Yet another vintage freak ~!

[Gadgetarian]

Hi everyone,

I feel excited about this unique forum dedicated to old machines.
As my ID tells, I consider myself one of those gadget freaks. :D I am particularly into old small laptops.

Here are my collections:

Toshiba Libretto:
20, 30, 50, 60 (aka Docomo M2), 70, 100 (part machine), 110, 50M (w/ touchscreen! and a handful of parts), M3 (badly broken ...), 1000, 1050 (x2), 1100, 1100v (x2)
(well, the U100 & W100 are way too expensive and I convince myself not to buy them yet because they have yet to become vintage)

Casio Fiva:
MPC-101, 102, 103 (x2), 501 (display cable needs repair)

NEC Mobio NX:
MB12C, MB20C

Palmax:
PD1000 (slow ....), PD1000, PD1100 (both dead & can't power on....)

IBM Thinkpad:
220 (case got soft and a bit "melted"), 230CS (runs on AAA batts!), 235 (x2, w/ 3 PCMCIA slots!), and PC110.

Among these machines I like Libby 110CT, 50M and IBM PC110 most.

My 110CT originally got a very bad LCD, cracked casing, a dead CMOS battery and only 32MB RAM expansion module. Then I decided to revive it after I managed to get a rare 64MB RAM module. I bad parts with those parts & LCD from my 100CT (a tough decision), repaired the CMOS battery, installed the 64MB RAM module, changed the old slow HDD to a Samsung Spinpoint A1 30GB, whose footprint is very much like a microdrive, w/ a ZIF to IDE adapter, and finally sprayed the whole case in metallic blue. It now multi-boots Windows 2000, 98SE, Debian and UBCD (can't really get it boot yet). With 96MB of RAM Win2000 runs surprisely well on this beauty. The Samsung Spinpoint outperforms the old HDD by leaps and bounds in terms of speed and power comsumption. It can run for about 4 hours maximum. I have a lot of fun using differnt great cardbus adapters in the two slots, in particular a Japanese Corega WLCB54GSF 802.11G adapter, an Orange branded GPRS+EDGE+3G+bluetooth card, and a DIY USB+bluetooth 2.0 card.
I am surprised by the usefulness of the 110CT. I often use it to rescue and reinstall systems running amok, even Windows 7 on my another laptop! The keyboard imho feels even better than most current netbooks, a very personal opinion of course. The 800x480 24-bit display is more than enough to archive most simple tasks.

Actually I have more than one Libby 50M. There is a complete machine with a lot of spare parts, ranging from casing to mainboard to RAM module to the touchscreen panel. It is a very very interesting machine as it is actually a Libretto 50 with touchscreen. It got a stylus/pen sitting in the shaft at the top of the screen. The stylus is quite comfortable to use as the tip has a spring in it. Although 50M has far less "horsepower" than its younger siblings, it is unique because it is the only model besides W100 that features a touchscreen. The touchscreen is very responsive and performs very well even under Win98SE. Actually I trimmed down the system to "sleek" version with 98lite to make the machine run smoother. It is full of fun playing Heroes of Might and Magic 1 & 2 using the stylus ...

The last one is PC110. Not until recently I uncovered it after 2 years of storage. I bought it from Japan Yahoo! just for collection. But then after I got hooked to (and finally sold) the handheld PCs for a while, I suddenly got spellbound when I took it out from the original box one day.
The PC110 to me is definitly the best of the best model IBM has ever made. All late UMPCs should pay homage to this ancestor! It is no exaggeration to say the PC110 is the very first palm-sized but full-fledged computer running on SSD! The 4MB internal flash area, the CF slot and the two generous PCMCIA slots yields many different SSD configurations. What makes the machine live so long is the clever design of power which I have never seen in any other machine to date. The battery is exactly the same one found on video cameras and is very easy to buy anew. The CMOS battery is just a plain CR2016, not the stupid proprietary overpriced ones on most laptops (though in fact most such batteries are rather easy to replace/repair).
But it's a great pity that the 16MB RAM expansion module seems to be dead as it stopped being recognized after some time of use. Now it has to live with its original 4MB module plus the meager 4MB expansion. Still, with IEradicator it can run Win95 OSR2.5 okay. I have 6 working flyview CF camera modules (factory stocks) and see if I can make use of them on the PC110.
If anyone has a spare 16MB module, please tell me and I would be more than happy to buy it or exchange it with my other machines and accessories.

Okay, that's that for now. Will post some pics when free.

 

[Raven]

Wow, quite a selection of Librettos. I was actively looking for one at one point, would still love to get one. They seem like the ideal compliment to a netbook for a vintage enthusiast - allows you to take DOS/Win9x on the road with you as easily as you can take a modern netbook..

You feel like selling a Pentium Libretto with a sound card?

Oh and ofc, welcome.

Edit: Holy crap, that PC110 sounds fantastic - it even has Audio, SB compatible no less, SUCH a rarity for a portable much less a tiny one of that era.. Lucky you! :O Personally I'd just run DOS and maybe Win3x on a machine like that, don't see the use of Win95 on a low-end 486.

My "holy grail" would be a 486 "netbook" (or a Pentium, I just have a soft spot for 486s) with a true soundblaster card, or at least one that's compatible enough to run Monster Bash with music and sound effects (this is how I measure SB compatibility, as this game is picky). Mind checking that out for me on the PC110? Game only needs conventional memory and a tiny bit of EMS for SB, and the first episode is shareware. If that runs good then perhaps I want that instead of a Libretto, hah, but that might be difficult to track down, unless you felt like selling yours (which I get the impression that you don't).

 

[Gadgetarian]

Wow, quite a selection of Librettos. I was actively looking for one at one point, would still love to get one. They seem like the ideal compliment to a netbook for a vintage enthusiast - allows you to take DOS/Win9x on the road with you as easily as you can take a modern netbook..

You feel like selling a Pentium Libretto with a sound card?

Oh and ofc, welcome.

Edit: Holy crap, that PC110 sounds fantastic - it even has Audio, SB compatible no less, SUCH a rarity for a portable much less a tiny one of that era.. Lucky you! :O Personally I'd just run DOS and maybe Win3x on a machine like that, don't see the use of Win95 on a low-end 486.

My "holy grail" would be a 486 "netbook" (or a Pentium, I just have a soft spot for 486s) with a true soundblaster card, or at least one that's compatible enough to run Monster Bash with music and sound effects (this is how I measure SB compatibility, as this game is picky). Mind checking that out for me on the PC110? Game only needs conventional memory and a tiny bit of EMS for SB, and the first episode is shareware. If that runs good then perhaps I want that instead of a Libretto, hah, but that might be difficult to track down, unless you felt like selling yours (which I get the impression that you don't).

AFAIK the 1st generation of early Librettos (i.e. 20ct-110ct, this is the way I see it) have Yamaha OPL3 SA3 sound chip and no SB. Starting from the 2nd generation, i.e. 1000/1050/1100 toshiba did use SB compatible chip, and even with 3D sound!
The 2nd gen look much more "modern" than the 1st gen. At one time someone walked up to me in a cafe and asked me about my Toshiba "netbook" which was actually a 10-year old 1100v. Haha.
But somehow I like the old, boxy Libbys more and I don't know why.
I don't think the Libbys are capable of playing any game with vivid sound and graphics. DOOM and alike are the top limit. Yet they are wonderful gaming boxes for DOS games and old strategy games, e.g. HOMM 1&2, Hammer of God, King's Bounty, Civilization, Panzer General, etc..
As for the archaic 486 machines, I would be very satifised if they could run HOMM1. Even DOOM would be a problem due to the poor video chip and turtle cpus.
The PC110 is very hard to find indeed. Yet from time to time, say every month or two, you may spot it on Yahoo! Japan auction. Seems the average price is around or a bit less than 300 USD for those in mint condition. Most of them have only 4MB or 8MB. 16MB (i.e. 20MB in total) are extremely rare. Some look really hard for just the 16MB module for 2 or 3 years without success. But I will try my luck.
(Un)fortunately this 486 gem is also my paradise machine. That's why I want a spare 16MB so badly...

I suspect why my 16MB module died was because a few of golden lines/traces at the bottom of the contacts on the RAM board got worn out. I've seen some Japanese howto sites talking about DIY 16MB or even 24MB RAM board, but I am no technician or engineer so it's no go.

If anyone is skilful in repairing RAM and can offer the service, I would send it to you and pay for the reparation, if not TOO expensive. Anyone?

Certainly I could sell (some of) my machines to another vintage freak. The thing is, now it is not possible to send rechargeable lithium batteries via air mail, let alone express services (Fedex, UPS, DHL, whatever), according to new international regulations, for the fear that they may explode or worse be used as terrorist weapons. So the only option is sending the batteries separately via snail surface mail. This really sucks.
Or is there any alternative solution? I am very curious to know how folks here trade their vintage items across the oceans.

[Forgot to add:]
Raven, perhaps you would be interested in Gateway Handbook 486. It has almost the same size and Acer Aspire One. Near full-size keyboard, color screen, and most importantly, the 486 processor lol It's pretty like a netbook. The biggest challenge is the power supply. The AC main plugs directly into the battery instead of the main body. The batteries are practically dead after all these years. Re-celling doesn't look too difficult as someone simply replaced the cells with ordinary AAA batteries. A few are in auction on bay. Just search for it.

 

[EverythingIBM]

AFAIK the 1st generation of early Librettos (i.e. 20ct-110ct, this is the way I see it) have Yamaha OPL3 SA3 sound chip and no SB. Starting from the 2nd generation, i.e. 1000/1050/1100 toshiba did use SB compatible chip, and even with 3D sound!
The 2nd gen look much more "modern" than the 1st gen. At one time someone walked up to me in a cafe and asked me about my Toshiba "netbook" which was actually a 10-year old 1100v. Haha.
But somehow I like the old, boxy Libbys more and I don't know why.
I don't think the Libbys are capable of playing any game with vivid sound and graphics. DOOM and alike are the top limit. Yet they are wonderful gaming boxes for DOS games and old strategy games, e.g. HOMM 1&2, Hammer of God, King's Bounty, Civilization, Panzer General, etc..
As for the archaic 486 machines, I would be very satifised if they could run HOMM1. Even DOOM would be a problem due to the poor video chip and turtle cpus.
The PC110 is very hard to find indeed. Yet from time to time, say every month or two, you may spot it on Yahoo! Japan auction. Seems the average price is around or a bit less than 300 USD for those in mint condition. Most of them have only 4MB or 8MB. 16MB (i.e. 20MB in total) are extremely rare. Some look really hard for just the 16MB module for 2 or 3 years without success. But I will try my luck.
(Un)fortunately this 486 gem is also my paradise machine. That's why I want a spare 16MB so badly...

I suspect why my 16MB module died was because a few of golden lines/traces at the bottom of the contacts on the RAM board got worn out. I've seen some Japanese howto sites talking about DIY 16MB or even 24MB RAM board, but I am no technician or engineer so it's no go.

If anyone is skilful in repairing RAM and can offer the service, I would send it to you and pay for the reparation, if not TOO expensive. Anyone?

Certainly I could sell (some of) my machines to another vintage freak. The thing is, now it is not possible to send rechargeable lithium batteries via air mail, let alone express services (Fedex, UPS, DHL, whatever), according to new international regulations, for the fear that they may explode or worse be used as terrorist weapons. So the only option is sending the batteries separately via snail surface mail. This really sucks.
Or is there any alternative solution? I am very curious to know how folks here trade their vintage items across the oceans.

[Forgot to add:]
Raven, perhaps you would be interested in Gateway Handbook 486. It has almost the same size and Acer Aspire One. Near full-size keyboard, color screen, and most importantly, the 486 processor lol It's pretty like a netbook. The biggest challenge is the power supply. The AC main plugs directly into the battery instead of the main body. The batteries are practically dead after all these years. Re-celling doesn't look too difficult as someone simply replaced the cells with ordinary AAA batteries. A few are in auction on bay. Just search for it.

May I ask how the contacts got worn down? It would take a lot of transferring to wear off the golden contacts on RAM chips.

The DOOM engine requires only 8MB of RAM.

I play it on my 6562, admittedly it does have 384 MB of RAM -- which is way overkill, but besides the point, the gfx card is only 2 MB. And 200 Mhz pentium 1. It runs it just fine.

HoMM takes more system resources than the DOOM engine if I recall. Needs at least 16 MB? It also runs in a higher resolution. 320x240 & 640x480 can cause a real change in performance. A good game to test that with is "Theme Hopital," it's virtually unplayable on pentium 1 machines at 640x480, but in 320x240 it goes a whole lot faster.

OPL3 seems popular all of the sudden. I have it on crystal audio soundcard.

 

[Gadgetarian]

May I ask how the contacts got worn down? It would take a lot of transferring to wear off the golden contacts on RAM chips.
The DOOM engine requires only 8MB of RAM.
I play it on my 6562, admittedly it does have 384 MB of RAM -- which is way overkill, but besides the point, the gfx card is only 2 MB. And 200 Mhz pentium 1. It runs it just fine.
HoMM takes more system resources than the DOOM engine if I recall. Needs at least 16 MB? It also runs in a higher resolution. 320x240 & 640x480 can cause a real change in performance. A good game to test that with is "Theme Hopital," it's virtually unplayable on pentium 1 machines at 640x480, but in 320x240 it goes a whole lot faster.
OPL3 seems popular all of the sudden. I have it on crystal audio soundcard.

HOMM2 (officially) only requires: IBM 486 66Mhz or greater and 100% compatibles, 8MB RAM, 60 MB hard drive space, SVGA graphics card. HOMM1 needs far less resources, of course.
But HOMM2 plays just fine on my Palmax PD-1000's VGA screen.

Here are the pictures of the RAM module:


Some gold legs in the bottom row are gone.
I've heard that a special contact conditioner called Stabilant 22 may be able to fix this by filling up the emptied gaps and inproving conductivity. Has anyone tried this?
http://www.stabilant.com/techt02h.htm

 

[Gadgetarian]

In my collection, besides PC110 I like Libretto 110CT and Libretto 50M most.
Here is my Libretto 110 "personal blue edition"
What I did: replaced/repaired broken parts on the casing; replaced the dead CMOS battery; increased RAM up to 96MB (32MB on board + 64MB expansion -- the original limit is 64MB in total); replaced the archaic hard drive with a Samsung Spinpoint A1 30GB (HU035HA) scrapped from a LaCie Little Disk; installed nlited Windows 2000 SP4, Windows 98SE sleek using 98lite, Debian Stable and UBCD; and painted the whole thing blue. [ADDED: one more thing is I took away the original frustrating mouse cap and put on a dark grey trackpoint for Thinkpads, which makes the "mouse" trully usable. :D )
I've been using it heavily for months as an ultra thin client so it doesn't look new anymore.



Will post more pics of my little vintages machines.

 

[Gadgetarian]

Here is my Libretto 50M (work in progress):

I have painted the A & B cases in metallc black and I am waiting for replacement C & D cases to complete the task. For the time being let it bear with the oldish grey casing ("borrowed" from my another 50M) for a few more days:



Its touchscreen functionality sets it apart from its kins. And what makes this 50M unique is its cpu having upgraded (not overclocked) to 200MHz! 98 micro (w/ unofficial service pack) flies. Almost instant response.

 

[matrix]

Raven, perhaps you would be interested in Gateway Handbook 486. It has almost the same size and Acer Aspire One. Near full-size keyboard, color screen, and most importantly, the 486 processor lol It's pretty like a netbook. The biggest challenge is the power supply. The AC main plugs directly into the battery instead of the main body. The batteries are practically dead after all these years. Re-celling doesn't look too difficult as someone simply replaced the cells with ordinary AAA batteries. A few are in auction on bay. Just search for it.

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but just wanted to point out that the gateway handbook 486 is a monochrome vga screen with an elongated wide aspect ratio. Somewhere hidden I have a small stack of gateway handbook (186/hornet and 486), but have not tried the AA battery modifications.

Did you ever get the flyviews working on the pc110? i'd imagine they'd only be usable in a cf -> pcmcia adapter in one of the left side pcmcia slots as the cf slot is only wired for ata if i remember correctly.

--mtx