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IBM 5155 Questions

WMH, yeah, I can appreciate the fun part of figuring out how to get a 5155 onto the internet and logging onto a BBS. Makes me curious about who's still running those.

I put a lot of effort into tricking out one of my Apple //es (enhance kit, 80 col + memory, CFFA card formatted for several 32mb hdds full of games and other software, etc.), and it was fun to getting everything working. But I don't use it much anymore. I find that I need longer and longer breaks after playing Raster Blaster and other favorite games. The only remaining challenge is to get it to display on an LED VGA monitor. I'm not sure what comes after that. My grandson likes it, though.

I'm hoping my enjoyment of word processing on the 5155 will continue as long as I keep my blog going. I don't think I'll find a modern computer as satisfying as the 5155's CRT and keyboard.
 
Gib said:
I'm hoping my enjoyment of word processing on the 5155 will continue as long as I keep my blog going.
Click to expand...

Alright, then. Enjoy!

Gib said:
I don't think I'll find a modern computer as satisfying as the 5155's CRT and keyboard.
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Agreed. There's just something cool about using a command-line interface on a tiny, retro monitor.
 
Here's an advantage of the 5155 over any other computer I've ever owned. When you open it up you'll see that it's got an aluminum shield completely covering its internal electronics. That's a Faraday Cage! So in the event of a gigantic solar flare or an EMP that fries every other electronic device, our 5155s will still run! (As long as we have gas for our backup generators.)
 
Gib said:
...in the event of a gigantic solar flare or an EMP that fries every other electronic device, our 5155s will still run! (As long as we have gas for our backup generators.)
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Yay! Even more reason for me to buy one! :D
 
Gib said:
Here's an advantage of the 5155 over any other computer I've ever owned. When you open it up you'll see that it's got an aluminum shield completely covering its internal electronics. That's a Faraday Cage! So in the event of a gigantic solar flare or an EMP that fries every other electronic device, our 5155s will still run! (As long as we have gas for our backup generators.)
Click to expand...

i never thought of that touche! touche! and the ge has the same cage
witch u can see here
workmasters.jpg
 
WMH said:
Good suggestion, but I'm somewhat of a fail at fixing small electronic components; for some reason, I just never can get it right.
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There's really nothing to be afraid of in a 5155. The electronics aren't that small, so repairs are pretty easy. If you're serious about vintage computers, you'll be a lot better off if you can do at least some simple soldering repairs.

Tell you what, If I can find one like the other one that I fixed and traded away, maybe we can work something out. Although shipping from Oregon to Florida will be expensive and somewhat risky since the 5155 has a CRT that could be damaged in transit. The longer the trip the more risk in my mind.
 
WMH, you're best off buying from someone like ibmapc on the forum. I guess your local Craigslist would be second, and eBay would be third and probably most expensive.

As you may be aware, Craigslist warns users against mailing their items to far-off buyers, so it's hard to do a deal unless you are fortunate, as I was, to have a friend or relative near the seller to make the purchase on your behalf. If your circle of family and friends is well distributed nationally, you might want to use this site to search all the local sites with just one entry: http://www.craigslistsearchengine.org/

There's a couple listed right now.
 
Here's a few pictures of my 5155 which I picked up from a local freecycle a few years ago.
Its fairly cramped inside with all accessible slots full. It came with a Tandon drive which
wasn't working well, so i replaced that with a Seagate ST-225.

DSCF0125small.jpgDSCF0121small.jpgDSCF0118small.jpg
 
Thanks for the replies, guys. Sorry I've been offline for a while.

ibmapc, that sounds like a good idea. Just a question: who can repair a CRT if it is damaged? That's cathode ray tube, correct? Maybe someone who services TV sets?

Gib, thank you for the advice and the suggestions. I'll be watching Craigslist.

mikey99, nice system! It is pretty cramped, but I guess the more accessories the better. :)
 
mikey99 said:
Here's a few pictures of my 5155 which I picked up from a local freecycle a few years ago. Its fairly cramped inside with all accessible slots full. It came with a Tandon drive which wasn't working well, so i replaced that with a Seagate ST-225.
Click to expand...

Is that spring-clip thing over the CGA and RAM card original? I've not seen that before.
 
ibmapc said:
Yup, it's original. Mine had one. Unfortunately I lost it years ago.
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I've got an original machine as well and can vouch for the clear plastic "clip". It's not flexible so I'd call it a holder. Since my machine has two short IBM memory cards, it only holds the video card, but does look exactly like the one pictured with two grooves. That means that the 3rd card cannot be full length if the holder is used.
 
Yeah, that plastic clip over the full-length cards is kinda hard to wiggle off when you want to remove them, but the little plastic washer-filler pieces for the disk drives are also fun to hunt down when you remove a drive and they fall onto the motherboard.
 
Ole Juul said:
I've got an original machine as well and can vouch for the clear plastic "clip". It's not flexible so I'd call it a holder. Since my machine has two short IBM memory cards, it only holds the video card, but does look exactly like the one pictured with two grooves. That means that the 3rd card cannot be full length if the holder is used.
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The third card can not be full length anyway due to the back side of the brightness and contrast pots being in the way.
 
pearce_jj said:
Is that spring-clip thing over the CGA and RAM card original? I've not seen that before.
Click to expand...
Ole Juul said:
I've got an original machine as well and can vouch for the clear plastic "clip". It's not flexible so I'd call it a holder. Since my machine has two short IBM memory cards, it only holds the video card, but does look exactly like the one pictured with two grooves. That means that the 3rd card cannot be full length if the holder is used.
Click to expand...

In a PC Magazine review of the 5155, they devoted a whole page to the plastic 'thing'.
See page 121 (PDF page 6) of:
http://www.minuszerodegrees.net/5155/misc/PC Magazine Review IBM Portable PC May1984.pdf

(Yes, the review contains some technical errors.)
 
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Skyhook and Blue screws??????


Neither of my 5155s has those. Damn! But then mine are super clean and work so I guess that is a fair trade off!
 
Shadow Lord said:
Skyhook and Blue screws??????
Click to expand...

I assume that article was making fun of salesmen, but you gotta admit the idea of having a removable bracket that one can take out and play with is an earth shattering idea - or at least one that can entertain even the most hardened executive for hours. Though I suppose there are different perspectives on that.

As for the blue screws, mine has them. However they seem somewhat faded. Were there different kinds used? Can anybody else confirm an impermanence or variation in the finish of the screws?
 
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