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LCD replacement for TRS-80 PC-1 / Sharp PC-1211
LCD replacement for TRS-80 PC-1 and Sharp PC-1211 pocket computers
Designed by The Half-Baked Maker in United States of America/i/29164/products/2019-05-25T19%3A50%3A19.765Z-IMG_20190525_131950.jpg?1606306133)
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COVID-19 notice: Sending out orders might be delayed, since I will be batching orders approximately once a week.
LCD replacement for TRS-80 PC-1 and Sharp PC-1211 pocket computers
What is it? This is a pin-for-pin compatible nearly exact replacement for the LCD module in the Radio Shack TRS-80 PC-1 or Sharp PC-1211 pocket computer released in 1980. Why did you make it? Many ...
Read More…What is it?
This is a pin-for-pin compatible nearly exact replacement for the LCD module in the Radio Shack TRS-80 PC-1 or Sharp PC-1211 pocket computer released in 1980.
Why did you make it?
Many PC-1 and PC-1211 pocket computers suffer from LCD degradation to the point where they are no longer useful. Apparently the seal around the LCD was of poor quality, and over the years moisture gets in and ruins the liquid crystal. The result is a display ranging from a few splotches to complete failure.
I decided that it was important to bring all these dead PC-1 and PC-1211 computers back to life by reverse-engineering the LCD and remanufacturing them.
What makes it special?
These LCDs were custom manufactured by Sharp for the PC-1211. Radio Shack had a rebranding agreement with Sharp, and named the computer the TRS-80 PC-1. Replacement LCDs were never available, and finding a working LCD is problematic, given the systematic failure of the seal.
I tried as much as possible to make the fonts and positions used for the indicators as identical to the original as possible. The color of the glass is different -- green rather than yellowish-brown.
Instructions for replacement
I've made a video showing how to replace one of these LCDs. There are a few crucial things you have to be aware of:
- Be sure to remove the plastic protective sheet on the top before installation.
- After removing the bezel+LCD assembly from the original computer, you'll need to soak the assembly in acetone for 12 to 24 hours to get the old LCD unstuck from the bezel.
- Wipe the contacts on the new LCD and clean the elastomeric strips from your existing computer with isopropyl alcohol -- preferably the 99.9% purity kind.
- Because the voltage thresholds differ between old and new LCDs, you will need to increase the display contrast resistance to its maximum. Unfortunately, the manufacturers glued the wiper down so it can't be moved without breaking it. That's ok -- go ahead and break the wiper off! After all, you won't be needing it anymore. The video shows how.
- Replacing the LCD will not guarantee a working computer! There could be other faults.
- Getting the positioning right is crucial. The video shows how to do this easily.
A note about shipping to the UK
Due to the UK’s changes to VAT treatment of overseas goods effective 1 Jan 2021, Tindie, as an Online Marketplace (OMP), is required to collect VAT on sales under £135. Tindie currently does not have a mechanism to do this. Until this happens, sales to the UK must exceed £135 (the equivalent of 10 LCDs). Therefore, I cannot directly sell to buyers at UK addresses unless they purchase 10 LCDs or more.
However, you can use a package forwarding service such as borderlinx.com. They do handle VAT correctly, and come highly recommended. You will likely end up paying more in shipping charges, though. And, there is always the risk that your package will get lost.
The procedure seems to be:
- Sign up for a borderlinx account.
- Find your account’s US postal address.
- Use that address when you buy from the US.
- The shipment goes to borderlinx’s US warehouse, where it gets bundled with other shipments.
- borderlinx ships the bundle via DHL to the UK to their UK warehouse.
- The shipment goes out locally.
You can see that with two extra stops at warehouses, there’s a higher chance of a package going astray. Nevertheless, I’ve heard that people have good experiences using package forwarders.
Buy with confidence.
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