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Compaq SLT Chargers?

MissArgent

MissArgent

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2016
Messages
538
Location
Illinois, USA
So, I'm looking into plan Bs in case my sPORT SX plan fails and I'm considering Compaq's early true laptop fare. I like the SLT 386s/20's oddball design, but that power connector looks nuts. Are chargers hard to come by?
 
You can't go wrong with an SLT. They are vintage laptop perfection in my opinion. Reliable, easy to service and very cool looking! I've got 6 of the damn things now and still looking for two more of the variations (there were a lot of small changes to them throughout production, and I want them all damnit!).

Yes, the chargers are hard to find by themselves. I highly recommend just purchasing one that already has the charger with it. You can power them through the battery terminals, but that can be cumbersome.

Also, be prepared to cut into a Dallas clock chip if you want the machine to boot from the hard drive.

Lastly, don't be fooled by the fools on eBay trying to ask $500 to $1000+ for these things. Those have all been on there for YEARS, and these machines aren't worth those numbers. The SLT 386s/20 is also not nearly as rare as it's made out to be sometimes. In fact, it's really no less common than the SLT/286. NONE of the SLTs are rare; they made lots of them. And since they are reliable, a lot of them still exist today, which I love, because I don't like having to track down rare parts to fix a machine.

I'd say one is worth about $100 MAX. And that should be in good condition with the AC adapter. And about $60 or less in good condition WITHOUT the AC adapter. Not counting shipping of course; these things are heavy.

Hope this helps and good luck! :)
 
Thanks for the pointers! As for the RTC, luckily I know a good source of 1287 replacements. Speaking of batteries, any luck recelling the mains? I want the machine I end up with to be a long-term project with the end goal of making something travel ready.
 
compaqportableplus said:
Also, be prepared to cut into a Dallas clock chip if you want the machine to boot from the hard drive.
Click to expand...

Can confirm, mine would only boot from diskette despite the HDD being auto-detected in BIOS until I cut into the RTC (Here's a video of disassembly and a glimpse of my hack job https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVkarBW37hg )

I recorded myself cutting into the chip in-place (no not really recommend), too. But I still have to edit the video
 
EkriirkE said:
Can confirm, mine would only boot from diskette despite the HDD being auto-detected in BIOS until I cut into the RTC (Here's a video of disassembly and a glimpse of my hack job https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVkarBW37hg )

I recorded myself cutting into the chip in-place (no not really recommend), too. But I still have to edit the video
Click to expand...

I was considering just swapping in one of Glitchworks' 12887 replacements since it sounds like the 128's backwards compatible in most cases. Any thoughts on that plan?
 
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