NEC UltraLite Versa
These were the first of the Versa series. The screens on these were able to be hot-swapped and flipped backwards (presumably to flip around for business presentations). They could also take 2 NiMH batteries (main + one in the floppy bay) for up to 8 hours of battery life. Overall, these were very advanced laptops for their day.
These original models did not have a built-in pointing device of any kind.
These models were also sold by NCR as the Safari 3180 with slightly modified styling.
Specifications
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | CPU Type: Unknown Intel 486DX @20, 25, or 33MHz |
| Chipset | Unknown |
| RAM | Type: Proprietary Standard: 4MB Maximum: 20MB |
| Hard Disk | 2.5" IDE Uses proprietary adapter?: Yes Standard: 80, 120, or 256MB |
| Display Options | - 9.4" Passive Matrix Grayscale @640x480 (Kyocera) - 9.4" Active Matrix Color @640x480 (NEC) - Pen Touch option later made available |
| Graphics Chipset | Chips & Technologies 65530 VRAM: 1MB |
| Audio | PC Speaker |
| Main Battery | NiMH |
| CMOS Battery | Unknown |
| Power Supply | Proprietary 4-pin - NEC P/N OP-520-4701 |
| Disk Drives | Modular Bay (VersaBay) |
| PC Cards | 2x PCMCIA Slots - Cirrus Logic Controller |
| Networking | Unknown |
| Other I/O | Unknown |
| BIOS | Unknown |
| Pointing Device | None (some may have had a trackball?) |
Common Faults & Maintenance
Bad Capacitors
Most of these laptops no longer work as the capacitors they used in the power circuitry are highly prone to failure and leaking. Any unit today will at minimum need a recap to get working again.
Brittle Plastic
These original UltraLite Versas appear to have exceedingly brittle plastic, some to the point of crumbling just from normal handling. Of course, this means the plastic around the screen hinges fails, usually in the form of a big stress crack on the right side. Other parts prone to breaking are the PCMCIA door, and the underside of the Versa Bays.
From what I've heard, the worst of the bad plastic is in the early units, with later ones being at least a bit better. Still, you'll probably have some epoxy work in your future should you choose to get one of these.
Page last updated (MM/DD/YYYY): 11/18/2024
Update Reason: page converted to php
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