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The PS/2 Model 25 project

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EverythingIBM

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I recently paid for an IBM PS/2 Model 25 from Lyonadmiral, so that's still pending for shipping and all that.
But once it arrives I have a few plans in mind for this machine. Assuming the CRT doesn't SHATTER into a million shards.
Like the model 30, which had its HDD caddy miserably cracked & had to be glued back together, I expect some shipping bruises.

#1 thorough cleaning (as I do to all of my machines when I get them).
#2 inspect capacitors for replacement --> I should probably replace all the PSU caps in every PS/2 I own.
#3 look for CPU upgrade options, NEC V30 or some sort of 286 card? Not sure if any were made for 8086s.
#4 soundcard. It would be nice to get an adlib gold (8-bit ISA OPL3).... but that may not be possible unless I become personal acquaintances with Martin Prevel.
#5 get a space saving model M (if I recall, IBM made them to match up width-wise with the model 25).

Any feedback is greatly welcomed for this upcoming project.

By the end I hope to achieve to have a nice compact system for audio, writing, and minor games perhaps.
 
#1. It's pretty clean, but a little rubbing alcohol and elbow grease never hurt.
#2. The planar is in good shape and more importantly, the PSU is in the CRT section, I stayed clear of it for fear of electrocuting myself.
#3. There were some made, but are rare.
#4. I once had an 8-bit Sound Blaster in it which worked quite well.
#5. I once had a space saving Model M that went with said Model 25 but I sold it last year, and I also know from experience that those suckers might as well be plated in gold at what they fetch on eBay. Anecdotally the school I graduated from threw away a lab of Model 25's and Space Saver's. Sad huh?
 
Yea I found out a few weeks ago my model M space saver with my model 25 fetches a damn good amount of money.

Too bad I'll never sell it though.
 
lyonadmiral said:
#1. It's pretty clean, but a little rubbing alcohol and elbow grease never hurt.
#2. The planar is in good shape and more importantly, the PSU is in the CRT section, I stayed clear of it for fear of electrocuting myself.
#3. There were some made, but are rare.
#4. I once had an 8-bit Sound Blaster in it which worked quite well.
#5. I once had a space saving Model M that went with said Model 25 but I sold it last year, and I also know from experience that those suckers might as well be plated in gold at what they fetch on eBay. Anecdotally the school I graduated from threw away a lab of Model 25's and Space Saver's. Sad huh?
Click to expand...

Model M prices vary *so much*, and some go in and out of fads. For example, the black model M13s were very cheap at one point. And the older '86 ones after seeing a few sell for $100+, are going down in price.
(I prefer the chassis, of all things, on the '86 model Ms, and the bolder printing is easier to see).

Also, Model Fs are starting to completely vanish. Used to be loads of Terminal Model Fs everywhere. They are great 'boards to convert to USB... because then you have something close to the 5150 model F, but in a proper layout... and F24 :geek:

The adlib gold was something I've always wanted along with a voodoo 2 (just got the voodoo after 10+ years, finally get to play those 3D accelerated games that I never could...) So I'm going to continue scouting before I go with an alternative sound solution.

I'm not too worried about the CRT and PSU capacitors, they're easy enough to discharge. It's quite difficult to electrocute yourself, unless you're lazy like myself and don't bother turning off the house power while changing electrical outlets.
Taking proper safety measures and safety equipment will ensure no casualties.

Adlib gold.... :hunter: I will find thee! Maybe. The adlib gold box does mention the PS/2 model 25 in the system requirements.
 
hello
#3 SOTA i286 and i386 add on cards should work in both 8088 and 8086 motherboards (I have only tried these cards in 8088 PCs.). cimonvg
 
My 2¢... instead trying to cram a 286/386 CPU upgrade board into a Model 25, which would take up one of its precious ISA slots (if you could get it to fit at all), you'd be better off either 1.) looking for a 25-286, 25-386, or EduQuest, or 2.) settling for a NEC V30 chip instead (which can run most real-mode 286 programs, such as the Windows 95+ version of MS-DOS Edit, and the Iomega GUEST.EXE Zip drive driver).
 
There's also the Reply model replacement motherboards for the PS/2 Model 25 and 30. IF you can find one... I've only ever seen one at auction, and the guy said $40 shipped was too little. Yet got no bids on two 10-day runs of his $75 price and then never listed it again. Eh. I've got an Eduquest anyway :)
 
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