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This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Toshiba T4700CT
Toshiba Webpage for T4700CT in 2001

Archived Version of Toshiba Webpage for T4700CT

This is my first post in about 10 years, I neglected this blog for years but recently my parents decided to sell their house and during part of the clean-up I found a heap of laptops from my childhood.

The Toshiba T4700CT has to be my second favourite laptop next to my LTE/286. Most modern laptops are all the same, but the 80s and 90s were filled with manufactures and product designers trying to come up with quirky and unique features.

One cool signature of old Toshiba’s from the 386/486 era of laptops was their side mount trackball mouse. I preferred this as controlling the mouse with your right hand felt more natural.

My old T4700CT was a 486DX2, 16mb ram and a 500MB hard drive. After sitting in storage for 10+ years, it didn’t turn on any-more. Keep reading in this blog series on how I managed to resurrect this laptop and give it a really cool and very unintentional processor upgrade.

 

Memory:

Many Toshiba’s from this era had memory upgraded through a PCMCIA style memory card refereed to as a “JEIDA DRAM Card“. The T4700CT specifically uses 88pin JEIDA DRAM Cards (non-parity, 3.3v).

The Viking 8MB Toshiba "Platinum Card" from my T4700CT

The Viking 8MB Toshiba “Platinum Card” from my T4700CT

The T4700ct has one slot on the left hand side to expand memory. From factory most of the T4xxxCT/CS series have 8 MB memory that’s non removable (soldered directly to the main board). The maximum memory you can expand a T4700 to is 24 MB if you can find a 16mb memory card.

Hard Drive:

Seagate ST9655AG

The T4700CT were listed to have a 200MB or 320MB hard disk drive according to Toshiba’s documentation. Mine was sporting a Seagate ST9655AG which according to an Amazon listing is a 524MB 4200RPM Drive, it looks like the drive had been changed at some point.

The Display:

Toshiba T4700CT

Look at that cool side-mount trackball mouse!

The display is a 9.5″ Color TFT-LCD Active Matrix Display with a resolution of 640×480, perfect for games like Wolfenstein 3D or Doom.

Our of all the laptops from the early to mid 90s era the Toshiba had the best LCD screens, vibrant colour and ghosting was minimal, this screen is my preferred choice for old school gaming.

In one of my earlier write ups I reviewed a NEC Versa 550D which would actually hurt my eyes just watching the mouse move around, it’s like mouse trails are turned on and the contrast is not great.

The T4700CT has a better screen in-terms of refresh, contract and all round smoothness compared to one of my newer IBM Pentium 2 laptops.

 

Specifications & Downloads:

Processor SL enhanced Intel i486TM DX2 50mhz (8KB internal cache; integrated math coprocessor)
Hard disk One 200MB or 320MB hard disk drive.
Video adapter 1MB video RAM Local-bus video and graphics accelerator with BitBLT, WD90C24A
Sound Card 16 bit sound
Wave audio compatibility
Built-in stereo speaker and microphone
Headphone or external speaker jack
Microphone jack
Screen Color TFT-LCD Active Matrix Display (T4700CT)
Display area: 7.6″W x 5.7″H; 9.5″ diagonal
Resolution: 640 x 480
Dot pitch: .30mm(W) x .30mm(H)
Aspect ratio: 1 : 1
Contrast: 100 : 1
Colors: 256 colors out of a palette of 262,144 in 640 x 480 mode
Simultaneous display to external monitor on video modes up to 640 x 480, 256 colors
Memory 8MB standard, 3.3 volt operation (640KB conventional memory plus 7.360MB which can be configured as RAM disk, expanded (LIM/EMS 4.0), and/or extended memory, plus 128KB shadow ROM.
Memory expandable up to 24MB using 4, 8, or 16MB user installable credit card style memory.
Floppy Drive One 1.44MB 3.5″ floppy disk drive.
Pointing Device BallPoint(R) mouse version 2.0 with cordless QuickPortTM connection.
I/O Ports & Expansion Slots SVGA color video port (supports 640 x 480, 256 colors
internal or external; 800 x 600, 16 colors; 800 x 600,
256 colors; 1024 x 768,256 colors external)
PCMCIA 2.01 compliant slot (16mm) supports type 1, II, or III cards
PCMCIA 2.01 compliant type II slot (5mm)
RS-232-C serial port
Parallel printer/external diskette drive port
150 pin expansion bus connector for optional Desk Station
IV docking station or optional SCSI adapter
PS/2 keyboard port
PS/2 mouse port
Credit card style memory slot
Kensington(R) cable lock slot
QuickPortTM connection for BallPoint(R) mouse
Audio-out headphone or external speaker jack
Input jack for external microphone
Keyboard Type: 101-key keyboard compatible. Full-function 82 key sculptured keyboard with 12 dedicated function keys and 8 dedicated cursor control keys. Arrow keys arranged in an inverted “T” pattern.
Battery Removable rechargeable NiMH battery pack. 2+ hrs. battery life per charge; recharges in 1.5 hrs. off/3 hrs. on.
Internal NiMH backup battery for memory backup, vanadium lithium RTC battery for real time clock
Power System Computer DC input – 18VDC, 1.7A, Universal AC adapter – 100-240 VAC 50-60 Hz
Weight 6.9lbs. with battery pack
Size 11.7″X x 8.3″D x 2.0″H
Year & Cost $4699 USD in 1993
Toshiba T4700CS and T4700CT - Summary (PDF)Toshiba T4700CS T4700CT T4800CT - Maintenance Manual (PDF)
Series NavigationFixing the Toshiba T4700CT P30 Error >>
Matthew Eva

As a child of the 80s and someone who has been using computers from an early age, I have developed a fondness for vintage technology. With studying IT I have gravitated towards the world of website design and online marketing, and now run my own business called Masters of Digital. Despite my busy schedule, I make it a priority to regularly update my blog with the latest trends and insights in the industry.

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