Not Mine - IBM 5151, 5153 and 5160 Auctions

[Maverick1978]

You don't see 5151's this cheap every day. 5160 is a bit on the expensive side, but looks like new. Just figured I'd pass along.

5151, 5151, 5153, 5160

 

[arrow_runner]

Thanks. I'll be watching the 5153. He has that one 5151 for so cheap with a BIN that I wonder if it's even worth his time selling it...

 

[Stone]

You don't see 5161's this cheap every day.

Actually, I don't see any 5161s. As far as untested, and for parts only stuff... I don't see how it's all that cheap, either. As you know, on eBay, untested usually means tested and failed. And parts only could be real junk. I'd much rather gamble in a casino where at least you know the odds.

 

[vwestlife]

Actually, I don't see any 5161s. As far as untested, and for parts only stuff... I don't see how it's all that cheap, either. As you know, on eBay, untested usually means tested and failed. And parts only could be real junk. I'd much rather gamble in a casino where at least you know the odds.

You can't test a 5151 monitor without a matching video card in a computer to try it with. If you just use an IEC power cord to plug it into the wall, it will do nothing. The CRT heater might glow, but that's it -- the high voltage won't even come on without a valid MDA-type video signal being sent to it.

 

[Stone]

You can't test a 5151 monitor without a matching video card in a computer to try it with. If you just use an IEC power cord to plug it into the wall, it will do nothing. The CRT heater might glow, but that's it -- the high voltage won't even come on without a valid MDA-type video signal being sent to it.

Really?

 

[vwestlife]

Really?

Yes, really. I used a 5151 with a Wang 286 PC whose auxiliary power outlet (which the 5151's power cable plugs into) was powered all the time, not switched on/off with the computer's power supply. But even though the 5151 was getting power all the time, I would still hear the "fzzt" of the high voltage coming on when I turned on the computer, and it would take a few seconds to warm up -- indicating that in the absence of a video signal at its input, the 5151's HV shuts down.

 

[Stone]

I wasn't being serious about that, therefore the ( ). I have several 5151s and know how they work (or don't) as the case may be.

 

[vwestlife]

I wasn't being serious about that, therefore the ( ). I have several 5151s and know how they work (or don't) as the case may be.

Good, but other people might not. So, my point was that someone who isn't familiar with how it works could plug a 5151 in to AC power, expect it to power up and show a blank raster on the CRT, and declare it to be "dead" when it doesn't.

 

[Maverick1978]

Hmm... Been awhile since I checked, but ISTR that when one powered on a 5151, then turned the contrast all the way down (or was it brightness all the way up?) one would get a bright lime-green display of diagonally-running raster lines. Still, not a true indication that it will work properly once video signal is applied, but to me at least, it was a good indicator that the tube wasn't blown.

And Stone, thanks for pointing out my type - which is corrected now, btw I've been doing alot of those dumb typos lately......