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5160 and 5161 questions

E

equate975

New Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
6
Hey guys, I posted a while back I got a few XTs to play with. I have just been super busy and this little project got bumped to the very bottom of my list.

Anyways, I had some free time finally today so I decided to power on the two I had. Problem is I can't get them to work ;)

First, after playing with this for a while I realized it was broken..

800x600_IMG_0976-1.jpg


I picked it up and crap is rattling around. So the garbage it goes!

This is what I got so far

800x600_IMG_0968-1.jpg


The 5160 seems to be the better looking of the two

800x600_IMG_0970-1.jpg


First off, I can't get the monitor to work... I don't even know if I have it plugged in the right place. I think it is the monitor it should have, but I could be completely wrong too lol

800x600_IMG_0973-1.jpg


800x600_IMG_0971.jpg


800x600_IMG_0972-1.jpg


Best I can make it do is change the screen from white to black!

Here is the 5161 which seemed to work a little better

800x600_IMG_0974-1.jpg


800x600_IMG_0975-1.jpg


Will the monitor I have work with this? Best I can make it do is "almost" be able to see dos. Looks like the vsync is whack and I can't actually read anything. I played around with all the settings on it monitor but I can't make it work.

On the top of the card theres a little switch. What does this even do?
 
I had a card like that once, but mine had one db9 port and one 15-pin svga style port, and the switch switched between the two. Yours might be a switch for the two RCA style jacks/db9 port. DO NOT SWITCH IT BACK AND FORTH WHILE IT'S ON. I fried mine that way. i would try to switch it to the other side (if you haven't already) while it's off and see if the monitor works then. I couldn't begin to tell you about the RCA jacks, though, and what kind of monitor that is. If you can identify the card itself, you may be able to get some info on it somewhere.

Got my own XT project goin, heh heh. Good luck!

Nathan
 
Regarding the switches on the video card.... I would suggest
researching the card online, through one of the excellent
resources like Total Hardware 99, and figure out exactly
how they should be set based on your monitor type.
It's possible to fry the monitor and/or card if the switches
aren't set correctly.

On to the hardware:
Looking at the system unit on the top, I would say the card to the far right
looking at the back may be a combination Monochrome/Parallel card. If so it should ONLY be
attached to a 5151 monochrome monitor. Your monitor looks like a 5153
Color Graphics display.

That card with the large green dot, I'm not 100% sure but it might
be a Token-Ring card. Don't leave the monitor plugged in there !
Unfortunately, back in the early days, lots of cards used that 9-pin connector.
It was TOO easy to plug the monitor into the wrong card. I guess thats why
they went to the unique 15 pin connector for VGA.

The system unit on the bottom, that might be an EGA card, if so the
composite outputs probably are non functional. Need to find out how
to set those switches to run a Color Graphics display. I would suggest
removing that card and look at it closely for any indications of manufacturer
or model number. Then search for it online.
 
Last edited:
mikey99 said:
...That card with the large green dot, I'm not 100% sure but it might be a Token-Ring card. Don't leave the monitor plugged in there !...
Click to expand...

Yes, it's Token Ring. Reminds me of a seller on eBay with the same card placing it as a "graphics adapter, tested and working fine". After I asked which monitor he had tested it with he didn't respond much.
 
You should try to connect that monitor in dust bin (?) to first card from right (that without green dot, with parallel port) in 5160.
It should work, to get 5161 working you need to get proper cable to connect it to 5160. 5161 is expansion unit, it don't have CPU and only expands expansion capacity for 5160.
 
Luke said:
...to get 5161 working you need to get proper cable to connect it to 5160. 5161 is expansion unit, it don't have CPU and only expands expansion capacity for 5160.
Click to expand...

But it looks like both the sending (on the XT side) and receiving (on the Expansion Unit side) adapters are missing from the slots with no card bracket. The adapters (and cable) can be found on rare occasions (sometimes for a goodly price). Certainly there is enough components to get something working here, and in the long run it could come out looking great.
 
IBMMuseum said:
But it looks like both the sending (on the XT side) and receiving (on the Expansion Unit side) adapters are missing from the slots with no card bracket.
Click to expand...

Aren't they the items in slot 3 of each chassis, or are they floppy adapters?
 
Forget about the 5161 for now, you are missing the controller cards and connecting cable. The 5161 is actually an expansion chassis for the 5160 - it provides and additional 8 slots and two drive bays. See if you can get the 5160 to boot up!

To start, the best thing to do is to take out all of the cards from the 5160 unit and disconnect the keyboard. Check the motherboard DIP switches (link below) and set them up properly.

For mono display, 1 floppy drive, four banks of motherboard memory and no co-processor, the switch settings are as follows:

1 - 0
2 - 1
3 - 0
4 - 0
5 - 0
6 - 0
7 - 1
8 - 1

The graphics card you have looks like a Black and White Parallel Card (in the second picture from the top, it is the card on the far right - slot 1 in the 5160 unit - parallel and 9pin connector), this is for the 5151, so set the DIP switch to Monochrome (5 and 6 to OFF). Install ONLY the mono card, don't plug in a display yet. Turn the machine on. After about a minute, it should beep. It works! If it doesn't, check the speaker and repeat.

Now you can install the 5151, and try again. Hopefully this time you should see something on the screen :) It will complain about the missing keyboard. Now plug in the keyboard and repeat. It will complain about not being able to find a floppy drive, and should boot to BASIC.

Now you can install the hard drive controller card, and connect up to the hard drive. If the drive is good, it MAY boot to a C> prompt. If not, the drive may need setting up, or be faulty.

Post back to see what you can find!

The card in the bottom right of the 5161 unit looks to be some kind of multi-function graphics card. You'll have to look the settings up to be sure, but you might find it can connect to the CGA display. It is best to be cautious, as mentioned above, plugging in the wrong monitor to the wrong card can be disasterous - best check those switches on the back!
 
Last edited:
dongfeng said:
DIP settings for 5160...
Click to expand...

Hey, I resemble that remark! ;)

Just an observation, but the Expansion Unit gives *six* additional slots (one in the base unit and one in the Expansion Unit are used by the expansion cards themselves)...

I know, I'm being anal...
 
Well, it's a valid point :p

I really do wonder what you could use 16 slots for in an XT! I think I have seven in mine (it was full, but I removed the sound card).
 
dongfeng said:
...I really do wonder what you could use 16 slots for in an XT! I think I have seven in mine (it was full, but I removed the sound card).
Click to expand...

One of my 7588s (an IBM Industrial system, as the 75xx series is) has twelve 16-bit ISA slots (and two PCI slots are in shared positions on that particular backplane). And that is with video, drive controllers, & 100BT NIC already taken care of on the SBC (up to a Pentuim MMX 233 or K6 333MHz). Ok, if you add the USB bracket it takes one of them away. ;)
 
I've recently downgraded my 5155 back down to the original 64 - 256Kb mainboard. Using original IBM memory boards, I can only bring the mem up to 512Kb, although there is still one open (quarter-length) slot. The IBM mem boards are half-length, and there is only room for two of 'em in the 5155. It ain't too difficult to use up all 8 slots, using those (puny) boards.

--T
 
Terry Yager said:
I've recently downgraded my 5155 back down to the original 64 - 256Kb mainboard. Using original IBM memory boards, I can only bring the mem up to 512Kb, although there is still one open (quarter-length) slot. The IBM mem boards are half-length, and there is only room for two of 'em in the 5155. It ain't too difficult to use up all 8 slots, using those (puny) boards.

--T
Click to expand...

There are at least two 1/4 length (True Blue) IBM memory cards. Of those I have here, a 256Kb board with the 'silvercap' chips, another that I will have to count memory banks (and it has a DB-25 port, possibly LPT). Pictures to follow tonight.
 
IBMMuseum said:
There are at least two 1/4 length (True Blue) IBM memory cards. Of those I have here, a 256Kb board with the 'silvercap' chips, another that I will have to count memory banks (and it has a DB-25 port, possibly LPT). Pictures to follow tonight.
Click to expand...

256Kb card with silvercap chips:
IBM256K.jpg


Double-stacked card with five banks of 64Kb (has LPT too):
Top.jpg

Bottom.jpg
 
Terry Yager said:
I've recently downgraded my 5155 back down to the original 64 - 256Kb mainboard. Using original IBM memory boards, I can only bring the mem up to 512Kb, although there is still one open (quarter-length) slot. The IBM mem boards are half-length, and there is only room for two of 'em in the 5155. It ain't too difficult to use up all 8 slots, using those (puny) boards.
Click to expand...

You had a Type 2 XT planar in there at one point? A desire to go back to an original setup (I believe the Portable was not made stock with a Type 2)? Why not do the 640Kb planar patch yourself (or find one of the cards pictured above)?
 
I have often pondered how an expanded IBM PC XT with 14 free ISA slots would be populated. My goal here is to stick with true IBM hardware as much as possible:


05/09/86 BIOS
IBM PC Math Coprocessor (8087-5)

IBM Expansion Unit Extender Card .
IBM Color/Graphics Display Adapter + IBM Color Display (5153)
IBM Diskette Drive Adapter + 2 x IBM 5.25" 320/360KB Diskette Drive + 1 x IBM 3.5" 720KB Extenal Diskette Drive
Hercules Graphics Adapter + IBM Monochrome Display (5151) +
IBM CPS Matrix Printer (5152)
IBM Game Control Adapter + 2 x IBM PCjr. Joystick (custom adapter)
IBM Printer Adapter + IBM Color Graphics Printer (5182)
IBM Music Feature Card + Midi Adapter Unit
IBM Asychronous Communications Adapter + Microsoft Serial Mouse

In the main unit, we have almost everything from IBM. I have tried to keep all essential devices within the main unit. One slot is used to connect to the Expansion Unit. The Asych card is connected to slot 8 because that slot is very finicky about the cards it accepts. The Diskette Adapter can support two internal disk drives and two external disk drives, but IBM only allowed for one external disk drive. The disk drives are full-height models. Ideally, the midi adapter unit should come with the Music Feature Card. Finally, because IBM never made joysticks for the PC, I have decided to use PCjr. joysticks with a simple pin converter/adapter.

IBM Expansion Unit Receiver Card
IBM Fixed Disk Adapter (Xebec 1210) + 2 x 10MB IBM Fixed Disk Drives
Roland MIF-IPC + Roland MPU-401 Midi Processing Unit + Roland MT-32 Multi-Timbre Sound Module
Adlib Music Synthesizer Card
Creative Music System Card (a.k.a. Creative Game Blaster)
Covox Sound Master + 2 x digital pads
Creative Sound Blaster .5
IBM Asychronous Communications Adapter + Hayes Smartmodem

IBM Model M Keyboard (1391401).

In this part of the case, we have two 10MB full height drives. The Fixed Disk Adapter can support two of these drives. The Roland interface card is a simple device and the MPU-401 is a big box with the controller circuitry and the MT-32 is attached to it. The Hayes Smartmodem is of the external variety, and varieties exist in 300, 1200 and 2400 baud.
The Covox should take care of any Speech Thing games as well as early Covox titles. The Sound Blaster .5 is my term for a Sound Blaster with the CMS and Adlib chips removed.
[/QUOTE]
 
IBMMuseum said:
You had a Type 2 XT planar in there at one point? A desire to go back to an original setup (I believe the Portable was not made stock with a Type 2)? Why not do the 640Kb planar patch yourself (or find one of the cards pictured above)?
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorta. I even upped it (briefly) to a non-IBM NEC V-40 board, but then decided I'd rather have it back to (nearly) original (I'm keeping the hard drive). I haven't done much with it because:

A). It's a low priority project, and

B). I have a Six-Pack Plus around here somewhere, which easily holds 384Kb, and will free-up three of my slots, and

3). I mainly keep the 5155 around as a platform for my ROM burner, which requires a CGA display, and none of my other machines have both CGA and a free slot, so...

--T
 
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