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IBM 5150 Post Beeps, but that's it, help me!

Perhaps time to bring out some test equipment. Do you own a logic probe or oscilloscope? Can you burn EPROMs?

Have you removed and reseated every socketed chip on the motherboard? If you press Ctrl-Alt-Del after the machine boots, can you get it to beep again with a reboot?
 
I have no logic probe, oscilloscope or equipment to burn an eprom, maybe my boss can help me out.
Anyway by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del after booting up i can still bring up single post beep upon request.
 
Don't trust anything I say, but it sounds like the system is fine, it's your monitor that may be broken.
 
Someone with a 5150 handy close by could try this test. If you hold down any key until the typeahead buffer fills up, do you get a beep for every keypress thereafter? If so, that's another way to at least tell if the 5150's gotten into BASIC.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Someone with a 5150 handy close by could try this test. If you hold down any key until the typeahead buffer fills up, do you get a beep for every keypress thereafter? If so, that's another way to at least tell if the 5150's gotten into BASIC.
Click to expand...

I doubt the state of the motherboard itself is the major problem. For me, it really sounds like the monitor is broken. It's very unusual that it fails to load BASIC if it gets as far as beeping one short beep (as usual) on startup.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Someone with a 5150 handy close by could try this test. If you hold down any key until the typeahead buffer fills up, do you get a beep for every keypress thereafter? If so, that's another way to at least tell if the 5150's gotten into BASIC.
Click to expand...
Umm... wouldn't it be much easier to just type the BEEP command? Or typing PRINT CHR$(7) would do the same thing. Or SOUND 800,5 for that matter.
 
Think it's time for a another monitor, they are really hard to find in the U.K.
If anybody has any ideas for an equivalent monitor from another manufacturer and can give me makers names,model numbers etc i would be very grateful.
Cheers.
 
So it does beep when you type in PRINT CHR$(7)?

Some cheaper word processors with external monitors, such as those made by Brother, are direct plug-in equivalents to the 5151. Otherwise, there were a number of color monitors that could handle monochrome output, such as the early Sony Multiscans and the Mitsubishi Diamondscans. But it might be much easier to find an 8-bit VGA card instead, assuming that your 5150 BIOS is not the earliest version.

Alternatively, you could purchase a scan converter and use it with a modern VGA monitor.
 
I've found a card i think will be o.k. it's coming via ebay from the states so it'll probably be the wrong one or broken, or not turn up.
I'll see what happens.....
 
integrale said:
Would a Sony multiscan e200 work at all? or is it too new?
Click to expand...

Too new. True multisynch monitors (with scanning rates down to 15.75 kHz) basically disappeared in the mid-'90s. These older true multisynch monitors have multiple inputs on the back and a switch to select between analog RGB, digital RGB, and VGA (and sometimes also composite). If your monitor does not have any of these features and just has a standard VGA-type cable, then it is not true multisynch and will not work with CGA, EGA, or MDA/Hercules video.

My Mitsubishi Diamond Scan 1381, circa 1988, is true multisynch, and it even gives you imitation amber phosphor when you connect it to a monochrome input. CGA also works on it, but doesn't look too good because the scan lines are spaced so far apart. CGA actually looks better with a higher dot pitch (at least 0.40 mm) because then the monitor sort of blurs the scan lines together and softens the image.
 
I believe that the old Sony Multiscan CDP1302 had only a 9 pin D-sub connector. But there were switches on the rear.

I really liked those, but for whatever reason, I kept the Mitsubishi.
 
Do you got a VGA card of any kind? It mostly doesn't matter if it's 8 or 16 bits since most of the 16 bit ones will work in 8-bit mode.
 
Are you intent on a VGA display, or would a CGA or EGA display suit your particular need for the computer?
 
VGA would good for ease of use (i have a monitor right front of me) but i do have a second-hand EGA coming via ebay (if it works), CGA is a possibilty.
 
integrale said:
VGA would good for ease of use (i have a monitor right front of me) but i do have a second-hand EGA coming via ebay (if it works), CGA is a possibilty.
Click to expand...

Anyways, here is what cards you can use with what monitors:
Code: 
MDA >   2-bit   Digital MonochromeI H/V sync.       (IBM 5151/Monochrome monitor)
CGA >   4-bit   Digital RGBI        H/V sync.       (IBM 5153/IBM 5154/RGBI monitor/RrGgBb monitor/RGB monitor)
EGA >   6-bit   Digital RrGgBb      H/V sync.       (IBM 5154/IBM 5153/RrGgBb monitor/RGBI monitor/RGB monitor)
PGC >  16-level Analog  RGB         Composite sync. (IBM 5175/Most VGA monitors)
VGA > +64-level Analog  RGB         H/V sync.       (VGA monitor)
Note that Hercules and MGA goes under MDA, however, your card problably does CGA too. You may also get different versions of color-6 depending on what monitor you use with CGA/EGA.
 
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Hi i've managed to pick this EGA card up for for a couple of pounds, will it help me out?
It's made by a company called LUNG HWA? model no: 639GA.
I have inserted the card but the post beep pattern is one long beep then two short beeps, is this a video error code?
 

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integrale said:
Hi i've managed to pick this EGA card up for for a couple of pounds, will it help me out?
It's made by a company called LUNG HWA? model no: 639GA.
I have inserted the card but the post beep pattern is one long beep then two short beeps, is this a video error code?
Click to expand...
Yes, this means video card failure.
Make sure you have set DIP switches to "No video or special (EGA, VGA)":

* Switch 5,6
* off,off = MDA (or Hercules) Video
* off,ON = 40 column CGA
* ON,off = 80 column CGA
* ON,ON = No video or special (EGA, VGA)
 
integrale said:
Hi i've managed to pick this EGA card up for for a couple of pounds, will it help me out?
It's made by a company called LUNG HWA? model no: 639GA.
I have inserted the card but the post beep pattern is one long beep then two short beeps, is this a video error code?
Click to expand...

You must set the motherboard switches SW1 nr. 5&6 to "None display adapter, or display adapter with seperate BIOS". Rigth now it tries to initalize it and identify it as a MDA, and for an EGA card; that simply doesn't work.
 
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