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Re: More about field gear
Lief M. Hendrickson (hendrick@NOSC.MIL)
Sun, 9 Apr 1995 21:34:59 PDT
Diane King suggested I share information from our off-line messages
relative to a portable computer, the Tandy Model 100/102. The Model
100 is the earlier version, and the 102 is essentially the same with
some minor changes. Both use four "AA" internal batteries, and as I
later learned from Diane, you can get an attachment to use "D"
batteries. Here's an exerpt from our message exchange:
On Apr 9, Diane King wrote:
>My second recommendation is in the computer department: The Tandy 102 is a
>great little machine if you want something low budget, lightweight, and
>difficult to destruct. Although some consider it a dinosaur, it still
>fills its niche better than anything else I know of, having survived lots
>of abuse at my tropical field location. It weighs 3 pounds and can run for
>quite awhile on a pack of four "D" batteries.
Excellent choice. I've been using one for years as a secondary
computer. I met a guy last fall who goes on expeditions for
Scripps Institute of Oceanography to the Antarctic. He says the
Model 100/102 is also popular down there due to its ruggedness
and low current drain. I believe you mean four "AA" batteries.
BTW, I also occasionally use a 6 volt lantern battery as an
external source. It takes two wires and a jack (costing about a
buck and a half), and you can feed into the 6 volt jack which you
use for your 6 volt AC adapter. The lantern batteries have a
longer life than the AA batteries, and you can switch over to the
internal AA batteries when the lantern battery starts to die,
giving you more time. I've also successfully used an inexpensive
cassette tape to store files. For more convenient retrieval, I
download to a PC. I've seen Model 100/102's on the used computer
market for around $100.
Cheers,
Lief Hendrickson
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