Compaq Portable 1 Restoration - Part 1
The 8-Bit Guy・2 minutes read
The 8-Bit Guy documents the restoration of the Compaq Portable 1, facing challenges with faulty components, including exploding capacitors. Despite setbacks, he successfully repairs the CGA card and uncovers unique features of the machine, such as the NEC V20 processor and expandable RAM capabilities.
Insights
- The 8-Bit Guy is creating a documentary on Compaq Computer Corporation's early days, focusing on three specific machines, highlighting the historical significance of these pioneering devices.
- Through meticulous restoration efforts, The 8-Bit Guy uncovers intricate details of the Compaq Portable 1, showcasing its innovative design elements, technical challenges, and the process of troubleshooting and repairing vintage technology, offering a glimpse into the evolution of computing.
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Recent questions
What is the focus of The 8-Bit Guy's documentary?
The 8-Bit Guy plans a documentary on Compaq Computer Corporation's early days, specifically focusing on three specific machines.
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Summary
00:00
Restoring Compaq Portable 1: Troubleshooting Journey
- The 8-Bit Guy plans a documentary on Compaq Computer Corporation's early days, focusing on three specific machines.
- He acquires all three machines, but they are broken and need cosmetic restoration.
- The first machine he works on is the Compaq Portable 1, the first commercially successful IBM compatible and portable computer.
- The exterior of the Compaq Portable 1 is dirty but easily cleanable, with the keyboard needing retrobrite treatment.
- Upon attempting to power on the Compaq Portable 1, there is no activity on the screen or from the floppy drives.
- The 8-Bit Guy disassembles the Compaq Portable 1, revealing individual metal cages for different functions of the computer.
- He faces difficulty removing screws from the card socket cage and decides to remove non-essential components to reduce the load on the power supply.
- After various troubleshooting steps, including using another power supply, a tantalum capacitor on the video card explodes.
- The 8-Bit Guy discovers a shorted tantalum capacitor on the CGA card, causing the power supply to fail.
- With the help of a friend, he replaces the damaged CGA card and repairs the original CGA card, finding that one of the two additional CGA cards acquired also works.
12:19
"CGA Card Repair and Troubleshooting Process"
- A shorted tantalum capacitor was replaced on a CGA card, resulting in its functionality, although further testing was hindered by the lack of disk drives.
- The board features an NEC V20 processor instead of the Intel 8088, with 256K of RAM expandable to 640K through individual chip upgrades.
- DIP switches on the board configure settings like RAM, while later BIOS versions may self-test RAM capacity.
- The BIOS chip on a new board indicates a 1987 copyright, possibly the latest BIOS for the machine, and the 4164 RAM chips removed are compatible with other systems.
- Troubleshooting progresses with a disk error resolved by lubricating the disk drive head, but a non-functional keyboard due to deteriorated foam circles on keys requires replacement parts, leading to a delay in completing the restoration.
