The Terrible Trio are up for Repairs!

Performa

Member
I recently shared this one on Facebook and other places:



Each one has a problem, and I'm hoping I can solve some of them yet this weekend.

The KayPro 4 still doesn't want to read any disks. No idea why, so I figure I'll bang away at it until it "does" something.

The TRS-80 Model 1 doesn't load programs consistently. I've had no success trying to load programs from the virtual cassette drive on the laptop, so I've switched over to an original cassette player, and had a few successes with a tape adapter from the same laptop. I'm considering just making a real cassette tape with the Space Invaders program on it to see if that loads any better.

Though if @PS2it has any better luck with their TRS-80 stuff, I'll probably leave this setup at the shop.

The Osborne works. The keyboard is missing all of it's keycaps, the screen is tiny with a lot of burn in, and the programs I have for it all kinda suck. Nobody makes a keycap kit for the Osborne computers unfortunately, so I've ordered a broken keyboard to ransack the keycaps from- just hoping it arrives in time. The added trouble is whether the RIFA caps inside the unit will behave...

Never a dull moment!
 

Pezdude

Active member
I have some original TRS-80 software on cassette that may be good to go! Otherwise, I have some pretty good cassette decks to make new tapes if needed with new and reliable tapes.
 

MattPilz

Member
What led to the garbage screen seen on the TRS-80 in this photo? When you first boot it shows the cassette basic (MEMORY?) prompt right? I had one finnicky TRS-80 Model 1 that at times felt there was an expansion interface attached and would show this garbage screen unless you held in BREAK when powering up to skip that. (When a physical expansion interface is hooked up, the garbage screen is 'default behavior' as it expects to scan floppy drives.)

Also handy to have one of those cheap cassette adapters, they are $5 at Menards. I've used them especially on systems with internal cassette drives, to mimic real cassettes but playing through phone or laptop. Volume can still be touchy, louder is better usually 80% or so on a normal desktop. Still there's the chance it's something problematic internally with the timing that is leading to these read issues.

Never worked on a KayPro but as an aside, it looks like maybe the yoke has been bumped and could be rotated to correct the screen tilt.
 

Performa

Member
You're spot on @MattPilz! The TRS-80 will do this intermittently, but hitting "BREAK" will cause it to snap back to reality. It doesn't happen every time, but with a machine that old, I'm just pleased it fires up at all anymore.

I'll have to try something new with the cassette arrangement- we're using something similar to what you've described, but without any reliable success. There are a number of variables in the setup I have though, so it's hard to say what is going on there.

Finally the KayPro- I'm glad you spotted that, I'd missed it! It should be an easy enough thing to rotate back into place.
 

Dave Rutherford

New member
I recently shared this one on Facebook and other places:



Each one has a problem, and I'm hoping I can solve some of them yet this weekend.

The KayPro 4 still doesn't want to read any disks. No idea why, so I figure I'll bang away at it until it "does" something.

The TRS-80 Model 1 doesn't load programs consistently. I've had no success trying to load programs from the virtual cassette drive on the laptop, so I've switched over to an original cassette player, and had a few successes with a tape adapter from the same laptop. I'm considering just making a real cassette tape with the Space Invaders program on it to see if that loads any better.

Though if @PS2it has any better luck with their TRS-80 stuff, I'll probably leave this setup at the shop.

The Osborne works. The keyboard is missing all of it's keycaps, the screen is tiny with a lot of burn in, and the programs I have for it all kinda suck. Nobody makes a keycap kit for the Osborne computers unfortunately, so I've ordered a broken keyboard to ransack the keycaps from- just hoping it arrives in time. The added trouble is whether the RIFA caps inside the unit will behave...

Never a dull moment!
Kaypro cpu not running, while address buffers and bad ram are usual I would upplug the z80, soft rubber the pins lightly and reseat to start.
Just got my old kp4 off my porch (been 22 years there) and had same screen greeting. After the z80 fix its trying to read the A drive. I will probably sell this as is (had to print 1 tandon part that suffered age on the door).
I can't find the box I know I kept (original disk set) just have a few 'working' disks from when I serviced cpm stuff up to 83.

search on the prom codes on logic for the exact schematic (mine is a mid 1981 logic board).
cheers Dave
 
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