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IBM Series 1 System - 4956, etc.

billdeg

billdeg

Technician
Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,885
Location
Landenberg, PA USA
I am making this post should someone someday wish to collaborate on the restoration of an IBM Series 1 system. An electronic message in the bottle.

I am just about to get underway. I have some experience with IBM mini's, but it's been almost 20 years, so I will have to start almost from scratch. Anyone work with these systems?

System summary
I have a 4956 processor unit (field upgraded to rev K) with three hard drives (weighing a ton each), a tape drive, and an 8" drive. There is also a modem. The system is housed in 2 original IBM rack units. I think the racks are part no is 4997.

There are about twelve serial cables for terminal connection attached to the processor.
 
I'd like to pick up that bottle...

I'd like to pick up that bottle...

I too would like to try some collaboration. I just acquired a Series/1 rack. I've got a 4959 (slap full of what I think may be A/D cards), a 4956, a 4964 (?) hard drive (golly, that dude is heavy) and the floppy unit. All this is stacked in a 4997 rack. I haven't got a modem, or a terminal, or an async card. So if I power up my Series/1, I won't be able to communicate with it beyond the console on the 4956.

What I do have, which may be of some use to you (and others) is a BUNCH of Series/1 documentation. I got really lucky and found a big box of books on Craigslist from a former EDL programmer. It was pure fate.

Now to find some a copy of EDX or RPS.

mike
 
WOW -- OLD bottle at this point. I made my living from 1984 until 1992 working on the Series/1. I can "EDL" with the best of them. If you played card games at the Flamingo Hilton in Vegas around 1985-88, it was MY software that kept track of how much money you lost at each table. The Series/1 was also doing all the "back office" stuff for the 2 Hilton casinos. I can't remember if I have ever seen a 4978 Terminal listed for sale on ebay. Of course, if it didn't come with the 2" diameter connection cable, you would be hard pressed to make one. Hehe, with copper getting more expensive by the day. Maybe I could remember how to do a $EDXNUC, more likely not.

The one I would love to find is a still working IBM 1130!! Sigh, it would destroy my poor floors here in the mobile home. I had to put the 350 lbs power wheel chair for my mom outside. My floors were caving in around the base of where I kept the chair stored.
 
I was just talking with somebody about the Series 1 yesterday - it's one of those machines you just don't see in collections. We were speculating that it was due to IBM only leasing the machines, but the opposite was true - IBM did not lease them at all, they had to be purchased.

I can't directly help; I have no direct knowledge of the Series I. This was a machine that my father used back in the early 80s when working at a brokerage. But I am interested in your progress.
 
I have made some progress lately. (With help) I have moved the system to a climate-controlled space and I have the 220 outlet and enough power for the three phases, etc. I have assembled all of the components into the 2 IBM 4997 cabinets. I am going to meet with an electrician next week to go over the power requirements. I have manuals and some software. I'll post an update soon.

Fortunately I marked all of the cables before I disassembled the system for transport.

oh, and some pictures and inventory are here:
http://www.vintagecomputer.net/ibm/Series1/
note the file dates as an indicator of progress.

I have newer pics to post.

Bill
 
On Friday I had an electrician check everything out, and verify that the building power is ready for action. Stay tuned for a CPU power on test. Fire suppression gear to the ready.
 
I spent all morning using google to try and find a EDX/EDL emulation package. No such luck. Anyway, a lot of my Series/1 memories are coming back. I can remember how to use a 4978 terminal. And lots of the utilities ($EDXASM, $FSEDIT, $COPYUT1, $DISKUT1, $DISKUT2). And I actually could probably remember how to do a sysgen.

Here's hoping we can get the thing to "IPL" either from a 8" floppy or a hard disk.

The normal 4978 cable is a huge FAT job. There were lots of wires in there. Tons more than, say, a 8 wire RS232C connector.
 
Bill:
Last Friday (the 19th) I met a former Series 1 technician. I forgot to tell you about it. I'll send you his contact info. He gave me a CD of pictures of vintage IBM gear.
 
CPU Powers Up! What's next?

CPU Powers Up! What's next?

I powered up just the CPU (4956 rev K). It powered up and various lights came on, what appears to be the "ok now what?"

The 4978 terminal shows 'naught but a line across the screen. Normally I'd assume that a single line across the middle of the terminal screen is bad, but I was told by someone who knows much more than me that this is not necessarily a problem...I am confident that I have plugged the terminal into the correct card in the correct direction. I was hoping for at least something to appear on the screen in response to an IPL. How to plug in the disk drives is another matter, but I should be able to figure it out. I am about 50% confident that I know what's needed. I am in no hurry however to run the drives yet.

Little help? Anyone know how to run a terminal pad diagnostic? I have the manuals, disk drive, lots of boot disks and will research on this end how to cable the drives to the CPU. Although I am known to take risks when restoring machines, this one is not in my comfort zone. I wonder if the hard drives are locked? I am confident that this machine can be brought to life, it's in reasonably good shape. I have never powered it on before, but I have kept it covered. It has never been exposed to the elements, etc.

thanks 1MB

P.M if you'd like to call to discuss. The computer is located in Wilmington, Delaware just off I-95.

Bill
 
First of all -

Switch up (Alternate) for IPL from the floppy drive.

Switch down (Primary) to IPL from hard drive.

We had a "C.E." or customer engineer come in to do all the hardware reconfigurations. I would bet that there is some kind of physical drive locking mech., like a long screw or something like that. Not positive but that was common around 1977.

Until you get a bootable floppy or the hard disk might still be formatted, I am pretty sure you will NOT get anything on the 4978 terminal. It like other mini-computers of the time, have to get some IPL code in there before it does much.

Sorry, never fooled with the Diag Panel. I was too busy trying to get this or that program working.

Those square black connectors are called Berg connectors. Everyone I have seen has a plastic plug or filler in one hole to make the connector 'keyed'. Otherwise, you could easily flip over the connector and plug it in wrong. There are tiny plastic snaps on the sides. Each one snaps over the metal conductor and holds it in place. It is possible to move them around by using a needle to pry up the plastic flap a small distance while pulling on the wire. If you pry the flap too far, it will deform and stop working to grab the connector.
 
Booting an IBM 4956 with 4978 monitor and 4962 drive unit

Booting an IBM 4956 with 4978 monitor and 4962 drive unit

Chuck,
This helps. I am starting to imagine ways to use the 4956 as a super expensive weak personal computer.

Currently the unit is not cabled up, but I have a pretty good idea of what goes where. But that can be dangerous. Better find out for sure.

NEXT: Learn more about the 4962 - is the hard drive parked? how do you cable the drive to the controller card, which is the correct controller card? Does the unit boot without a boot disk in the drive and look to the hard drive (like a PC) for the OS? What are drives called. I may have a BASIC disk somewhere intended for this computer, hmmm....

I do know what this system was used for originally. A medical records database system. The system used a modem to transmit info. It could have run a small computer department, there are a lot of serial cables. It would be fun to turn this into something else, after I have explored and documented how it was originally used.
 
As stated above, ASSUME THE HARD DISK IS PARKED! I vaguely remember there being a physical screw or something that locked down the heads.

Cabled properly, with a hard disk that still have to OS on it, it will IPL from the hard drive. See that primary/alternate thing in my prior post.
 
Can't remember that kind of detail. I am only partially sure that such a screw exists. I seem to remember it had a fairly large screw head. My main problem was I just looking over the repair guy's shoulder, about 20 years ago.
 
I recall that, on the first hard drives that Tandy used (I think they were Shugarts), there was an access plate on the bottom of the unit that was for two things. The first was to add/remove the terminator pack and the second was to unlock the drive heads.

Your unit might have something similar.
 
The drive is huge, bigger than any micro's drive. I have the manuals, but IBM did not make a "user manual" there is a lot of info to wade through. I will keep you all posted.
Bill
 
still working...did some more research today. I am starting to think that one parked the hard drive (if at all) using the boot disk utilties, not a screw. The drive appears to be a 9 meg drive. 50/9 pounds per meg.
 
Maybe you have already gotten around the parked disk drive issue. If not, perhaps I can help.

I worked on Series/1 machines from the late '70s through the mid '80s. The 4962 disk drive could be physically parked for shipment. To unpark the drive you pull the front panel cover (off-white color) off the drive unit. The disk drive assembly can slide out on the rails. I believe you need to press buttons in the rails to allow the assembly to slide out. The disk assembly should be stationary. There is a screw that can be turned to unpark the disk. When the drive is unparked, it will "float" - if you push on the disk assembly it will move somewhat.

Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
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