3:16 I had a hard drive like that one time. Wish I knew where it is. 4:55 I have a fix it yourself book titled home electronics and it's by time life books and it shows a computer system similar to this one. down to the belt and timing strobe (timing marks) on that flywheel. Also exactly how powerful is that spindle motor?
It's amazing how much they downsized the video/parallel card through the different models. I recently received an IBM PC XT clone and that same card was less than half the size of that monster.
Thanks for that awesome tour/demo! It's great to learn about these vintage computers and see them in action. When you said "Tandem" made the floppy drive, did you mean Tandy?
Awesome! Its good to find others who appreciate and take care of old systems like these. I'm restoring a Toshiba T3200 286 (New CMOS Battery,New floppy Drive). Also restoring a Compaq Portable 286 and a couple of 386's as well.
Just think that that was advanced then and now we have iPods and 8 core processor's and six terabyte half pound hard drives and the small, bad ass video cards with hd display. Plus it sounds like a rocket ship getting ready to blast off, lol
@Willd86 You must remember that it was the 1980's, and Hard drives for personal computers were just starting out. Complex microcircuitry was not possible at that time, so things were enormous, and hard drive space was limited. Besides, 10 megabytes was all you needed back then.
OK. I did a lot of work on these type of machines. The ASYNC card is IBM if the printing is a square block font. ( Since your Monochrome card has a black back slot cover, you have a 5 slot PC ). The memory card is an after market 384k card, and you have a second edition PC motherboard, unless the first line of dip memory chips are soldered on, in that case, you have the very first model of PC.
@bbishoppcm To answer some of your q's possibly as another avid old-PC enthusiast:
A. I believe boards which predated the AT didn't have a form factor, and were just classified by whatever model they came from.
B. The 37-pin output appears to simply be just a connector with extra unused pins, and otherwise sends and receives Shugart-interface (the original floppy interface) compatible signals.
I think the external connecter on the floppy controller was some sort of externa SCSI port mainly used for old external CD drives. I've seen the connectors and look very similar to parallel ports but only a longer width.
I'm going to have to disagree with you here, as CD-ROM drives were extremely rare until the early 1990s. The port was actually used for an external expansion bay (would've had at least one 5.25" bay and possibly a few expansion slots).
You saw a CD-ROM drive for a VIC-20? (or are you referring to the external expansion unit?) They were not very common, but they did exist mainly as a result of the 5150s limited expansion capability (5 ISA slots vs. 8).
I actually meant the 5.25" floppy drive. I never saw an external floppy drive for an IBM computers, they were all internal. But I saw ones for commodore and old apple and some vintage macintosh computers.
Is that actually a monochrome monitor or are you using some kind of conversion? My Magnavox monitor died and I've been looking for a good alternative - and I have several other CRTs around
Just got a 5150 today, and after some cleaning it's looking pretty good. So thanks for this! Hope to upgrade it more soon, with CGA graphics and such. It already has quite a few cards that I haven't checked yet, and an 8087 co-processor installed.
...ok... it's an IBM 5150, and I believe i had some form of "old computer" tag on this video... sooo... I honestly don't see why it should be renamed. But thanks for the suggestion.
That's why I bought this one!! I had a VERY nice 5160 back in 1996, and I have regretted giving it away ever since... and when it was offered back to me in 1999, I declined, and let it go to the dustbin :o(
I had an Eagle 2 computer in my electronics class with a 5mb Hard drive and some other part like yours but doesn't have any massive optical drives in it. It's more modern. It runs DOS SHELL. Do you know what your IBM here runs?
Even with the 8 MHz CPU installed it will still only run at 4.77 MHz. The clock speed is determined by the 14.31818 MHz crystal on the motherboard, not by the CPU chip itself.
Even at 4.77 MHz, the NEC V20 is about 10 to 30 percent faster than the original 8088. It will also allow you to run real-mode 286 programs, such as the Iomega Zip drive driver or the Windows 95 version of DOS EDIT.
The "Async Card" is original IBM. Since your cards have the older wide black backplates you have an early PC. Once IBM started making the XT they switched to narrower silver backplates so the cards could also be used in the XT's more closely spaced slots.
HOLY CRAP AN AIRPLANE!!!
... oh wait it's just an AWESOME computer.
Load windows 2 on that thing and it'll be set for amazing. (windows 2 because windows 1 sucks and 3 wouldn't run on it anyway)
but DOS is fun too, i just don't know how to format the A:\> drive in DOS 6.22
gunsforgeeks 1 month ago
@gunsforgeeks Simple; C:\format a: (or format a:\s to make it bootable)
bbishoppcm 1 month ago
@bbishoppcm I just recently found that typing
C:\>format A: /u will format 1.44 MB 3 1/2'' floppys unconditionally. i can't believe it took me five years to figure that out... DAMN!
gunsforgeeks 1 month ago
Why am I reminded of Butthead from Beavis and Butthead?
Jerkwad152 3 months ago 2
@Jerkwad152 I don't know, Jerkwad; why ARE you reminded of Bevis and Butthead?
bbishoppcm 3 months ago 2
@bbishoppcm
For some reason, you sound like Mike Judge to me. :)
Jerkwad152 3 months ago
Thanks for the video.
I had never seen an IBM 5150 open.
The IBM 5150 computer is fully compatible with the IBM5160?
Vintagecomputer 5 months ago
3:16 I had a hard drive like that one time. Wish I knew where it is. 4:55 I have a fix it yourself book titled home electronics and it's by time life books and it shows a computer system similar to this one. down to the belt and timing strobe (timing marks) on that flywheel. Also exactly how powerful is that spindle motor?
coondogtheman1234 6 months ago
That should be called an AT board.
MSCompuServ 7 months ago
Watching this again lol....wonder how many people have booted these and thought it was broken due to the length of time it takes to boot? :o)
RetroGamerVX 7 months ago
It's amazing how much they downsized the video/parallel card through the different models. I recently received an IBM PC XT clone and that same card was less than half the size of that monster.
16mmDJ 11 months ago
What is that noise at 8:39? Is it the HDD or the fan of the upgraded power supply?
rfvtgbzhn 1 year ago
@rfvtgbzhn That's the hard drive spinning up.
jerrypele 7 months ago
Thanks for that awesome tour/demo! It's great to learn about these vintage computers and see them in action. When you said "Tandem" made the floppy drive, did you mean Tandy?
UserException 1 year ago
Awesome! Its good to find others who appreciate and take care of old systems like these. I'm restoring a Toshiba T3200 286 (New CMOS Battery,New floppy Drive). Also restoring a Compaq Portable 286 and a couple of 386's as well.
2wayfreq 1 year ago
lol he kinda talks like issac brock
DRNEGOLICIS 1 year ago
Just think that that was advanced then and now we have iPods and 8 core processor's and six terabyte half pound hard drives and the small, bad ass video cards with hd display. Plus it sounds like a rocket ship getting ready to blast off, lol
hurlykyler 1 year ago
Is it safe to touch cards by the connectors. I always worry about static.
Thetruthishere11 1 year ago
Huge PCB in the past, good to see some retro things !
SynthesizerUniverse 1 year ago
this hard drive shit has 1 ton and 10 mb??? lol i have a 10 grams 32 gb pen drive. sorry my english lololoool
Willd86 1 year ago
@Willd86 You must remember that it was the 1980's, and Hard drives for personal computers were just starting out. Complex microcircuitry was not possible at that time, so things were enormous, and hard drive space was limited. Besides, 10 megabytes was all you needed back then.
ForgetfulCollector 1 year ago
Comment removed
rfvtgbzhn 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Willd86 but you probably don't have this since the 1980s.
rfvtgbzhn 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Willd86 but you probably don't have this since the 1980s.
rfvtgbzhn 1 year ago
n_n
sakura3262002 1 year ago
The connnector on the back of the floppy cards is for two extra floppies. (C and D).
DudleyMMoore 2 years ago
OK. I did a lot of work on these type of machines. The ASYNC card is IBM if the printing is a square block font. ( Since your Monochrome card has a black back slot cover, you have a 5 slot PC ). The memory card is an after market 384k card, and you have a second edition PC motherboard, unless the first line of dip memory chips are soldered on, in that case, you have the very first model of PC.
DudleyMMoore 2 years ago
lol, I love vintage stuff, I would definately collect it and learn about the hardware even though I am terrible at DOS lol
this is a fantastic video of the information of the hardware. GREAT JOB!!!!!
budfiend4627 2 years ago
Makes a good bit of noise those things.
anss321 2 years ago
Why do I find it kinda funny that you have a modern Mac there as well?
RileyRichardz 2 years ago
Not sure... that's my workhorse computer.
bbishoppcm 2 years ago
Work HORSE computer?!?!?!?
RileyRichardz 2 years ago
Yes, work HORSE computer.
bbishoppcm 2 years ago
@bbishoppcm The 5150 is secretly your workhorse, you know it.
raymangold22 10 months ago
@bbishoppcm To answer some of your q's possibly as another avid old-PC enthusiast:
A. I believe boards which predated the AT didn't have a form factor, and were just classified by whatever model they came from.
B. The 37-pin output appears to simply be just a connector with extra unused pins, and otherwise sends and receives Shugart-interface (the original floppy interface) compatible signals.
cr1901 8 months ago
I think the external connecter on the floppy controller was some sort of externa SCSI port mainly used for old external CD drives. I've seen the connectors and look very similar to parallel ports but only a longer width.
mattsprinter 2 years ago
I'm going to have to disagree with you here, as CD-ROM drives were extremely rare until the early 1990s. The port was actually used for an external expansion bay (would've had at least one 5.25" bay and possibly a few expansion slots).
bbishoppcm 2 years ago
Never seen one for a DOS computer. Only for a Commodore vic 20.
mattsprinter 2 years ago
You saw a CD-ROM drive for a VIC-20? (or are you referring to the external expansion unit?) They were not very common, but they did exist mainly as a result of the 5150s limited expansion capability (5 ISA slots vs. 8).
bbishoppcm 2 years ago
I actually meant the 5.25" floppy drive. I never saw an external floppy drive for an IBM computers, they were all internal. But I saw ones for commodore and old apple and some vintage macintosh computers.
mattsprinter 2 years ago
Good Lord that's OLD. Wow... that video card is like more than a foot long it looks like.
petey815 2 years ago
Is that actually a monochrome monitor or are you using some kind of conversion? My Magnavox monitor died and I've been looking for a good alternative - and I have several other CRTs around
phreakindee 2 years ago
Just got a 5150 today, and after some cleaning it's looking pretty good. So thanks for this! Hope to upgrade it more soon, with CGA graphics and such. It already has quite a few cards that I haven't checked yet, and an 8087 co-processor installed.
phreakindee 2 years ago
Dude, WTF? The title is perfect
phreakindee 2 years ago
...ok... it's an IBM 5150, and I believe i had some form of "old computer" tag on this video... sooo... I honestly don't see why it should be renamed. But thanks for the suggestion.
bbishoppcm 2 years ago
Why?
bbishoppcm 2 years ago
Interesting and entertaining, thanks for sharing this. I was 12 years old back in 1982 LOL.
GrosvenorAudio 2 years ago
Makes me nostalgic for my old XT. I really regret giving it away.
ess1898 2 years ago
That's why I bought this one!! I had a VERY nice 5160 back in 1996, and I have regretted giving it away ever since... and when it was offered back to me in 1999, I declined, and let it go to the dustbin :o(
bbishoppcm 2 years ago
I had an Eagle 2 computer in my electronics class with a 5mb Hard drive and some other part like yours but doesn't have any massive optical drives in it. It's more modern. It runs DOS SHELL. Do you know what your IBM here runs?
mattsprinter 2 years ago
Even with the 8 MHz CPU installed it will still only run at 4.77 MHz. The clock speed is determined by the 14.31818 MHz crystal on the motherboard, not by the CPU chip itself.
vwestlife 2 years ago
I was wondering about this...
bbishoppcm 2 years ago
Even at 4.77 MHz, the NEC V20 is about 10 to 30 percent faster than the original 8088. It will also allow you to run real-mode 286 programs, such as the Iomega Zip drive driver or the Windows 95 version of DOS EDIT.
vwestlife 2 years ago
The "Async Card" is original IBM. Since your cards have the older wide black backplates you have an early PC. Once IBM started making the XT they switched to narrower silver backplates so the cards could also be used in the XT's more closely spaced slots.
vwestlife 2 years ago