View Full Version : All in One Computers
boatofcar
09-09-2006, 05:24 PM
Anybody have a list of classic All in One Computers, like the Commodore PET and the TRS 80 Model 4? I love these guys!
Ze_ro
09-10-2006, 11:37 PM
I'm not entirely sure if the Phillips P/330 (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=354) fits your criteria, but I've love the style of this one!
--Zero
AdamAnt316
09-11-2006, 02:44 AM
I've had several all-in-one computers, mainly luggables. Here's a list of ones I've had personal experience with:
*Compaq Portable (http://oldcomputers.net/compaqi.html): The very first successful PC clone. Mine worked as a basic two-floppy computer, but adding a hard drive card proved to be beyond the capabilities of the internal power supply. Ended up giving it to a friend.
*TRS-80 Model 4 (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=244): The highest evolution of the original TRS-80 series, and works fairly well. I've also had the "luggable" equivalent, the Model 4P (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1083), but it had some serious hardware issues.
*Apple Lisa 2 (http://lowendmac.com/lisa/lisa2.shtml): The computer pictured in my avatar, and the successor of the original Apple Lisa (http://lowendmac.com/lisa/lisa.shtml), considered the first consumer computer with a GUI. Not a whole lot of Apple Lisa computers were sold, especially at the initial selling price of $10,000. Several Lisas were eventually buried in a Utah landfill in the mid '80s. Mine was converted by a company called Sun Remarketing to emulate a Macintosh Plus, complete with an internal 20MB hard drive; unfortunately, the vintage Microscribe drive has seen far better days.
*Commodore SX-64 (http://oldcomputers.net/sx64.html): Basically, the SX-64 is a Commodore 64, one Commodore 1541 disk drive, and a 5" color monitor (it's considered to be the first portable color computer, though the term "portable" is used loosely, as with most luggables) crammed into a semiportable enclosure. Despite the small screen, the graphics are quite sharp. A version with two disk drives (dubbed the DX-64) was originally planned, but later dropped.
Other notable all-in-ones:
*Kaypro 2 (http://oldcomputers.net/kayproii.html) and Kaypro 4 (http://www.obsoletecomputermuseum.org/kaypro4/) (popular CP/M-based all-in-ones)
*Osborne 1 (http://oldcomputers.net/osborne.html) (one of the first "portable" computers; also CP/M-based)
*IBM 5100 (http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5100.html) (one of the first all-in-ones; predates the IBM PC)
*IBM Portable (http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5155.html) (luggable version of the IBM PC)
*Commodore PET (http://oldcomputers.net/pet2001.html) series (including the Educator 64 (http://www.swtpc.com/commodor.htm), a Commodore 64 mounted in a PET case, with a monochrome screen)
*Apple Macintosh (http://oldcomputers.net/macintosh.html) (the Mac that started it all)
*TRS-80 Model II (http://oldcomputers.net/trs80ii.html) and Model III (http://oldcomputers.net/trs80iii.html) (successors of the original TRS-80 Model 1)
*Otrona Attache (http://oldcomputers.net/attache.html) (able to run both CP/M and MS-DOS)
Hope this helps.
-Adam
Ze_ro
09-11-2006, 11:42 AM
[My Lisa 2] was converted by a company called Sun Remarketing to emulate a Macintosh Plus, complete with an internal 20MB hard drive; unfortunately, the vintage Microscribe drive has seen far better days.
Considering how rare Lisa's are, isn't it kind of a waste to have it converted to a regular Mac? Or can you still run LISA OS on it as well?
As for the hard drive, I would imagine you could probably replace it... unless it's some custom thing... and even then, I guess migrating the data over might be a bit of a problem.
--Zero
AdamAnt316
09-11-2006, 01:02 PM
Considering how rare Lisa's are, isn't it kind of a waste to have it converted to a regular Mac? Or can you still run LISA OS on it as well?
The conversion was done long before I acquired the Lisa, likely back in the mid-late '80s. What they did was, install a ROM which allowed the Lisa to display square pixels (the original display view was rectangular pixels, making the screen taller than it was wide), and a piece of software called MacWorks, which allowed it to emulate a Mac, and run System 6.0.8. Unfortunately, due to the upgraded ROM, I wouldn't be able to run Lisa OS unless I found an original type ROM.
As for the hard drive, I would imagine you could probably replace it... unless it's some custom thing... and even then, I guess migrating the data over might be a bit of a problem.
I have a copy of the MacWorks software, as well as a Seagate hard drive of the same type as the existing Microscribe drive, but I have not yet figured out how to format the new hard drive so that it will work with this machine. Perhaps someday, I will figure it out, and be able to bring the Lisa back to full working condition.
-Adam
boatofcar
09-11-2006, 05:22 PM
I'd love to have an Educator 64 with a color screen. Probably cost an arm and a leg to put one in though :(