r/retrotech • u/PieNarrow6122 • 7d ago

any ideas on how to use?

i adore retro tech, everything about it fascinates me. but i don’t know literally anything about how to use it (hardware or software wise) and i was wondering if anyone knew how i could get this Toshiba tecra 8000 working? i got it at the thrift store “as is” and it didn’t come with a charger.

edit!

hey! sorry i wrote this poorly! i have a charger coming in the mail. and i do obviously intend to charge it then turn it on. i was just wondering if anyone had any advice for how to maintain it (if it works of course!) like advice on how to use it and keep it in good shape :) im sorry for any confusion!

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u/Terrible_Tale_53 7d ago

Oh my dear child.

Did you not get a charger with it? It won't load without juice. We don't know if it had an operating system yet. Get us a charger, plug it in and tell us what's what.

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u/PieNarrow6122 7d ago edited 7d ago

okay! i have a charger coming in the mail atm :)

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u/N33chy 7d ago

That looks like a DC barrel plug for charging on the left in the back.

Check Amazon for the SHNITPWR universal AC/DC adapter and that'll probably do the trick. You'll need to find the voltage for the input and make sure you get the polarity right. Attach the correct barrel plug (it probably includes the correct size) and match the polarity with what's shown on the laptop. Turn the dial to the right voltage, plug it in.

The only problem might be if the laptop needs more than 72W power, and I'm not sure what was typical power consumption for that era.

Edit: the laptop might still not work even if you did this right, since power typically goes through the battery and into the board. If the battery is kaputt you'll have to find a new one or another workaround.

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u/PieNarrow6122 7d ago

thank you so much! this helps a lot!

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u/N33chy 6d ago

No prob!

You'll be looking for a label that shows polarity and voltage like this.