# Broken LCD screen on my TRS-80 pocket computer



## Shireton (Jul 4, 2009)

The screen on my TRS-80 Pocket Computer is screwed up, it's got dark cloudy stuff all over in the lcd screen. A perfect example of what I mean is an image of a TRS-80 Pocket on Wikipedia : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/TRS-80_Pocket_Computer.jpg
Is there anything I can do to fix this? In it's current state, I can't tell what mode I'm in, and the whole thing is pretty much unusable


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## RoqsWolf (Jul 4, 2009)

Cracked my labtop screen a few months ago and i was able o buy a replacement online and replace it. IDK about that though but probably..


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## Shireton (Jul 4, 2009)

Well, the issue isn't that the screen is cracked, and really, I don't know exactly why it's the way it is now, but I know I can't get a replacement screen for it, it's too old.


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## hitokage (Jul 4, 2009)

The only time I've seen a similar effect was a very, very long time ago on a LCD watch that got wet (wasn't water proof/resistant), but there are other causes that I've heard of such as a lot of direct exposure to sunlight. Basically the crystal part of the display has become damaged.

I think that sort of problem can only be fixed by replacing the screen. Which in this case means either: you replace the whole thing, pick-up a donor machine, find someone who is parting one out/just selling the screen, or track-down an old stock screen (this would be either impossible or really expensive). If you can locate the replacement part number for the screen you could check with your local Radio Shack store and see if the can order one, but they probably ran out or got rid of them forever ago.


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## Shireton (Jul 4, 2009)

Eh, I guess it was probably some moisture that snuck in there, then, because it wasn't sunlight, it spent many years in a dark cardboard box. It looks like there's nothing I can do, no radio shack is going to have anything for one of these, they were made in 1980


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## AshleyAshes (Jul 4, 2009)

It's like 25-30 years old.  The seal on the LCD screen likely failed due to age.


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## hitokage (Jul 5, 2009)

Shireton said:


> It looks like there's nothing I can do, no radio shack is going to have anything for one of these, they were made in 1980


I know that, but Radio Shack used to (not sure if they still do) have a decent spare parts inventory that could be ordered at a store. Although these days it would probably be difficult to find an employee there that actually knows they could do that.

When this came out LCDs were still fairly new, and manufacturing techniques were still being perfected, so having some kind of seal failure is a possibility. I would also imagine that exposure to air could also damage the crystal material.


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