Just found my Toshiba T6600C laptop from 1993 and it still powers on!
Posted by HIITDnB@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 62 comments
Posted by HIITDnB@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 62 comments
IllTransportation993@reddit
I bought one a while back and it is a wonderful machine.... However I felt kinda uneasy lifting up the whole machine with that plastic handle.
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
The handle is definitely questionable
IllTransportation993@reddit
The interesting RAM expansion card also looks pretty cool.
Kiwi_eng@reddit
I've owned one of these for 25 years and mine has not been reliable unfortunately. The 640x480 screen failed first, then the backlighting driver, then the power supply. The only part on mine that yellowed was the floppy drive yet it's always been stored in the dark. The amazing keyboard (touch-wise) still looks new.
I've managed to repair the power supply (a small capacitor failed) but the screen/backlight is firmly in the too-hard basket. Despite that LCD panels are still available (at a price), not so the fluorescent backlight power supply which is well-fried. All I can do is plug in an external monitor. The onboard graphics are supposed to do up to 1024x768x16 but I've never got it to work past 800x600x256.
Another shortcoming is that it will only accept one IDE drive geometry in the BIOS, a 540 MB. But it has built-in SCSI-2 and I believe that is bootable so I could use a BlueSCSI or similar.
The two ISA slots will accept full-length but not AT-height boards. The memory can upgraded (from the stock 8MB) using one or two special plug-in cards, good luck getting one of those.
dumpofamouth@reddit
Damn! You should of taken a photo of it on š
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
Turns on but the screen is distorted, still seems to be working behind that though!
murphnj@reddit
This is the laptop for all the bezel fans out there.
Ganthet72@reddit
As a man, I would not have wanted that on my lap during my child-rearing years.
Fresh-Palpitation-72@reddit
Laptops arnt design for laps they call it that because of how small they are they ment for desk use and not ur lap due to body heat and radiation
WildVelociraptor@reddit
You're gonna have to run that by me again chief
Fresh-Palpitation-72@reddit
"Laptops are often misconceived as being designed for use on laps, but their name actually originates from their compact size. In reality, laptops are optimized for desk-based usage, not lap-based. This distinction is crucial due to two primary concerns:
Body heat: Prolonged laptop use on the lap can cause discomfort and potential health issues resulting from heat exposure.
Radiation: Laptops emit electromagnetic radiation, which can increase exposure when placed in close proximity to the body.
To mitigate these risks, it's recommended to utilize laptops on stable, flat surfaces, ensuring proper ventilation and minimizing direct contact with the body."
MisterLegitimate@reddit
Laptop
1997PRO@reddit
It's not a laptop is a digital suitcase
bobj33@reddit
Could I interest you in a secure phone suitcase to go with that?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_I
Datzun91@reddit
It's what the modern digital nomad needs!
Xenolog1@reddit
The specs are something to behold!
Two full length, low profile ISA 16-bit slots, one 5 1/4ā CD-ROM, one 3.5ā IDE HDD, room for one 5 1/4ā half-height SCSI HDD, and more!
As far as I get it, no battery - external power only.
XFX1270@reddit
And a color TFT display to boot. Can't imagine this thing was cheap.
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
It was a hand me down from a friend of my Nanās but apparently it was $11,399 back then
Muted-Implement846@reddit
11 bands in then money or today money?
AMP0525@reddit
Well, he said it was that much at the time, so I assume back then money. I remember reading about the first portable compaq was like 7 or 8k at the time. In today money, this laptop would be $25,204.18.
Muted-Implement846@reddit
Damn. You'd have to have some real important work to do to pay that I imagine.
AMP0525@reddit
My grandfather was a head engineer at Kodak in the 80s and he had the compaq I mentioned. Pretty expensive PC, but a very important job at the time.
Splodge89@reddit
In fairness a standard desktop PC cost into the thousands back then.
Muted-Implement846@reddit
Yea I suppose that position would warrant one of these.
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
Iām a she :)
AMP0525@reddit
Apologies. My brain automatically assumes everyone ever is a man for some reason.
Away-Squirrel2881@reddit
Then money, itās probably worth zero nowĀ
Muted-Implement846@reddit
You probably aren't wrong. I'd love to find something like this at a thrift store someday though.
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
Back then it was $11k
IllTransportation993@reddit
No battery is the best part... No battery to fix in this day and age...
eulynn34@reddit
The bottom case is almost taller than the screen, lol
Away-Squirrel2881@reddit
Now days Iām having a hard time giving away a Toshiba laptop for freeĀ
Away-Squirrel2881@reddit
You gotta have that upper body strength to carry that thingĀ
FTFreddyYT@reddit
Ok, itās official.
This is the chunkiest Chongbook i have ever layed eyes upon and i fucking want one. Another for the list.
FuST_NL@reddit
That thing is a behemoth. Love it. Now I have another machine on my wishlist.
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
I need to find the best place to list it so if you have any ideas that would be great š
FuST_NL@reddit
Depends on your location. Ebay works pretty much worldwide though I'd advise against shipping it unless you know how to package it really, really well. Lots of stories of machines getting destroyed during shipping. Properly packaging a heavy, brittle, 30+ year old plastic box is not as easy as you think. In the US Facebook marketplace seems to be a good place as well, in Europe not so much from my experience.
Depending on your price it may take a while to sell, it's a pretty niche market. They seem to be somewhat rare but rare doesn't equal desireable or valueable. Research a proper market price (Ebay asking price is not a good indicator) if you want to sell quickly.
algaefied_creek@reddit
This is so cool! Iāve wanted the gas-plasma display version of this for some time!
m314dsw@reddit
I had one, cool blue screen
redruM69@reddit
THIC
GeneralTS@reddit
Dang!
Keveros@reddit
Those are actually pretty tough little Laptops... The State used to use those in the temporary Road Message Boards on Detours and Construction... Imagine putting your laptop out in that mess of weather and abuse..!
T-SquaredProductions@reddit
How is the screen? Is it one of those crappy "3 pixels use 3 subpixels" screens?
XFX1270@reddit
spec sheet says it's an active-matrix TFT color display
T-SquaredProductions@reddit
I had a Toshiba T6400DXC, and it was terrible to use. Mushy keyboard, and the display was terrible. Low refresh rate (Comparatively. I could SEE the flicker!), and for some reason, instead of being a 1:1 pixel arrangement, each pixel would use one of the RGB subpixels to form part of the image. It would create a vertical RGB "stripe" effect that actually made me think the screen was broken, at first.
ChromiumProtogen42@reddit
Ah yes, the days where the laptop actually replaced my lap.
et-pengvin@reddit
I may make a separate post, but my first laptop was a similar model and it won't turn on anymore. Any ideas of what to check first?
Gutmach1960@reddit
Now, that is a laptop. A manly laptop.
Vinylconn@reddit
My first thought was, F10 on the spreadsheet would be the most you could seeā¦
Gnissepappa@reddit
Wow! This is a desktop PC with a builtin screen and keyboard. Love it!
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
The keyboard is also detachable for extra props
ReceptionFriendly663@reddit
Portable desktop. That thing would crush your junk on your lap!
max8abug@reddit
I have one of these, mine no longer works and needs a full recap though :(
XFX1270@reddit
I just looked at the specs, what a monster.
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
An indomitable piece of kit
zidane2k1@reddit
How heavy is that thing?
HIITDnB@reddit (OP)
Itās heavy! 7.7kg about 15lbs!
stuffitystuff@reddit
Ah yes, the very first machine I ever played DOOM on. I still love luggables...
otter8710@reddit
A whole new level of luggable
LordPollax@reddit
Handy for those office presentations, and capable of beating down a rhino if you are attacked at the zoo. Gotta love early Toshiba lappys.
Terrible-Bear3883@reddit
I was so glad when we started to see "normal" size laptops, I used to have trouble carrying a lot of these luggable units when I used to repair them, when I went to collect an old Osborne 1 one day (to send back to them for repair), I couldn't lift it and had to get the customer to help me load it in the boot of my Mini Metro City X, I think they weighed something like 25lb (I was only a skinny chap in those days), I remember the hype that the Osborne was the first computer that would fit under an airline seat.
gnntech@reddit
What in the traveling suitcase is that?