GabrielKnight123 wrote:

What would this laptop be worth as it is

well its a totally unknown laptop that doesn't work

so about 5$ to the right buyer and free to the wrong buyer

Take a look here:
https://50years.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/50 … g/PC-198907.pdf

July 1989 Chendai LapV 1MB RAM 5.25" FDD 8/10/12MHz Full size EGA Backlit SBE Screen Real Time Clock/Calendar Microsoft DOS 3.3 […]
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July 1989
Chendai LapV
1MB RAM
5.25" FDD
8/10/12MHz
Full size EGA Backlit SBE Screen
Real Time Clock/Calendar
Microsoft DOS 3.3 & G.W. Basic
And More
Lap V, 30MB AUD 4990

So it looks like a pretty nice 286 laptop - I particularly like the keyboard. If it gives you a single beep, it seems to be booting. Try fiddling with those sliders next to the screen. Failing that, look into an external monitor.

That MPU-IPC though - that box combined with the card it's plugged into is a MIDI interface, or rather THE MIDI interface. If you look into vintage MIDI stuff you'll read about "MPU-401 compatible" to a greater or lesser degree. This is the thing they are compatible with. People are making new ISA cards today to emulate the functionality of this beauty. You use it to hook up MIDI devices to your PC- gamers use things like Roland MT-32 and SC-55 modules, musicians use any number of devices.

Even in its current bashed-up state, it's almost certainly worth significantly more than the laptop it's in. Whatever you do, don't separate the MPU-IPC from the card it's connected to.

Thanks dionb do you know if any old laptops were made with the isa card for the MPU module built into the motherboard and not a removable card? I have a chance to buy this laptop but I dont think I will if the card is not removable and if the laptop cant be fixed.

GabrielKnight123 wrote:

What would this laptop be worth as it is the screen seems to turn on and a beep is heard but nothing else.

I would first try and play with the contrast slider to see if that'll help. In these old laptops if you push the slider all the way to max/min you won't see jack s**t on the screen even though the computer itself is running fine.

A 1989 laptop with a built-in MPU of any description? No way.

The MPU-IPC was a combination of dedicated ISA card with dedicated breakout box, if it's hooked up, the card will be in there. Unless someone just hooked up the breakout box of an MPU-IPC to a DB25 serial port...

It was pretty common in the day for laptops to have ISA slots, particularly laptops this large. Check if there's something that looks like an ISA backplate that the MPU-IPC breakout box is connecting to. If so, it's probably OK. If it's just connecting to a DB25 in the middle of other I/O ports, it's not.

Hi This is a old Post, but I have one of those Laptops here, it is a 286 .. I also have have all the manuals & Disks if needed ...