Help from Engineers...
Posted by Hiraghm 10 years, 6 months ago to Technology
I know we have a few engineers here in the gulch, and having failed for years to find some hardware I need for a homebrew project, I'm hoping maybe someone here might know of a possible source so I can finally undertake the project...
Back in the 1980s, I had a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model-100 laptop. This was a roughly 12 inch square slab with a full-stroke keyboard and 40-column by 8-line b/w display, 32k max ram, an 8-bit 2 mhz (I think) 80c85 processor, and a custom OS.
I recently acquired another one and have been toying around with it, doing some programming, connecting it to bluetooth (and thereby my phone), etc.
http://www.club100.org/
But, for years I have wanted to build a newer homebrew version of it. I *still* like it better than my more recent and powerful laptops and notebooks I've owned over the years (for one thing, no danged touchpad and palmrest at the bottom of the the keyboard, plus full-stroke keys...) The biggest drawback it had for me was the slow refresh rate of the LCD, and the low resolution...
My "updated" version would address the display, memory and CPU issues, running Linux or Windows; even DOS would be an improvement.
What has been stopping me from, for example, taking a broken Model-100 and using its case to build a more powerful laptop in the same form factor, is the display.
The visible display in the Model 100 is about 191.2mm x 50.4mm, or 7.648" by 2.016". This is a very odd display ratio ( ultra-widescreen...)
I have not been able to find an LCD display even close to these dimensions. I'd accept anything from 6" to 7.75" inches wide and from 2" to 3.5" inches tall, but haven't been able to find anything. Some Android tablets come close, but their display ratio has been too small (rather, the displays were bigger than the real-estate I could dedicate to them).
So, do any of you scientists and engineers in the gulch know of a (hopefully inexpensive) source for a VGA compatible display anywhere near those dimensions? Maybe one that could be repurposed...
(actually, if i run DOS... mono, CGA or EGA compatible would do... just not as well :)
Back in the 1980s, I had a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model-100 laptop. This was a roughly 12 inch square slab with a full-stroke keyboard and 40-column by 8-line b/w display, 32k max ram, an 8-bit 2 mhz (I think) 80c85 processor, and a custom OS.
I recently acquired another one and have been toying around with it, doing some programming, connecting it to bluetooth (and thereby my phone), etc.
http://www.club100.org/
But, for years I have wanted to build a newer homebrew version of it. I *still* like it better than my more recent and powerful laptops and notebooks I've owned over the years (for one thing, no danged touchpad and palmrest at the bottom of the the keyboard, plus full-stroke keys...) The biggest drawback it had for me was the slow refresh rate of the LCD, and the low resolution...
My "updated" version would address the display, memory and CPU issues, running Linux or Windows; even DOS would be an improvement.
What has been stopping me from, for example, taking a broken Model-100 and using its case to build a more powerful laptop in the same form factor, is the display.
The visible display in the Model 100 is about 191.2mm x 50.4mm, or 7.648" by 2.016". This is a very odd display ratio ( ultra-widescreen...)
I have not been able to find an LCD display even close to these dimensions. I'd accept anything from 6" to 7.75" inches wide and from 2" to 3.5" inches tall, but haven't been able to find anything. Some Android tablets come close, but their display ratio has been too small (rather, the displays were bigger than the real-estate I could dedicate to them).
So, do any of you scientists and engineers in the gulch know of a (hopefully inexpensive) source for a VGA compatible display anywhere near those dimensions? Maybe one that could be repurposed...
(actually, if i run DOS... mono, CGA or EGA compatible would do... just not as well :)
See my "Steampunk Revolution" post as to my probable motivation.
Though, for it's time, the Model 100 was something else. Having used tablets and laptops, I've theorized that the Model 100 form-factor, with modern horsepower (well, close to modern anyway) would meet my needs better than a tablet or a laptop, and if I'm going to save up to get a mobile computer, I might as well build one to suit me.