Museum readying a TRS-80 model-1

Project Museum readying a TRS-80 model 1
In 1977 the very first homecomputers came on the market, early in 1977 the Commodore PET 2001, a few months later the Apple 2, and at the end of the year the Tandy Radio Shack the TRS-80 Model 1, the cheapest of the three, and according to many the most useful of the "trinity" as the popular computer magazine Byte called the three in 1995.
Status	Initializing
Contact	mahjongg
Last Update	2024-09-03

The trinity in the Dutch National video game museum

The NaVGM (National Video Game Museum) in Zoetermeer the Netherlands has a separate room for home computers, and in there you can see (at the moment in August 2024) two of the trinity of computers, namely a PET (Personal Electronic Transactor) model CBM 8032 (this is a later european "business model" with a 80 column screen and 32K RAM, I hope to replace it with a 40 column model that is much better supported with video games, I am the owner of these two PET's) we also have an Apple ][ in a showcase. but we did not have a TRS-80 computer,until now that is. Unfortunately the TRS-80 model 1 we got has earned the name "trash-80". It looked like it has been in a trashcan for at least 30 yes.

The trinity:

From left to right the Commodore PET 2001, the Apple ][ and the Tandy TRS-80 model 1.

the filthy model 1: the museum received:

Top:

bottom:

bottom after sticker removal:

top after sticker removal:

as can be seen the case needs a re-paint.

I have also opened the computer, and concluded it was extensively upgraded. it seems it was upgraded to 48K of RAM, level 2 basic, and also seemed to have the lower case mod. Also the short keyboard cable was replaced with a long a flexible one.

After re-painting the Case

I re-painted the case, after removing all the stickers and degreasing the case with isopropanol.

I started a applying a grey primer, then after the primer had dried I applied acoating of silver spraypaint, and the result was excellent IMHO.

here you can see the front, not the white spot where the silver paint was completely rubbed off is completely gone.

seen from the back you can see that the broken off "rib" is repaired and you can barely notice that it was ever broken off.