3x Vintage Portable Computers
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Product information
Bid on this gem of a vintage portable computer, the Osborne Executive. Included in the sale is a Compaq SLT286 Laptop and a Bondwell Model 16.
The Compaq SLT286 is missing its battery but powers on from any 12v source. It needs the HDD to be formatted. https://youtu.be/iDxfqfLaTRs
The Bondwell I'm not sure of (I won't power it on until I've inspected the PSU and sadly don't have the time). both the Compaq and Bondwell need a clean (they have been sitting in a dusty garage).
The Osborne is clean and looks to be in very good nick but the PSU needs caps replaced (it still has the original RIFAs and is outputting low voltage on my isolation test). It is easy to disassemble and assemble and service. No work has been done on this unit other than testing the PSU. I am moving house and sadly don't have the time I want to put into this restoration. Full disassembly and assembly video can be found here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BgRRcM_5Wlw
Full manuals (including Astec PSU schematics and repair manual) here: https://computersmuseum.com/technical/manuals/osborne-manuals/
The design of the Osborne was conceived to ensure it could fit underneath an airplane seat, making it a portable business machine. This model was assembled in the early 80s with dates visible on the inside of the various panels.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_Executive
The Osborne Executive, like the Osborne 1, came with application software. The WordStar word processor, SuperCalc spreadsheet, and the CBASIC and MBASIC programming languagesall software packages that were the leading applications in their respective niches at the timehad a retail value of more than US$2,495.
The disk drives and built-in 7 inch amber CRT were covered by the keyboard when snapped on to the main case for transportation. Like the Osborne 1, the Executive could be supported by the keyboard at a convenient viewing angle. The Executive included a cooling fan, unlike the Osborne 1, and a tiny air filter for it.