My dream machine build!

[Thinkpad4by3]

I've been wanting a big, bulky, old, beige laptop for a while that ran on AA batteries. I have completed the machine I have always wanted and for less than 5$ too!


The base of the machine is a Sharp MZ-100.


No power adapter in sight


Ok, what is that.


Its a AA battery holder.(Yes, the battery MUST be Lithium)


Its ALIVE!!


And so is the clock battery, hehe!***


***For anyone that doesn't know this machine, the clock is powered off the main battery.

AND YES THE MACHINE IS 16:10!!!

[thinkpadcollection]

Blue LCD are the nastiest one to have, I had a LTE 286 once for short time and dumped it and bought notebooks with usable LCD starting with LTE 386s/20 when new (2 years after introduction) but battery lifespan was short 3 years due to charging system built into battery pack since there is only 2 terminals so kept power circuit simpler inside the notebook's was killing the battery with constantly powered computer at college.

Yet another abortion was Compaq Aero Contura 4/25 was a cut down compaq 486SX 25 with awful tiny LCD for bulky computer.

Things improved when I started with T500 after long span of few subspar notebooks. Now I have decent collection of notebooks of any brands all improved on after I take liking to them.

Cheers, thinkpadcollection

[Thinkpad4by3]

Yea, tell me about it. The blue LCDs cant be adjusted in a way that doesnt make me have OCD and I'm not particularly picky. The display that I always wanted was the green one from the Amstrad PPC640.

[axur-delmeria]

Looks similar to an ancient Toshiba laptop (T1200 I think) I saw in my dad's workplace when I was a kid. I think he brought it home once or twice

I'm pleasantly surprised something this old is in good working order.

[CrazyTPFan]

I've been wanting a big, bulky, old, beige laptop for a while that ran on AA batteries. I have completed the machine I have always wanted and for less than 5$ too!


The base of the machine is a Sharp MZ-100.


No power adapter in sight


Ok, what is that.


Its a AA battery holder.(Yes, the battery MUST be Lithium)


Its ALIVE!!


And so is the clock battery, hehe!***


***For anyone that doesn't know this machine, the clock is powered off the main battery.

AND YES THE MACHINE IS 16:10!!!

This is cool! I wish I could get my old ThinkPad R31 to run off AA battery's. Battery's on ebay for my R31 are like $200.

[shawross]

I remember doing PLC programming on something similar but with the green screen I think. I can't remember the make but I think it was Japanese and a 286.

Yes that blue screen is a little nasty but the laptop it is in good condition. For the time they were quite small and compact.

[Thinkpad4by3]

I remember doing PLC programming on something similar but with the green screen I think. I can't remember the make but I think it was Japanese and a 286.

IBM 5499 by any chance?

[Thinkpad4by3]

This is cool! I wish I could get my old ThinkPad R31 to run off AA battery's. Battery's on ebay for my R31 are like $200.

Well this machine draws 6W-8W vs the R31 which under load is likely north of 60-70W

[shawross]

IBM 5499 by any chance?

Definitely not it looked more like your MZ 100

I suspect Japanese hardware at the time was cheaper than IBM, especially in Australia.

[Thinkpad4by3]

Definitely not it looked more like your MZ 100

I suspect Japanese hardware at the time was cheaper than IBM, especially in Australia.

I know alot of vintage machines.. If it had the green back it was non-backlit I presume. I know of only one machine that is green back AND backlit, and that is the Panasonic CF-150B.

So lets see....286 AND looks like the Sharp. It was a Japanese company.

I dont think Epson made any non-backlit.

Toshiba?? No I don't think so... Wait actually the T1100, T1000 and lower end T1200. Those all used a beige back screen so that doesnt work and they were all XT class machines.

Halikan had one but it was blue backlit. No good.

Amstrad PPC512/640 was an XT class machine but green backlit but WOULD NEVER BE CONFUSED for looking like the sharp...

The only one I can think of was MAYBE Bondwell...but again they were beige backed...well maybe slightly greenish. Was it a gameboy green? I know those came in a 286. Bondwell B310 286?

Looking back on the Toshibas..they were kind of greenish not beige...Maybe those but those were a 8086 or 8088

[shawross]

LOL I can't remember the details now and it might have been an XT machine. I didn't take much interest at the time.

I remember that the guys I worked with thought I was kind of weird because I developed an interest in old Thinkpads. If they thought I was interested in that old programming laptop they would have committed me to a mental facility.

[Thinkpad4by3]

LOL I can't remember the details now and it might have been an XT machine. I didn't take much interest at the time.

I remember that the guys I worked with thought I was kind of weird because I developed an interest in old Thinkpads. If they thought I was interested in that old programming laptop they would have committed me to a mental facility.

My brain for some reason when it heard old laptop and can't remember it goes completely wired to find out the machine and will dump out everything I know given those specs

I didn't have work to do anyway...right?

[axur-delmeria]

Compaq Aero Contura 4/25

Our first laptop was a Compaq Contura Aero 4/33c. It's like the 90s version of the netbook: minimalist, with a small screen.