Thursday, September 07, 2023

TRS-80 Model I update

So I never gave an update on the Model I that I found locally.

I picked up the kit and parts for the power supply and fit it into a nice enclosure.

I powered it on and...  It worked!  It had some issues, but that wasn't a surprise.

On a whim, I also plugged in the Model I Level I that I had bought only for display and it worked too!  The plastic is really brittle with this one, so it's back on the shelf.

The first issue with the Model I Level II was the video.  But some DeOxyIt on the pots and a little adjustment fixed that.

Next was the keyboard.  There were 3 problems:
  1. Dirty key switches.  So off go the key tops.  Dusted them out.  DeOxyIt all of them.
  2. They still weren't 100%, though.  So I replaced the cable that connected the keyboard to the motherboard - a common problem.
  3. Better, but still not 100%.  I reflowed all the solder for the key switches and we are now at 100%.
I picked up a Quinterface and FreHD for it.  It has no serial interface, though.  So no BBSing with it.

I need to put the Expansion Interface on the list of things to work on.

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