286 Ibm?

[squirrel-steam]

In my manufacturing tech class at my high school, my instructer has a couple small metal lathes that are controlled by this old IBM computer. He says it has a 486DX2, but the model number says 286-30. I can't get a good look at it because Im all the way across the workshop on the mills, but whenever I go over there, I look at it as much as i can. Heres how i can describe it best by memory:

Its small, it has 2 3 1/2" bays along the top right next to eachother, has no 5 1/4 bay, has a power switch on the front right about halfway down. Theres no ps/2 ports, it uses a AT keyboard, I believe it has a riser card because the rear expansion slots run horizontal, not vertical like on a usual desktop. On the front left top of the bezel it has the model number, its in a little silver oval that reads (on a angle) IBM, then under that 286-30.

 

[Vlad]

Like this?

http://mastodonpc.tripod.com/personal/8530-h31.html

 

[squirrel-steam]

thats exactly what it is.

 

[NathanAllan]

if the teacher says it has a 486 in it, then it's been upgraded. Pretty neat stuff, though. I had a couple of models of those IBMs but lost them in the move to Texas. Just not enough room. Great cases though, heavy duty. Good for that kind of application, tough.

Nathan

 

[squirrel-steam]

it is very tough, on more than one occasion it has had 20-30 pound pieces of stock dropped on, a couple of times while running, just kept on chugging in windows 3.1

 

[Vlad]

Its actually a PS/2 Model 30-286. I have one of these that looks like it was used for a speed bump. Originally 286 processors. He might be mistaken since you'd have to replace the entire inside to get a different processor in there, but thats not unheard of. Pretty cool machines, but they also have 2x PS/2 ports since thats what they had. Model M keyboard and the funky trapezoid 'I can't use my fingers anymore D:' mouse is what they originally had. There are AT to PS/2 converters so it could be using a AT keyboard converted to fit somewhere. I dunno what happened to mine, but it has a dent in the top of the case and it still runs awesomely. Its always neat to hear about machines like this still being used.

 

[Floppies_only]

Its actually a PS/2 Model 30-286.
[...]
Its always neat to hear about machines like this still being used.

Back in '96 I was in the elevator of the Columbia Tower (seventy-some stories high) with a guy carrying an IBM PC/XT. I asked him what he used it for, and he said it controlled a large movable block of steel at the top of the tower. It had sensors that told it which way to move the block of steel during an earthquake so that the building didn't topple. I imagine that they had more than one for situations where one had to be repaired.

I heard about an IBM PC/AT that did accounting work in the office at a cement plant. They opened it up and the motherboard was caked in powedered cement. But it ran like that for years.

Sean