Category Archives: TRS-80 model 3

TRS-80 model 3. The final lap

A quick update.

I have removed the broken remains of the plastic brackets on the onside of the lid and replaced them with the 3d printed ones made for me by a friend at work.

150829-IMG_20150829_102220955_HDRI have also re-glued the two weaker CRT pillars. This time I’ve bought some epoxy that claims to be specifically designed to glue hard plastics such as ABS.

I really hope it lasts.

So there you have it. My TRS-80 model 3 is done.

150823-IMG_20150823_204254173

Further forward. Model 3 reassembly.

150823-IMG_20150823_204254173I gave the key tops a quick ride in the dish washer and they had come out clean and splendid. So now, get everything back together.

Power up time.

The first go… 150823-IMG_20150823_204149751

Take two.

Jiggle the cables a bit…

150824-IMG_20150824_195819351Tada! Ta bloody da!

I’m feeling a bit pleased with myself, but I’m not quite done.

Two of the CRT pillars are a little shaky and will need some attention. Also, three of the plastic clips that help to hold the case closed were smashed. The good news is that a friend of mine at work has 3d printed me some new ones!. The bad news is that the remains of the old ones are very well attached and so I’ll need to strip out the bezel again to be sure of getting them out without risking the tube coming down on me and to repair the pillars.

We’re very close though.

Look how shiny it is.150823-IMG_20150823_204313296

On with the repairs.

The base.

In the previous post I fixed up the bezel and primed the base.

150821-IMG_20150821_165446717Well now the base has had its top coat. The closest paint I could find at Halfords was Vauxhall Platinum silver. It’s not an exact match but it is very close so I’m going with that.

The top of the case.

The top of the case had been a bit battered. There was a crack running down one of the back corners and plenty of dings and dents.

150822-IMG_20150822_141046239_HDRHere it is having been glued, filled and sprayed with white primer.

Now for the silver.

150822-IMG_20150822_142403596_HDRShiny.

Putting the bezel back.

150822-IMG_20150822_174325213Here we have the bezel back in place and next to go in is the tube.

This is a bit worrying because the pillars don’t seem to be as secure as I’d like. there is a bit of “give” in them. Even though the glue has had several days to cure. I’ve put the tube back and left the case the right way up but with some padding beneath the tube.

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I’ll take a look in the morning and see if it’s given way.

Starting repairs.

In my previous post post I wrote about my ailing TRS-80 Model 3, damaged by transport with inadequate packaging.

Here I’m going to start a repair job on it. I don’t normally do any cosmetic work on my machines, a bit of wear and taer is par for the course and is to be expected but this machine has been so beaten up that my repairs are unlikely to reduce its value any and will make things better.

Repairing the bezel

My first job, after taking the lid off for a look around, was to take the black bezel out so that the pillars that hold the CRT can be repaired.

150816-IMG_20150816_181229487Next, how to repair the pillars? I think that just some glue, any glue that I can get, will probably give way when I refit the tube and tighten the nuts (even lightly). So, I used epoxy glue to hold the pillars together for a start. Then I glued carbon fibre strands around each pillar (left over from the hovercraft projects) and piled epoxy on top of that. Hopefully that will hold.

150817-IMG_20150817_211627983_HDR

 

Preparing for painting

Normally I wouldn’t touch the paint of an old computer as I said above but this one needs it more than it needs to be kept original.

First the base got a sanding, masking and a spray with white primer…

150817-IMG_20150817_211837726looking good. Top coat to follow then repairs to the top of the case. That’s the bit that really needs it.

TRS-80 Model 3. A bad start.

Sometimes, a machine that’s on my “back burner” will show up on ebay with a buy-it-now that puts it in my price range and if I’m quick I can get it before it goes.

So it was with this non-functioning TRS-80 model 3.

On the listing I could see that there was a key missing, the paint is worn in front of the space bar and it had some blobs of paint on it but I can cope with that. It’s a model 3 after all.

Good news so far.

However…

This is what I found when I opened the box.

IMG_20150815_182549919Nearly no packing. A few sheets of newspaper that’s all. My heart sank and it didn’t float again for some time.


 

When I got the machine out of the box this is the sorry sight I saw.

IMG_20150815_182644393_HDR


It didn’t get a lot better.

IMG_20150815_183748264The tube has broken loose and been  flapping around inside the box with nothing to slow it down. Fortunately the CPU board is behind a metal shield but that’s but much of a bonus really. I struggle to imagine how the seller thought it would be OK with so little packaging.