Scored a REALLY nice TL/2!

[eightbit]

Found this locally at a vintage game score here in NC. It's like it was never used. Boots up to DeskMate and it appears the only thing the previous owner ever did was add one address to the address book!

 

It came with more not pictured. I have the printer and an entire box of Tandy printer paper (which is now yellowish, but unused) and the floppy disks that were on the purchase receipt? They are here...still sealed!

 

The only thing I had to do obviously was change the battery, and since I have added an 8-bit ISA card that provides a standard PC joystick port. I have some more things coming such as the XT to CF card and an Adlib clone just for the heck of it.

 

Really in museum quality condition...I am pretty blown away. Receipts and all. And, I do realize someone's CC# is on the receipt, but that expired over 30 years ago so I think it's safe to show This person really gave himself (or someone else) a pricey Christmas gift two days before Christmas in 1990.

[+OLD CS1]

Man, that is really pretty and very cool.  I love when I can get original receipts with stuff, too, to give perspective on changes in pricing and technology.

[jhd]

 

Finding the original hardware is great, but having the documentation (and original receipt) is even better.  That stuff is so very rarely preserved, especially in pristine condition. 

 

In December 1990, I was using a Tandy 1000 SL.

 

 

[+OLD CS1]

Oh, I just noticed the pricing for the 3-pack of 5.25" DSDD floppies at $4.95.  That gives me ideas for pricing my floppies (I have managed to hoard about 500 5.25" DSDD!)

 

I remember paying $4.95 at the BX for a two-pack of Memorex SSDD floppies for use on the Apples at school.

[eightbit]

I've been playing around with this machine now for a little over a week and I must say it is awesome. 

 

I've since removed the 5 1/4 drive and carefully added a Gotek. I say "carefully" as you must cut a series of pins off of the Gotek to make sure it does not receive power from the proprietary Tandy ribbon cable. These machines both transfer data and supply power to the 3 1/2 inch drives through the ribbon cable. Obviously a ploy for Tandy to sell only their drives to customers.

 

I've added a XT-IDE CF device and had a bit of a struggle getting it to be the primary boot drive, but I figured it out and now it is. The old drive is unplugged and remains in the machine for posterity.

 

I found an old 8-bit ISA I/O card in my drawers of parts that had a standard 15-pin joystick connector and added it. I have an application that can disable the Tandy joystick ports and enable this when I want it, and it works great.

 

I've added an Ad-Lib clone just for the fun of it and have added a Paradise 16-bit VGA card that can function in an 8-bit ISA slot. With the "vswitch" application I can on the fly switch between the VGA card and the original integrated Tandy graphics which is great.

 

I am waiting on a math co-processor (it was $4!) and an extra 128k of RAM and then this is done.

 

I'll post in more detail what has been done but here's a picture of the insides now!

Edited September 19 by eightbit