4 ms·

I'm in the process of turning my Toshiba Libretto 110CT (a subnotebook from 1998) into a simple remote terminal (over ssh) with custom server software to handle

I'm in the process of turning my Toshiba Libretto 110CT (a subnotebook from 1998) into a simple remote terminal (over ssh) with custom server software to handle emails, rss feeds, chats and so on. It runs under FreeDOS and connects to WiFi by a combination of PCMCIA ethernet adapter + mobile router with built-in battery. I love the form factor and the "oldschool" keyboard, I have regenerated the battery and it's quite light so it's really portable and handy.

MrGilbert 7y ago
That looks sweet - I did a small search on EBay, and - dang - they are expensive. The only two I could find where around 150€ each.
- pkorzeniewski 7y ago
  Yes they are getting really expensive and hard to find, I looked for over a year to find one in a decent shape and top specs, paid a lot but it was a dream of mine for a long time.
- rasz 7y ago
  The best place to get them is Japan, model 70 regularly sell at ~$50-60 there.
- theodric 7y ago
  €150 is expensive? From what I remember of that thread a few weeks back, everybody on HN is pulling down $400k + 250k options.
  - war1025 7y ago
    The people that comment on those threads are probably by definition the ones in the highest salary brackets. I'm fairly certain you meant your comment in jest, but figured it was worth pointing out.
  - pb7 7y ago
    Which thread?
  - naikrovek 7y ago
    definitely not everyone.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
zozbot234 7y ago
Would SSH encryption add noticeable overhead to that use case? I've seen videos of folks using modern software on 80586-class ("enhanced" 486-compatible) devices and the overhead adds several seconds to any connection attempt and is even noticeable in normal use.
- mr__y 7y ago
  Since the GP mentioned it is a machine from 1998 I would expect it to be PII with a clock above 200MHz. Since the Moore's law actually worked in the 90's that machine will be a lot more powerfull than that 586 (from 94-95 I guess). On top of that curves and chacha20 could be used for ssh to reduce the CPU load.
- pkorzeniewski 7y ago
  The 110CT model is relatively fast with a 233MHz processor so the overhead isn't an issue from what I tested so far (BBS over SSH).
raverbashing 7y ago
How are you using Freedos with Wifi? Wouldn't it be easier to use a modern linux/freebsd kernel with a lightweight userspace?
- pkorzeniewski 7y ago
  I use a Xircom RealPort Ethernet 10/100+Modem56 (REM56G-100) PCMCIA card that has a packet driver for DOS and a TP-LINK TL-MR3040 mobile router that has a ethernet socket, mTCP does the rest on software layer. Yes, a lot of people install Linux on their Librettos, but I wanted something oldschool and be able to play DOS games.
  - bangboombang 7y ago
    Huh, does mTCP ship an ssh client now, or are you building it yourself?
    - pkorzeniewski 7y ago
      My mistake, mTCP doesn't include SSH client, there is a separate project [1] for that. [1] http://sshdos.sourceforge.net/ http://sshdos.sourceforge.net/
      - bangboombang 7y ago
        Cool, I'll try this on my XT clone one day to see the performance :-D
pbhjpbhj 7y ago
Have you any info about how you regenerated the battery?
- pkorzeniewski 7y ago
  I sent it to guys that regenerate laptop batteries, but next time I will do it on my own because you basically replace the cells, weld them together and its done - here [1] you can find detailed guide for Libretto. [1] https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:frP4SGL0HYUJ:https://www.notanon.com/electronics/rebuilding-a-toshiba-libretto-50ct-battery-pack/2011/03/18/+&cd=1&hl=pl&ct=clnk&gl=pl https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:frP4SG... (from cache as it doesn't seem to work right now)
  - legooolas 7y ago
    Be extremely careful if soldering Lithium-Ion batteries together, as getting them too hot (which isn't very hot compared to soldering!) can easily cause them to burst into flames or explode...
    - rasz 7y ago
      welding != soldering
    - mdip 7y ago
      I'll second that... Now, I'll say, after 30-40 batteries, I've never had one catch fire. I've had a few that I probably broke as a result of heat, and I suspect that if you've tested the cells carefully and the batteries are in good condition, that they tolerate the brief heating better than cells that are already damaged, but that's not something I'm willing to bet my shed or my body on.
  - pbhjpbhj 7y ago
    When you said regenerate I thought you were doing some prices on the existing cells, rather than just replacing them. Thanks for your reply.
- 7y ago

MrGilbert 7y ago

That looks sweet - I did a small search on EBay, and - dang - they are expensive. The only two I could find where around 150€ each.

pkorzeniewski 7y ago
Yes they are getting really expensive and hard to find, I looked for over a year to find one in a decent shape and top specs, paid a lot but it was a dream of mine for a long time.
rasz 7y ago
The best place to get them is Japan, model 70 regularly sell at ~$50-60 there.
theodric 7y ago
€150 is expensive? From what I remember of that thread a few weeks back, everybody on HN is pulling down $400k + 250k options.
- war1025 7y ago
  The people that comment on those threads are probably by definition the ones in the highest salary brackets. I'm fairly certain you meant your comment in jest, but figured it was worth pointing out.
- pb7 7y ago
  Which thread?
- naikrovek 7y ago
  definitely not everyone.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

zozbot234 7y ago

Would SSH encryption add noticeable overhead to that use case? I've seen videos of folks using modern software on 80586-class ("enhanced" 486-compatible) devices and the overhead adds several seconds to any connection attempt and is even noticeable in normal use.

mr__y 7y ago
Since the GP mentioned it is a machine from 1998 I would expect it to be PII with a clock above 200MHz. Since the Moore's law actually worked in the 90's that machine will be a lot more powerfull than that 586 (from 94-95 I guess). On top of that curves and chacha20 could be used for ssh to reduce the CPU load.
pkorzeniewski 7y ago
The 110CT model is relatively fast with a 233MHz processor so the overhead isn't an issue from what I tested so far (BBS over SSH).

raverbashing 7y ago

How are you using Freedos with Wifi? Wouldn't it be easier to use a modern linux/freebsd kernel with a lightweight userspace?

pkorzeniewski 7y ago
I use a Xircom RealPort Ethernet 10/100+Modem56 (REM56G-100) PCMCIA card that has a packet driver for DOS and a TP-LINK TL-MR3040 mobile router that has a ethernet socket, mTCP does the rest on software layer. Yes, a lot of people install Linux on their Librettos, but I wanted something oldschool and be able to play DOS games.
- bangboombang 7y ago
  Huh, does mTCP ship an ssh client now, or are you building it yourself?
  - pkorzeniewski 7y ago
    My mistake, mTCP doesn't include SSH client, there is a separate project [1] for that. [1] http://sshdos.sourceforge.net/ http://sshdos.sourceforge.net/
    - bangboombang 7y ago
      Cool, I'll try this on my XT clone one day to see the performance :-D

pbhjpbhj 7y ago

Have you any info about how you regenerated the battery?

pkorzeniewski 7y ago
I sent it to guys that regenerate laptop batteries, but next time I will do it on my own because you basically replace the cells, weld them together and its done - here [1] you can find detailed guide for Libretto. [1] https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:frP4SGL0HYUJ:https://www.notanon.com/electronics/rebuilding-a-toshiba-libretto-50ct-battery-pack/2011/03/18/+&cd=1&hl=pl&ct=clnk&gl=pl https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:frP4SG... (from cache as it doesn't seem to work right now)
- legooolas 7y ago
  Be extremely careful if soldering Lithium-Ion batteries together, as getting them too hot (which isn't very hot compared to soldering!) can easily cause them to burst into flames or explode...
  - rasz 7y ago
    welding != soldering
  - mdip 7y ago
    I'll second that... Now, I'll say, after 30-40 batteries, I've never had one catch fire. I've had a few that I probably broke as a result of heat, and I suspect that if you've tested the cells carefully and the batteries are in good condition, that they tolerate the brief heating better than cells that are already damaged, but that's not something I'm willing to bet my shed or my body on.
- pbhjpbhj 7y ago
  When you said regenerate I thought you were doing some prices on the existing cells, rather than just replacing them. Thanks for your reply.
7y ago