NEC Versa P-Series
Announced in February 1995, the P-Series Versas (really just the P/75) was the final revision of the original Versa generation. It was the only one with a Pentium CPU, and the only one with DOS-compatible audio. Aside from the new CPU and sound card, the Versa P/75 is very architecturally similar to the Versa M Series, and the two share nearly identical designs.
It also appears that the Versa P was the first laptop to be released with an 800x600 LCD, though 640x480 options were also available. All Versa P laptops were TFT (Active Matrix).
Of all the first-generation Versa laptops, a P/75 with a 640x480 display is the best of the lot for MS-DOS gaming.
This model was also sold as the AT&T Globalyst 250-P.
Specifications
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | CPU Type: Soldered TCP Intel Pentium @75MHz |
| Chipset | Unknown |
| RAM | Type: Proprietary Standard: 8MB Maximum: 40MB |
| Hard Disk | 2.5" IDE Uses proprietary adapter?: Yes Standard: Unknown |
| Display Options | - 9.4" Active Matrix LCD @640x480 - 9.4" Active Matrix LCD @800x600 - 10.4" Active Matrix LCD @640x480 - 10.4" Active Matrix LCD @800x600 |
| Graphics Chipset | Chips & Technologies 65545 VRAM: 1MB |
| Audio | ESS AudioDrive 688 |
| Main Battery | NiMH 7.2V Smart Battery (older dumb batteries also supported) |
| CMOS Battery | - Proprietary Lithium CMOS Battery - NiCad Reserve Battery |
| Power Supply | Proprietary 4-pin - NEC P/N OP-520-4701 |
| Disk Drives | Modular Bay (VersaBay) supporting the following: - 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive (NEC, direct drive) - 2nd Battery - Additional 2 PCMCIA Slots - "Video Pak" for watching TV |
| PC Cards | 2x PCMCIA Slots - Cirrus Logic Controller |
| Networking | None |
| Other I/O | - 1x Parallel - 1x Serial - 1x VGA Out - 1x PS/2 - 1x Dock Connector - 1x Line In - 1x Mic In - 1x Headphone Out |
| BIOS | NEC-customized PhoenixBIOS |
| Pointing Device | Trackball |
Resources
 Drivers |
 User Manual |
 Service Manual |
|---|
Common Faults & Maintenance
Brittle Plastic
Same as all the other original Versa laptops, the plastic parts in these are all brittle with age. This will usually cause hinge mount failure and/or stress cracking, but other fragile case pieces can also fail. You'll likely have to reinforce the hinge area plastics with a bit of epoxy.
In addition, the P Series laptops can be worse than some earlier ones because the structure was weakened some. Be careful with this one! Creepingnet has had issues with his unit having boards come unseated due to the broken plastic.
Reserve Battery Leaks
The Versa P has a NiCad reserve battery located in the top right between the rear I/O and the hard drive bay. This battery can leak and damage components around it, most likely traces and vias around the battery connector, and the rear I/O ports. These don't leak as often as the later NiMH Varta batteries, but they definitely can and will leak, so remove them. The main CMOS battery is a Lithium cell that is very unlikely to leak.
The NiMH Main Battery can also leak.
Gallery
Page last updated (MM/DD/YYYY): 11/18/2024
Update Reason: page converted to php
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