My IBM Portable Computer 5155

[s3freak]

I am still new to this forum, in fact this is only my third post after I had problems with my Real Time Clock, so it is about time that I started interacting a bit more.

In Summer 2019, I got one of IBM's original PCs that set a trend in the computing industry, many of you will be on a modern IBM PC compatible right now!

I chose the 5155, because it is the luggable version of the 5160 XT, so that I can store it easily without carrying a separate keyboard and monitor, etc., and correctly run the 8088 MPH demo.

When I first had it, it needed a lot of repair work, such as replacing many of the the tantalum capacitors. I also fitted as many original IBM branded components, with the exception of modern retrofits.

Intel 8088 Central Processing Unit
Intel 8087 Floating Point Unit
640K Base Memory + 256K Upper Memory Mod
CGA + MDA Cards with MDA Color Mod
2x 360KB 5.25" Floppy Drives (Qume QUMETRAK 142)
2x LPT Ports (On MDA and Separate Cards)
1x COM Port (IBM Async Card)
Glitch Works XT-IDE v4 with F000 ROM Mod
2x Compact Flash IDE Ports
Real Time Clock

I have 2x LPT ports, because one of the them is on a separate IBM Parallel Card, which came with the PC, the other is on an IBM Monochrome Display and Printer Adapter which I added separately.

 

[ibmapc]

That's a really nice looking 5155. You even have the little clear plastic piece to help hold the full length cards in place. That is missing on a lot of portables that I've seen. In fact, I have three 5155s (used to be 4) and only one has that piece. The only cosmetic flaw I see is the missing pad on the bottom of the keyboard. Glad to see you have the 1 Megabyte memory mod in there. I'm a big fan of the 5155 and love to see them inn stock appearing form but hopped up just a little.

 

[s3freak]

That's a really nice looking 5155. You even have the little clear plastic piece to help hold the full length cards in place. That is missing on a lot of portables that I've seen. In fact, I have three 5155s (used to be 4) and only one has that piece. The only cosmetic flaw I see is the missing pad on the bottom of the keyboard. Glad to see you have the 1 Megabyte memory mod in there. I'm a big fan of the 5155 and love to see them inn stock appearing form but hopped up just a little.

Thank you!

Yes, there are some missing rubber feet under the keyboard. There are a few other minor flaws, such as the power good signal from the power supply not working (I put a dummy load on the pin of the motherboard), and one or two of the keys don't type properly unless you type hard on them.

I hardly done cosmetic work on it, except to vacuum clean it quickly. Whilst I can get into the keyboard case, I cannot remove the screws that attach the keyboard itself because none of my screw bits fit. I guess there are lots of debris under them, causing the keys problem above.

What is funny about the PC is that the BIOS date of 11/08/1982 is older than myself!