it.



On Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 7:33 PM Stephen Adolph  wrote:

>
> https://www.ebay.ca/itm/125605198509?mkcid=16=1=711-127632-2357-0=KIRv0wNRSty=2349624=UdOsFOYySKy=_ver=artemis=COPY
>
> On a brighter note
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Source for LCD polarizing film?

[Brad Grier]

Thanks Jeff, I'll give them a shot. Agreed about the Amazon and eBay
listings... so confusing. Good to have a recommendation from someone who
knows what we're looking for :)

--Brad

On Sat, Oct 8, 2022 at 12:08 PM  wrote:

> I have been ordering from https://3dlens.com/ . While they are not the
> cheapest source, they do seem to know what they are selling and provide the
> specifications. Some listing on Amazon and eBay led me to wonder what
> exactly I would be getting.
>
>
>
> Jeff Birt
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* M100  *On Behalf Of *Brad Grier
> *Sent:* Saturday, October 8, 2022 10:25 AM
> *To:* m...@bitchin100.com
> *Subject:* [M100] Source for LCD polarizing film?
>
>
>
> I'm finally getting around to looking at replacing the curling polarizing
> film on my 8201 and wondering if anyone has a good source for something
> that's a close match? There appears to be a lot of options out there...
> with and without adhesive.
>
>
>
> Thoughts?
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> --
> Brad Grier
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

[M100] Source for LCD polarizing film?

[Brad Grier]

I'm finally getting around to looking at replacing the curling polarizing
film on my 8201 and wondering if anyone has a good source for something
that's a close match? There appears to be a lot of options out there...
with and without adhesive.

Thoughts?


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] the battery backup

[Brad Grier]

ArcadeShopper seems to have both in stock (and he's a member here).

On Sat, Oct 1, 2022 at 2:19 PM Will Senn  wrote:

> Cool. I saw a cap kit, I'll be on the lookout for a nicd replacement.
>
> On 10/1/22 12:44 PM, Joshua O'Keefe wrote:
>
> On Oct 1, 2022, at 10:20 AM, Will Senn 
>  wrote:
>
>  Given that my new m100 is 39 years old, should I expect that parts need
> replacing inside?
>
>
> The generally accepted wisdom seems to be that when doing intake of a
> "new" 100 to replace the NiCd and all capacitors ASAP.  They risks to the
> life of the machine.  A 102 may not need capacitors replaced quite so
> urgently, but that NiCd still has gotta go pronto.
>
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Trouble accessing Bank #2 on a PC8201A

[Brad Grier]

Yep, you did Stephen! https://imgur.com/Fv5GUwk


On Fri, Sep 30, 2022 at 7:31 PM Stephen Adolph  wrote:

> Thanks Brad.  I'd have to check but did I make one of those 32kram units
> for you also?
>
> On Friday, September 30, 2022, Brad Grier  wrote:
>
>> Stephen, feel free to ping me if you think I can help. I have both an
>> 8201a (currently hosting my REX#, and an 8201(no A).
>>
>> On Fri, Sep 30, 2022 at 7:00 PM Stephen Adolph 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Ok well I suggest rather than bog down the list, let's sort it out
>>> directly.
>>>
>>> I'll build a new one and see if I can find a problem.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Friday, September 30, 2022, Mark McBride  wrote:
>>>
>>>> Holding ctrl down during entire process does not change the outcome:
>>>> bank #2 still not recognized
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 2022-09-30, at 8:12 PM, Stephen Adolph  wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Yah... interesting...
>>>> I guess I would hold cntl down through the cold restart process.
>>>>
>>>> I build these ram modules and test actually on an M100 with a test
>>>> harness.
>>>>
>>>> I'll go back and see if one of these upgrades runs in an 8201 also.  I
>>>> know they did.  Maybe something changed.
>>>>
>>>> Greg i thought you had alternative rams to try also?
>>>>
>>>> I would suggest moving 16k from bank 1 to bank 2 to prove the main
>>>> board is basically ok.
>>>>
>>>> Steve
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Friday, September 30, 2022, Gregory McGill 
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Interesting I'm having the same issue after installing 2nd bank
>>>>> memory.. just can't get it to recognize there IS a 2nd bank
>>>>> mine is just a 8201 (no A)
>>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, Sep 30, 2022 at 3:42 PM Mark McBride 
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I’m just getting back into my PC8201A after a very long hiatus.  It
>>>>>> boots up and everything works just fine in Bank #1.  A few sticky keys 
>>>>>> that
>>>>>> need to be cleaned.  I ordered and installed the Rex# rom from Stephen
>>>>>> Adolph and it works (thanks Stephen!).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The issue I’m facing is that I can’t get to Bank #2.  It’s installed
>>>>>> (Stephen confirmed from a picture in a private email exchange).  I’ve
>>>>>> repeatedly tried a cold-start to access it with no luck.  According to 
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> manual, the cold-start for Bank #2 is:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ==
>>>>>> This type of Cold Start is performed in the MENU mode. The steps for
>>>>>> the Cold Start of Bank# 2 are performed while displaying Bank # 1, and 
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> steps for the Cold Start of Bank# 3 are performed while displaying Bank #
>>>>>> 2. The two steps of the Cold Start must be performed one right after the
>>>>>> other, with no time lapse between the two. The SHIFT Key is kept 
>>>>>> depressed
>>>>>> during both steps:
>>>>>> 1. Press the f.5 Function Key while keeping the SHIFT Key depressed.
>>>>>> The screen will clear for an instant at this time.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 2. Press the CTRL Key immediately after pressing the f.5 Function
>>>>>> Key, while the SHIFT Key remains depressed and the screen is clear.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This process will not work if the SHIFT Key is released before step 2
>>>>>> is completed. The screen clears instantly after step 1, and step 2 must 
>>>>>> be
>>>>>> performed during the instant that the screen is cleared, before a new
>>>>>> screen is displayed.”
>>>>>> ==
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Any ideas on what else to be trying/checking/doing would be
>>>>>> appreciated.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Mark
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>
>> --
>> --
>> Brad Grier
>>
>>
>>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Trouble accessing Bank #2 on a PC8201A

[Brad Grier]

Stephen, feel free to ping me if you think I can help. I have both an 8201a
(currently hosting my REX#, and an 8201(no A).

On Fri, Sep 30, 2022 at 7:00 PM Stephen Adolph  wrote:

> Ok well I suggest rather than bog down the list, let's sort it out
> directly.
>
> I'll build a new one and see if I can find a problem.
>
>
>
>
> On Friday, September 30, 2022, Mark McBride  wrote:
>
>> Holding ctrl down during entire process does not change the outcome: bank
>> #2 still not recognized
>>
>>
>> On 2022-09-30, at 8:12 PM, Stephen Adolph  wrote:
>>
>> Yah... interesting...
>> I guess I would hold cntl down through the cold restart process.
>>
>> I build these ram modules and test actually on an M100 with a test
>> harness.
>>
>> I'll go back and see if one of these upgrades runs in an 8201 also.  I
>> know they did.  Maybe something changed.
>>
>> Greg i thought you had alternative rams to try also?
>>
>> I would suggest moving 16k from bank 1 to bank 2 to prove the main board
>> is basically ok.
>>
>> Steve
>>
>>
>>
>> On Friday, September 30, 2022, Gregory McGill 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Interesting I'm having the same issue after installing 2nd bank memory..
>>> just can't get it to recognize there IS a 2nd bank
>>> mine is just a 8201 (no A)
>>>
>>> On Fri, Sep 30, 2022 at 3:42 PM Mark McBride  wrote:
>>>
>>>> I’m just getting back into my PC8201A after a very long hiatus.  It
>>>> boots up and everything works just fine in Bank #1.  A few sticky keys that
>>>> need to be cleaned.  I ordered and installed the Rex# rom from Stephen
>>>> Adolph and it works (thanks Stephen!).
>>>>
>>>> The issue I’m facing is that I can’t get to Bank #2.  It’s installed
>>>> (Stephen confirmed from a picture in a private email exchange).  I’ve
>>>> repeatedly tried a cold-start to access it with no luck.  According to the
>>>> manual, the cold-start for Bank #2 is:
>>>>
>>>> ==
>>>> This type of Cold Start is performed in the MENU mode. The steps for
>>>> the Cold Start of Bank# 2 are performed while displaying Bank # 1, and the
>>>> steps for the Cold Start of Bank# 3 are performed while displaying Bank #
>>>> 2. The two steps of the Cold Start must be performed one right after the
>>>> other, with no time lapse between the two. The SHIFT Key is kept depressed
>>>> during both steps:
>>>> 1. Press the f.5 Function Key while keeping the SHIFT Key depressed.
>>>> The screen will clear for an instant at this time.
>>>>
>>>> 2. Press the CTRL Key immediately after pressing the f.5 Function Key,
>>>> while the SHIFT Key remains depressed and the screen is clear.
>>>>
>>>> This process will not work if the SHIFT Key is released before step 2
>>>> is completed. The screen clears instantly after step 1, and step 2 must be
>>>> performed during the instant that the screen is cleared, before a new
>>>> screen is displayed.”
>>>> ==
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas on what else to be trying/checking/doing would be appreciated.
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>>
>>>> Mark
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] parallel printer...

[Brad Grier]

I'm using a virtual printer that hangs off the parallel port. Then any
browser can access it (ipad, iphone, computer, etc) and print to a modern
device.

Sadly, it seems they're not made anymore -- though there was talk about
moving the design to Github.

https://www.plaidvest.com/newprintmulti/index.html



On Tue, Sep 27, 2022 at 7:56 PM Gregory McGill 
wrote:

> that's what I have in my store
>
> https://www.arcadeshopper.com/wp/store/#!/Retro-Printer-Centronics-Printer-module-V3-raspberry-pi-or-equivalent-required/p/190216087/category=0
>
> On Tue, Sep 27, 2022 at 4:39 PM Ken Gregg  wrote:
>
>>
>> I use the Retro-Printer module (https://www.retroprinter.com/) attached
>> to a Raspberry Pi to print over a wired network to one of two modern laser
>> printers or one modern inkjet printer. You can also just send the output to
>> PDF files. From the computer's perspective, it emulates an old EPSON impact
>> printer.
>>
>> It takes some fiddling to get the module configured correctly for all the
>> printers you want to print to, but it works.
>>
>> I have successfully used it with a Tandy 102 and a TRS-80 Model I.
>> On 9/27/2022 4:16 PM, Will Senn wrote:
>>
>> Will the m100 work with pretty much any parallel port printer or does it
>> have to have a specific driver? What kinds or printers work with the m100
>> these days?
>>
>> Will
>>
>>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] T200 and the Year

[Brad Grier]

I don't have direct experience with the 200, but if the date is handled the
same way it is on the 100/102/8201a, then it's a ROM thing. An expansion
ROM (like the REX#) or a patched 200 replacement rom should be able to fix
it. Here's an example of how you can patch a NEC PC-8201a ROM.

https://www.web8201.net/default.asp?content=tech.asp

I'm not aware of software solutions...

On Thu, Aug 18, 2022 at 6:57 PM Spencer  wrote:

> Hello!
>
> Can anyone tell me if it's possible to update an issue with the T200 year
> not being able to be set beyond 1999?  I've searched but nothing so far.
>
> Thanks
>


-- 
-- 
Brad

Re: [M100] Questions about tokenizing BASIC in UNIX

[Brad Grier]

Club100 Member directory for Mike Stein has Entoke.exe -
http://www.club100.org/memfiles/index.php?=0=nom=Mike%20Stein

And a wayback machine crawl reveals detoke.exe -
https://web.archive.org/web/2017155020/http://www.xibalba.com/website100/software.html


On Mon, Jul 25, 2022 at 11:58 AM Peter Vollan  wrote:

> There are tokenise and detokenise programs for DOS, in the Compuserve
> archive, I think.
>
> On Sun, 24 Jul 2022 at 23:42, John R. Hogerhuis  wrote:
>
>> Not as far as I know. I think Robert Pigford's program is it. PowerBASIC
>> is a compiler though so I guess its binaries would run under a Linux DOS
>> emulator. I've certainly run DOS assemblers like TASM as part of a
>> GNU/Linux Makefile.
>>
>> You would need a tokenizer for each BASIC variant you want to support
>> (M100/102, 8201A/8300, and maybe t200?)
>>
>> The ROM of each machine is of course already capable of doing it properly
>> by definition via LOAD/CLOAD. So emulators effectively support tokenization
>> as well. VirtualT is fully scriptable over telnet/socket.
>>
>> For myself I just use my laptop or emulator to created tokenized files.
>>
>> One note... there are valid, specially constructed BA  files that do not
>> fully LIST, and are not convertible to ASCII BASIC text and back again,
>> with high numbered lines and/or machine language embedded in it. To create
>> such files goes beyond simple tokenization, but it may be useful and
>> interesting to create advanced special BA binary file generators. Most such
>> files require special measures to create.
>>
>> -- John.
>>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] M10 on ebay

[Brad Grier]

Congrats Francois, looks like a very nice unit!

On Sun, Jul 17, 2022 at 7:42 PM Russell Flowers  wrote:

> Gotta love that modem settings string written on the case!
>
> On Sun, Jul 17, 2022 at 3:55 PM Francois Gurin  wrote:
>
>> I hope it stays that way, I am the current bidder and would love an m10
>> for the collection without spending a mint!
>>
>> --francois
>>
>> On Sun, Jul 17, 2022, 3:29 PM Brad Grier  wrote:
>>
>>> Heh... so far :) And doesn't ship to Canada :(
>>>
>>> On Sun, Jul 17, 2022 at 12:06 PM Stephen Adolph 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> https://www.ebay.ca/itm/144643878847?mkevt=1=2=e112358.m43.l3160=8=43120694728=-1%7E1=16TE179892_T_ENDSOON_CT1=2022071709=osgood
>>>>
>>>> Super cheap!
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> --
>>> Brad Grier
>>>
>>>
>>>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] M10 on ebay

[Brad Grier]

Heh... so far :) And doesn't ship to Canada :(

On Sun, Jul 17, 2022 at 12:06 PM Stephen Adolph 
wrote:

>
> https://www.ebay.ca/itm/144643878847?mkevt=1=2=e112358.m43.l3160=8=43120694728=-1%7E1=16TE179892_T_ENDSOON_CT1=2022071709=osgood
>
> Super cheap!
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Wordle Contest

[Brad Grier]

Neat! I should look at updating m100le (https://github.com/bgri/m100LE) to
enter, but after I finish unpacking etc; we've just moved houses.

--Brad


On Thu, Jul 7, 2022 at 3:52 PM Kevin Becker  wrote:

> I know at least one version of this already exists for the Model T.
>
>
> https://www.vintageisthenewold.com/beauty-and-the-beast-trs8bit-newsletter-announces-its-2022-programming-contest-for-the-trs-80-family-of-computers
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Bump

[Brad Grier]

Happy summer (almost). It's wet and rainy in (normally) sunny Alberta.
We're in the midst of moving to a smaller city, so all my m100 stuff is
packed. Haven't touched it in a month or so other than to carefully package
it up for transport.

I did manage to get a new (old) toy though -- a great looking SHARP EL-5804
calculator that I used to own back in the late '70s

https://imgur.com/uZqtAmf

Though I'm looking forward to unpacking and getting back to a few 8201a
that need work.

--Brad

On Wed, Jun 15, 2022 at 8:04 AM Bruce H McIntosh 
wrote:

> > Hope everyone is enjoying their summer :-)
> >
> > -- John
>
>
> > This week ‘summer’ has officially begun here, temps near 100F and very
> humid.> > Jeff Birt
>
> So the adjective for which we're searching is more "enduring" than
> "enjoying"? :D
>
> This is the kind of weather that taught me the hard way not to store old
> laptops in the garage.
>
> --
> 
> Bruce H. McIntosh   bhmcint...@gmail.com   www.afn.org/~scotsman   WA4UF
> ----
>   Network geek with a strong affinity for Telecasters
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] is the list actually working?

[Brad Grier]

Got it.

On Tue, May 3, 2022 at 7:24 AM incoming  wrote:

> received
>
> > On May 3, 2022, at 8:22 AM, Stephen Adolph  wrote:
> >
> > I find myself wondering if the mailing list is now becoming very
> unreliable.
> > If this message gets through please respond.
> > thanks
> > Steve
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

[M100] A little something for the Wordle fans...

[Brad Grier]

A little something for the Wordle fans -- I wanted a project that would let
me re-learn BASIC. This let me scratch that itch: m100le - Wordle for the
m100 . I've fixed the two obvious (to me)
bugs and am tracking new ones in the github issues.

I think it's stable enough for folk to poke away at.
All feedback and thoughts welcome. https://github.com/bgri/m100LE

-- 
-- 
Brad

Re: [M100] Model 102 keys

[Brad Grier]

Well, it turned out I just had to pry the key caps off with a bit of
wiggling and extra pressure. Then the front/back lock tabs were just as
your video showed, and easy to lift with the dental tool.

I had about 8 keys that were 'dead'. On very close examination I saw that
the carbon pad had two small dents that matched the contacts on the board.
So after cleaning the contacts and the carbon, I rotated the dome 90
degrees so that the dents no longer matched the contact points. Worked
perfectly!

--Brad


On Wed, Feb 16, 2022 at 6:34 AM Brad Grier  wrote:

> Interesting. Glitch in the Matrix -- Brian, I didn't get your reply via
> email but did see it on the Discord mailing list roll-up (nice to have
> that!!).
>
> Thanks for posting that link to the video. It looks like you had no
> problem removing the key caps from the mechanism. I tried yesterday but
> they seemed more resistant than other keys have in my experience. I'll try
> again and maybe just 'worry at it' a bit more.
>
> Good detail on that video of lifting the front and back lock-tabs. Very
> helpful! Thanks, and I'll report back on how it goes.
>
> --Brad
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 15, 2022 at 10:01 PM Brad Grier  wrote:
>
>> Hi all, I've got a couple of dead keys on a Model 102. I understand
>> they're the rubber dome type of keys. I'm thinking I can pop the keys,
>> check and clean the contacts.
>>
>> But.
>>
>> They seem to be quite firmly affixed (haven't pulled too hard yet) so was
>> wondering if there's something 'different' going on there regarding the way
>> the keys are mounted and the best way to remove them.
>>
>> It doesn't look like an ALPS board that the others use...
>>
>>
>> --Brad
>>
>>
>> --
>> --
>> Brad Grier
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> --
> Brad Grier
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Model 102 keys

[Brad Grier]

Interesting. Glitch in the Matrix -- Brian, I didn't get your reply via
email but did see it on the Discord mailing list roll-up (nice to have
that!!).

Thanks for posting that link to the video. It looks like you had no problem
removing the key caps from the mechanism. I tried yesterday but they seemed
more resistant than other keys have in my experience. I'll try again and
maybe just 'worry at it' a bit more.

Good detail on that video of lifting the front and back lock-tabs. Very
helpful! Thanks, and I'll report back on how it goes.

--Brad




On Tue, Feb 15, 2022 at 10:01 PM Brad Grier  wrote:

> Hi all, I've got a couple of dead keys on a Model 102. I understand
> they're the rubber dome type of keys. I'm thinking I can pop the keys,
> check and clean the contacts.
>
> But.
>
> They seem to be quite firmly affixed (haven't pulled too hard yet) so was
> wondering if there's something 'different' going on there regarding the way
> the keys are mounted and the best way to remove them.
>
> It doesn't look like an ALPS board that the others use...
>
>
> --Brad
>
>
> --
> --
> Brad Grier
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

[M100] I got my virtual printer board (neat!) and thought I'd share my thoughts :)

[Brad Grier]

Cool board, slick interface, and no ink cartridges or ribbons to worry
about.

More thoughts here:
http://blog.bradgrier.com/2022/01/30/a-virtual-parallel-printer-for-a-vintage-computer/

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Fwd: M100 Information

[Brad Grier]

Hi Russell -- I've got some ready and will ping you via email.

--Brad

On Sun, Jan 9, 2022 at 3:40 AM Russell Pitman 
wrote:

> Brad,
>
>
>
> Please feel free to give me a shout if you get a contrast kit ready for
> this M100 as I would love to replace the one in there which is not 100%
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
> Russ
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows
>
>
>
> *From: *Brad Grier 
> *Sent: *02 January 2022 02:55
> *To: *m...@bitchin100.com
> *Subject: *Re: [M100] Fwd: M100 Information
>
>
>
> Ah, good luck with that cleanup. Corrosion is never fun and always seems
> to spread to where you least expect it.
>
>
>
> --Brad
>
>
> --
>
> Brad Grier
>
>
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Fwd: M100 Information

[Brad Grier]

Ah, good luck with that cleanup. Corrosion is never fun and always seems to
spread to where you least expect it.

--Brad

-- 
Brad Grier

[M100] Fwd: M100 Information

[Brad Grier]

Thanks for those images Russ. Agreed, they look very close indeed.

Top is a shot I have of the m100 VR1 region. Bottom a cropped version of
your image.
https://i.ibb.co/Jp1pqWn/image.png

And here's one installed.
https://i.ibb.co/F3f5L0m/image.png

It's got tight clearance so I've tweaked it a bit and am testing a 'skinny'
version :)






-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] M100 Information

[Brad Grier]

Hi Russell, yep, I have the new PCB version available at stuff.bradgrier.com

I've only tested it with the NEC PC-8201 & 8201a, as well as the m100
boards that I have, which are different from the one in your photo. If you
don't mind, can you take a shot of VR1 including surrounding components
etc? Also remove the ribbon cable. That'll help me figure out if it'll fit
or if I need to tweak the design a bit. :)

Thanks and stay warm!

--Brad


On Fri, Dec 31, 2021 at 12:03 PM Russell Pitman 
wrote:

> I am not sure that the voltages are coming through either as I need to
> know the correct components to check,
>
> With a correct circuit diagram.  I have continuity checked the switch SW3
> and that is good.  6v is seen at the battery terminals.
>
>
>
> I have noticed that Brad does a VR1 kit which might be worth sourcing, if
> still available.
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
>
> Russ
>
>
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows
>
>
>
> *From: *Jeffrey Birt 
> *Sent: *31 December 2021 13:13
> *To: *m...@bitchin100.com
> *Subject: *Re: [M100] M100 Information
>
>
>
> >> I have been looking at the circuit diagrams and manuals for it but
> none seem to match the motherboard
>
> that is inside this model.  Cap and resistor numbers are different.
>
>
>
> That would be a very odd PCB. Kyocera even carried the same component
> designations through to the Olivetti M-10. The M100 and T102 are different,
> are you referencing the correct schematic?
>
> There are two versions of the M100 PCB but the changes are minor. There
> are a few component differences in the reset circuit and the RS-232 output.
> The later model also uses a standard EPROM pin-out for the ROM.
>
> Have you checked the power supply voltages? Always start with PCR: Power,
> Clock, Reset. Checking these three things first will go a long way to
> finding the problem.
>
>
>
> Jeff Birt
>
>
>
> *From:* M100  *On Behalf Of *Russell
> Pitman
> *Sent:* Thursday, December 30, 2021 10:00 PM
> *To:* m100@lists.bitchin100.com
> *Subject:* [M100] M100 Information
>
>
>
> Hi all
>
>
>
> I have recently received my first M100 but unfortunately I am unable to
> get any response from it.
>
>
>
> I have been looking at the circuit diagrams and manuals for it but none
> seem to match the motherboard
>
> that is inside this model.  Cap and resistor numbers are different.
>
>
>
> Finally I have noticed that the contrast potentiometer (VR1) is no longer
> working and am wondering if this is
>
> why no display is seen?   Does anyone know where I can source one of these?
>
>
>
> Many thanks
>
>
> Russ
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] M100 Information

[Brad Grier]

Hi Russell,

Welcome to the fun! Yes, a photo of the motherboard would help :)

If it proves out that one of the issues is with the contrast control pot,
then there are options. Sadly, they don't make one-to-one replacements for
VR1 any more.
I too had issues with VR1 -- and couldn't find a modern replacement. So I
made a tray that fits in the VR1 space to allow a modern potentiometer to
work.
More details at stuff.bradgrier.com

I've recently updated the design to a PCB, but the website doesn't reflect
that yet.

Good luck with the hunt!

--Brad

On Thu, Dec 30, 2021 at 9:13 PM Stephen Adolph  wrote:

> Hi, a pic would be great of the motherboard!
>
> On Thursday, December 30, 2021, Russell Pitman 
> wrote:
>
>> Hi all
>>
>>
>>
>> I have recently received my first M100 but unfortunately I am unable to
>> get any response from it.
>>
>>
>>
>> I have been looking at the circuit diagrams and manuals for it but none
>> seem to match the motherboard
>>
>> that is inside this model.  Cap and resistor numbers are different.
>>
>>
>>
>> Finally I have noticed that the contrast potentiometer (VR1) is no longer
>> working and am wondering if this is
>>
>> why no display is seen?   Does anyone know where I can source one of
>> these?
>>
>>
>>
>> Many thanks
>>
>>
>> Russ
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>> Windows
>>
>>
>>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] The Living M100SIG

[Brad Grier]

Oh, that is a good idea! Well done Brian for making it happen!

--Brad

On Sat, Dec 18, 2021 at 7:44 AM Bert Put  wrote:

> Thank you, Brian!
>
> The nice thing about cloning a git repo is that any recent copy of the
> repo can be used to restore the original in case it gets lost or the
> site goes down -- thus preserving the entire change log.
>
> Regards,Bert
>
>
> On 12/17/21 11:48 PM, Brian K. White wrote:
> > I got tired of running into simple fixable things and other update
> > opportunities in the M100SIG, and having no good place to put them.
> >
> > https://github.com/bkw777/Living_M100SIG
> >
> > Similarly, having no good way to reference and link to individual files
> > or directories. I was using archive.org's ability to link to files
> > within a zip but it's still not that convenient, either for me or for
> > the reader.
> >
> > The first example: A few months ago while working on creating a portable
> > downloadable replacement for the cassette-only installer for Disk Power
> > KC-85, I needed a CO2BA for K85 and there wasn't one. But I managed to
> > port a version for 100 to K85. And then had no good place to put it.
> > Ideally, it should go right there next to the 100 version.
> >
> > And there's no reason not to. The original M100SIG is of course a
> > historical artifact by now, but it's contents were highly mutable and
> > transient and casual right up until it was collected into that zip. It
> > was all ongoing progress up to then. There is nothing especially final
> > or perfect about 99% of the contents. It was just an arbitrary point in
> > time when a service was shut down.
> >
> > I could just as easily have written this exact same little file in 1985
> > instead of 2021 and if I had, the file would have gone right there. (In
> > fact I literally could have, since I was 15 and this wouldn't have been
> > beyond my abilities at the time. I just didn't have a modem, or money
> > for Compuserve, or a KC-85!)
> >
> > I rely on the front page readme and the by-now well understood basic
> > nature of a revision control system to take care of documenting the
> > difference between the original files and the new or modified files.
> >
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Interesting m-100 clone

[Brad Grier]

Nice, thanks for sharing that comparison -- I thought it looked a bit small
compared to the hand in one of the shots :)

--Brad

On Sat, Dec 4, 2021 at 10:01 PM Ben Wiley Sittler 
wrote:

> I have that machine! Specifically mine is the version with a Raspberry Pi
> Compute Module 3+ Lite. It can run VirtualT OK too, though I need to fix
> some memory corruption or API incompatibity that currently renders FLTK
> file dialogs unusable. The optional cash register thermal printer mode is a
> nice Epon-ish touch, and of course the screen is lovely though it could
> really stand to have a protective layer of hard plastic in front. The
> gamepad arrows are very reminiscent of PC-8201 though positioned
> differently. The keyboard is nowhere near as typeable as the Model T's,
> unfortunately. The whole device is only half the area of a Model 100!
>
> Unfortunately being Pi-based it doesn't have any concept of low-power
> sleep or suspend mode, but on the other hand it does have a microsd card
> for persistent storage, and it boots in less than ten seconds. The WiFi,
> Bluetooth, USB, and HDMI connectivity feel very fancy after using a device
> with just serial connectivity
>
> On Sat, Dec 4, 2021, 13:17 Earl Baugh  wrote:
>
>> Saw this and found it an interesting look-a-like :
>>
>>
>> https://www.hackster.io/news/clockwork-pi-devterm-review-hands-on-with-the-ultra-compact-trs-80-inspired-kit-computer-b5a73acbaefd?mc_cid=142fb5fc81_eid=39010d1c63
>>
>> Earl
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] 5MHz and RAM in M100/T102

[Brad Grier]

rt using it
> regularly to get more confidence in it.
>
> I currently have 5MHz working on my NSC800 modified CPM dedicated M100.
>
> In terms of hardware to change the clock from 2.5 MHz to 5MHz, I have
> developed a little piggy back board that solders onto the 8085.  It
> provides the new crystal, and a little circuit to divide the clock by two
> to feed the computer CLK signal, and another circuit to enable clock
> switching between 2.5 and 5 MHz using a software command.  More on this
> when it is fully tested (I just sent out the board).
>
> Well that's my morning coffee absorbed, onwards.
> Steve
>
>
>
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] M100 display suddenly less visible

[Brad Grier]

Hi George, yes, I didn't really like the idea of turning a unit into a
'donor' unit to solve this particular problem, and I thought there was a
way to make it work. Just glad that I figured it out :)

--Brad

On Sun, Nov 7, 2021 at 5:50 PM George Goodman 
wrote:

> Well, Brad, that's a lovely solution to the problem. I'm going to think
> about it (even though I have a second M100 coming this week, I don't mind
> resuscitating the donor-to-be!
>
> Thanks much for the idea and the solution!
>
> george g.
>
> On Sun, Nov 7, 2021, at 3:19 PM, Brad Grier wrote:
>
> Hi George, I too had a pot on my NEC 8201 that had died, so I fabricated a
> tray to allow new pots to be used to replace these old ones that aren't
> made anymore.
>
> More detail here on my first version, if you're interested:
> http://stuff.bradgrier.com/docs/drop-in-vr1-documentation/how-to-install-the-drop-inn-vr1-replacement-pot/
> I do have a newer version in the works that is a bit simpler to work with.
> Happy to answer any questions...
>
> --Brad
>
> On Sun, Nov 7, 2021 at 2:57 PM George Goodman <
> georgeogood...@orgoodman.net> wrote:
>
>
> FYI, it appears the pot is dead, dead, dead (well, it isn't potentiating,
> just letting a rather small bit through). That pot is so small and so very
> well soldered to the board that I don't think I can do anything about it.
> It appears that this M100 will become my donor.
>
> My second system arrives this week.
>
> Thanks for all the help, folks!
>
> george g.
>
> ---
> Please note that this email is coming from my new account. Change the
> contact information you have for me to send emails to
> georgeogood...@orgoodman.net
> Thanks!
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 4, 2021, at 12:19 PM, George Goodman wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> My M100 display seems to have taken a turn for the dim. See the images in
> this shared folder —> 
> *https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y1cpftct6dgqy2j/AAAEb3PmIC1b30qh7FV_WX4ea?dl=0
> <https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y1cpftct6dgqy2j/AAAEb3PmIC1b30qh7FV_WX4ea?dl=0> *
>
> I can’t point to anything that happened. I started an install of TS-DOS
> from my Backpack and, once the Initial Program Load began, stepped away
> from my desk to get a glass of water. When I returned a few minutes later I
> thought the M100 had flat out died. I removed the Backpack and tried
> turning the M111 on and off and even did a hard reset. No joy…I thought.
>
> I happened to sit down at my desk and catch a more extreme viewing angle
> of the display. That’s when I realized that there was just a display issue.
> I verified that I can start up Basic, make the system beep, open Text, etc.
> However, I haven’t found anything that will get the display back to good
> viewing from overhead.
>
> BTW, I did try the contrast dial and that didn’t have any impact. The
> images in that shared folder were taken with the contrast at its highest.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions for debugging and fixing this?
>
> Thanks,
>
> george g.
>
>
>
>
> --
> --
> Brad Grier
>
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] M100 display suddenly less visible

[Brad Grier]

Hi George, I too had a pot on my NEC 8201 that had died, so I fabricated a
tray to allow new pots to be used to replace these old ones that aren't
made anymore.

More detail here on my first version, if you're interested:
http://stuff.bradgrier.com/docs/drop-in-vr1-documentation/how-to-install-the-drop-inn-vr1-replacement-pot/

I do have a newer version in the works that is a bit simpler to work with.
Happy to answer any questions...

--Brad

On Sun, Nov 7, 2021 at 2:57 PM George Goodman 
wrote:

> FYI, it appears the pot is dead, dead, dead (well, it isn't potentiating,
> just letting a rather small bit through). That pot is so small and so very
> well soldered to the board that I don't think I can do anything about it.
> It appears that this M100 will become my donor.
>
> My second system arrives this week.
>
> Thanks for all the help, folks!
>
> george g.
>
> ---
> Please note that this email is coming from my new account. Change the
> contact information you have for me to send emails to
> georgeogood...@orgoodman.net
> Thanks!
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 4, 2021, at 12:19 PM, George Goodman wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> My M100 display seems to have taken a turn for the dim. See the images in
> this shared folder —> 
> *https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y1cpftct6dgqy2j/AAAEb3PmIC1b30qh7FV_WX4ea?dl=0
> <https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y1cpftct6dgqy2j/AAAEb3PmIC1b30qh7FV_WX4ea?dl=0> *
>
> I can’t point to anything that happened. I started an install of TS-DOS
> from my Backpack and, once the Initial Program Load began, stepped away
> from my desk to get a glass of water. When I returned a few minutes later I
> thought the M100 had flat out died. I removed the Backpack and tried
> turning the M111 on and off and even did a hard reset. No joy…I thought.
>
> I happened to sit down at my desk and catch a more extreme viewing angle
> of the display. That’s when I realized that there was just a display issue.
> I verified that I can start up Basic, make the system beep, open Text, etc.
> However, I haven’t found anything that will get the display back to good
> viewing from overhead.
>
> BTW, I did try the contrast dial and that didn’t have any impact. The
> images in that shared folder were taken with the contrast at its highest.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions for debugging and fixing this?
>
> Thanks,
>
> george g.
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Drop-In VR1 replacement contrast potentiometer for Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 and NEC PC-8201a

[Brad Grier]

Thanks for the kind words Lloyd, and you're on the list :)

--Brad

On Mon, Sep 13, 2021 at 8:59 AM  wrote:

> Brad,
>
>
>
> That is very good work.Please sign me up for one.I will direct
> email you with my address.
>
>
>
> Lloyd
>
-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Drop-In VR1 replacement contrast potentiometer for Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 and NEC PC-8201a

[Brad Grier]

Thanks for the kind words William! Let me know if you have any questions.

--Brad

On Sun, Sep 12, 2021 at 4:04 PM william stewart 
wrote:

> Excellent Article Brad,
>
> Looking forward to implementing this on my M100.
>
> Thanks for contributing to the group.
>
>
> William Stewart
>
> On Sunday, September 12, 2021, 02:18:46 PM EDT, Brad Grier <
> b...@bradgrier.com> wrote:
>
>
> Hi everyone, this is mostly a post for those who like to recover and
> restore m100 machines.
>
> Earlier (on the facebook group) I'd mentioned that I fabricated a contrast
> replacement pot for the NEC PC-8201. It seemed that it wouldn't work on my
> Model 100, so I had to go back to the digital drawing board.
>
> And now the design works for both, the 8201 and the m100. No idea about
> the Olivetti M10 or the Kyotronic 85 -- don't have examples of those on
> hand to test :)
>
> I've posted more images and details about the kit here:
> http://stuff.bradgrier.com/docs/things/drop-in-vr1-replacement-contrast-potentientometer-forr-radio-shack-trs-80-model-100-and-nec-pc-8201a/
>
> ... but happy to discuss here as well :)
>
>
> --
> --
> Brad Grier
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Yet Another Calendar Program...

[Brad Grier]

Heh, John, that one line:

*You could rig up with a Pi, wimodem232 and a dot matrix printer emulator,
and a socat script. *

Lots of learning for me in that. Wimodem232 I get. Pi I get. The printer
emulator and especially socat are new. Not sure what the workflow would be,
but would be an interesting project to explore, maybe this fall or winter.

Good to know that the tools exist! Thanks!!

--Brad

On Sat, Aug 28, 2021 at 11:04 AM John R. Hogerhuis  wrote:

>
>
> On Sat, Aug 28, 2021, 6:41 AM Brad Grier  wrote:
>
>> Good point Lloyd -- and how I'll likely proceed. Backpack is very cool
>> and a great interim solution.
>>
>> Would be neat if there was such a thing as an RS-232 -> WiFi printer
>> spooler that just sat on the RS-232 and sent print jobs to the local wifi
>> printer. I did a quick search and couldn't see anything of the sort
>> available, and I'm sure developing it would not be that easy, even using
>> microcontrollers like the ESP8266 etc.
>>
>> --Brad
>>
>>
>
> You could rig up with a Pi, wimodem232 and a dot matrix printer emulator,
> and a socat script.
>
> -- John.
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Yet Another Calendar Program...

[Brad Grier]

Good point Lloyd -- and how I'll likely proceed. Backpack is very cool and
a great interim solution.

Would be neat if there was such a thing as an RS-232 -> WiFi printer
spooler that just sat on the RS-232 and sent print jobs to the local wifi
printer. I did a quick search and couldn't see anything of the sort
available, and I'm sure developing it would not be that easy, even using
microcontrollers like the ESP8266 etc.

--Brad

On Fri, Aug 27, 2021 at 9:27 PM Lloyd Johnson 
wrote:

> Brad,
>
>
>
> Thanks.Incidentally, until you get a printer, you can always send the
> output to the RS-232 port and capture it with your desk top computer and
> print it from there.   That is basically how I debugged and developed the
> program since my dot matrix printer is not in my office where I did the
> programming.   Of if you have the backpack TPDD just specify a filename and
> then move it to the SD.
>
>
>
> Lloyd
>
>
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Yet Another Calendar Program...

[Brad Grier]

This is great Lloyd! I don't have a printer hooked up to my 8201 (yet) but
will add this to my NEC software collection.

Thank you!

--Brad

On Fri, Aug 27, 2021 at 10:33 AM Lloyd Johnson 
wrote:

> Hello Everyone,
>
> I wrote yet another calendar program for the TRS-80 Model 100 and NEC
> PC-8201A.   I call it YACalP.ba.
>
> You can find this program along with a pdf file containing the
> documentation I wrote for this program at
> https://github.com/LEJ-Projects/Yet-Another-Calendar-Program
>
> I hope some of you will find it either interesting, useful or both.
>
> Lloyd
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Model 100 folding Leg Extensions (3D Printable)

[Brad Grier]

Neat idea and elegant design! I think I'll print off a set later today :)

--Brad

On Sat, Aug 21, 2021 at 10:47 PM David Grissom  wrote:

> Been playing with my 3D Printer too much…
>
>
>
> I’ve used pencils, plastic coat hangers and other materials to make let
> extensions for my Model 100.
>
>
>
> I designed a folding leg extension.  This allows me to keep the legs on
> the computer when I store it in its plastic slip case.  No more lost peg
> legs for me. They open and lock at around 40mm (1.5 inches).  Pictures are
> on the site below.
>
>
>
> Remember this is a work in progress.  Since the object is fairly small it
> may take more tweaking to work with every printer and filament type.
>
>
>
> Comment and Remixes are welcome.  This is fun project for me!
>
>
>
> Here is a link:
>
>
>
> TRS-80 Model 100 Custom Folding Leg Extensions by dgrissom - Thingiverse
> <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4937934>
>
>
>
> Please excuse if I get multiple posts.  Been have email woes today 
>
>
>
> David Grissom
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
> Windows
>
>
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Good Datasette device ?

[Brad Grier]

Agreed, it is a nice, small unit.

Another option is to record to something like a digital audio recorder and
keep the files on SD card, or transfer to your computer. I did something
like that before I fixed my 8281:
http://blog.bradgrier.com/2021/06/20/vintage-computing-saving-data-to-an-audio-device/

On Fri, Aug 20, 2021 at 2:45 PM ExPLIT | Pawel Radomychelski <
exp...@mailbox.org> wrote:

> Thanks, indeed, something like that are also on ebay in Europe.
>
>
> https://www.ebay.de/itm/224414429818?hash=item344024727a:g:~pwAAOSwv0NgbJhD
>
>
> But PC-8281A is very compact, its very hard to find something in this
> size...
>
>
> --
>
> Kind regards /
> Mit freundlichen Grüßen
>
> ExPLIT IT Solutions
> Pawel Radomychelski
>
>
>
> -Original Message-
> *From*: Brad Grier  >
> *Reply-To*: m...@bitchin100.com
> *To*: m...@bitchin100.com
> *Subject*: Re: [M100] Good Datasette device ?
> *Date*: Fri, 20 Aug 2021 14:38:41 -0600
>
> Here's another example of a data cassette recorder that would work.
> https://www.ebay.ca/itm/133391853738?epid=878236=item1f0ec628aa:g:A3YAAOSw4oJenijf
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 20, 2021 at 2:26 PM Brad Grier  wrote:
>
> Hi Pawel, interesting that it saves but won't play. Have you opened it up
> and looked for loose wires etc? I just rebuilt an 8281 and noticed that
> some of the wires are stretched fairly tight between solder points.
>
> Otherwise, if you are set on replacing it, any of the data cassette
> recorders of the era would work. It's better if they have a 'remote'
> connector as well as an in/Rec and out/Play jack. Also, those jacks should
> be mono, not stereo.
>
> Something like this: https://www.msx.org/wiki/NEC_PC-DR330
>
> As an aside, do you have the manual/documentation for the 8281? I've been
> looking online and not found anything.
>
> --Brad
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 20, 2021 at 2:07 PM ExPLIT | Pawel Radomychelski <
> exp...@mailbox.org> wrote:
>
> Hi guys,
>
> my NEC PC-8281A Data Recorde seems to be defective (It saves files on the
> tape, but can't read from them. When i try to "play" a data tape throu
> normal headphones i don't hear any noise.)
>
> Do some of you know a good substitution datasette ?
>
> Preferably one, which i can buy here in Europe.
>
>
> Thanks
> Pawel
>
>
>
> --
> --
> Brad Grier
>
>
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Good Datasette device ?

[Brad Grier]

Here's another example of a data cassette recorder that would work.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/133391853738?epid=878236=item1f0ec628aa:g:A3YAAOSw4oJenijf


On Fri, Aug 20, 2021 at 2:26 PM Brad Grier  wrote:

> Hi Pawel, interesting that it saves but won't play. Have you opened it up
> and looked for loose wires etc? I just rebuilt an 8281 and noticed that
> some of the wires are stretched fairly tight between solder points.
>
> Otherwise, if you are set on replacing it, any of the data cassette
> recorders of the era would work. It's better if they have a 'remote'
> connector as well as an in/Rec and out/Play jack. Also, those jacks should
> be mono, not stereo.
>
> Something like this: https://www.msx.org/wiki/NEC_PC-DR330
>
> As an aside, do you have the manual/documentation for the 8281? I've been
> looking online and not found anything.
>
> --Brad
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 20, 2021 at 2:07 PM ExPLIT | Pawel Radomychelski <
> exp...@mailbox.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi guys,
>>
>> my NEC PC-8281A Data Recorde seems to be defective (It saves files on the
>> tape, but can't read from them. When i try to "play" a data tape throu
>> normal headphones i don't hear any noise.)
>>
>> Do some of you know a good substitution datasette ?
>>
>> Preferably one, which i can buy here in Europe.
>>
>>
>> Thanks
>> Pawel
>>
>
>
> --
> --
> Brad Grier
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Good Datasette device ?

[Brad Grier]

Hi Pawel, interesting that it saves but won't play. Have you opened it up
and looked for loose wires etc? I just rebuilt an 8281 and noticed that
some of the wires are stretched fairly tight between solder points.

Otherwise, if you are set on replacing it, any of the data cassette
recorders of the era would work. It's better if they have a 'remote'
connector as well as an in/Rec and out/Play jack. Also, those jacks should
be mono, not stereo.

Something like this: https://www.msx.org/wiki/NEC_PC-DR330

As an aside, do you have the manual/documentation for the 8281? I've been
looking online and not found anything.

--Brad


On Fri, Aug 20, 2021 at 2:07 PM ExPLIT | Pawel Radomychelski <
exp...@mailbox.org> wrote:

> Hi guys,
>
> my NEC PC-8281A Data Recorde seems to be defective (It saves files on the
> tape, but can't read from them. When i try to "play" a data tape throu
> normal headphones i don't hear any noise.)
>
> Do some of you know a good substitution datasette ?
>
> Preferably one, which i can buy here in Europe.
>
>
> Thanks
> Pawel
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Dungeon Warrior - Game...

[Brad Grier]

Neat! I've not yet had time to move it to my NEC, but did try out Wizard
War briefly on Archive.org -- very neat!
[image: image.png]

Also cool that you did some work with Saberhagen -- quite enjoyed his
Berserker series back in the day :)

Lots of detail in that Dungeon Warrior pdf too. I'll be wanting to set
aside a bit of time to give this one a go. I'm tempted to go all 'old
school' on it and save it out to cassette too :) (but first I need to find
some blank cassettes).

--Brad


On Thu, Jul 29, 2021 at 4:29 PM  wrote:

> Thanks John.   I really appreciate your comments.
>
> Lloyd
>
>
>
> *From:* M100  *On Behalf Of *John R.
> Hogerhuis
> *Sent:* Thursday, July 29, 2021 5:17 PM
> *To:* m...@bitchin100.com
> *Subject:* Re: [M100] Dungeon Warrior - Game...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 29, 2021 at 1:56 PM  wrote:
>
> I had tried sending this out last week but there was no comments.   I
> shared it separately with another member of this group and he said he did
> not receive it.   So, maybe it did not go out.  Here it is again but
> without the screenshot.
>
>
>
>
>
> Got it Lloyd. Good stuff. Played a few minutes here as a break.
>
> I appreciate that you put so much work into the documentation. Makes all
> the difference and gives some history.
>
>
>
> -- John.
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] How to clean plastic?

[Brad Grier]

Ah, that's good to hear Joshua... I was looking for a product for some
units I have. Thanks for that detail!

--Brad

On Mon, Jul 26, 2021 at 5:03 PM Joshua O'Keefe 
wrote:

> On Jul 26, 2021, at 3:06 PM, Jeffrey Birt  wrote:
>
> Are you wanting to polish the clear plastic? If so, take a look at Novus
> plastic polish. I have used it in the past, and it has worked well for me.
>
>
> I had excellent results with the 3-step Novus polish product on my screen
> cover. I used only the second and third steps, as the first step is
> intended for deeper scratches.  In my case I took no special precautions
> before polishing, such as taping off, and simply removed the top cover from
> my 102 (which separates from the keyboard immediately, unlike the 100) and
> tried to follow the instructions that came with the kit.
>
> I was surprised at how good the results were.
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Sneak peak and small first offering of the new 'Backpack Drive'

[Brad Grier]

Thanks for that detail Jeff -- I was going to ask :D

--Brad

On Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 1:16 PM Jeffrey Birt  wrote:

> If anyone is curious about the PLA used it is from PrintedSolid.com,
> Jessie PLA 1.75mm X Beige 500. I like to call it ‘old computer beige’.
>
>
>
> Jeff Birt (Hey Birt!)
>
>
>
> *From:* M100  *On Behalf Of *Kevin
> Becker
> *Sent:* Friday, July 16, 2021 10:05 AM
> *To:* m...@bitchin100.com
> *Subject:* Re: [M100] Sneak peak and small first offering of the new
> 'Backpack Drive'
>
>
>
> It's really cool, I like it a lot.  The PLA you used for the case is a
> really close match to my T102, which is cool too.
>
>
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Super ROM for NEC

[Brad Grier]

Interesting! Was discussing the availability of a SuperRom image for NEC
just this past weekend on Discord with @Fezzler and I was wondering how
difficult it would be to convert.

Your description of the process is somewhat 'greek' to me so I'm guessing
that I'd need to level up a bit to be able to contribute any useful
assistance - though I'd be happy to help, if I can :)

--Brad



On Mon, Jul 12, 2021 at 6:30 AM Stephen Adolph  wrote:

> Noting that SuperROM has never been found (or never released?) for NEC, it
> seems to me given what I know about making applications run on both
> platforms, that it should be very straightforward to translate the M100
> SuperROM into an NEC variant.  After all, the NEC and M100 are so similar.
>
> Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
>
> Process could be:
> - Disassemble
> - find the trampoline, and adjust for NEC memory map
> - look for "trampoline" calls to the main ROM, and convert to NEC addresses
> - look for upper RAM addresses, and convert to NEC addresses
> ---> this could be a bit tricky I admit, because it may not always be
> apparent that a register pair value is being used as an upper RAM pointer
> - adjust the hardware interrupt  if needed
>
>
> cheers
> Steve
>
>
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Planet Protector game for NEC

[Brad Grier]

Thanks for that post Gary! It's raining in Edmonton today so I guess I'm
stuck inside with 'other things' to do :) Will check it out!

--Brad

On Fri, May 7, 2021 at 11:47 PM Gary Weber  wrote:

> I should mention also that you'll need CHR100 to see proper graphics for
> this game, available here
> <https://www.web8201.net/Files/body.asp?name=Graphics%20Utilities=Back%20to%20Web8201%20Files=NEC-filedirlist.asp=Graphics>
> .
>
> On Fri, May 7, 2021 at 10:44 PM Gary Weber  wrote:
>
>> In the ancient times of the m100 list (okay, 2001 timeframe but that's 20
>> years ago so it qualifies?), I posted about the release of the Planet
>> Protector game.  It's a machine-language created game that is available in
>> the Club100 "Games" download area, which I successfully ported to the NEC
>> machines back in 2001.
>>
>> Mike Berro is the original author of this machine-language based
>> graphics arcade game for the Model 100, and it is among the best
>> arcade-style games for the Model Ts that I've ever seen.  It's very smooth,
>> has great graphics, and is fun to play.
>>
>> You can grab PLANET for the NEC from the Web8201 games area.
>> Planet Protector Game
>> <https://www.web8201.net/Files/LIBRARY_web8201/Games/PLANET.BA>
>> Planet Protector Documentation
>> <https://www.web8201.net/Files/LIBRARY_web8201/Games/PLADOC.DO>
>>
>> When I originally released it, in the documentation, I made mention of a
>> contest for the first person to complete the game and contact me.  I'll
>> quote that here:
>>
>> "If you successfully destroy all the alien bases, the game ends and 
>> something rather peculiar happens.  The first person to tell me what happens 
>> will get your own customized option ROM created with your chosen collection 
>> of programs for the NEC mailed to you free of charge! (See the Web 8201 web 
>> site (http://www.web8201.net) and view the Custom Option ROMS page for 
>> details.)  I'll post the contest winner on the Web 8201 front page."
>>
>> And as of May 7 2021, the contest still has yet to be completed.
>>
>> So here's my shout out to all gamers that have the NEC machine: If you're
>> the first to complete the game and satisfy the condition I mention, you'll
>> get an XPROM delivered to you (or burnable/REX-able image supplied to you
>> if you prefer) with programs of your choosing.
>>
>> Anyone up to the challenge?  :-)
>>
>> Take care all.
>>
>> --
>> Gary Weber
>> g...@web8201.com
>>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Packet radio like it's 1987

[Brad Grier]

task of receiving 1200 baud AX.25 as cassette signals would be
> easier if there was a timer that ran at 1200 Hz, but the uDP1990 chip can't
> generate 1200 Hz.  By default its timer runs 256 times per second and while
> you CAN hook that in software, 256 Hz won't help when we want a 1200 Hz
> timer. But I digress...(More info on the uDP1990 and the 256 Hz interrupt
> that you can hook see https://ftp.whtech.com/club100/ref/watchdog.doc and
> note that this file ends in ".DOC" but it is a text file not a Microsoft
> Word document.)
>
>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] test because its quiet

[Brad Grier]

Neat!! Appreciate the detail and random test-reply! I'm sure I can put this
to use.

On Sat, Apr 10, 2021 at 1:38 AM Brian K. White  wrote:

> On 4/9/21 11:22 PM, Bert Put wrote:
> > test?
> >
>
> Many, many years ago on a distant shore
> Men did gather secretly beyond a hidden door
>
> What's more appropriate for soldering than heavy metal and songs about
> hell? It's literally lead, and it's literally hot enough to melt, and
> there's even noxious fumes. Soldering is metal af. :)
>
> Got a technique pretty much down for making dip legs on pcbs out of
> plain gold plated brass jewelry wire.
>
>
> https://photos.app.goo.gl/mQnsaH5LVoQW2RdJ6
>
>
> Stick a dip-28 machined round socket in a breadboard.
>
> Cover the top with a piece of painters tape. I'm using green Frog tape,
> but anything like masking tape or blue painters tape will work the same.
>
> Set the pcb on top of that.
>
> Poke the brass wire down through the top of the pcb in one corner via,
> punch through the tape, into the socket, and bottom it out in the socket.
>
> Snip the wire flush with the top of the pcb.
>
> Repeat for the opposite corner.
>
> Add flux and solder those two legs. You only need to touch the heat to
> the top, The flux will tak ethe solder down into the via and the tape
> will keep the solder from going down into the socket. 2 or 3 seconds is
> generally plenty.
>
> Then repeat just the poke & cut steps for all other legs.
>
> Then solder all legs.
>
>
> The wire you want is 26 gauge gold-filled brass, half-hard.
>
> "gold filled" is like gold plated but way more gold than we actually
> need, but no one seems to sell merely gold plated wire, just bare brass
> or gold-filled.
>
> 26 gauge is thin enough to fit into machined round sockets and not even
> theoretically harm any sockets by stretching them out like ordinary
> square pins do, yet strong enough to inserted into connectors without
> bending. Prices vary pretty widely for the same product, so you should
> shop around...
>
> These are some that I actually purchased and tried and they work well:
>
> This is probably the most economical I've found so far:
>
> https://www.wirejewelry.com/round-red-brass-wire/26_Gauge_Round_Half_Hard_Red_Brass_Wire-14549-901.html
>
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCMYWGN?psc=1
>
>
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Red-Brass-Wire-Round-Half-Round-Square-14-16-18-20-21-22-24-26-28-Gauge/123161530578?var=423571461737
>
>
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/26ga-Gold-plated-copper-round-wire-4mm-015-create-wire-wrapped-jewelry-pw023/203158831071
>
>
> This one (below) does NOT work well, but only because it's thinner than
> 26 gauge despite saying 26 gauge. Perhaps 24 gauge from the same
> supplier would be perfect. Even this does work, just the legs are a bit
> thin and weak. They still do manage to insert into even fairly stiff
> sockets without folding, so really, you could use this just fine. And
> the thin/weakness of the wire does have a benefit that when you bend the
> legs accidentally from handling the finished object, you can just bend
> them back and they don't break off.
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S9JFK2V
>
> This one works but is a bit softer than ideal. It does say copper not
> brass, so it makes sense. However, "dat price tho"... Stiffer brass is
> better, but this does actually work. It's just a little more delicate
> about punching through the painters tape. The legs insert into sockets
> just fine.
>
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/26ga-Gold-plated-copper-round-wire-4mm-015-create-wire-wrapped-jewelry-pw023/203158831071
>
>
> And you want to avoid any that say "tarnish resistant" or "gold color",
> because they will actually be aluminum wire with an enamel coating.
>
> Example of what at avoid:
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077ZP7H4C
>
> Exmple of what to get (I didn't actually buy this one, it's just an
> example that meets the criteria):
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ83F5N
>
>
> The advantage? The point of all this? Actual micro-pins from MillMax or
> Keystone are around $0.10 per pin in small quantities and don't go down
> very much in larger quantities. Punched sheet leadframe pins from
> TE-Connectivity are also about $0.10 per pin, and those are only tin
> plated not gold.
>
> This method uses under 6.0mm of wire per pin (I measured 5.88mm average
> over several pins). You can get 15,000mm of gold plated wire for $3 plus
> $3.50 shipping from the ebay one above (49feet $2.95) That's 2,500 legs
> for $0.0026 per leg, or $0.07 for an entire 28-pin pcb.
>
> And the time/care/effort needed to do the job is actually about the same
> for all 3 options.
>
> Hey gold & brass... more heavy metal.
>
> (The first two lines in this email are the first two lines in the most
> ridiculously over the top caricature of a metal tune I ever heard. So is
> the album art. Metal Church by Metal Church.)
>
> This concludes this test of the m100 list broadcast system.
>
> --
> bkw
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Cassette-emulator

[Brad Grier]

This doesn't address the ability to save files easily, but the Apple II
community has this great resource for loading files directly from the
internet to the computer (and creating a disk from the image at the same
time).
http://asciiexpress.net/diskserver/

I imagine a similar 'playback' site could be created for recorded cassette
files for the M100.






On Tue, Apr 6, 2021 at 11:41 PM John R. Hogerhuis  wrote:

> I tried a while back and I had success with the DR-05 and Model 100,
> worked very well. Also I had good results with Audacity and a PC laptop,
> including being able to make MP3 that loaded back in well.
>
> "Now, this is not exactly great on the "user friendly" side."
>
> Yes, just dealing with audio files is fiddly in general. I mean if I did
> it all the time, I'd remember all the steps, settings, audio level, etc.
> But I do it once in a while, and every time I get the equipment back out
> it's a journey of discovery.
>
> I think it would be great if we were saving straight to decoded, named
> files.
>
> Blast the file to your device... the file shows up, or it doesn't.
>
> -- John.
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] Tandy 102 programs for downloading?

[Brad Grier]

Though it's listed on an 8201 site, there's a lot here for the Tandy
branded unit:
https://www.web8201.net/default.asp?content=Files/body.asp%3Fname=The%20M100SIG%20Library%26url=M100SIG


On Thu, Apr 1, 2021 at 2:51 PM Dave Christensen  wrote:

> I have a Tandy 102 and have got teeny and laddiealpha running and I am in
> search of some libraries of downloadable code.  I have some of the basic
> stuff like frogger but I am having trouble locating locations where others
> have submitted their code for other folks use.  Can someone help?  Thanks
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] In over my head? Or a Challenge!!

[Brad Grier]

Well, I now have a fairly clean M100 PCB (using the glycerine and alcohol
recipe), but no change on the LCD status (still not displaying on this unit
though it works on my 8201a). More digging in my future.

On Fri, Mar 26, 2021 at 6:40 PM Daryl Tester <
dt-m...@handcraftedcomputers.com.au> wrote:

> On 26/3/21 10:49 pm, Jeffrey Birt wrote:
>
> > Most people use Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) I tend to use denatured alcohol
> > (methylated spirits) as I can get it locally and inexpensively. Each
> > type works a little better as a solvent on different types of things.
>
> I did see it referred to as IPA, but I'm with Jonathan on this - I
> associate IPA with beer, which, given the context of using alcohol,
> was confusing. :)
>
> On an unrelated note, does anyone want to buy a beer soaked M100? (j/k).
>
> Cheers,
>--dt
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] have O'scope loaner available to Brad Re: in over my head? Brad Grier

[Brad Grier]

Wow, good thing I check my spam folder every so often -- this was in it!

Thanks for the kind offer Dale but I'm not local (Edmonton, AB, Canada).
Not a math major but will give that pi algo a try :D



On Wed, Mar 24, 2021 at 5:08 PM  wrote:

> Brad & all,
> If you are in the Los Angeles, Calif area I could loan you a dual chan
> O'scope (20 or 30 MHz)
>
> I live in Torrance (SW of LA proper adjacent to Redondo & Hermosa Beach):
> dalescie...@aol.com
>
>
> For you PC-8201a owners here is a short 1 line pgm to iterate to 17
> significant digits of PI, in 25 mins 25sec for 4.9MHz clock.
>
> Why use 22/7  or 355/113 =6sd,  355/113# <8sd
>
> 4 powerCONT: defDBLd,i: Time$="00"::for J=2 to 46378 step4: i=J: d=d
> +4/(i*(i+1)*(i+2)) -4/((i+2)*(i+3)*i+4)): next:
> ?Time$" 3"chr$(27)d;(i-2)/4;:beep
>
> algorithm:
>
> pi = 3  +4/(2*3*4)-4/(4*5*6)  +4/(6*7*8)-4/(8*9*10)repeat sequence
> until reach limit of 8201a double precision math routines
>
> =16 sig digits,  squeezed out 17th by cutting iteration just before it
> breaks down - result begins slow downward plunge (decreases)
> (46378-2)/4 = 11594 actual iterationsAssumes 1st digit of PI is 3
>
> Result:  3.1415926535897932   (25 min, no spaces between pgm cmds)  {does
> 12 sig digits in 3min}
>
> Any motivated Math majors able to design an algorithm that expands beyond
> 17sd independent of double prec assy lang limit??  :-)
>
> if there is interest, I could post more:
>
> 1..array of 17 for/next targets for each add'l digit displayed on separate
> lines in two columns taking up the whole display area.
> (displays time & expanding PI, current For/Next tgt)  adds 25 sec for
> extra displays (25:50)
>
> 2. creative way to save same to a file, formatted as was displayed.
> (ordered: 1st - 8th,  2nd - 9th) in lieu of print screen to file!!! TBD
>
> Dale...  K3MNN /6  since 1967  retired TRW Space & Electronics 2006
> Redondo Beach, Calif
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] In over my head? Or a Challenge!!

[Brad Grier]

I've got some glycerine on my grocery list now and I've got IPA, so flux
removal is in the near future. It's a quiet night so I think I'm going to
test your PCR again Jeff ; maybe I missed something.

On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 7:39 PM Daryl Tester <
dt-m...@handcraftedcomputers.com.au> wrote:

> On 24/3/21 11:49 pm, Jeffrey Birt wrote:
>
> > I suspect it would work by itself, but it will take a lot of it. I have
> used alcohol
> > followed by a typical flux/PCB cleaner product which works (to save on
> the more
> > expensive flux cleaner).
>
> A transcontinental question - what type of alcohol are y'all talking about
> here -
> isopropyl or something else?
>
> Cheers,
>--dt
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] In over my head? Or a Challenge!!

[Brad Grier]

Thanks Jeff! I just watched that video and it was *very* helpful. I may
have gotten ahead of myself in the diagnosis so looking forward to putting
some of your techniques to use. I'm thinking I can do most basic testing
with my multimeter, but should probably look at getting a proper o-scope in
the near future. Tempted by those cheap ones but they don't go into the
2mhz range :(

Thanks again for your advice -- it's appreciated.

--Brad

On Tue, Mar 23, 2021 at 8:00 AM Jeffrey Birt  wrote:

> I did a video a while back about the first steps in troubleshooting a
> vintage computer. In a nutshell think ‘PCR’ Power, Clock, Reset. Make sure
> that all power supply rails are functional, then check that you have a good
> clock signal and finally check for a properly working reset. Without these
> 3 basic things nothing else will work and you can get confusing results.
> For example a reset that does not work properly can cause everything from
> not booting at all (held in reset) to the system coming up various random
> states as things were not properly reset.
>
> Jeff Birt
>
>
>
> *From:* M100  *On Behalf Of *Brad Grier
> *Sent:* Monday, March 22, 2021 10:33 PM
> *To:* m100@lists.bitchin100.com
> *Subject:* [M100] In over my head? Or a Challenge!!
>
>
>
> Hi everyone, as the subject line says, am I in over my head (for someone
> with old basic electronics knowledge), or is this a worthy challenge?
>
> [TL;DR] System symptoms: Won't power the screen, BASIC doesn't really
> work, unusual voltages on LCD connector pins. What to do? And why??
>
>
>
> A few months ago I received a M100 that wasn't really working. Initial
> symptom is no display. I was looking at this as a learning experience -- to
> see if I could do some simple fixes and get it going again, and dust off my
> ancient basic electronics knowledge. I only have a multimeter, so I knew
> this could be a challenge.
>
>
>
> Initial testing revealed that it did power up and will 'Beep' on command
> (blindly entering Basic and typing Beep).
>
>
>
> LCD does work -- I connected it to my NEC PC-8201a and had a functioning
> display (with a tiny line of dead pixels in zone 1). So I'm ruling out a
> bad LCD.
>
>
>
> The mainboard looks fine. No obvious scratches or leaking battery or caps.
> No obviously damaged components. No staining of any kind other than the
> standard-issue coating of flux (which I've read can turn conductive so I'm
> open to cleaning all that off too).
>
>
>
> Display-related transistors and diodes (according to the troubleshooting
> flowchart) check out. The caps look great too -- but I haven't desoldered
> each of them to test them out of circuit. I've read recommendations to
> recap anyway, but I'm not sure it'd be worth it if the other problems
> aren't related to bad caps.
>
>
>
> Voltages on the LCD Connector pins seemed weird when compared with my NEC
> PC8201a. Image here: https://imgur.com/a/xfNIdF1
> Related to caps? Something else? The LCD is getting these voltages (the
> cable is fine).
>
>
>
> So now I'm thinking there might be something with the logic. So I tried
> typing a simple basic program, blindly, but it's a short program so I'm
> pretty sure I got it in properly:
> 10 beep
>
> 20 goto 10
>
>
>
> Nothing. No string of beeps.
>
> And after that, a simple beep won't work either.
>
>
>
> But, power cycle or reset, enter basic, type beep, it works.
>
> beep:beep:beep also works. Now I'm thinking partially bad RAM? Or RAM
> select logic?
>
>
>
> So, two issues (display and BASIC), or is this all a case of a bunch of
> invisibly bad caps and I should just bite the bullet, desolder a few and
> test them.
>
>
>
> Thoughts? Ideas? What am I missing? Is this thing destined for a parts
> computer or could it be a good challenge to heal it up? All advice
> appreciated :)
>
>
>
> --Brad
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> --
> Brad Grier
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] In over my head? Or a Challenge!!

[Brad Grier]

Hi John, thanks for getting back to me.

I *think* that was one of the early steps I tried. I've since removed the
memory battery (a few weeks ago -- it was crusty) so it's not a concern
right now.

But, I figured what the heck, and just did the recovery test outlined in
your link, and sadly had no response on the display. If I listen carefully,
I can hear the relay engage, but other than that, no response from the
system.

The system can be made to beep by entering Basic and typing beep, but
trying to create a simple program doesn't work. And then there's the odd
connector power readings.

Thoughts?

--Brad

On Mon, Mar 22, 2021 at 11:14 PM John R. Hogerhuis  wrote:

> Hello Brad, before you start doing surgery, you didn't say if you've done
> the usual recovery procedures.
>
>
> http://bitchin100.com/wiki/index.php?title=Recovering_an_Unresponsive_Laptop
>
> -- John.
>


-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

[M100] In over my head? Or a Challenge!!

[Brad Grier]

Hi everyone, as the subject line says, am I in over my head (for someone
with old basic electronics knowledge), or is this a worthy challenge?

[TL;DR] System symptoms: Won't power the screen, BASIC doesn't really work,
unusual voltages on LCD connector pins. What to do? And why??

A few months ago I received a M100 that wasn't really working. Initial
symptom is no display. I was looking at this as a learning experience -- to
see if I could do some simple fixes and get it going again, and dust off my
ancient basic electronics knowledge. I only have a multimeter, so I knew
this could be a challenge.

Initial testing revealed that it did power up and will 'Beep' on command
(blindly entering Basic and typing Beep).

LCD does work -- I connected it to my NEC PC-8201a and had a functioning
display (with a tiny line of dead pixels in zone 1). So I'm ruling out a
bad LCD.

The mainboard looks fine. No obvious scratches or leaking battery or caps.
No obviously damaged components. No staining of any kind other than the
standard-issue coating of flux (which I've read can turn conductive so I'm
open to cleaning all that off too).

Display-related transistors and diodes (according to the troubleshooting
flowchart) check out. The caps look great too -- but I haven't desoldered
each of them to test them out of circuit. I've read recommendations to
recap anyway, but I'm not sure it'd be worth it if the other problems
aren't related to bad caps.

Voltages on the LCD Connector pins seemed weird when compared with my NEC
PC8201a. Image here: https://imgur.com/a/xfNIdF1
Related to caps? Something else? The LCD is getting these voltages (the
cable is fine).

So now I'm thinking there might be something with the logic. So I tried
typing a simple basic program, blindly, but it's a short program so I'm
pretty sure I got it in properly:
10 beep
20 goto 10

Nothing. No string of beeps.
And after that, a simple beep won't work either.

But, power cycle or reset, enter basic, type beep, it works.
beep:beep:beep also works. Now I'm thinking partially bad RAM? Or RAM
select logic?

So, two issues (display and BASIC), or is this all a case of a bunch of
invisibly bad caps and I should just bite the bullet, desolder a few and
test them.

Thoughts? Ideas? What am I missing? Is this thing destined for a parts
computer or could it be a good challenge to heal it up? All advice
appreciated :)

--Brad










-- 
-- 
Brad Grier

Re: [M100] m100 going prices

[Brad Grier]

Jeff, using the filter that Greg suggested helped me set my expectations
and range.

I picked up a NEC PC8201a for $114+shipping (CAD) before Christmas, and a
complete-but-partially-functioning (and I'll likely have questions for this
group about it) M100 in February for $45 + shipping (CAD). I hope that
gives you a range...

I was looking for a working NEC since the summer, then decided to find a
Model 100 to tinker with after I did more reading about the NEC. So it
seems to be a kinda hit-and-miss kind of thing.

What did help further than using the sold listings was setting up
'favourite' searches that email me when something is available that meets
the criteria (TRS-80 Model 100, Canada, Price <$100, etc). Nice to have it
automated. I also was able to use the 'Make an Offer' feature (both sales
had it enabled) to negotiate the final price.

Hope this helps?

--Brad



On Sun, Mar 14, 2021 at 9:55 PM Tom Wilson  wrote:

> It's pretty much a case of "wait for the right auction." I passed on a
> bunch of slab tops before I found the T102 that I have. I ended up getting
> it for less than $100, and I'm very happy with what I got.
>
>
>
> Tom Wilson
> wilso...@gmail.com
> (619)940-6311
>
>
>
> On Sun, Mar 14, 2021 at 8:06 PM Greg Swallow  wrote:
>
>> Jeff,
>>
>> Do a search in the eBay app for "TRS-80 Model 100" and add filters for
>> Completed/Sold Items.
>>
>> God Bless,
>>
>> GregS <><
>>
>> Mar 14, 2021 6:18:14 PM Jeff Gonzales :
>>
>> What are the going prices for m100s these days?  I wanna make sure I bid
>> correctly on eBay.  Thanks.
>>
>>

-- 
-- 
Brad Grier