Compaq LTE 286
The LTE 286 is a 80C286-based laptop computer that was released in late 1989. It and the LTE 8086, which released alongside it, were Compaq's first notebook computers.
Specifications
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | CPU Type: Unknown Intel 80C286 @12MHz |
| Chipset | Unknown |
| RAM | Type: Unknown Standard: 640KB Maximum: 2MB |
| Hard Disk | 2.5" IDE Uses proprietary adapter?: Unknown Standard: 20 or 40MB (Conner Peripherals) |
| Display Options | 9.0" Passive Matrix Monochrome LCD @640x200 |
| Graphics Chipset | CGA VRAM: Unknown |
| Audio | PC Speaker |
| Main Battery | NiCad |
| CMOS Battery | Unknown |
| Power Supply | Proprietary 4-pin - Compaq Series 2692 |
| Disk Drives | 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive (Citizen, belt-drive) |
| PC Cards | None |
| Networking | Modem |
| Other I/O | - 1x Parallel - 1x Serial - 1x CGA Out - 1x External Storage Module Connector - 1x External Numpad Connector |
| BIOS | Compaq |
| Pointing Device | None |
Common Faults & Maintenance
These laptops are a real pain to repair. Dissassembly is tedious and difficult, and a lot breaks in these.
Firstly, the motherboard has several surface-mount electrolytic capacitors which fail and leak 100% of the time, causing trace damage if left long enough. These must be replaced. The proprietary power supply also commonly needs recapping.
All the original semi-proprietary Conner Peripherals hard drives in these will go bad due to a rubber bumper in the head mechanism becoming sticky. You can usually repair these drives by taking them apart and placing tape over the bumper.
The Citizen floppy drives in this laptop use a belt-driven spindle motor, which goes bad and breaks basically 100% of the time. The belt must thus be replaced. I believe there are also leaky capacitors inside this floppy drive.
Another note is that very early units used a defective type of plastic that is extremely brittle. This was a problem when they were new, and caused Compaq to produce new plastics using a different formula. These early plastics were shinier, and the "Power" and "Standby" labels were larger. The newer plastics seem to have been much more robust, as I've still yet to see one of these laptops with broken hinges.
Page last updated (MM/DD/YYYY): 01/13/2025
Update Reason: page created
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