CreepingNet's World

NEC VERSA ACCESSORIES & PRE-PROVIDED PRODUCTS

Most laptop lines in the early 1990's came as a "Bundle". Basically, you would get, at the most basic, a laptop computer with charger, and a PCMCIA card or two (ie Modem or Netowrk card), while you could end up with a huge (not to mentione expensive) bundle such as a Laptop with a docking station, 2 PCMCIA Cards or more, external pointing device, carrying case, and extra batteries. In the case of the Versa the "Versa Bay" was another spot for secondary devices - at least on the VErsa M and Versa P.

PCMCIA CARDS

The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Association) standard was used on ALL NEC Versa Models in this product range, and thusly, they often shipped at a PCMCIA Card to be used. PCMCIA cards are kind of interesting because they are somehwat electronically compatible with ISA, with some PCI-like features, but lacking DMA support. These were cards I have found inside various Versa I have owned and can back up that they existred as a purchase option either by the number of these cards I got rebuilding NEC Versa, or the fact I see a lot on e-bay with these exact same cards.

Clippercom v36 14.4K PCMCIA Type-II 16-bit Modem Card - Standard card with a white label and purple/black text on it that says "Clippercom 14.4K Modem". Uses a dongle to connect to the poit on the side.

Megahertz v36 14.4K PCMCIA Type II 16-bit Modem Card - I have 2 of these. They are pretty bog standard Xjack modem cards. Xjack being that you press a dip in the side of the card and out pops a little hoop with the contacts sticking out to stick your RJ11 phone cable into and dial-up. These are probably the most popular cards on the Versa, probably because you could just close the xjack and close the PCMCIA door when you did not need to use the modem - so quite an elegant solution tBH. Seems the software for this was pre-loaded onto most of these computers, indicating maybe the chipset for the Clippercom is identical.

Megahertz XJ10BT 10mbps PCMCIA Type II 16-bit XJack Ethernet Card - Xjack ethernet card, same as above with modems, but this time in a 10mbps Ethernet adapter card. Works pretty well in Windows, but is a bit tricky to setup for DOS, as the packet driver file is not all that obvious.

NEC VersaVideo PCMCIA Type II 16-bit DV Capture Card - This was basically a re-branded Novatech capture card that came with NEC branded "VersaVideo" Software. I actually own one of these in the original box with manual. It cannot capture audio though, so to capture audio you'd have to run your audio source through the line-in on a Versa M or Versa P laptop computer. It actually works quite well, though I'd suggest using this on a Pentium based Versa so your framerates don't suck. A 486 is not exactly prime power for capturing video data. I have been tempted to record some YouTUbe videos using this.

NEC PCMCIA Type II 16-Bit SCSI Card - A rebranded Adaptec SCSI Card for the NEC Versa. My V/50 came with one of these in it when I got it. Basically just a plain ol' boring SCSI Card, most likely provided to allow one to connect a CD-ROM to the system.

VERSA BAY (TM) PRODUCTS

With the release of the versa M series in 1994, a new "bay" type came out known as "VersaBay II", which allowed for more use than just an extra battery. This included 2 products I saw advertised in articles in PC Magazine on Google Books in issues from 1994-1995ish.

VersaBay PCMCIA Add-On - This module replaces the floppy drive and adds 2 more PCMCIA expansion ports to the system for a whooping total of 4. I'm not sure how many of these NEC made, let alone how many of these actually sold. It seems close to a highly specialized option as most people seemed to need their Floppy Drive on their portalbles with some regularity back in those days.

VersaBay VersaVideo Module - Basiically a more feature-packed version of the Versa Video PCMCIA card listed above. It seems the top selling point for this device was to be able to watch cable TV on your laptop computer. A benefit I would have seen of this device in that time would have been making videos off various sources for presentations, or making screen captures for packaging and merketing purposes. I saw one on e-bay in the last year without pictures but it was going for over $300 used so I did not buy it.

DOCKING SOLUTIONS

NEC VersaDock II/AT&T DS Docking Station - This was the second version of the docking station for these computers aimed more at Multimedia capability by adding a headphone jack and mirophone jack to the front. There's both an NEC and AT&T version and both are identical. They feature 2 front keyboard and mouse ports, 1 external 5.25" half height bay, 1 external 1/4 h eight 5.25" "Slimline" bay, an internal 3.5" bay for a 3.5" HDD, 2x ISA 16-bit Slots, a switch in the back to allow for using the Versa's internal floppy or the floppy on the docking station as the boot drive (a major source of consternation because the switch often invokes BIOS errors if accidentailly knocked off it's proper setting). I owned one for awhile, seems to have a problem with burning out power supplies.

NEC MediaDock - This very strange option was likely developed to add multimedia support to their laptops post-sale. It makes the versa about the side of, and look kind of like a portable record player with 1990's era styling. It adds a CD-ROM drive and an ESS688 AudioDrive chipset to it, and runs off a regular NEC versa power supply.

OTHER STUFF

Battery Charger - OP-570-4702 - NEC released a Dual Battery Charger with a Deep Discharge. It used the same power supply the laptop computer uses. I purchased one of these myself in July 2024 for $10 and we will maybe do a page on attempting to rejuvinate NEC Versa Batteries the RIGHT way. This battery charger works with the NEC Versa Ultralite, Versa E, Versa V, Versa M, and Versa P series laptop computers. It charges 2 batteries at a time and can deep discharge the battery in the right (B) Slot to recondition them. There's also a version I have included for the Versa S model below. However, keep in mind, I can't say as much because I don't own a Versa S laptop. That said, I will be doing a page and a video on attempting to recondition 30+ year old NEC Versa Batteries with this thing.

Battery Charger - OP-570-1201 - NEC Released this charger to charge the NEC Versa S model's batteries. AGain it's 2 slots, and it looks like it can do a deep-discharge/recondition on Battery in the A (left) slot. It lacks the battery gauge feature of the Ultralite/E/V/M/P charger above.

EXPANDABLE SCREENS

A landmark feature of the versa is the user-upgradable screen modules that they were available with. All models except the Versa S, VersaPad, and Versa V were available with a detachable screen, meaning you could replace and upgrade the screens on the units. The only removable screen exception was the Versa M/75TC and M/100TC because of the special daughtercards required to make the screens work that were incompatible with the standard Versa Screens.

Standard Monochrome 9.4" 640x480 Display
Part #s:
These were a detachable 9.4" 640x480 STN Monochrome LCD Panel with Brightness and Contrast controls sold mostly with very early model versa laptops (Ultralite 20/25/33). Not very common, but not rare either.

Standard Color TFT 9.4" 640x480 Display
Part #s:
These were the most commonly equipped option on the later Ultralite Versas (25/33) and Versa E and Versa M series. THese were a 640x480 9.4" TFT Active Matrix display panel in one of three models. The earliest panels used a NL6448AC30-03 LCD Panel with 2 socketed backlights, and all of the circuit boards were socketed as well. These early ones seem a little dimmer. the NL6448AC30-06 was used on the Versa E series and seemed to be the best of hte bunch, though the CFLS were soldered on and hard to replace. The NL6448AC30-10 was used on the Versa M and Versa P, these tend to develops problems with blinking lines due to capacitor issues. This is luckily, also, the most desirable screen for retro-gaming so this makes the Versa a really good choice for that.

"VERSAPEN" Monochrome 9.4" 640x480 Display w/3M MicroTouch
Part #s:
An extremeley rare part. These came out in the latter half of 1993 or beginning of 1994, which essentially made the Versa among one of the first "tablet convertibles" in the same sense as a Microsoft Surface or Lenovo Yoga 20 years later. I have never seven seen one of these, just read it mentioned in the sales literature and PC Mag and Infoworld articles from the early 90's. Maybe they sold a few to some Japanese businessmen who preferred PC's over an MSX or PC-98 machine, but I'm doubtful.

"VERSAPEN" Color 9.4" 640x480 Display w/3M MicroTouch
Part #s:
I only know of two of these in the world - mine, and another one that's on another Versa M/75 from the /r/retrobattlestations thread on reddit. Mine was a part of a $6000 AAC setup for people with speed issues, and the other guy got his from his grandfather or dad who worked at MicroTouch which was a division of 3M. These are told apart by a wide, slow bevel on the right side of the screen, and the fact that the display might be slightly "blurry" due to the 1/8" thick digitizer stuck to the top of the LCD. These have a fringe benefit though of being some of the most metchanically durable of the Versa LCD Panels, because the entire right side is bolstered by both a circuit board down the entire right side (requiring shifting the screen left by 1/4"), and a large metal structure to screw that board to. The screen could also be used with a wired active stylus that uses a 1/8" phono jack on the side of the screen to work. I'm looking into ways of modifying a modern MicroTouch RJ45 stylus into a 1/8" Phono to work with this.

High Resolution Color 800x600 Display 9.4"
Part #s:
These were a special 800x600 panel designed for the original NEC Versa M & P models, and models that sold with this screen were sold as a "HC" Model for "High Resolution Color". This screen works with only the Versa M and Versa P as the wiring is designed to work with those, and the others are not capable of running such a screen.

High Resolution Color 800x600 Display 10.5"
Part #s:
This was a late addition sometime in 1995, probably to quelch complaints that the Versa HC model screens were too small for the resolution and causing eyestrain for some users. THese screens are bigger and only ever seen on very late build Versa P/75 models, so I'm not 100% sure if they work with the Versa M/75 or not.

VERSAPAK (TM) HDD UPGRADES

NEC VErsa Hard Disks are user-swappable and located under a pair of sliding doors on the right side of the base unit. These contain a 2.5" 44 pin IDE HDD with an adapter board on the front, and encased in a aluminum "Can" and a gray plastic frame with a pull handle on the back. They came in standard sizes but you can also remove the HDD from these as they are standard, and replace with any drive you wish (that'll work). The Versa's are able to take up to a 80GB ATA-133 HDD with DDO with my experience - which is what most of mine run.

80MB HDD
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120MB HDD
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240MB HDD
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320MB HDD
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540MB HDD
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810MB HDD
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1.2GB HDD
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MEMORY UPGRADES

Memory was added to these devices by way of a 3.3v Memory Expansion Card. NEC sold these cards, as well as Kingston, Memory Specialists, and possibly others. It seems those are the top three I've seen, and they came in 4MB, 8MB, 12MB, 16MB, and 32MB capacities, and would join up with the 4MB or later 8MB of RAM built into the system by default.

P/N	BRAND	SIZE(MB)	Compatible Models/Details
OP-410-1201/OP-410-4001	NEC	4	Compatible with Versa Ultralite 20/25/33, Versa E-series, Versa M-Series, and Versa P-Series. Expands RAM up to 8MB (Ultralite/E/V), or 12MB (Versa M/P). THis is one of the most common memory cards for these systems, usually seen in earlier models.
OP-410-4002	NEC	8	Compatible with Versa Ultralite 20/25/33, Versa E-series, Versa M-Series, and Versa P-Series. Expands RAM up to 12MB (Ultralite/E/V), or 16MB (Versa M/P). THis is one of the most common memory cards for these systems, usually seen in earlier models.
OP-410-4005	NEC	12	Compatible with Versa Ultralite 20/25/33, Versa E-series, Versa M-Series, and Versa P-Series. Expands RAM up to 16MB (Ultralite/E/V), or 20MB (Versa M/P). This is an incredibly difficult one to find as it seems they did not sell these for the entire production of the Versa, likely it was only aimed at the original non-sound models to get them up to 16MB for people who needed heavy applications.
OP-410-4003	NEC	16	Compatible with Versa Ultralite 20/25/33, Versa E-series, Versa M-Series, and Versa P-Series. Expands RAM up to 20MB (Ultralite/E/V) ~ MAXXED OUT (20MB Maximum for all versa bu the M/P models), or 24MB (Versa M/P). These are incredibly rare and I'm not even sure if NEC sold or made too many of this version of RAM for the Versa. It seems way outshined by the Kingston variants.
KTS-V/4	Kingston	4
KTS-V/8	Kingston	8
KTS-V/16	Kingston	16
KTS-V/32	Kingston	32	Compatible only with Versa M-Series, and Versa P-Series. Expands RAM up to 40MB (Maximum for the Versa M and Versa P). You can still buy these pretty easily online as they probably printed up a lot, and it seems they were still using these in some of the 2000/4000/6000 series early on as well. This is what I reccommend if you have a Versa M/75, M/100, or P/75, or an AT&T Globalyst D250 or D250P.
	MPM	4	I think this was an early provider for memory for hte Versa series. I see these a lot in Versa 40EC and 50EC models online to expand up to 8MB. Compatible with all (Ultralite/E/V/M/P) Models. Expands memory to 8MB (Ultralite/E/V) or 12MB (M/P).

BATTERIES

NEC Versa laptops only came with Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries that came in 2 varieties - "Dumb" and "Smart". The Dumb batteries work on all variants and models, while the "Smart" batteries were only compatible with the Versa M and P models as they made use of the two extra pads on the bottom. Both batteries were 12 "A" cell NiMH battery packs with a voltage sense pin and on the "Smart" packs 2 more pins that made use of a rudimentary Battery Management Controller (BMC) to manage charging better. The later models also used this BMC to pull data for the Windows 3.1 Battery utility.

"Dumb" Batteries
7.2vDC NiMH, 3400mAH, later 3800mAH - some aftermarket boasting 4000mAH
Part #s:OP-570-4001, OP-570-4401, OP-570-4402

"Smart" Batteries
7.2vDC NiMH, 3400mAH, later 3800mAH - some aftermarket boasting 4000mAH
Part #s:OP-570-4701