Rare Tandy 1000SL/E vintage computer restoration 

Quite hillarous that on eBay, when you buy something mondane, it's packaged like a tank. On the other hand, sometimes when it's rare and delicate, you're surprised they didn't put it straight into exposed paper envelope like a bloody postcard.

It's really funny that most people think their PC is totally broken, while there are some important components that are not properly installed. I have met with people that thought their motherboard is broken while the RAM is not seated properly.

Hard to believe this is already over 30 years old. Seems like just yesterday I had my SL/2, writing screen savers in BASIC.

The SLE was originally for the Education market, but was later was modified for use as a "thick client" for the store POS.

Its like u picked up a lost dog from the street, took it home, cared alot for it, and now its healthy again :-)

Awesome machine! Always good to see these things getting a breath of new life instead of sitting derelict or getting scrapped.

No MFM drive upgrade in the future? I like the one response from 1999 about the SL/E being a special version with a food replicator. Since a few people said this model was a typo, or was never produced, now you have video and photo proof of it on the forum showing it's existence to prove them wrong. E for Education makes sense, Economic could be too if they were selling special cheaper versions, which I would equate those 2 as being about the same anyway. Since it doesn't show up in the Radio Shack Tandy list, I would guess this was not available for Retail purchase. Just last Friday I received in the mail a CompUSA branded computer I found on ebay. The guy wrapped the computer in paper and shipped it that way. I guess UPS doesn't care about the packaging since they allowed that through. I know Fedex won't do that, they bug me every time I shipped something out about what it is, what it's packaged with etc.. Anyway aside from the face plate getting pushed up into the case and splitting the corner, it actually fared well. I sent the guy a very nasty message too about it. I really ripped into him, which I feel somewhat bad about but it really pissed me off and on top of that, it bothers me as a seller and a buyer when I see people sell stuff and don't give 2 shits about how they package it. He had the nerve to argue with me that bubble wrap wouldn't have helped LOL so that was when the real ripping started. I have received a lot of great stuff through ebay, well packaged, but there are these once in a while times that get you.

Sad that the seller didn't package the sides properly. ESPECIALLY on a VERY rare computer.

Got a Tandy 1000 SL at the scrap yard. Top shell is a little scratched but it works mint. Floppy drive works perfect :) paid $5 for it

I saw this on Ebay, but I did not look close enough to catch that E, or you would have had a little bidding war. LOL, That is a rare computer indeed! I know a little about them, they were never intended for sale. It was part of a school donation program that never got of the ground. I have never seen one, only heard of the program. My store never received any & the program ended before I was able to order our free allotment of "School E's". Great find!

I miss the old Tandy computer i used to have that my mom had me give away to some of her relatives in TX, might still have the manuals for it around somewhere still have the original 5.25" floppies of Drakkhen I used to play on it

Looking forward to seeing more of that machine

I feel your pain. It's hard to get people to take time to package something right. May I suggest in the future instead of superglue use Laser glue that cures under ultraviolet light. It has a much better bond and not sticky fingers.

I love these type of videos you make ;)

man wish i'd found you years ago, we were reclying old computers they were either like rusted or water damaged but if i'd known about you i'd of sent you a 4 1/2 inch floppy drive

I have a 1000 TL/3 parts machine if you need any parts to get this machine back together. I know you kind of live locally, so getting them to you wouldn't be a huge deal. I'll give you the whole machine if you want it.

I spy a Tandy Enhanced Keyboard in this video! Was that the original keyboard for the computer? I only know of a tombstone-cap leaf spring keyboard known to have some with Tandy 1000 models.

Acetone can some times weld the plastics. If that doesn't work there is a product called "Plas-t-pair" that is more robust than super glue. It is acetone and polystyrene powered beads.

Man. I had an SL my school gave me because it wouldn't boot. Turned out the floppy drive cable was loose, and that was the only issue. I miss that computer, wish I never got rid of it.

I find using a solvent based glue helps with plastics like these, usually because it gives you some wriggle room to set the pieces back into shape and being a solvent it welds the plastic back together, but you do have to be very careful with the stuff as you can ruin textured plastic permanently... Last time I had to rebuild something plastic was a Trust brand UPS that arrived smashed to pieces, but it still worked electrically, got a half-refund on it and rebuilt it, couldn't screw it back together though so it's zip-tied shut but works fine and is electrically sound... :)

Hey west life, I got a Tandy 1000 rl, and was wondering if I could have that other floppy drive you have? The one I have on this computer doesn’t have the button nor does the computer have the power button

Thanks for the video, I love older computers, and bring them back into use when most people see them as skip-fodder. How did you learn the ins and out of hardware and fixing of older systems, experience or trial & error?

I'm interested in purchasing an SL for a television show and I'm wondering what year the SL2 came out. Can you contact me somehow?

Nice video Kevin. How much RAM came with the Tandy 1000? 640K or 1 Mb?

Did you get any compensation from the seller for the poor packaging? You could probably use very fine sandpaper on the large glued crack on the front to help make it less visible.

And at 9:44 , I thought you really upgraded the SL/E by putting a new motherboard and ubuntu on it lol

I thought the 1000 SL/E was the model Tandy used for their store POS Computers at the time. I am not sure though. I had a Tandy 1000 SL/2 that had a Trackstar E in it. It had a RadioShack Receipt stating it was sold that way originally.

Love the computer videos :)

Have you ever attempted to rebuild any of the old power supplies to get one of these vintage machines working again? I have an old Tandy that I believe the power supply is shot, however I don't see anything obviously wrong on the board. None of the capacitors look to be leaking or swollen.

do you get anything back for package damage when it was sold as for parts not working?

interesting machine! is the "onboard" DOS a full MS-DOS compatible? like it came on Hard Drives or Floppy Disks? or just a light version of DOS.

my first computer

+vwestlife What's the best/easiest way to hunt down a (more common) later Tandy 1000? I've been dying to get my hands on one, but every time I check Ebay, prices are insanely high, and I've never seen a computer over 15 years old listed on my local Craigslist

+vwestlife Can this rare vintage desktop computer compatible to install and run Windows XP, Vista, 7, or earlier version of Windows? What OS is operating?

Are those data/power Tandy floppy drives the same pinout as the PS/2 ones? I have a PS/2 I got recently but the floppy drive wont even power on and I need a replacement but I'm pretty lost as to where to go.

How do you alight heads? I know theres a visual aspect. I looked on the net, and said you needed an oscilloscope, why?

I'm currently bidding on a Tandy Sensation! from 1993 that has an Intel i486-SX processor in it (soldered in), but it has a socket for a Pentium OverDrive, which I might purchase if I win the PC itself and it's in great shape, comes with Windows 3.1, a CD drive, floppy drive, but no keyboard, mouse, or power cord (and the personal data drive got removed due to security reasons). I might upgrade the HDD to a CF Card for the system as well.

dose the sound of it when its powerd on give any one els the feeling of someone being behind you/watching you??????

I wish I could get some info on a decision data the mobo is built in the stand and it has a monochrome monitor

what kind of version of Linux Ubuntu is that I have 10.11 on a old Dell dimension e310 and it's slow

any advice for packing/shipping older PCs?

cool machine

Awesomeness 😀. Rare Tandy 😀. Ubuntu computer there as well 😀.

I wonder if this was made for a Schoolmate. Can this computer create an Novell Netware 2.11 IPX/SPX client in ROM?

I don't know why they cant make it so computers now can have Windows/Mac/Linux or whatever in ROM. Ok so my computer takes less than 30 seconds to go from cold boot to Windows 7 desktop and all ready to go, but still.

thanks

I got unsubbed and didn't even realize it. :( so catching up on videos and liking ALL of them. RU-vid can't defeat me.+-

Interesting video, I liked it :)

no Methyl-Ethyl-Ketone on the standoffs this time? superglue might not last that long...

it'll buff right out

How infuriating! I know this saying has been beaten into the ground, but UPS/FedEx: YOU HAD *ONE* JOB. It seems this happens more and more frequently these days, not that people mishandling packages is new. Cool machine though!

It's really unfortunate that people ship thing like that. I always ask myself, "would I be pissed when I open a package packed that way?" If so.. i would repack a shipment!

This totally looks like a UPS shipping job.

When you get a computer like this (or any item) from ebay, and the seller does not package it well, open a case. Quite often, the seller will just refund your money because they will be forced to return the item, thus having to eat shipping both ways. At that point, it is a loss for the seller, and they just want to be done with the problem. (I know- I have a ton of vintage computers, and have received about 1/4 - 1/3 packed like crap) If they wont just refund your money, make them pay (by return label) to ship it back. At a minimum, they get a lesson on being stupid.

Every time I see videos like this I'm shocked just how violent US post is!

Flaming shipping companies.....

Came here because of "Young Sheldon " Season 1 Episode 12

put a CD-ROM in that MS-DOS PC rather than a 5-1/4 inch FLOPPY drive unless you cant find a CD-ROM with the required connector

Stop touching the PC components while it's turned on 😱

try going to way back machine.org it might have an old version of the Tandy.com website from when this thing was still in use

10:58 lol

HEY VWEST GIVE 2P - 10 GLUE A TRY ITLL ALLOW U SOME TIME FOR SET UP B4 U CAN ZAP IT TO HARDEN

probably same drive just a jumper not soldered to tell drive its 720 or 1.44 I would have called UPS or who shipped it and got a refund for the damage!!

Make a video on the slyvania netbook that you inboxes

Ugh, that crt noise...

With that much damage from poor packing job, should have returned it, instead of rewarding the seller by paying for a smashed up (due to the seller's poor packing) package. Should have returned it so that seller. An learn to package stuff safely.

I have the exact same model. 8086 @8MHz. DOS 3.3 with Tandy's Deskmate3. One of my first PC's. God I feel old :) If you'd like, you can go here for Tandy 1000 system disks : www.oldskool.org/guides/tvdog/system.html Also found this : ftp://ftp.oldskool.org/pub/tvdog/tandy1000/documents/1kslrel.txt Peace.

Please turn off the background music when your making videos, its very distracting.