• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

TRS-80 II Serial Number 6?

D

dkarguth

Experienced Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Messages
83
Location
Texas, USA
I recently acquired a TRS-80 model II from a computer shop that was giving some stuff away for free. Upon inspection, I noticed the serial tag read 32000006. I have read online that Tandy serial numbers are the last 6 digits, but I just wanted to confirm this. All the chips that I could find have production dates before early/mid 1979. Does anyone know anything more about Tandy serial numbers? I would be thrilled if someone can confirm that this is actually the sixth one made!

rwUK5g0h.jpg

DZVUc8gh.jpg
 
Everything I see confirms a very early Model II. Including the model # 26-4001 indicating a rare factory 32K system as Mav mentioned. This is the earliest serial numbered Model II I have seen yet.
Take care of her please!
I also notice it has 5 cards. I’ll bet you have two 32K memory boards in there as that was a typical upgrade for the 32K systems because most MII software required more than 32K. I’ve also heard they were shipped from the factory or upgraded in-store in this configuration and that they never really sold a 32K system out the door.

Edit: Doh! I just noticed the 32K upgrade label! Interesting placement.
 
Wow that's great. Since they were targeted as business machines I wonder if we could find out who Tandy enticed first in their business pursuits. Enjoy that beast!
 
Thanks for all the info, everyone! I hope to get the machine working eventually. I have no experience with Tandy computers, let alone ones this old. I ordered a keyboard on ebay, since the machine that I have did not include a keyboard when I got it.
The machine does power on, but all it does is spin up the 120v case fan and the floppy drive. Am I correct in the assumption that the floppy drive spindle motor runs the entire time the computer is on?
The CRT heater warms up, but I get no display no matter what I do. There is also no disk activity. I am going to assume that the power supply is dead, but I am going to do some voltage testing before I go replacing anything.

Another thing; is ebay the best place to get 8" floppy disks? They're just so expensive on ebay, I am curious to hear where other model II owners get theirs. I seem to have some kind of adapter in the case to connect 8 inch floppy drives to a DOS pc. It is labeled "Floppy Disk Adapter" and it has the website www.dbit.com on it. I looked it up, and it appears that it allows you to connect most 8 inch drives and DEC RX50 drives to a PC. Can I use this to get the software onto the 8 inch disks, provided my drive works? If so, where would I find the disk images?
 
dkarguth said:
Thanks for all the info, everyone! I hope to get the machine working eventually. I have no experience with Tandy computers, let alone ones this old. I ordered a keyboard on ebay, since the machine that I have did not include a keyboard when I got it.
The machine does power on, but all it does is spin up the 120v case fan and the floppy drive. Am I correct in the assumption that the floppy drive spindle motor runs the entire time the computer is on?
The CRT heater warms up, but I get no display no matter what I do. There is also no disk activity. I am going to assume that the power supply is dead, but I am going to do some voltage testing before I go replacing anything.

Another thing; is ebay the best place to get 8" floppy disks? They're just so expensive on ebay, I am curious to hear where other model II owners get theirs. I seem to have some kind of adapter in the case to connect 8 inch floppy drives to a DOS pc. It is labeled "Floppy Disk Adapter" and it has the website www.dbit.com on it. I looked it up, and it appears that it allows you to connect most 8 inch drives and DEC RX50 drives to a PC. Can I use this to get the software onto the 8 inch disks, provided my drive works? If so, where would I find the disk images?
Click to expand...

I have a post on here that describes what I had to do in order to get my Model 2 up and running. It involves 4 small black capacitors on the floppy drive that went bad and gave me the impression the PSU was bad. If your fan and floppy drive motor are running, chances are these cap's went bad on your machine as well. It's worth checking. They are located next to the Power Plug on the floppy drive, they are small black capacitors, and easy to replace. If you need some just ask I have spares.
 
Last edited:
That Shugart floppy drive will run whenever the unit is on--runs constantly. I assume that you've already found the Model II Technical Reference Manual, Notes and Jumpers, and the Model II Technical Bulletins. The Reference will help you to understand how the machine is supposed to boot and work, so a good one to find and read now while you're waiting for the keyboard to show up. N&J and the TBs will help once you begin to fix the machine. Voltage measurements should be first thing and the Reference gives you that info.

Don't assume anything at this point. It looks like that machine has been bounced around quite a bit so a good thorough physical inspection is in order. One bit of good news is that you have, evidently, 2 32K memory boards. That will let you sub one for the other if you suspect memory problems down the road. N&J will tell you how to re-jumper the memory boards if it comes to that. Be careful about static when handling the cards.

Also be very careful around the video board. Since you've powered the unit up already you should discharge the CRT before working on that part. There's another Model II thread going with some info that might be helpful.

The drive will need a good cleaning before you try to use it. Carefully clean the stepper worm gear, but do not lubricate it or it'll sling lubricant all through the drive. Leave all the adjustments and jumpers alone at this point. :)

Good luck with it!
 
dkarguth said:
Another thing; is ebay the best place to get 8" floppy disks? They're just so expensive on ebay, I am curious to hear where other model II owners get theirs. I seem to have some kind of adapter in the case to connect 8 inch floppy drives to a DOS pc. It is labeled "Floppy Disk Adapter" and it has the website www.dbit.com on it. I looked it up, and it appears that it allows you to connect most 8 inch drives and DEC RX50 drives to a PC. Can I use this to get the software onto the 8 inch disks, provided my drive works? If so, where would I find the disk images?
Click to expand...

Ebay is pretty much the only place you'll find 8" floppy disks. There are usually some available. Make sure to only buy NOS sealed boxes. Even those can sometimes be in poor condition if they were not 100% airtight. I have found mold on supposedly sealed boxes of Tandy 8" disks recently. Get SSDD disks. You can punch out new index holes on DSDD disks, which are easier to find, but it's a pain in the ass.

Here is a good link to get you started with 8" floppy imaging. Be warned, it is a lot of effort. I only recommend doing this for nostalgic purposes. Make sure your disk controller supports FM/MFM, because the 8" Tandys use a single density boot track.

http://oldcomputers-ddns.org/public/pub/manuals/disk-imaging-vcfe-2014.pdf

If you're going to actually use the system, other than turning it on once in a while to show the kids or grandkids what a real computer is like :), I highly suggest using an HxC floppy emulator as they work very well with the 8" Tandy computers. You should be able to find a few threads on setting that up here in the forums.

For disk images

https://github.com/pski/model2archive/tree/master/Software
 
pski said:
Ebay is pretty much the only place you'll find 8" floppy disks. There are usually some available. Make sure to only buy NOS sealed boxes. Even those can sometimes be in poor condition if they were not 100% airtight. I have found mold on supposedly sealed boxes of Tandy 8" disks recently. Get SSDD disks. You can punch out new index holes on DSDD disks, which are easier to find, but it's a pain in the ass.

Here is a good link to get you started with 8" floppy imaging. Be warned, it is a lot of effort. I only recommend doing this for nostalgic purposes. Make sure your disk controller supports FM/MFM, because the 8" Tandys use a single density boot track.

http://oldcomputers-ddns.org/public/pub/manuals/disk-imaging-vcfe-2014.pdf

If you're going to actually use the system, other than turning it on once in a while to show the kids or grandkids what a real computer is like :), I highly suggest using an HxC floppy emulator as they work very well with the 8" Tandy computers. You should be able to find a few threads on setting that up here in the forums.

For disk images

https://github.com/pski/model2archive/tree/master/Software
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips! I'll keep them in mind when searching for disks. I don't mind messing with floppies that much, as long as they work most of the time. I have one of those floppy drive adapters mentioned in the article, so I think I might try to get a second 8" drive to to connect to a PC for imaging/data transfer purposes.

I use my older computers quite frequently, and I generally like to have a hard disk installed just for usability purposes. I know the finding an original hard disk would be less than likely, and it most likely would not be reliable. Has anyone ever made an emulator card for the model 2 similar to the XT IDE card for ISA based systems? It would be really nice to have a hard disk so that I don't have to mess with swapping virtual floppies.

I started restoring the computer yesterday. I took it apart down to the bare frame, rinsed all the dirt off the case, and evicted the former tenants (a couple of spiders and a mosquito). It's in pretty good condition, other than the paint. I may consider painting it, but I would have to find a pretty perfect paint match before I messed with it. There was a wire broken off the contrast rheostat, and there is a broken conductor on the flyback transformer. That's a huge bummer, because I don't know if I'll be able to repair it. It's the high voltage conductor that wraps around the top in a 'U' shape. It is fractured at one of the corner points and appears to be loose. The monitor had no high voltage at all when I tested it, that was likely the problem.

I will also be replacing most of the capacitors in the machine. I don't really like to leave 70's era electrolytics in things if I don't have to. Also, based upon the condition of the thing, it was stored in a barn or garage for a couple of decades, which most likely didn't help things either.

P.S. No kids yet, I'm a freshman in college! I started collecting these machines when my dad gave me a VIC 20 as a gift when I was in middle school. Now I have about 30 different computers, to my mother's displeasure, lol
 
"and there is a broken conductor on the flyback transformer. That's a huge bummer, because I don't know if I'll be able to repair it. It's the high voltage conductor that wraps around the top in a 'U' shape. It is fractured at one of the corner points and appears to be loose. The monitor had no high voltage at all when I tested it, that was likely the problem."

Is it a Motorola video board? Take a look at the photos in my M16 restoration tread. Tell me if you have the same problem with the broken flyback transformer as I do. If so, look around in the case for some grey metal pieces. They're ferrite material if you know what that is. If it's the same problem I have and you have those pieces then you may be ok..

post a photo if you can.
 
shank said:
"and there is a broken conductor on the flyback transformer. That's a huge bummer, because I don't know if I'll be able to repair it. It's the high voltage conductor that wraps around the top in a 'U' shape. It is fractured at one of the corner points and appears to be loose. The monitor had no high voltage at all when I tested it, that was likely the problem."

Is it a Motorola video board? Take a look at the photos in my M16 restoration tread. Tell me if you have the same problem with the broken flyback transformer as I do. If so, look around in the case for some grey metal pieces. They're ferrite material if you know what that is. If it's the same problem I have and you have those pieces then you may be ok..

post a photo if you can.
Click to expand...

Here's the video board. I can't find anything to identify it as a motorola video board, but on closer inspection it appears that I do have the same general problem as you did.
jrXpZ1hh.jpg


Here's the flyback, and the brass rod is in fact broken. However, the ferrite is not broken, so that is a good sign.
7kmUnoDh.jpg


I will attempt to solder it back together today if I get around to it. Thanks for the tip!
 
dkarguth, i fixed my flyback and it went easily.

one thing that might help make it easier for you, if your board is similar to mine in this respect, is that the far end of the brass rod is held down and tensioned with a nut. i was able to loosen mine by turning it with a small screwdriver, did the solder job and then tightened it back up the same way. i have a photo of that in my m16 restoration thread. FYI..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top