Mystic BBSing with WiModem232s Zeddynets and Pi

Or Networking Disperate Retro Computers?

I've been meaning to write something about the ZX81 Ethernet adapter Zeddynet for a while now, but hadn't got around to it for various reasons. In the last week or so another more general purpose retro network device in the form of a Serial to WiFi modem / network adapter, the WiModem232 crossed my threshold rekindling ideas around networking old computers.

Now we have the basis for a slightly confused and conjoined blog post, one that ends up being not quite a review, mostly not a tutorial and a slightly random collection of ideas on network hardware and software, in which I get a number of ancient machines on-line connected to a BBS, a BBS that ends up being my own local BBS.

Some Networking Hardware Required

Now for a brief look into the networking devices I'm using. Both interfaces are specific to my needs (and small retro collection), the WiModem232 is certainly of much use to the general retro community, where as the Zeddynet is obviously of more limited one machine appeal.

Zeddynet - for a ZX81

Starting with Zeddynet and the ZX81: The Zeddynet board mounts onto a ZX81XT extender / extension board, and combined plugs into the ZX81s expansion bus. The card is quite tall with the Ethernet port located at the top. This arrangement is a little cumbersome, particularly once a network cable is plugged as the cable and the card tend to get in the way of a low-ish sitting desktop monitor. Still we're about to plug a ZX81 into a network, a few aesthetics issues and minor viewing discomforts are hardly of major issue compared to the achievements realised.

Zeddynet Interface

Available sporadically from and designed by the German ZX-Team, Zeddynet as the name implies connects a humble ZX81 to a TCP/IP network via Ethernet cable. Zeddynets first appeared back in 2012, I procured mine mid 2017, unfortunately no more have been produced since then (at the time of writing). Still, keep an eye out on SinclairWorld forums should you desire a fully assembled Zeddynet.

In order to configure and use the Zeddynet expansion on the ZX81 some software is required. At minimum in order  to get a ZX81 connected to online BBSs software in the form of ipconfig and telnet are required. Telneting is only one small part, there are web-browsers and network file managers and more. The German Sinclair forum.tlienhard.com has links to all software and sources.

WiModem232 for Anything with a Serial Port

Around the middle of 2017 Paul Rickards released the WiFi232 Internet Hayes Modem for retro computers, the perfect solution for networking old computers. Sadly the device has remained sold out for months, and may now be permanently unavailable. Luckily and possibly inspired by the original WiFi232, two new solutions have recently hit the market from CBMStuff, the WiModem232 and WiModem232 w/OLED.

WiModem232 w/OLED display

Functionality wise, the only real difference between the WiModem232 and WiModem232 w/OLED is the rather obvious OLED screen. The choice of adapter comes down to a desire for a handy information display or a need for the milliamp power savings brought about by not including it. Note that on both variants an RGB LED provides a status indication allowing you to easily live without the OLED screen.

The modem is configured and connected to a WiFi network by Hayes Modem command extensions. Similarly Hayes commands are used to connect to telnet instances on a local network or further a field.

In order to use the WiModem232 simple terminal software is required. The machines I've tested the WiModem232 with (TRS-80 model 100/102 and an NEC PC-8401) have terminal software built into their ROMs, in all cases this worked perfectly.

BBSs Are Out There

Dial up BBSs were a major thing before the Internet age, but sadly faded into slight irrelevance in the late 90s, but now they're back and on the Internet. In fact there is a whole new (old) world out there waiting to be connected.

Perhaps the best resource for finding BBSs is the Telnet BBS Guide. Telneting to any of the BBSs listed from a modern PC is fairly trivial, being able to telnet from a vintage micro computer is (whoo hoo) exciting.

Testing Interfaces a DIY BBS

Despite the wealth of BBS out there, I wanted to try out Zeddynet and the WiModem232 on my micros' without burdening the various online resources. Possibly I'd rather like keep the BBS running, with a view to opening it up for others to log on at some point. For these reasons I decided to to deploy a Raspberry PI and install some BBS software.

The Telnet BBS Guide helpfully lists the software being used by various BBSs in it's site registry. Of the software listed 'Mystic' BBS seems by far the most popular and actively maintained kit going, plus it has Raspberry Pi versions available that work on all network enabled Pies. A logical choice then.

The setting up 'Mystic' is as easy as unzipping, running a minimal installation, and then starting a BBS server. In less than five minutes you can have a bare bones BBS up and running and telnet-able into. After that 'your mission, should you choose to except it', exposes a whole rabbit hole of configurations and text files to modify in order to tailor and craft a unique BBS experience.

Crafting An 8 Bit Mystic Experience

In its default state Mystic targets computers with 80 columns and full ASCII / ANSI support. This is great for Amigas, Atari STs and IBM clones, not so great for 8 bits micros. This situation is fixable, but it does require a full redesign of the built in theme. The task is not difficult, it does though require some dedication.

All BBS layout files can be altered with tools built into Mystic, thus allowing for complete customisation of a BBSs look and feel. It is even possible to create ASCII and ANSI versions of pages servicing general fallback requirements. As a general design rule in targeting older 8bit machines I found it wise to limit charter selection to the first 128 ASCII characters. Using above this limit you start running into compatibility issues between the various proprietary character sets employed by 80s micros. I'm going out on a limb here and suggesting that period telnet / dial up software should automatically transpose any basic character set incompatibilities if working within the 128 limitation.

Locally Connected

There is a long way to go and to start I've only scratched the service of setting up a BBS and using the Zeddynet and the WiModem232 interfaces. On the BBS side of things my only real attempt at customisation has been the Welcome Screens. For now though it serves as a proof of usability both software and hardware.

LINUX Console

Limiting the choice of characters, but allowing for ANSI colours, a LINUX logon to the ZX-AD BBS (as I've named it) looks plain as opposed to what is possible for a full ANSI/ASCII experience. It does help provide a similar experience across all platforms however.

LINUX Console Connected to the Mystic BBS Software Running Locally on a Raspberry Pi

Sinclair ZX81 with Zeddynet 

I limited the welcome screens width to 64 characters, this fits nicely with ZX81 hires modes (additional hardware required). I'd also created a ANSI and ASCII versions of the welcome screen the ZX81 is using the ASCII variant.

ZX81 with Zeddynet Connected to Local Mystic / ZX-AD BBS

Tandy TRS-80 Model 100 & 102 with WiModem232

The Tandy machines are limted to 40 character width screens. Mystic can support this, but I haven't tailored the welcome screen to the 40 character limit, and the screen therefor doubles around.

Using the Tandy machines I found that the WiModem232 baud rate could also be no higher than 1200 else I started experiencing character loss.

TRS-80 Model 102 Connected to Mystic, 40 columns is Problem at this Stage

NEC-PC8401 with WiModem232

Mystic attempts to verify if a connecting computer supports the ANSI standard, interestingly the NEC-PC8401 reports back that it does. This is of course a lie, as it does not. Regardless of this untruth it will render the display correctly if the first 128 ASCII characters limit is adhered to. Also as fully functional CP/M computer the PC8401 has a 80 column display, consequently there is no issue with screen width, screen length however may pose its own problems latter.

NEC-PC8401 Connected to Local Mystic / ZX-AD BBS

To Summarise

Thus ends a rather scattered post on networking 8bit machines and BBS software. On the hardware side of things I can uttery recommend the WiModem232, it really is very simple to use. Zeddynet is similarly fun in execution. In both cases the full possibilities have hardly been touched on by this post.

As for the running a BBS, it's entirely likely I'll refine and open my local experience up to the broader world. Coming Soon - ZX-AD BBS.

Addendum

In the total absence of ZX-AB BBS, being that it's confined to my local network for the moment, and if you're hankering for a Sinclair related BBS that's online right now, then you can't go past sinclair-retro-bbs:

• Telnet: retrobbs.sinclair.homepc.it Port: 23

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RetroChallenge 2017/10: Part 5

NEC PC-8401s' Capacitors & NiCd Sorted

Since discovering the leaky capacitors in the PC-8401s LCD module (last post, Part 4), I've replaced the problem components and the screen is now working without further issues. So, while had the main case opened I also decided to replace all the other potentially problem components and give the unit a good service.

I replaced all the capacitors with like for like values. The one exception being a 1200uf 25v, which is now a 1200uf 35v variety. The extra voltage level is not an issue, though the replacement capacitor is twice the length of the one it replaced, luckily there was space to lay it on it side.

The other remaining problem component was the 30 year old NiCd battery, which amazingly hadn't vomited it's guts all over the motherboard. The NiCd battery inside the PC-8401s is there to keep the DRAM and system clock ticking over should there be no main battery or indeed mains power. (No compact flash for 1985 user convenience).

1 Frand Super-Capacitor Battery Replacement

I decided to replace the battery with a 1 frand 5.5v super capacitor. I've previously made similar modifications to my Tandy M100 and M102 machines to good results, with RAM storage remaining intact for over a month before (until I got board waiting) I reapplied mains power. Similarly to the previous m100 modification, I bent the pins of the capacitor over horizontally before attaching wires which are the soldered on to the PCB. The capacitor itself is attached to the circuit board with double sided tape, keeping very firmly in place.

So next time it's back to doing something else arguably useful with a 30 year old computer.


See RetroChallenge Intro, Part 1, Part_2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

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The TRS-80 Model 100 MyTeSed is Alive

After a bit of a wait the MyTeSed for the TSR-80 Model 100 enters the construction stage. A simple SD card reader is in sight, though not until a few challenges are met. Mostly the build went smoothly, mostly being down to one misguided assumption in turn inducing lot of time spent waiting.

Two MyTeSeds, one attached to a Model 102 and the other connected a Model 100

This is the first time I've had PCBs produced by a fabrication house, for every other project I've made them myself. The end result is a really impressed impressive sight, and the quality is quite amazing. The quality of the PCB lends a certain confidence to the endeavour of populating it.

Construction started out quite simply, first mounting all the loose components onto the PCB. A snag to the master plan appeared when it came time to mount the SD card module. I'd soldered some header pins to the PCB and added a couple of layered of doubled sided tape to hold the module firmly. The header pins I would very soon have to remove again.

I had assumed I'd be able to de-solder the right angled header pins from the micro SD module and then attach the module to the pins I'd soldered onto the main PCB. This of course turned out to be a very bad idea, leading ultimately to the complete destruction of a module. It seems the modules PCBs just aren't up to that kind of meddling. The lesson here I suppose is to never assume anything will work quite as planned.

My misguided assumption cost me a couple of weeks, I only had the one SD module to break, I found myself needing toprocure some more modules from China, leaving me floundering before proceeding any further. Oh well, live and learn.

A little wiser and with some new modules in hand, the easiest solution to my problem was to attach some cutoffs to the bottom of of an SD card module and then solder those into the PCB mounting holes as originally intended. I'd probably choose to mount the modules in the same way next time around as it worked near enough to originally planned.

I'd sensibly procured a number of spare SD modules, so decided to build up a second MyTeSed, allowing me to make one very minor change. The first build used a full length 26 pin IDC socket, this really isn't needed as there are only 3 pins in use, from pin 1 to 3 (GND,TX and RX). I switched to a 10 pin IDC socket, this makes the IDC cable a lot easier to construct, a lot easier to connect, easier to move around and ever so slightly cheaper to build (if a few cents are of concern).

Lastly I mounted the Arduino Nanos, I chose to solder the first Nano directly to the initial PCB build, on the second board I mounted on a couple of pin sockets first. This second option is the recommended choice if planning to re-use the Nanos' in other projects, though I figured I'll have at least one of these SD readers around for some time to come.

 The good news is that after all the waiting for parts the end result worked as expected. The only really major component of the initial project left to sort out is software, again as I'd managed to kill the original SD module I had nothing to test with until I got to this point. I've subsequently had some time move forwardon that, which will form the basis of the next post.

The two versions of the MyTeSed, the first build with full 26 pin IDC cable (9v and battery attached)

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Model 100 micro SD Card reader, the MyTeSed

After the initial testing with a full sized SD card reader shield and Ardunio Uno, I wanted to know how easy it would be to shrink the TRS-80 Model 100 SD card interfaces size down to something a little more acceptable. I thought about building the whole design from the ground up, in the end the abundance of cheap modules from China can't be beaten on price (or convenience).

Before getting into the excitement of the details, the other major half of the fun of building these projects is naming them, so I'm calling this interface the 'MyTeSed', standing for My Model 'T' Serial Drive. Now that out of the way, on with where I'm up to with the project to date.

Testing the functionality of the MyTeSed on a Breadboard 

The Hardware

I've gone with a Arduino Nano for the heart of the project, the footprint of the Nano is barely larger than a atmega328p chip and far smaller if including the ancillary components. The Nano also nicely takes care of power regulation, has a USB port for easy re-programming, and behaves identically to a Uno. Thus making the Nano one of the most inclusive of the reduced sized Arduinos' to use.

Micro SD Card Reader Module

The revised hardware also substitutes the full sized SD card shield with an all in one micro USB card module. The SD module accommodates either 5v or 3.3v signals, making it an ideal choice for use with the Nano. It's a standard module avaliable from just about anywhere, including Ebay and various online Chinese merchants of all things electronica.

After a little experimentation I've also decided to set up software serial on pins D8 and D9 of the Nano. Using software serial as the conduit to the T100 / T102 / T200 leaves the Nanos' standard serial pins D1 and D2 free to use as a pass-through (actually via the Nanos' USB) which will be used as direct connections to a PC. As in the previous version (blog entry Using SD Cards with the TRS-80 Model 100) a MAX323 IC handles the RS232 to TTL serial conversion.

The when complete the MyTeSeD can be powered from a 6v to 9v battery supply (like most Arduino projects), in addition usage of the Nano conveniently provides a means to power the interface via the mini USB port, allowing battery packs or a USB power source etc.

MyTeSed Circuit Diagram

Arduino Code

This is not by any measure the final code to be using with the interface, for the moment it serves as proof of concept. I'm still yet to go back a write up a more permanent solution, it does however work for now, just expect some drastic changes for the foreseeable future.

In essence the current idea is for MyTeSed to listen for instructions in plain text over the serial line, 'LOAD' and 'SAVE' for example, then either send data back or shift files around on the SD card. Regardless there is a lot left to implement, such as file deletion, access to directories and error checking.

// **************************************************************************
// **** MyTeSed: T100 SD Card Reader for Arduino Nano and SD Card Reader ****
// **************************************************************************
// ** David Stephenson 2017-08-23  **
// ** Version 0.01                 **
// **********************************
#include <SPI.h>
#include <SD.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

enum SERIAL_MODE {FREE, COMMAND, DATA_IN, DATA_OUT, FILES_OUT};

const byte LF=10;
const byte CR=13;
const byte EF=26;

SoftwareSerial mySerial(12, 13); // RX, TX

class CardReader {
 private:
  SERIAL_MODE eSerialMode = FREE;
  //DRIVE_COMMAND eDriveMode = NONE;

  File MyFile;
  
  String sFileName;
  String sInString;
  
  unsigned long TimeLastUpdate = 0;
  
  // Class Private Functions
  void LoadBas() {
   
   char cRead, cLast;

   if(eSerialMode == DATA_OUT){
    MyFile = SD.open(sFileName);

    if(MyFile){
     while(MyFile.available()){
      cRead=MyFile.read();
      if (cRead== LF){
       if (cLast != CR){
        mySerial.write(CR);
       }
       mySerial.write(LF);
      } else {
       mySerial.write(cRead);
       cLast = cRead;
      }
     }
    }
    MyFile.close();
    mySerial.write(EF);
    eSerialMode = FREE;
   }
  }

  void SaveBas(char cInChar) {
   
   if(eSerialMode == DATA_IN){
    if(cInChar != EF){
     MyFile.print(cInChar);
    } else { 
     MyFile.close();
     eSerialMode = FREE;
    }
   }  
  }
  
  void FilesOut() {
   
  }
  
  
  void commandIn(){
   String KEYWORDS[7] = {"LOAD","SAVE","KILL","FILES","MOVE","CP2SD","CP2R"};
   String sInSubString;

   sInString.trim();

   Serial.print(sInString);

   if (sInString.length() >= 3){
    for (byte bKeyword = 0 ; bKeyword < 8 ; bKeyword++){
     sInSubString = sInString.substring(0,KEYWORDS[bKeyword].length() );
     sInSubString.toUpperCase();
     if (sInSubString.indexOf(KEYWORDS[bKeyword])!=-1){
      if (KEYWORDS[bKeyword] == "LOAD") {
       sFileName = sInString.substring(4);
       sFileName.trim();
       delay(500);
       eSerialMode = DATA_OUT;
       LoadBas();
      }

      else if (KEYWORDS[bKeyword] == "SAVE" || KEYWORDS[bKeyword] == "CP2D") {
       sFileName = sInString.substring(4);
       sFileName.trim();
       if (SD.exists(sFileName)) {
        SD.remove(sFileName);
       }
       MyFile = SD.open(sFileName, FILE_WRITE);
       eSerialMode = DATA_IN;
      }
      
      else if (KEYWORDS[bKeyword] == "FILES") {
       eSerialMode = FILES_OUT;
       FilesOut();
      }
     }
    }
   }

   //sInCommand = false;
   sInString = "";
   
  }
 
 public:
 
 void SerialIn(char cInChar){
  switch(eSerialMode) {
   case FREE:
    if(cInChar == CR){
     eSerialMode = COMMAND;
     commandIn();
    } else {
     sInString += cInChar;
    }
    break;
   case DATA_IN:
     SaveBas(cInChar);
    break;
  }
 }

};

CardReader MyCard;

void setup()

{
  // Open serial communications and wait for port to open:
  Serial.begin(1200);
    //57I1D
   while (!Serial) {
    ; // wait for serial port to connect. Needed for Leonardo only
  }

  // set the data rate for the SoftwareSerial port
  mySerial.begin(1200);

  if(!SD.begin(10)){
   mySerial.println("fail");
    return;
  } else {
 mySerial.println("mango");
 Serial.println("mangos");
  }
}



void loop()
{
 char cInChar;
 if (mySerial.available()) {
  cInChar = (char)mySerial.read();
  //sInString += cInChar;
  MyCard.SerialIn(cInChar);
  Serial.write(cInChar);
 }
}

Talking With a Model 100

Saving, loading and copying files from the micro SD card requires first sending a command and a filename to the serial port, then engaging the normal BASIC save / load to serial command. The COM port should be set to 1200 Baud, 7 Bit Word length, Ignore parity.

For example, saving the active BASIC file:
OPEN "COM:57I1D" FOR OUTPUT AS 1: PRINT #1,"SAVE MYFILE.BA": CLOSE 1: SAVE "COM:57I1D"

Or loading a BASIC file from the Interface:
OPEN "COM:57I1D" FOR OUTPUT AS 1: PRINT #1,"LOAD MYFILE.BA": CLOSE 1: LOAD "COM:57I1D"

Possibly the easiest method to save or load  BASIC program is to add some of the below lines to a program listings. Alternatively an option once the code base is a little more on the stable side would be the development of a menu-ing  system, but that's for latter.

Save a BASIC file to SD Card

900 OPEN "COM:57I1D" FOR OUTPUT AS 1
910 PRINT #1,"save testme.ba"
920 CLOSE 1
930 SAVE "COM:57I1D"

Load BASIC file to SD Card

10 OPEN "COM:57I1D" FOR OUTPUT AS 1
20 PRINT #1,"load testme.ba"
30 CLOSE 1
40 LOAD "COM:57I1D"

Copy a RAM Text File to the SD Card

10 MAXFILES=2
20 OPEN "RAM:TXT2RD.DO" FOR INPUT AS 1
30 OPEN "COM:57I1D" FOR OUTPUT AS 2
40 PRINT #2, "SAVE TXTFIL.DO"
50 LINE INPUT #1, Z$
60 PRINT #2,Z$
70 IF EOF(1) THEN GOTO 90
80 GOTO 50
90 PRINT #2, CHR$(26)
100 CLOSE 1: CLOSE 2

Copy a File from the SD Card to a RAM Text File

10 MAXFILES=2
20 OPEN "RAM:TXT2RD.DO" FOR OUTPUT AS 1
30 OPEN "COM:57I1D" FOR OUTPUT AS 2
40 PRINT #2, "LOAD TXTFIL.DO"
50 LINE INPUT #2, Z$
60 PRINT #1,Z$
70 IF EOF(1) THEN GOTO 90
80 GOTO 50
90 PRINT #1, CHR$(26)
100 CLOSE 1: CLOSE 2

Next Time

The next stage of proceedings is to design a circuit board, should be a simple enough task. Unlike all the other projects in this blog I'm planning on getting the PCB produced by a fabrication house, and hopefully all that will go well.

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Using SD Cards with the TRS-80 Model 100

Most retro-computers have some form of SD or Compact Flash storage options available these days. The TRS-80 Model 100, Tandy 102 and Tandy 200 were no exception, and these micros had such a device not so long ago, the NADSBox. Most unfortunately it appears the NADSBox can no longer be sourced. So what to do now? Well build my own, very cut-down version I suppose is the obvious answer.

Loading files into the Model 100

As an 80's portable computer with limited native storage, the Model 100 came with some nice features for file transfers built right into the standard ROM and hardware. These features allowed for connecting tape drives, a modem, or better for modern needs, a serial RS232 port for computer to computer transfers. The built in TELCOM package allows for some easy ways to transfers files, and nicer still, the built in BASIC also makes it quite easy to load programs directly from the serial port. So all that needs to be done (of course it'll all get much harder later) is to tap into the 100s native abilities and throw some files back and forth over the serial lines.

To start some hardware is needed for some initial testing, I used a Arduino UNO, an SD Card Shield and a MAX232 IC. The MAX232 is required to convert RS232 level signals to TTL serial suitable for interfacing with the Arduino board. There is not much to it, all that needs to be done is to connect the Arduinos TTL lines to the serial port on the Model 100 via the MAX232. There are a load of examples for wiring up the MAX232, this guide at StackExchange is the one I quickly referred to.

On the software side I wrote up a quick program for the Arduino to send some files from an SD card to the Model 100 (Note the SD and SP Atduino libraries are required). The Ardunio waits for the Model 100 to request a transfer and will then upload a file. On the Model 100 side of things a couple of lines of BASIC is need to first OPEN the COM port, send a request, then download / run the files sent by the Arduino.

In the tests I found a baud rate of 1200 is about the best that can be expected when loading BASIC files via the serial connection. The Model 100 tokenises the text being loaded directly into BASIC, and faster baud rates give errors during this process, I guess there is only so much a 2.4 MHz 80C85 CPU can handle.

Content that the serial SD card loading was quite successful, I'll move along with this project further and see how far I can get with it.

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Think Different, the TRS-80 Model 100

And now for something completely different, the first articles (along side the usual stuff) based around the portable computing powers of the TRS-80 Model 100. Yes I'm jumping to the right for a look into something not Sinclair related, though not I think not without some correlation. On first glance there is not a lot to connect the cheep yet stylish Sinclair home micros to what could best be described as an 'American Design' (baring that internals are all Japanese) beige business mans machine.

TRS-80 Model 100 With the Full Kit.

Yet, initial target audience aside, the Model 100 seems to be something outside the a strict business box, it feels more like a portable home computer, with its Micosoft Basic interpreter and built in rudimentary applications. This is not a computer designed to run CPM and Visicalc, not straight from the factory at least, this is a computer that if one ignores initial hefty sales price tag, would have appealed to any home enthusiast of the period. One just has to glance at the included manuals to see that, in particular the Technical Reference Manual.

Yes the Technical Reference Manual, a 127 page thesis on the entire design and construction of the Model-100, this is an 80's hardware hackers dream. The guide presents the full schematics, lists every single part used in construction (with catalogue numbers) and even goes right down to LCD screen design.

The hardware itself is by no means shabby, the Model 100 packs in a modem, full serial and parallel ports, a very clear LCD display and a fantastic full sized mechanical ALPS keyboard. All these features of course contributed to the high price point of the little portable back in 1983. Equally, these features make the model 100 a very interesting and usable(?) machine today. The Model 100 is the perfect kind of micro for some modern experimentation.

All good stuff, however I need to get down to some quickly required (non business) business.

A little Leaking Battery Work Required

I picked a Model 100 very recently, one in excellent condition, this machine seemed well loved (and used) by its former single owner, and included where all the original manuals and documentation. What it did need was a good clean and a new internal battery. Yes is the old leaky soldered-in NiCd battery curse of old computers. 

The Model 100 uses a NiCd battery to keep 32K of static RAM juiced up when the computer is powered down. The battery is rather important as the static RAM is the internal storage medium, there are no flash drives in thid machine. While the battery was still holding charge, it had began it's decay, and had started leaking ever so slightly. Time for a replacement.

Leaking NiCd Battery

A little googling revealed an interesting replacement idea for the battery, suggesting the use of a super-capacitor. This seemed like a perfectly reasonable proposition, and so I took the advice and installed and 1 Frand super-capacitor. If doing this mod yourself, As noted in the original source, insure the 1 Frand super-capacitor used is rated 5 VDC or better.

1 Frand Super-Capacitor Battery Replacement

The replacement procedure it simple, remove the old NiCd battery, solder some wires to the circuit board and attach the capacitor. With Super-capacitors, polarity matters, so be careful to attach the negative anode to the negative wire / solder pad and positive anode to the positive pad. I bent the pins of the capacitor over horizontally before attaching wires, and hot glued (generously) the capacitor to the circuit board to keep it secure.

After putting the case back together I left the capacitor to change for a while, tested that if all external power was removed that yes the 32K static RAM would stay active. No more leaking battery and no more memory worries.

Now it's time to see what else we can do with this beast.

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