Carlos from Toronto

[Andrettigto]

Hello everyone, my name's Carlos from Toronto, Canada and I'm 51. Like most of you, I too respect computers, old and new.

In my teen years, banks were a place for my employer to deposit my part time pay check. Shortly after this, I would go in, stand in line and take it out again. Jeez, just give me the cash.

By the time I finished school and started working full time, I found another use for banks. "What do you need the money for?" asked the loans officer. Without hesitation I replied "An IBM computer". It was my first loan and the year was 1981. Even after I placed my order, I still had to wait over six weeks. If I remember right, I bought the "Technical Reference" manual well before the product launch.

It was like no computer I had seen before. From the packaging to the build quality, 4.77Mhz of pure beauty. 16k ram, 160k single sided floppy and "all points addressable" 640x200 graphics! It can't get any better than this. And the best part? It was a 16 bit system (internally anyway).

There's always been the Ford and Chevy camps. Suddenly, there was the Apple and IBM (soon just PC) camps. But IBM PC's were better, they had 8 more bits.

I still have my 5150, tucked safely away in its comfy packaging. The only thing that's missing is the 5150 logo on the back. It always takes it's rightful place on the front of my ever changing current system!

 

[Darshevo]

Nice tribute. Welcome to the board

-Lance

 

[southbird]

Ever push any upgrades into your 5150 in its lifespan?

 

[Andrettigto]

As time passed, I upgraded as funds allowed me. Hard to remember the exact order but it included moving to 1/2 height DSDD floppies, a BIOS upgrade, 2 st225's, a multifunction i/o-memory board, Ad-Lib sound, external modems (300 + 1200), Epson FX80 printer, Hayes joystick, Mouse Systems optical serial mouse

I know at one point I ran out of expansion slots so I added one extra thru a short ribbon cable and ISA slot. It still fit neatly inside the case.

When I bought the system, I got an Electrohome 1302 CGA monitor. I remember my disappointment though when I first got Flight Simulator. Its color pallet was less than in composite mode, so I bought the optional Electrohome composite video adapter. A nice set-up in its day but sadly, the monitor died about 4 years ago and I tossed it out (should have kept it to repair). About a year ago, I finally found a 5153 color monitor in very good condition.

But I think I'm done with the upgrades!

 

[Erik]

Welcome to the forums!

I like that logo! :D My first machine was an IBM PC, too.

Cheers!

 

[barythrin]

Welcome! Great memories you have there and completely awesome that you still have your first computer! That's one of the rarities these days, it's great to catch up and buy your first machine but if you were lucky (lazy? j/k) enough to keep it all this time it's a real treasure.

Sounds like you'll have fun here.
- John

 

[Andrettigto]

lol, I would say it was more Lucky than Lazy, I always seemed to have a place to keep it. I don't think I could ever toss it.

Erik, it's not my first computer. I had a ZX81 kit first (yes, I still have it). Once you see the mobo soldering, you know I built it! :O

I'm sure "Vintage" has a special meaning for everyone here. An old PII Voodo-2 SLI setup I once had held no nostalgia for me. As I upgraded, I got rid of it. I feel different about my 5150 because I LEARNED so much from it. The more I learned, the better it performed. I remember spending days-weeks fine tuning my code only to see the latest IBM TechJournal tease with a new twist on your algorithm. You would have no choice but to do it again and again. The fun was in creating, not the creation. Something special about the sound of EXE2BIN grinding away on a floppy!

 

[southbird]

I know at one point I ran out of expansion slots so I added one extra thru a short ribbon cable and ISA slot. It still fit neatly inside the case.

THIS I'm interested in; I have a 5150 and I really want one more slot. I either need to find a card that combines the function of two of my existing ones, or I need something like what you did..

 

[tezza]

Ahh, I love the 5150. It was the first computer my then-department got. (due mostly to my constant nagging.). I think the date was 1984.

I used it extensively, and came to love the clicky keys, full-screen editors (compared with what we could do with the only other computer available..a PRIME) and rock-solid green screen display. Actually it was sometimes used as a PRIME terminal.

Here in New Zealand the price was WAY beyond what an individual would purchase (even Apple IIs were out of the range of most people's pockets).

They are rare here in NZ. In saying that, there is one up for sale on our local auction site Trade Me right now. It will be interesting to see what it goes for.

Anyway, welcome to the forums.

Tez

 

[MikeS]

And hello from a fellow Torontonian who's also got a PC (and XT) somewhere, among (many) others...

Where's our man from Hamilton? C'mon Dru, say hello!

 

[Andrettigto]

THIS I'm interested in; I have a 5150 and I really want one more slot...

I've been enjoying all the great reads on this site and am feel the itch to set her up again!

If my memory is right :O I purchased an ISA slot and ribbon cable from an electronics store. The socket had sharp pins that would protrude thru the underside of the mobo for soldering. I lined up and pressed the ribbon cable on the pins, then soldered the other end to the underside of the outer ISA slot. I made it as short as I could and wrapped it around to the top so the new slot was now at the end of the board. I remember thinking that RF issues would cause problems but it worked great. IBM's expansion chassis used the same idea, but had its own power rail.

...there is one up for sale on our local auction site Trade Me right now...

OMG! I was going to tell you to bid on it --------------> BUT THEN I SAW YOUR COLLECTION! Wow!

I laughed when I read about your ZX81 comment "How anyone could be patient enough to type records in on that keyboard". Well I can relate to that, foolishly trying to enter my music collection and then either 1) crashing if wiggled 2) crashing during the save 3) crashing during loads 4) crashing my front window when tossed... lol

Crazy, I thought it was so much fun then.

And hello from a fellow Torontonian...

Hi Mike, glad to see you still have yours "somewhere" - If you want, I can come over and LOOK for it. You know the saying "Finders... Keepers" ?

 

[Artisticleo]

Ah man, I gather that system must have run you a small fortune. I inherited my grandmothers first computer, an IBM Aptiva "Multimedia" PC that came a decade past yours, and she wouldn't quit talking about how much she paid for it.

What did that system run, plus the upgrades?

 

[Andrettigto]

It was an expensive system but I remember price shopping the Apple II and it was not cheap either.

About $3,500 Canadian for the 16K system unit with 1 SSDD and CGA card (or I think that was without the CGA card?) Yes, I think the CGA card was around $900 more.
The Electrohome 13" RGB monitior was over $1,300
I also remember one of the first boxes of 10 floppies at Computer Land was over $85...

Everything was expensive for it. That's why it was over a year later that I finally bought an Epson FX80, around $800.

Happily, prices gradually started to drop as smaller stores began to open up. I shed no tears the day Computer Land shut its doors for good, there was NO competition early on.

-----
But if we look at high end NOW, it's still expensive, but we get more.

 

[Druid6900]

Hi, I don't have any IBM gear earlier than a 386sx PS/2, although I did toss a couple of IBM XTs and an original 6 MHz IBM AT, with the 8 MHz kit and the stacked RAM.

That's back when it was worth more as scrap and clients gave me this stuff when they bought less expensive, faster clones from us.

 

[MikeS]

Don't get me started on what I've paid over the years; my Commodore 8032 and disk drive was just shy of $5000.

Yeah, I've scrapped my share of junk (then) i.e. collectable (now); threw a Northstar into the garbage because I just wanted the desk it was in, several 5150s, an expansion unit, etc.
Looks like I kept a 5150 mobo though; just almost stepped on it tonight ;-)

Carlos: Umm, no, thanks for the offer but I think I can find it myself; just tripped over a PC motherboard so the complete ones can't be far away.

But if ya need anything, cables, cards, that kind of thing (or complete Pentium boxes) then I might be willing to meet for coffee ;-) Or we could meet at Dru's place in Hamilton and let him buy the coffee.

 

[Andrettigto]

...I did toss a couple of IBM XTs and an original 6 MHz IBM AT, with the 8 MHz kit and the stacked RAM.

Ouch, hurts hearing you say that. This site is fueling my temptation to start acquiring more vintage. I would really like to go there but then reality kicks in. You need a lot of time and dedication to properly care for them. Now, if I could get rid of my 2 kids, 2 dogs, wife...

...several 5150s, an expansion unit, etc.

But if ya need anything, cables, cards, that kind of thing (or complete Pentium boxes) then I might be willing to meet for coffee ;-) Or we could meet at Dru's place in Hamilton and let him buy the coffee.

Thanks, good to know I can bug you if needed!
...and I think coffee is cheaper in Hamilton...

REAL SHAME about the expansion unit. If it was the IBM one, they were a very rare piece. I remember seeing pictures of the stacked units, they looked so cool together. I think the expansion units depth was narrower than the system unit so, when stacked, the fronts tapered up evenly.