For questions regarding the products of IBM, International Business Machines.
5
votes
1answer
130 views
IBM AS/400 connection via SNASW on Cisco Router
TL; DR: How can I connect two old AS/400 machines via SNA when the only transport mechanism between the physical locations is IP? AnyNet isn't an option, see below.
A friend of mine and I have two IP ...
10
votes
1answer
170 views
How to tell if glue or electrolyte leak from old capacitors?
I recently acquired an IBM 5154 EGA monitor that works pretty well. The only minor problem is that the screen is slightly off-center. I decided to take it apart to adjust it, but discovered that many ...
1
vote
1answer
179 views
Can I install DOS version 6.22 straight from IBM BASIC?
I accidently deleted my previous version of DOS on my IBM model 8525. I was messing around with it, not knowing much of DOS, and now I'm back to using "IBM BASIC". Would I be able to install DOS 6.22 ...
0
votes
1answer
102 views
My floppy drive in my IBM model 8525-001 doesn't seem to be working
I tried to put a floppy disk into my IBM model number "8525-001" and it doesn't seem to be processing it. The light below the floppy drive blinks yellow every once in a while (such as when I turn the ...
5
votes
3answers
182 views
Connect IBM 3481 terminal to RS232?
I recently acquired an IBM 3481 terminal. It has a parallel port, a DB-15 port (I believe for a twinax-T connector), an 8P8C keyboard connector, and a PS/2 connector. Since I don't have a vintage IBM ...
3
votes
1answer
114 views
Thinkpad 350 keyboard
Am wondering how to use the keyboard from a Thinkpad 350.
There are three cables, with 6, 10, and 18 pins (but the big connector on the motherboard seems to have only 17).
I assume this is a grid of ...
8
votes
5answers
348 views
When did smart terminals arrive?
In the days of mainframes and minicomputers, a common user interface was a serial terminal where each keystroke was sent to the computer, which could respond with an update to the contents of the ...
16
votes
2answers
834 views
How widely used was 0xDEADBEEF?
Inspired by some comments on the question "The history of the NULL pointer":-
There was a practice in the '70s to use the hexadecimal code 0xDEADBEEF to indicate an invalid value. This could be to ...
1
vote
2answers
538 views
How to connect c3270 terminal with hercules emulator?
I would like to get working with IBM System/360 on the Hercules emulator.
I use a mac.
With macports I have installed Hercules and c3270.
Through this site: Running the IBM OS/360 MVT operating ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Is a Heatsink Needed for an Intel 80286?
I noticed my IBM XT 286 has no heatsink on the CPU nor a fan of any kind (only the PSU has a fan). I realize this was fine when it was built, but for longevity purposes, should I put a heatsink on it? ...
6
votes
1answer
215 views
Can the system's BIOS come from an ISA card?
If an ISA card was configured to respond to the address range of the system's BIOS (and the BIOS chips removed), could you boot from it in the same way as the system's default BIOS?
Specifically, I'm ...
5
votes
2answers
142 views
How to debug BIOS ROM incompatibility?
I'd like to use the XT-IDE Universal BIOS with an IBM XT 286 (5162), but it's known to be incompatible. With the card installed, it will not boot from a floppy from which it would otherwise boot (it ...
4
votes
1answer
147 views
Does a final version of the IBM VGA XGA Technical Reference Manual exist?
I'm doing some bare metal programming and I'm getting a lot of information from the IBM VGA XGA Technical Reference Manual May92 document. The only reference I can find about this document, is this ...
7
votes
3answers
233 views
Choosing a VGA card for the IBM 5162?
When shopping for a VGA ISA card, how might I know if it would be compatible with an IBM 5162? Do all 8-bit and 16-bit ISA VGA cards work, or only some?
5
votes
0answers
93 views
Are there alternative BIOS ROMs for the IBM 5162?
This page references a problem with the IBM 5162 BIOS where it will present an error during POST under some circumstances and that using a third-party BIOS was a workaround.
What other BIOS ROMs ...
8
votes
1answer
393 views
How was the Traf-O-Data 8008 simulator developed?
Traf-O-Data was the first business partnership between Paul Allen, Bill Gates and Paul Gilbert. In order to develop the software for their custom-built Traf-O-Data machine (Intel 8008 Inside™), ...
9
votes
1answer
263 views
What's the deal with System/360's “USASCII” mode?
The original System/360 architecture had a bit in the Program Status Word that would select an "USASCII" mode rather than the usual EBCDIC. Setting this bit changed how the BCD arithmetic operations ...
6
votes
9answers
1k views
Which pointing devices were used by early laptop computers?
I've started reading this article on the history of the ThinkPad. In it, the TrackPoint (pointing stick/"nipple" mouse) is heralded as an important innovation in the design of portable computers at ...
5
votes
1answer
195 views
Cyrillic Ж on IBM 1620?
Wikipedia says that
The IBM 1620 Model I used the Cyrillic character Ж (pronounced zh) on the typewriter as a general purpose invalid character with correct parity.
The Model II used a new ...
8
votes
1answer
627 views
Why would a CD-ROM in an MS-DOS 6.22 system not allow file access?
I have an OS/2 Warp CD that I am wanting to use as the installation media on an IBM PC 350 Pentium system. I have already installed MS-DOS 6.22 and the IBMIDECD.SYS driver for the CD-ROM drive on the ...
15
votes
1answer
932 views
Is it possible to adapt a standard PC floppy drive to work in an IBM PS/2?
I have three different IBM PS/2 machines and all of them are in perfect working order—except for the floppy drives. None of the floppy drives will read disks, which means all I can do is key in BASIC ...
9
votes
1answer
297 views
Typical mid-scale business computer system of the late 70s
What was the most common business computer system of the late 70s, just before the Apple II and CP/M really started proliferating?
For concreteness, let's say we are talking about a U.S. company on ...
10
votes
2answers
300 views
Can I use my IBM P/N 93F0502 (circa 1992) monitor in a dual monitor setup with my modern Mac Mini or Thinkpad?
I have an old IBM monitor here and I'd like to use it as a second screen to my computer (Mac mini running Fedora or Thinkpad running Archlinux).
I plugged it into the electricity socket without a ...
6
votes
1answer
149 views
IBM Model M2 stuck on Scroll and Caps Lock, no keys reacting
Today I tried out an old M2 for the first time with an USB/P2 adapter. For the first 10 minutes it worked fine.
Then I set it aside on my desk, left the room for a second, came back and suddenly the ...
11
votes
2answers
1k views
Found an IBM 5291. What is it, from when, and how much is it worth?
So, I found one of these:
(It's as if it's new, it wasn't ever used, it sat on a bookshelf next to an old CRT monitor, it also has every part).
On the front there's a small gray box with the text
...
4
votes
0answers
144 views
How can I open an IBM G50 CRT monitor?
First off, I know CRTs are dangerous and I have opened and discharged multiple CRT displays before.
I've got an G50 monitor that shows a picture for a second or two and then goes blank. If you power ...
