• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Battery Powered Osborne 1

NeXT

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2008
Messages
8,096
Location
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Someone in the #vc IRC channel didn't believe that I had the battery kit for the Osborne. Up until recently I also didn't know. I thought it was third party but apparently THIS was an official battery kit for the Osborne. You get a rigid pleather case with a 12v sealed cell and a cigarette plug on the side for charging and use (I've rebuilt it with two new 6v sealed gel cells in series) and that little Osborne branded box which is an AC inverter with just enough power to run an Osborne from the 120V input, not from the "battery" port on the front. It also features a "low battery" buzzer and there should be a lamp on it but as you can see it has gone missing.

temp_0627562165715321732.jpg

http://minuszerodegrees.net/temp/4/temp_0627562165715321732.jpg - Thank you for hosting this modem7. ;)

CGS_7852.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/AVfLFPG.jpg

CGS_7853.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/GV3EVpz.jpg

CGS_7849.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/jyXg81o.jpg

CGS_7851.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yYdhJwA.jpg
 
Last edited:
Portable Power

PROFESSIONAL
FOR THE OSBORNE 1
• 3 HOUR + OPERATING TIME WITH UNIQUE AUDIO/ VISUAL ALARM
• 3 - 4 TOTAL RECHARGE TIME
• OVER 1000 DISCHARGE/CHARGE
FIRST QUALITY AMERICAN MADE NI-CAD CELLS

POWER SYSTEMS

This was a ad for a portable power unit for the Osborne 01. The image did not copy. It connected to the 9 pin Batt connector.
 
very nice that you have a complete working set. I need to rebuild the external (and internal) battery packs for the kaypro 2000 I have.
 
Portable Power

PROFESSIONAL
FOR THE OSBORNE 1
• 3 HOUR + OPERATING TIME WITH UNIQUE AUDIO/ VISUAL ALARM
• 3 - 4 TOTAL RECHARGE TIME
• OVER 1000 DISCHARGE/CHARGE
FIRST QUALITY AMERICAN MADE NI-CAD CELLS

POWER SYSTEMS

This was a ad for a portable power unit for the Osborne 01. The image did not copy. It connected to the 9 pin Batt connector.

Jesus I would love to see a photo of that. Three hours on something like an Osborne is insane with Ni-Cd.

Edited: Hmm. Reading modem7's scanned image above it occurs to me that the front battery socket could not possibly power the Osborne. While there are nine pins available only one is used for +5, another for +12 and another two for ground. The current draw on the +5 rail alone would roast that one pin pretty fast. The combined load on +5 and +12 returning on the ground pin would very quickly set it alight. It's impossible that you can power the entire machine from that port. Now, on the other hand if all the battery is doing is keeping the CPU and ram alive while you move from one place to another I think I can see what they were trying to do. A battery plugged into the front wouldn't actually let you USE the machine, but keeps the core system and anything you were working on alive until you can find another outlet to plug into.
 
Last edited:
I interviewed Lee Felsenstein extensively for my 2015 book "Abacus to smartphone: The evolution of mobile and portable computers" (www.abacustosmartphone.com). As others in this thread noted, POWR-PAC is real. There was also a company called Bits Inc. (in Dallas, Texas) which sold a 13-pound car battery attached to a roller handle (such as on a modern suitcase). They advertised in InfoWorld magazine and promised up to four hours of use.

I asked Lee about the unused battery port on the computer's front panel. He said, "We thought of putting the batteries in the mostly empty keyboard section, but their weight would have been significant (the Osborne drew about 40W of power), and the liability that comes with batteries was particularly unattractive to the company."
 
Portable Power

PROFESSIONAL
FOR THE OSBORNE 1
• 3 HOUR + OPERATING TIME WITH UNIQUE AUDIO/ VISUAL ALARM
• 3 - 4 TOTAL RECHARGE TIME
• OVER 1000 DISCHARGE/CHARGE
FIRST QUALITY AMERICAN MADE NI-CAD CELLS

POWER SYSTEMS

This was a ad for a portable power unit for the Osborne 01. The image did not copy. It connected to the 9 pin Batt connector.

This ad and photo can be found in The Portable Companion, July 1983, page 84. Thank you for the heads up, ppcmini.

Osborne_batt.png

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer related/Osborne_batt.png
 
There is one of those Osborne 12V-AC adaptors on ebay currently, but shipping is the cost of a machine (for me)
 
Back
Top