What is/are your Project(s) during this pandemic ?

[Texas Tandy restorations]

conversation Bit: working on converting a rusted out FD500 external drive case,
and making it into an external FreHD and Gotek system for Model 3/4
(I am only giving a hint what it will look like.. need to do the whole write up afterwards..)

So what are you working on today/this week/right now/planning to do next...???

 

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by Texas Tandy restorations

[willus]

I might try to get my Model 4P running again.  I turned it on for the first time in 10 years just last week and got the disk drives to spin and the video to come up for about 5 seconds before it suddenly quit.  Also continuing to tweak https://willus.com/trs80.  Just added better support for .CAS files.

Edited June 26, 2020 by willus

[Briza1]

Going through my Floppy Disks and finding lost software for the archives. Slow process but very enjoyable. Coco lives 

[TTR - Patrick Bureau]

Here is the finished product :check out my latest updated FD502 conversion into a FreHD/Gotek Combo

on my web site : Texas Tandy restorations - FD-502 conversion

 

[Texas Tandy restorations]

And here we have the final product of this FD502 conversion, running FreHD (6 MB HDD on SDCARD) and Gotek Floppy Usb drive emulator.

you can see the whole work out and much more picture on my web site:TTR Web Site - FD502 Conversion

 

 

 

[Nateo]

I recently recapped my CoCo 2. Makes me feel a lot better about its longevity. Now I'm just waiting for a composite board to come back in stock so I can finally chuck the god awful RF modulator in the trash!

[Omega-TI]

On 6/26/2020 at 12:38 PM, willus said:

I might try to get my Model 4P running again.  I turned it on for the first time in 10 years just last week and got the disk drives to spin and the video to come up for about 5 seconds before it suddenly quit.  Also continuing to tweak https://willus.com/trs80.  Just added better support for .CAS files.

 

I'd kind of like to know overall how the TRS-80's have held up over the years.  I've heard a lot of stories like the Model III's always have a problem that is not easy or inexpensive to fix, so in the end many of them get disposed of (garbaged).  It would also be interesting to find what the most common breakdown issues are and maybe have a clearinghouse for DYI PDF repair documents/instructional guides with photos for novices... it may keep a few more of these machines operating.

[Texas Tandy restorations]

Model 1, 3 and 4, 4d, 4p have common issues, like keyboards and PSU issues, nothing out of the ordinary for a 40 year old computer (same issue creep up on other older computers likes IBM and Kaypro's).

 

Unfortunately, there "is not" a centralized "here are tech notes to consider when you have this or that issue." That requires a lot of work to put on a web page.

(I have done one for a WV Sirocco in the past and after 325 Tech notes I gave it up because it was just so much work, and money to keep up).

 

What Most people under the age of 40, have a problem with is not "fixing the issue", but the basic electronics knowledge has been loosing ground with the "tablet and iphone generation".

They never seen or use a soldering iron or even a multimeter, a by product of the "replace this bad video card with this one modular pc world practices". 

 

TRS-80 computers (and to a certain degree all other Vintage computers) even between models are not necessarily using the same standards in some cases, so each machine is very unique (as a model) compared to the rest of the products (i.e. a Model 1 does not have same issues and problems nor are they fixed the same way as a Model 3 would be), so each model is a "cannon of information for its own model"

 

Then add all aftermarkets that erupted in the 80 and 90's and that adds another layers of confusion, and lastly, even properly diagnosed, the components, 40 years old themselves, no longer being produced are slowly forcing everyone that finds a used source to begin a "hoarding mentality", even myself found myself to order eight chips when only need one, because it took me two hours to track them down on the internet.

 

Is vintage for the faint of heart? no, will it even be a "competitively price market"? no. Should younger folks get themselves, if lucky, a "given, free or low priced" system and try to fix it, Absolutely. 

a broken computers of 30-40 years will teach a great many things new technology cannot when it comes to "repairing one" patience, practice and troubleshooting techniques that will last a life time...

 

Should all this be better organized? some are, the Commodore and Amiga communities have massive following and organise folks all the time.

The TRS-80 (model 1-3-4-2-11-16-6000 business units computers) World, is, somehow, for a reason or another, and this is my personal opinion, far more a hobby from ex employees, engineers and programmers that restore some machines for the "fun of nostalgia" rather than like the TRS-80 COCO's computer family,  for example that like the Atari's of the world, have new products being produced for it in large quantities and low prices for all to enjoy.

A lot of all this has that the M1-6000 have limitations for expansions capabilities, and therefore cost more to "upgrade"
 

I hope I answered your question