Simple Portable Writing with 1989's Tandy WP-2 -

Рет қаралды 30,735

3 жыл бұрын

This is an example how how you could write a document digitally, on the go, before laptops became mainstream using a Tandy WP-2.
Other SepTandy Creators:
Mr Lurch's Things: / mrlurchsthings
Josh Malone: / @48kram
The Retro Channel: / theretrochannel
Adrian's Digital Basement: / adriansdigitalbasement
Jan Beta: / janbeta
MindFlareRetro: / mindflareretro
Retro Spector: / retrospector78
LGR: / @lgr
Links:
TPDD Emulator: github.com/bkw777/dlplus
Citizen CMB-10WP: mo5.com/musee-machines-cbm10wp...
Manual Recreation: www.club100.org/library/doc/wp...
More info and CamelForth: www.bitchin100.com/wiki/index....
If you want to get one of these and support the channel you can use this link:
ebay.to/2FgTIdI
Mentioned videos:
Easy Plastic Reconstruction and Repair: • Easy Plastic Reconstru...
Brother EP-20: • 0x0028 - Dot Matrix Ty...
TRS-80 DT-1: • TRS-80 DT-1 Refurb Pt1...
Playlists of more stuff like this:
Portables: • Portables
1980s: • 1980s
Other Links
KZfaq: / akbkuku
Github: github.com/AkBKukU
Thingiverse: www.thingiverse.com/AkBKukU
Patreon: / akbkuku
Discord: / discord

Пікірлер: 200

@AthenaNova1 3 жыл бұрын

The WP-2 manual has been posted to the Internet Archive as "Radio Shack Hardware Manual: WP-2 Portable Word Processor Owners Manual (1987)(Tandy) "

@runrin_ 3 жыл бұрын

i think the phone book was to store numbers to use with a modem. journalists on the road would use that feature to dial the numbers to send their articles to HQ.

@BBC600 3 жыл бұрын

That would make sense...

@diggydude5229 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, it was likely used the same way as the ADDRSS program on the Model 100. In addition to journalism, the Model 100 was (and remains) popular for field data collection in remote areas.

@hesterhenrietta261 3 жыл бұрын

Aw man! I love, love, love old word processors 😍

@Shand1982 3 жыл бұрын

Ah, I love the sound of a dot matrix printer, so soothing in a loud electro mechanical kind of way!

@djdjukic 3 жыл бұрын

Aww yes, SepTandy. Can't believe it's September again, this year feels so long yet, due to lack of action, so short...

@adriansdigitalbasement 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video! This is likely the most thorough review this product has ever received!

@TechTangents 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It was going to be a shorter video since it's "just a word processor", but it had to be cool and interesting so I just had so much to say about it!

@leesmithsworkshop 3 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy seeing all your twitter posts with the random things you do for videos and then watching and it all makes sense.

@David_Phantom 3 жыл бұрын

So glad a thing I donated could be used to make such a good video! It does things I didn't even realise it could do!

@bf0189 3 жыл бұрын

I used an AlphaSmart 3000 in the early 00s as a portable word processor in middle school. Being on the autistic spectrum can sometime translate to poor fine motor skills and I was much better typist than a writer so the school gave me one to help me. It had USB and Firewire out so you can copy over the text seamlessly with any modern computer and was very capable for school work except maths. It was extremely durable too which was important since I was quite clumsy back then. It's really cool seeing the grandfather of the AlphaSmart 3000! Thanks for bringing back memories

@sentineluk7 3 жыл бұрын

I used one of these in School, when I was diagnosed with Dyslexia, I was something of an experiment for the local education authority and their recent "Special Needs"team. Worked great as a word processor and all I had to do was show my notes to the teacher at the end of the lesson to show my work. We figured out at home that we could hook it up to my Dad's 286 MS-DOS computer and transfer off the files or print direct to his dot matrix printer - printed as it showed up on the screen. In my final 2 years ("High School" equivalent in the UK is 5 years, not 3) I was swapped to an Alphasmart 2000 (which felt like an update of the WP-2), then I was able to plug it into the teacher's computer and "Print" the file I was working on and it would type out the document letter-by-letter onto the Word Processor on the computer. As it was so simple, I was even able to use the device during my GCSE exams as the teachers didn't know it could do anything else apart from typing documents.

@alexdhall 3 жыл бұрын

I used Alphasmarts through grade school for similar-ish reasons (but because of dysgraphia; my handwriting is *awful*). The last one they gave me in highschool was the Alphasmart Dana, which is essentially the melding of an Alphasmart and a Palm pilot. The original Alphasmart, the 2000 model and the 3000 were incredibly simple devices. I'm honestly debating getting a used one for work because of that....

@ZombieRyushu 3 жыл бұрын

What I will say is, I adore your extensive use of Linux. I have my Tandy 1000 TL extensively supported by Linux.

@spliceoncharlie 3 жыл бұрын

Love the sound of these old printers. Still have a big box of this type paper and a printer just not much to print.

@TheRetroChannel 3 жыл бұрын

Pretty cool little device, thanks for sharing Shelby. Hopefully somebody will find the original manual and upload it

@djmccullough9233 3 жыл бұрын

I have one of these units in *PERFECT* working order, with its original leather pouch and manual. i wonder how much it would be worth near mint. I HAVE THE MANUAL if you want a copy of it.

@senorverde09 3 жыл бұрын

Like $30 max. There's really no market them

@richardclarke376 3 жыл бұрын

if you're feeling generous scan the manual and send it to Bitsavers!

@djmccullough9233 3 жыл бұрын

@@richardclarke376 I dont have a scanner, would decient digital pictures be acceptable?

@Hexbyte965 3 жыл бұрын

Nice, I use to have one of these. Wish I still had it. Good to hear they are still around.

@itsthesola10 3 жыл бұрын

@@djmccullough9233 As long as you do trapezium correction and contrast restoration it should be about as good as a scan

@RobertBoerner 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. I have an Alphasmart Neo that is somewhat newer but functions in a similar way. It also has a USB port for printing or sending a document to another system. Would love to see you do a similar review on the Alphasmart.

@weirdmindofesh 3 жыл бұрын

I have a Neo 2. I love it for writing.

@machiner6 2 жыл бұрын

I had an AlphaSmart in middle and high school too - got it as part of the Special Education program because I couldn't write longhand essays well. Now I continue the trend with a 620LX palmtop.

@insanerwayner 3 жыл бұрын

Pressing F1+1 gives you the help menu in whatever context you are currently in. This shows you all the shortcuts you can use in this context.

@cosmoscorner8435 3 жыл бұрын

That's a very neat little commodity. If I ever find the chance to get one, I think I will.

@BojarskyLeGrand 3 жыл бұрын

What a lovely piece of technology you have here. It's awesome that you managed to find one of these computers. As always, very interesting.

@crouchinghamster6407 3 жыл бұрын

Wow! What an **awesome** episode. So well done. Thank you for making it!

@NGOTB 3 жыл бұрын

This month is always crap for me. But then I remembered, it's SepTandy!

@IkarusKommt 3 жыл бұрын

Isn't there a short manual on the bottom of the case? Also, I like how they put every printable US-DOS character on the keyboard, albeit behind the weird locks.

@TothefarDale 3 жыл бұрын

This was super cool. I have been watching many of your videos, as well as those of the other creators in your list. I just bought a c64 and may look at a zx or a Tandy in the near future. Thank you for all of the wonderful content!

@nicole_local 3 жыл бұрын

Very cool! As for the problem of using volatile memory, I've seen people mod 90's game consoles to use FeRAM instead of the original battery-backed RAM to achieve non-volatile storage without the need for power. I wonder if that's be possible with this device?

@systemchris Жыл бұрын

There's a great video from the 80s on British TV of a journalist sending his article to his office from Japan over a payphone

@tsunamirider9895 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. I remember wanting one of those Tandy laptops. Brings back lots of memories. I still remember using the text interface word processor Paperclip on the C64 (at 40 columns or sometimes 80 with the BI 80 adapter) and outputting to a dot matrix printer and sometimes a daisy wheel printer for letter quality output. Was reminded of this when you showed the printer setup screen. Max page size of 66 lines with 57 printable will always be etched in my brain. Technology's come a long way.

@paulstaf 3 жыл бұрын

I have one... I used it for school back in 1992. I carried around to type up my school work and then I would plug into the school printer to print it out for my teachers. I still have it today!

@6581punk 3 жыл бұрын

You should look into the Cambridge Z88. It's what Sinclair did after selling out to Amstrad. There's still people using them to this day.

@barrysmith341 3 жыл бұрын

There's actually a large number of these z80 based portables clunking around. Amstrad did their own versions of these kinds of things too. The NC100, 150 and 200. The fact that this can actually run z80 binaries makes it pretty neat, though.

@paulluce2557 3 жыл бұрын

I had two Z88s.. Sinclairs pushing the boundaries of what was actually doable software wise on a z80 was astounding. Blew the NC100 out of the water in my opinion. Did wonder if it was possible to port the software from (or for ) it to another z80 based machine. Never liked the rubber inside out membrane keyboard at all.. Sold them on..

@amaxamon 3 жыл бұрын

This was great, I have an ongoing interest in word processing - I've always wanted one these types of machines!

@ScanLinesAU 3 жыл бұрын

I nearly got a Tandy WP-2 once for about $20 once, but I passed it up since I thought it was just a glorified calculator....

@BBC600 3 жыл бұрын

😢

@retroguy74 3 жыл бұрын

Honestly looks like you weren't far off. 😂

@ScanLinesAU 3 жыл бұрын

IT Guy haha yeah

@paulb4uk 3 жыл бұрын

I always wanted an epson hx20 i never did get one .

@eugiblisscast 27 күн бұрын

If it wasn't for the risk of losing data because of the batteries, I'd give it a try! As a young person, I'd say that, even if writing with modern software is amazing and comfortable, these vintage ways do look immensely fascinating...

@toznerd6369 Жыл бұрын

I had one of those in college (along with a similar Brother) between 1989 and 1992. I loved those portable word processors. Great for notes and limited sized compositions!

@travistaylor3186 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video. I love word processors. For school papers I shock my professors because I’ll type them on an old word processor if I have to turn one in person rather than an online submission.

@michaelturner4457 3 жыл бұрын

Unusual to see it badged as Tandy, because most Radio Shack computing products were badged as Radio Shack, like the TRS-80 series.

@diggydude5229 3 жыл бұрын

The Model 102 was badged as Tandy, while its predecessor, the Model 100 was badged as Radio Shack. They started dropping the TRS-80 name towards the end of the 80s.

@TechGorilla1987 3 жыл бұрын

I enjoy your content. Thank you.

@gcuneo 2 жыл бұрын

Found one in perfect condition at school today.

@EgoShredder 3 жыл бұрын

A video on the Psion Series 3 range would be cool, as even today they are very capable machines. I have a Series 3 original model and once had the 3mx but sold that a few years ago (needed the money). My boffin scientist uncle (computing and electronics) who worked with industry and travelled the world installing labs etc, he also used a few Series 5 models in his work. However the first computer he ever built and I used at the time, was a NASCOM where every component was hand soldered by him. That was also a Z80 based machine back in the late 1970s and early 80s.

@Shand1982 3 жыл бұрын

I loved those Psion's, the series 3 was an x86 machine right, but with full preemptive multitasking. Not sure about the later 3s but the series 5 was on ARM, I still have a 3 and a 5 and they're incredible machines.

@timothy2830 3 жыл бұрын

you know what's more simple... Alpha Smart. similar screen and keyboard device. I have an Alpha Smart 2000 that can save several documents, runs on a few AA batteries and can transfer to a word processor using a PS2 or ADB adapter. Later models had USB.

@alexdhall 3 жыл бұрын

Yep I used various incantations of Alphasmarts throughout my grade school years. The last one I had was the Alphasmart Dana in the mid 2000s which was essentially a Alphasmart and a Palm pilot in one device. Edit: the Alphasmart 3000, Danas and Neos have USB support.

@shibolinemress8913 8 ай бұрын

I love your Wayne look! 😊

@nrdesign1991 3 жыл бұрын

It really sounds awesome for its time.

@MindFlareRetro 3 жыл бұрын

A fantastic review of the WP-2. I remember it from old Radio Shack catalogs I have kept from back in the day. I had no idea it was a CItizen device, though -- cool. I guess Tandy rebadged more than calculators. A great video -- I really enjoyed it. 😃

@diggydude5229 3 жыл бұрын

The TELCOM program sounds like it's essentially the same as the one in the Model 100. Evidently the WP-2 is an updated version of the Model 100 with a Z80 instead of an 80C85. If you have to convert the .DO files to ASCII before you can export them, you may as well use a Model 100, since its .DO files are already ASCII. Various companies have released similar machines in the years since this one was made. They remain popular in niche markets. This happens to be my favorite form factor for a portable computer. Now that persistent memory without the need for a backup battery is becoming practical, I think someone should make a new one with a full color backlit 25x80 ANSI terminal and syntax highlighting for the BASIC editor (or whatever language they decide to put on it).

@glitch1299 3 жыл бұрын

The look of it reminds me of the older Alphasmart.

@kofteburger 3 жыл бұрын

Fascinating

@nathanielbest3541 3 жыл бұрын

While I don't have one and would never consider finding one, I think all of us would be interested in seeing what you could do to mod it!! Otherwise, great video!! Happy #SepTandy !!

@austinriddick6414 3 жыл бұрын

I'm envious of your LocoRoco figurine set

@Ratchet_effect 3 жыл бұрын

Reminds me of, one of the old Playskool Moon and Me characters & LittleBigPlanet.

@tech4pros1 3 жыл бұрын

one place where machines like this are still in use is in courts, where a court recorder uses a shorthand version of one to record proceedings.

@barthonhoff5547 3 жыл бұрын

The alternative to a Z88 from Sinclair with different drawbacks

@SianaGearz 3 жыл бұрын

I don't trust superglue to hold screw posts in place. I was once repairing an Ableton Push where all the internal screw posts have snapped off, and i superglued them and then superglued some thin hemp paper around them as a reinforcement - there wasn't much room to go around to reinforce them better. That still wasn't good enough, it all broke again. I ground down the screw posts and recast them from epoxy with silicone moulds, now that holds. Also the new repair is invisible even from the inside, which is something i'm slightly proud of, since i tinted the epoxy to match, and i also adjusted epoxy composition to be as flexible as original plastic to minimise the forces, this one is doing pretty nicely.

@Miasmark 3 жыл бұрын

I got an alphasmart 3000 recently. Seems to address most of the issues you have except it does require being opened to replace the cr2032 battery. There is software which works best on windows xp that lets you backup it. It can also act like a virtual keyboard and type out documents you save to it. The screen resolution is a bit worse but it is angled a bit to help with viewing. It contains a Dragonball-EZ motorola 68k processor that was also used in Palm Pilots so it keeps up better. I feel like there should be a way to make homebrews and adapt 68k text programs but so far the only information I have been able to find go over some information about what the header on the applets mean. Also: supposedly there are some models of the alpha smart that have IR blasters. not seen one though.

@alexdhall 3 жыл бұрын

I believe IR was an option on the 2000 and the 3000 models. I'm not sure if the original beige Alphasmart supported or had a IR option. The Dana and Dana 2 included IR out of the box. I remember using it to hotsync my Dana with a older Laptop that had built in IR. Good times 👍

@GraphicalRanger 3 жыл бұрын

Wow I had one of these when started college/Uni but got annoyed with it when I lost a load of work on it. It was sitting in the boot/trunk of my fathers car on the way back home, a journey of 35 miles. It was cold so it wiped the data before I got home aarrgghh! - I used to regularly copy files off the rs232... I think i bought a WP-2 for about £100. Nice Video; Thanks!

@CoolDudeClem 3 жыл бұрын

This thing looks uncanningly (if thats even a word) like the Amstrad NC-100, I remember using one of those at school hundreds of years ago.

@paulluce2557 3 жыл бұрын

The Amstrad NC100 was based on the NTS 325 DreamWriter (badged Tandy) made by Nakajima

@Zeem4 3 жыл бұрын

@@paulluce2557 They shared the same case (in different colours), but had different CPUs and completely different software. I've owned both at different times (I still have the DreamWriter).

@paulluce2557 3 жыл бұрын

@@Zeem4 I have two NTS 325s in my collection along with a DreamWriter 200, which was also part cloned by Amstrad as the ....NC200. Which were both made by Nakajima of Japan.

@Zeem4 3 жыл бұрын

@@paulluce2557 I once owned a slipcase for an NC200, but never managed to lay my hands on one, although I really wanted one.

@westinthewest 3 жыл бұрын

The word is 'uncannily'.

@Shand1982 3 жыл бұрын

I remember these when I was a kid, at school they gave them to all the 'SEN' kids who couldn't read or write very well....like how this would help them I hadn't a clue, it was like watching a mule with a spinning wheel, god knows how they got it and damned if they knew what to do with it. But that's the British education system for you. It was the same with the handful of Apple Mac's we had at school, only the SEN kids were allowed to use them. God forbid they tried to nourish the bright kids with learning and technology. Great vid by the way, really enjoyed it.

@Lurker1979 3 жыл бұрын

I love collecting portable word processors. I have A Alphasmart Nano and Dona and a few other similar gadgets. Even a modern KingJim Pomera D30 from Japan.

@temporarilyoffline 3 жыл бұрын

I'm doing my #SepTandy vid on the WP-2 also! The manual for this is up on manualslib. They have a Service Manual also. This is a surprisingly high quality little machine!

@f76_gc1ceo 3 жыл бұрын

I remember so many professionals around this time who couldn't use a computer of which knowing how to even turn on a computer on was still uncommon but they could totally learn word processors and mobile word processors.

@Zeem4 3 жыл бұрын

I've had/still have a few devices in this category. I had an Amstrad NC-100, and still own three Cambridge Z88s and an NTS DreamWriter 325. In the spirit of SepTandy, I seem to recall that the DreamWriter also has Tandy branding on it. If you want a flip-up screen, an Amstrad NC-200 would fit the bill, or in the US its similar-looking counterpart the NTS DreamWriter 200 (also available as a Tandy).

@wohdinhel 3 жыл бұрын

I remember in middle school we used a device very similar to this in our writing classes, which were fitted with IR transmitters that could beam text between different machines, or to a receiver unit connected to a PC (which was how our teacher collected our work). It was deeply flawed, though, because the receiver just acted like a regular keyboard and “typed out” whatever input it received... meaning we could beam text into our teacher’s computer if we aimed it well. Of course, it was kind of the teacher’s fault for leaving it plugged in and in a place where we could easily target, but either way, those machines didn’t stick around long lol.

@malwaretestingfan 3 жыл бұрын

I wonder what would have been the experience with it back in the day. Good video.

@FabTheZen 3 жыл бұрын

Great video as usual! A portable writer is such a strange concept to think of in our day and age, it makes the device all the more fascinating :D Also, I was so glad to hear about Citizen as a calculator brand, I distinctly remember my dad using a Citizen calculator in the late 90s, the color scheme was fascinating to young me. Oh btw, the link to LGR's channel in the description doesn't seem to work, it should be youtube dot com slash user slash phreakindee, or alternatively, youtube dot com slash c slash Lazygamereviews (case sensitive, apparently!)

@leeosborne3793 3 жыл бұрын

I'm a huge fan of battery-powered portables from this era! They're surprisingly useful even now. I have a Cambridge Computer Z88 (designed by Clive Sinclair) and an Amstrad NC100. The Z88 is a better machine but has a really odd serial port, that makes getting text out of it quite tricky. The NC100, however, has Centronics and RS232 ports, and a really competent on board word processor. I actually spent a while in the summer sitting in a coffee shop working on some paid freelance stuff with it. Getting the text onto a modern computer and/or in print is easy.

@Captain_Char 3 жыл бұрын

the first digital word processor I was exposed to was an oveletti machine with a flat LCD almost calculator like screen and ports that reminded me of the commodore 64's

@marksterling8286 3 жыл бұрын

Reminds me of the AlphaSmart I still have by my desk

@bf0189 3 жыл бұрын

I have a lot of fondness for the AlphaSmart 3000!

@BBC600 3 жыл бұрын

Sad those aren't made anymore either. I used one in elementary school. I still have it! I should dig it out sometime...

@DarkDennis1961 2 жыл бұрын

I had one. and i totally forgot about until i saw this video.

@jandjrandr 3 ай бұрын

Ancient tech brings back so many memories of how long it took for those dot matrix printers to print and how ugly the printing was. We are so spoiled now with print resolutions nearly beyond most human vision where you need to use a magnifying glass to see the pixel dots. Still, this proves we did have some good technology even back then. It probably could have even been a commercial success if it didn't take a computer savvy person to utilise it. Not everyone has the skills to upload/download over serial with those tools, but if there was an easy software that provided all those features at the click of a button it could have taken the market.

@philsmith3261 4 ай бұрын

I have just bought one of these - not working sadly. Some of the pins were bent on the sumitomo awm 2896 80c vw-1 14 pin ribbon cable. Seems like it's not a very popular cable to find. Battery compartment was clean, but could smell slight burning when using a 6v adapter. Hopefully one day I can get the thing fixed!

@divarin1 3 жыл бұрын

They do make li/on recharable AA's, I use them in things like the TRS-80 model 100, HP omnibook, etc... you can get ones that plug straight into USB ports to charge or connect via a cable to charge. no mods necessary

@danwoodward23 3 жыл бұрын

Your microphone is beautiful

@esra_erimez 3 жыл бұрын

My dad has two TRS-80 Model 100s. They look similar to this.

@Ale.K7 3 жыл бұрын

Nice!

@Elastane 3 жыл бұрын

Reminds me of the cambridge z88 :)

@TheVintageApplianceEmporium 3 жыл бұрын

The Cambridge Z88 and later Amstrad NC100 are close cousins to this machine. Had no idea it was made by Citizen though. I wonder if the others were too?

@BigEightiesNewWave 3 жыл бұрын

Wayne's World Party on !

@diggydude5229 3 жыл бұрын

I've heard complaints about the contrast and viewing angle of the Model 100 screen as well. Personally, I felt the contrast knob on the right side of the computer worked just fine. It works by adjusting the AC voltage fed to the LCD.

@alexdhall 3 жыл бұрын

These type of digital typing device continued to be used in US education settings (elementary, middle and high school) into the late 2000s from Alphasmart and it's later companies who bought and subsequently took over it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaSmart

@sbrazenor2 2 жыл бұрын

Alphasmart Word Processors are nice and easy. You can just upload the files as text input via a USB connector that recognizes the thing as a keyboard.

@sebastianvan_rhijn7306 3 жыл бұрын

Septandy already? Man i forget the time. Probably not this year, but i might chip in to septany next year. Got 2 trs 80's in unkown working states from a friend a year ago.

@MrAwol007 3 жыл бұрын

Tandy WP-2 was badass

@platypusfrenzy 3 жыл бұрын

Volvo used the CR2430 battery in their key fobs so at least here in Sweden they're pretty easy to find..

@The_Wandering_Nerd 3 жыл бұрын

I really wish they still made devices like this and the Alphasmart, portable keyboards that provide a distraction-free environment for typing and nothing else. But there's really no market for them except for expensive hipster typewriters like the Freewrite.

@boriscat1999 3 жыл бұрын

I have a WP-3 which is setup for UK English instead of US but otherwise the same as WP-2 (I'm an American but got a good deal on it). I use it for writing a little bit, the serial port works fine for upload/download my chapters. I find the operating system a little awkward and a product of its era. There are other wordprocessors that are easier to use, like the AlphaSmart Dana, but the battery life on that one is a fraction that a WP-2/WP-3 offers. My dream is to write a patched firmware for my WP-3 to make it slightly easier. I haven't quite figured out how to go about it yet. I know Z80 assembly, but wiring a new ROM into this thing is still a bit too risky for me.

@Philip8888888 Жыл бұрын

What kind of changes would you make?

@zaxchannel2834 3 жыл бұрын

You can try a bookstand if you need some adjustable angles

@Mike_Neukam Жыл бұрын

I'm looking for a similar device with a serial port that I can use as a serial console. Can you think of anything that would work well that isn't overly expensive or difficult to obtain?

@Meoiswa 3 жыл бұрын

I wonder if an NVRAM mod is possible, making memory non-volatile. Sidenote, that type of screen can absolutely output pixel graphics, but the computer itself probably doesn't have enough memory for a graphics buffer big enough to do so, thus it operates in Text Mode. This is also the reason why inserting text is so slow, the display has to be told to shift all its characters to the right, which means a lot of internal read/writes have to happen

@yorgle 3 жыл бұрын

That keyboard appears to be a mitsumi style, with the rubber cone-springs. Same as the Amiga 2000, 3000 and 4000... as well as one of the Mac Keyboards of that era. Those cones can be put into an Amiga 500 keyboard, replacing its springs to vastly improve the feel of it. If anyone knows a source for those cones, let me know! (The Commodore 128 had similar keys, but not quite enough space to hold the cones, sadly... although I threw cones from a Mac PowerBook 500 series into my 128 and it feels really nice! ;D

@ssjaken 3 жыл бұрын

What is your stance on using Electrical Contact Cleaner for cleaning PCBs and computers?

@TheTurnipKing 3 жыл бұрын

There's a CP/M clone, called ZCN, which is for the Amstrad NC100. If you could get that running on one of these, it'd be pretty remarkable.

@bengmo64 3 жыл бұрын

I remember my grandfather having one of these word processor things. IDK what brand it was though

@stephanieperry1119 3 жыл бұрын

How many models of these type of portable computer's ie Word Processor by Tandy Radio Shack?

@qwertykeyboard5901 3 жыл бұрын

i used pepper instead of flour. it still worked

@hstrinzel 6 ай бұрын

That WP-2 would have been GENIUS if they had built the Model 100 around it, OR make it more software-open. 80 characters PER LINE. I was getting sick and tired of 40-characters per screen after PET2001, Apple II, Model 100. Got a Toshiba T1100Plus. Finally, and for a fortune then.

@THEDIRTMAN1 Жыл бұрын

I'm thinking about getting a word processor is there any other brands of processors from the 80s that are good?

@jamesdye4603 3 жыл бұрын

I have a mint condition TRS-80 portable, which is not much different in function than the WP-2. I'm not a youtube person now, but in the past I have tried, and been soured due to the negativity that is abundant on this platform. At some point I will make a video about my device and post it.

@diggydude5229 3 жыл бұрын

I got a Model 100 in mint condition too! It came with a portable thermal printer. I have all of the accessories except the bar code wand. I saw one new in the package on Ebay once but didn't get it for some dumb reason.

@jamesdye4603 3 жыл бұрын

@@diggydude5229 Very nice!

@nazcaplain 3 жыл бұрын

I've a WP2 and find its simplicity liberating BUT the hoops one must jump through to transfer files to be too much pain. If there was a SD-card adapter of some sort, I'd shell out for it.

@devttyUSB0 3 жыл бұрын

@9:35 devttyUSB0! :D

@weirdmindofesh 3 жыл бұрын

I think for the time being I'm going to stick with my Alphasmart Neo2 for spur of the moment writing. It runs for 700 hours on 3 double A batteries and sends files to the computer like a keyboard.

@BigEightiesNewWave 3 жыл бұрын

It would be cool if he could get a Garth look-alike on here at the same time.

@MarkTheMorose 3 жыл бұрын

Extreme close-up!