Goodbye TRS-80 model 100 portable

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Rick Bergeron - CPF

Rick Bergeron - CPF

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
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Aug 18, 1999
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Canistota, SD USA
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Lost Cajun Chateaux
Goodbye TRS-80 model 100. My first portable computer. Found it during our cleanout/downsize of "Stuff" collected over the years. To the county landfill it goes.

Attached the image file. The forum doesn't recognize the image share link to MSFT OneDrive.
 

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Great machine for its day.
 
The earlier TRS-80 used a cassette tape recorder for data storage. A printer was available - thermal printing on grayish, coated paper - and a memory upgrade option provided 64K RAM instead of the standard 16K. The best part was the fact that only one file could be executed at at time, and, generally, it involved computation - thus the name computer.
 
The first computer I ever used (in HS) was a TRS-80. It had a cassette recorder attached to it to save programs. Literally, a regular old audio cassette recorder with standard audio tapes.
 
My father was part of the 'secret' management team behind the 'secret' new division of Atari called AtariTel.

AtariTel

Last month, my mom FINALLY tossed out a whole cache of AtariTel prototypes and related crap.
 
Dirk said:
The earlier TRS-80 used a cassette tape recorder for data storage. A printer was available - thermal printing on grayish, coated paper - and a memory upgrade option provided 64K RAM instead of the standard 16K. The best part was the fact that only one file could be executed at at time, and, generally, it involved computation - thus the name computer.
Click to expand...

The paper was aluminum on black paper and the dot matrix printer vaporized the aluminum (IIRC)
Yep, standard audio cassette player/tapes. Sometimes things were a bit finicky with the volume setting.
 
I was a "special team" member at Kmart in 1974 DP department with the task of setting up a data link with individual stores to the corporate offices. The data was to include point of sale data, payroll and receiving and payment of inventory.
We used Burroughs B-2000 bookkeeping machines with two 1/4" cassettes for the data and program. We ran out of the ability to add RAM at 32K. Of course 300 baud Hayes modems were state of the art.

Yes this was before PC's.

At the time payroll was calculated by hand via charts and manual spreadsheets then paid in cash, all inventory was hand counted, both on the floor and as it was received. Ordering was done by visual inspection of the shelves and invoices were individually matched with the products as they were received. Invoices were then sent to Corporate where the information was keypunched in "data entry" (50,000 per day) for final payment.

Oh yes, credit cards, 3-4 part imprint receipts (done with those knuckle busters) were mailed to credit centers. The "hot sheets" were printed lists of unacceptable credit card numbers that had to be visually compared with every card. They were updated every 2 weeks.


Vintage-Addressograph-Credit-Card-Imprinter-1960s-1980s.jpg
 
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I got in a panic recently when my keyboard went on the fritz. Then I looked at at it and realized it was a Compaq, which came with the first computer we had when we opened the shop 20 years ago. I guess we got our money's worth.
 
Rick Bergeron - CPF said:
Goodbye TRS-80 model 100. My first portable computer. Found it during our cleanout/downsize of "Stuff" collected over the years. To the county landfill it goes.

Attached the image file. The forum doesn't recognize the image share link to MSFT OneDrive.
Click to expand...

NOOOOOO! Not the landfill for that cool old computer. Send it to me I'll pay the postage and get it working again. Great old computer.

framer
 
My 1st computer program for picture framing was written on that machine. The code was printed in Décor Magazine in 1987.

framer
 
Affectionately known as the Trash-80, it was actually pretty good in its time, and Radio Shack was a store that had pretty cool stuff at the time. Same era as my Timex Sinclair, Atari 800 and Commodore 64.
 
Paul Cascio said:
Affectionately known as the Trash-80,
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Nope, that was their Model 1, my 1st desktop 16K level 1 basic in ROM cassette storage. I had to make my own interface for a printer using the cassette port. Printed at 110baud if I remember correctly. What a hunk of junk but we all loved it.

framer
 
JFeig said:
I have a Commodore 64 Exec. stashed away. I really should toss it out.
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Don't you dare! if i had a nickel for all the times i've regretted tossing our collection of Commodore 64's and VIC-20's...
 
MATTHEW HALE said:
Don't you dare! if i had a nickel for all the times i've regretted tossing our collection of Commodore 64's and VIC-20's...
Click to expand...

...you'd be able to buy a cup of coffee? Starbucks coffee??

:D
 
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