Great Hierophant
Veteran Member
One of the things I dislike about my IBM PC/XT is its huge, heavy and cramped case. I would much prefer putting it into a lightweight case, but I am concerned about form factors, mounting holes, power supplies, and 5.25 inch bays.
Form Factor & Mounting Holes - AT cases tend not to be lightweight, they tend to be made of the same kind of sheet metal as IBM's cases. Would a 5150/5160 motherboard work in an ATX case? Would their be appropriately spaced holes to mount such a board?
Power Supply - The 5150 and 5160 each have their own power supply. I have heard of ATX to AT adapter plugs. Apparently, the only difference between an XT and an AT power connector is an additional +5V line with the AT connector, which is left unconnected on the XT board. However, the XT and AT machines use a switch on the power supply to turn the system on. How would an ATX power supply receive a signal to "turn on" from a motherboard without that capability?
5.25 Inch Bays - The half-height IBM diskette and fixed disk drives inside my later model XT are large and heavy. Would a lightweight case possess the structual integrity to hold these drives in place or would the rails warp and cause the drives to fall?
Form Factor & Mounting Holes - AT cases tend not to be lightweight, they tend to be made of the same kind of sheet metal as IBM's cases. Would a 5150/5160 motherboard work in an ATX case? Would their be appropriately spaced holes to mount such a board?
Power Supply - The 5150 and 5160 each have their own power supply. I have heard of ATX to AT adapter plugs. Apparently, the only difference between an XT and an AT power connector is an additional +5V line with the AT connector, which is left unconnected on the XT board. However, the XT and AT machines use a switch on the power supply to turn the system on. How would an ATX power supply receive a signal to "turn on" from a motherboard without that capability?
5.25 Inch Bays - The half-height IBM diskette and fixed disk drives inside my later model XT are large and heavy. Would a lightweight case possess the structual integrity to hold these drives in place or would the rails warp and cause the drives to fall?