Rare Tandy 1000SL/E vintage computer restoration
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2016
- There is no documentation on the Tandy 1000SL/E computer. It appears to be identical to the 1000SL/2 except for the badge on the case. My guess is that it was only sold to the educational market, and maybe bundled with the Trackstar E Apple II emulator card, although this one didn't come with it.
I found this 1000SL/E on eBay, listed in "Not working, for parts or repair only" condition. It suffered shipping damage, but I was able to piece it back together and get it working. (Note: I recorded this video before I learned the trick of using MEK instead of super-glue to repair broken plastic.) - Наука та технологія
Quite hillarous that on eBay, when you buy something mondane, it's packaged like a tank. On the other hand, sometimes when it's rare and delicate, you're surprised they didn't put it straight into exposed paper envelope like a bloody postcard.
Solid copy. I've bought comics and CCG cards that require some real effort to extract from their packaging and some vintage ISA cards and HDs that are just tossed in a box.
LegionsOfAnon
Once I bought a Gameboy with Pokémon Blue. It arrived in a bunch of propagandastic newspapers. Kinda scratching the screen.
Then I've bought a (broken) cassettecorder. It was double-packed in so much stuff it was truly immobile.
So yeah, quite weird that scammers are more percise with their stuff. :P
another reason I only use jewmazon
It's really funny that most people think their PC is totally broken, while there are some important components that are not properly installed.
I have met with people that thought their motherboard is broken while the RAM is not seated properly.
When I go to the recycling center, there is almost always a pile of laptops and computers that the user thinks are broken. You're free to take them, if you get a licence agreeing that you will clear the hard drives of any information. I usually pick up a few, and not too long ago, I picked up a laptop, which was still turned on and running, at the "UNMOUNTABLE BOOT VOLUME" screen. I took it home, and started in in "Startup Repair" mode, and it just fixed it self. The laptop looks like a model from 2013, and is very new and clean looking.
It's just silly that people throw away perfectly fine hardware because of a simple error.
Very true. I've found dumpser dive units with just that condition. Reseated the ram and BAM! New life with LINUX.
+television and cheese It's an ethical thing with me. I don't even look into the drive, just check its condition and if it's still viable, next thing I do is over write erase it, several times, then use it. :)
I found a laptop at the recycling center that didn't turn on, but not because of anything wrong with the laptop or its power supply -- it was just the power cord that was bad!
vwestlife Wow. Was it usable?
Hard to believe this is already over 30 years old. Seems like just yesterday I had my SL/2, writing screen savers in BASIC.
The SLE was originally for the Education market, but was later was modified for use as a "thick client" for the store POS.
Awesome machine! Always good to see these things getting a breath of new life instead of sitting derelict or getting scrapped.
Its like u picked up a lost dog from the street, took it home, cared alot for it, and now its healthy again :-)
Got a Tandy 1000 SL at the scrap yard. Top shell is a little scratched but it works mint. Floppy drive works perfect :) paid $5 for it
Sad that the seller didn't package the sides properly. ESPECIALLY on a VERY rare computer.
it was already broken aka listed for parts/nonfunctional so it dose not really matter and can not really complain, already know not getting a working part
Uh, what kind of logic is that? The metal chassis, front and rear bezels etc. are also a "parts". And if it was listed as non-functional then these may have been the only usable parts! There is no excuse for bad packaging, the seller couldn't possibly know what the buyer intends to do with the computer/parts.
No MFM drive upgrade in the future? I like the one response from 1999 about the SL/E being a special version with a food replicator. Since a few people said this model was a typo, or was never produced, now you have video and photo proof of it on the forum showing it's existence to prove them wrong. E for Education makes sense, Economic could be too if they were selling special cheaper versions, which I would equate those 2 as being about the same anyway. Since it doesn't show up in the Radio Shack Tandy list, I would guess this was not available for Retail purchase.
Just last Friday I received in the mail a CompUSA branded computer I found on ebay. The guy wrapped the computer in paper and shipped it that way. I guess UPS doesn't care about the packaging since they allowed that through. I know Fedex won't do that, they bug me every time I shipped something out about what it is, what it's packaged with etc.. Anyway aside from the face plate getting pushed up into the case and splitting the corner, it actually fared well. I sent the guy a very nasty message too about it. I really ripped into him, which I feel somewhat bad about but it really pissed me off and on top of that, it bothers me as a seller and a buyer when I see people sell stuff and don't give 2 shits about how they package it. He had the nerve to argue with me that bubble wrap wouldn't have helped LOL so that was when the real ripping started. I have received a lot of great stuff through ebay, well packaged, but there are these once in a while times that get you.
Looking forward to seeing more of that machine
I love these type of videos you make ;)
I saw this on Ebay, but I did not look close enough to catch that E, or you would have had a little bidding war. LOL, That is a rare computer indeed! I know a little about them, they were never intended for sale. It was part of a school donation program that never got of the ground. I have never seen one, only heard of the program. My store never received any & the program ended before I was able to order our free allotment of "School E's". Great find!
I miss the old Tandy computer i used to have that my mom had me give away to some of her relatives in TX, might still have the manuals for it around somewhere still have the original 5.25" floppies of Drakkhen I used to play on it
Love the computer videos :)
I feel your pain. It's hard to get people to take time to package something right. May I suggest in the future instead of superglue use Laser glue that cures under ultraviolet light. It has a much better bond and not sticky fingers.
man wish i'd found you years ago, we were reclying old computers they were either like rusted or water damaged but if i'd known about you i'd of sent you a 4 1/2 inch floppy drive
my first computer
Interesting video, I liked it :)
I find using a solvent based glue helps with plastics like these, usually because it gives you some wriggle room to set the pieces back into shape and being a solvent it welds the plastic back together, but you do have to be very careful with the stuff as you can ruin textured plastic permanently...
Last time I had to rebuild something plastic was a Trust brand UPS that arrived smashed to pieces, but it still worked electrically, got a half-refund on it and rebuilt it, couldn't screw it back together though so it's zip-tied shut but works fine and is electrically sound... :)
cool machine
thanks
Man. I had an SL my school gave me because it wouldn't boot. Turned out the floppy drive cable was loose, and that was the only issue. I miss that computer, wish I never got rid of it.
Acetone can some times weld the plastics. If that doesn't work there is a product called "Plas-t-pair" that is more robust than super glue. It is acetone and polystyrene powered beads.
Awesomeness 😀. Rare Tandy 😀. Ubuntu computer there as well 😀.
And at 9:44 , I thought you really upgraded the SL/E by putting a new motherboard and ubuntu on it lol
I thought the 1000 SL/E was the model Tandy used for their store POS Computers at the time. I am not sure though.
I had a Tandy 1000 SL/2 that had a Trackstar E in it. It had a RadioShack Receipt stating it was sold that way originally.
I'm currently bidding on a Tandy Sensation! from 1993 that has an Intel i486-SX processor in it (soldered in), but it has a socket for a Pentium OverDrive, which I might purchase if I win the PC itself and it's in great shape, comes with Windows 3.1, a CD drive, floppy drive, but no keyboard, mouse, or power cord (and the personal data drive got removed due to security reasons). I might upgrade the HDD to a CF Card for the system as well.
BOOZE & METAL nope. Lost the bid... It's rare to find Tandy systems on auction sites or any other systems, like a Packard Bell.
I have a 1000 TL/3 parts machine if you need any parts to get this machine back together. I know you kind of live locally, so getting them to you wouldn't be a huge deal. I'll give you the whole machine if you want it.
Thanks for the video, I love older computers, and bring them back into use when most people see them as skip-fodder.
How did you learn the ins and out of hardware and fixing of older systems, experience or trial & error?
That, as well as several books on the topic, such as "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" by Scott Mueller (still in print today, with updated info over the years).
Ah, thanks for the book tip.... very comprehensive.
I spy a Tandy Enhanced Keyboard in this video! Was that the original keyboard for the computer? I only know of a tombstone-cap leaf spring keyboard known to have some with Tandy 1000 models.
Yes. The Tandy Enhanced Keyboard is a Fujitsu "Peerless" keyboard. It came with the later Tandy 1000s (1000RL/SL/TL). The older Tandy 1000s (1000/EX/HX/SX/TX) came with the leaf spring linear keyboard with the tombstone shaped keycaps.
Ah I see, thanks. Was there a particularly long time between the older and later models then? Because the layout between the two is quite different, and they don't even look remotely the same - though by that time I suppose they had fallen for the Model M trend.
The old layout was a carryover from the Tandy 2000, a not-fully-IBM PC compatible machine introduced in 1983. Tandy switched to the standard 101-key layout in 1988, although some of the older models remained on sale as late as 1990 or so.
I see, thanks :) .
do you get anything back for package damage when it was sold as for parts not working?
Hey west life, I got a Tandy 1000 rl, and was wondering if I could have that other floppy drive you have? The one I have on this computer doesn’t have the button nor does the computer have the power button
it'll buff right out
I got unsubbed and didn't even realize it. :( so catching up on videos and liking ALL of them. UA-cam can't defeat me.+-
dose the sound of it when its powerd on give any one els the feeling of someone being behind you/watching you??????
+vwestlife What's the best/easiest way to hunt down a (more common) later Tandy 1000? I've been dying to get my hands on one, but every time I check Ebay, prices are insanely high, and I've never seen a computer over 15 years old listed on my local Craigslist
Be patient. Prices on eBay are usually high but once in a while you can get a good deal. Also look on the various forums like the Vintage Computer Forums and Vogons.
Did you get any compensation from the seller for the poor packaging?
You could probably use very fine sandpaper on the large glued crack on the front to help make it less visible.
+vwestlife Can this rare vintage desktop computer compatible to install and run Windows XP, Vista, 7, or earlier version of Windows? What OS is operating?
The newest version of Windows it can run is 3.0.
Are those data/power Tandy floppy drives the same pinout as the PS/2 ones? I have a PS/2 I got recently but the floppy drive wont even power on and I need a replacement but I'm pretty lost as to where to go.
AFAIK the pinouts are different. You can find PS/2 floppy drives on eBay, but they aren't cheap: www.ebay.com/itm/191957893769
Dang, I figured they weren't but I tried! Yeah, that's what I've seemingly come into is a bunch of incredibly expensive ones. I can't complain too much since paid 4 dollars for the PC itself at Goodwill!
Have you ever attempted to rebuild any of the old power supplies to get one of these vintage machines working again? I have an old Tandy that I believe the power supply is shot, however I don't see anything obviously wrong on the board. None of the capacitors look to be leaking or swollen.
I haven't had any power supply problems with my Tandys. Maybe in your case one of the switching transistors went bad (computers use switching power supplies).
I wish I could get some info on a decision data the mobo is built in the stand and it has a monochrome monitor
How do you alight heads? I know theres a visual aspect. I looked on the net, and said you needed an oscilloscope, why?
I just did it by trial and error, adjusting it slightly each time until I was able to format a disk, copy files to it, and then read them back with no errors.
Nice video Kevin. How much RAM came with the Tandy 1000? 640K or 1 Mb?
Depending on the model and configuration, Tandy 1000s came with anywhere from 128 KB to 1 MB of RAM. But most have 256, 640, or 768 KB of RAM.
interesting machine! is the "onboard" DOS a full MS-DOS compatible? like it came on Hard Drives or Floppy Disks? or just a light version of DOS.
It has the most common DOS commands in ROM, but for more advanced functions you will need to have a full copy of DOS installed on a floppy disk or hard drive.
+vwestlife that's very interesting...
I'm interested in purchasing an SL for a television show and I'm wondering what year the SL2 came out. Can you contact me somehow?
1990: books.google.com/books?id=A6RG8pqcX6AC&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39
VWestlife Thank you. Do you have an SL to sell or know someone who does?
Melissa Frankel He is keeping the Tandy.....
ua-cam.com/video/qXBEYV_V5J8/v-deo.html
what kind of version of Linux Ubuntu is that I have 10.11 on a old Dell dimension e310 and it's slow
14.04
***** I benchmarked Lubuntu and it wasn't any faster than regular Ubuntu.
any advice for packing/shipping older PCs?
Lots of bubble wrap or thick foam around all sides, and preferably double-boxed.
and don't use those big bubble wrap thingies, use the smaller more normal sized one so that way on drop doesn't completely destroy your cushion
+vwestlife do people complain to the shiping mail, fedex, ups services?
It's usually not their fault - all packages go through roughly the same treatment. If it was packed well, it will survive. If it was half-assed, it will end up like this machine.
(Though to be fair it seems UPS is often much rougher than other couriers.)
Yeah, I know.
This totally looks like a UPS shipping job.
Flaming shipping companies.....
Came here because of "Young Sheldon " Season 1 Episode 12
I wonder if this was made for a Schoolmate. Can this computer create an Novell Netware 2.11 IPX/SPX client in ROM?
I don't know why they cant make it so computers now can have Windows/Mac/Linux or whatever in ROM. Ok so my computer takes less than 30 seconds to go from cold boot to Windows 7 desktop and all ready to go, but still.
In fact, I had an ASUS motherboard that came with a Linux installation in ROM. It was a P6G Deluxe (could also have been a P6D Deluxe), but I can't remember anymore.
Upon startup before POSTing it had a screen that allowed the user to click on a button and boot into that Linux. It had an email client, a webbrowser and some other small tools on board. I never used it, but it was there.
That's basically what an SSD is. I put an SSD in my laptop; boot time went from 20-25 seconds to about 6 or 7.
+David Phantom
On Linux you can mount partitions as read only.
CoolDudeClem As far as Linux goes, that's called Puppy Linux, it boots off a readonly SFS file. Great for a clean recovery envrioment. There's an option to make a "savedata" that stores files and settings in what's basically a virtual machine disk when you shutdown. To clean out, you simply delete puppysave-.*fs or select the "nosave" option at boot to ignore saved settings and files. The R/W file mounts at the same point (system root) as the R/O boot image, thus creating what's referred to as a unionfs. Applications such as Google Chrome, GIMP, Blender, etc are available as more SFS images that can be mounted at the system root, they include the application and most if not all required libraries. It's highly modular.
Also, I DO know how to make a bootable to desktop Windows 7 DVD. It involves copying files into the boot.wim of a setup disk image, and replacing the Windows installer exe with explorer so it boots to a full desktop instead of windows setup. Applications can be easily built it. Look up "Make_PE3 Script" and be careful of malicious fakes. I could give you a "vanilla" iso with only the default options, this means 7-Zip, network drivers, and a few other tools. Put PortableApps.com on a flash drive for more software.
*****
Email me using the "Business Inquiries" option on my channel. I'd prefer not to link here.
The "Windows Live CD" is about 384MB and I have 0.5M upload, gimme 2 hours.
Every time I see videos like this I'm shocked just how violent US post is!
But keep in mind that shipping an item cross-country in the USA involves long distances not seen in most other countries, and the large parcel sorting centers use automated machinery where the boxes get bumped, pushed, and dropped. The general rule is to package the item to withstand a 3-foot drop (about 1 meter).
10:58 lol
It's really unfortunate that people ship thing like that. I always ask myself, "would I be pissed when I open a package packed that way?" If so.. i would repack a shipment!
When you get a computer like this (or any item) from ebay, and the seller does not package it well, open a case.
Quite often, the seller will just refund your money because they will be forced to return the item, thus having to eat shipping both ways. At that point, it is a loss for the seller, and they just want to be done with the problem. (I know- I have a ton of vintage computers, and have received about 1/4 - 1/3 packed like crap)
If they wont just refund your money, make them pay (by return label) to ship it back. At a minimum, they get a lesson on being stupid.
no Methyl-Ethyl-Ketone on the standoffs this time? superglue might not last that long...
Read the description. ;-)
well! that's what I get for not clicking the show-more button.
Make a video on the slyvania netbook that you inboxes
I already did.
I know i need an updated video pleaase
Android Hacks I don't have it anymore.
nooooo
try going to way back machine.org it might have an old version of the Tandy.com website from when this thing was still in use
The World Wide Web (the Internet as we know it today) did not exist yet in 1990. Radio Shack still has their FaxBack documents on their web site, but this is the only reference to the 1000SL/E that exists: support.radioshack.com/support_computer/doc16/16799.htm
How infuriating! I know this saying has been beaten into the ground, but UPS/FedEx: YOU HAD *ONE* JOB. It seems this happens more and more frequently these days, not that people mishandling packages is new. Cool machine though!
HEY VWEST GIVE 2P - 10 GLUE A TRY ITLL ALLOW U SOME TIME FOR SET UP B4 U CAN ZAP IT TO HARDEN
Ugh, that crt noise...
probably same drive just a jumper not soldered to tell drive its 720 or 1.44 I would have called UPS or who shipped it and got a refund for the damage!!
Stop touching the PC components while it's turned on 😱
put a CD-ROM in that MS-DOS PC rather than a 5-1/4 inch FLOPPY drive unless you cant find a CD-ROM with the required connector
There is really no benefit to having a CD drive in such an old computer, since most CD-ROM software requires at least a 386 CPU to run.
ah ok.
I have the exact same model. 8086 @8MHz. DOS 3.3 with Tandy's Deskmate3. One of my first PC's. God I feel old :)
If you'd like, you can go here for Tandy 1000 system disks :
www.oldskool.org/guides/tvdog/system.html
Also found this :
ftp://ftp.oldskool.org/pub/tvdog/tandy1000/documents/1kslrel.txt
Peace.
I had a 1000TL with a 286 as a kid. This video takes me back!
With that much damage from poor packing job, should have returned it, instead of rewarding the seller by paying for a smashed up (due to the seller's poor packing) package. Should have returned it so that seller. An learn to package stuff safely.
I did get a partial refund, and it was important for me to keep this rare system so I could document it.
Please turn off the background music when
your making videos, its very distracting.
The background music is barely audible. I think your hearing is unusually sensitive.