#ibm pc xt

[princess-viola]

IBM PC XT

[commodorez]

This thing came in clutch for fixing one of the exhibit machines that was having problems with the sound card joystick port for some stupid reason. The oldest design for a gameport/joystick interface on IBM compatibles, and it works just fine on a machine from about 1997.

IBM Analog Input Card, aka the original ISA joystick port option

[lonelyrollingstar]

Occasionally getting old hardware working is less than elegant

[themightymadman]

1983 IBM PC 5160 (XT) Power Supply Rebuild & Modifications

[yodaprod]

Pencept PenPad 200 on IBM PC XT (1983)

[univac1219]

Does your 1219 have a nickname?

Also, I was wondering if you have any fun stories surrounding it! Strange quirks it has or anything like that.

I'd love to see more photos if you're allowed to post them!

Thanks for the question! These are my favorite part about my blog by far.

Not exactly, the UNIVAC 1219 doesn’t have a nickname. I did realize recently that I should specify the pronunciation (Twelve-Nineteen), but it doesn’t have any nicknames. Apart from ‘the 1219’, it’s also regularly referred to as the CPU or just ‘the computer’.

Fun stories or weird quirks? Boy, I could fill a book with this machine’s weird quirks (or as we say, intermittent issues), but I’ll try to blitz through the most common ones:

Sometimes the computer will stop running and enter a WAIT mode. No reason, it just needs a break. We can’t fix it, it just has to decide to go back into operating mode.

The computer will often start attempting to communicate on IO channel 13. We’re not telling it to talk to anything, it just decides to try to.

One of our teletypes (the Kleinshmidt) stamps ink splotches into the paper rather than characters most of the time. However, this weekend it worked for the first time in 10 months! We didn’t change anything, it just had an extra cup of coffee or something.

The Digital Data Recorder, or the tape drive, has the most gremlins out of any of our units. The top handler works fairly well, but the bottom handler won’t properly read data, write data, move the tape forward, initialize the tape, or any number of other issues.

There’s more but hopefully this satisfies your curiosity.

Fun stories? Well, I can’t name any specific ones, but I can say it’s a very endearing machine. It’s the very last of its kind and being one of three individuals in the world responsible for it makes every issue that more frustrating. There is no real forum for it, the subject matter experts sit next to me and are often just as exasperated as I am.

But the unique nature of this situation make every successful diagnostic test that much sweeter. Every new addition (5.25” floppy drive via serial) that much cooler. I have an IBM PC-XT clone at home, but I thank my lucky stars every day that this big iron is what I get to specialize in.

As for more photos, I have none that are as grandiose as you would probably expect. I do have my working photos though. I took all my photos when I first started working on it and now I am more dedicated to fixes than photo-ops.

This is a photo of our finicky Kleinshmidt teletype. Still has blotches but it actually printed!

This is the back of the bottom handler. Pictured is the vacuum pump in the bottom left (so sudden stops just yank magnetic tape slack rather than ripping tape). The big cylinder in the center is a motor for running the magnetic tape handler itself. The big black ‘hose’ of wires coming out of the steel plate contains all the cables that come right off the handler’s head for reading and writing data!

This is the forward pinch roller of the bottom handler. It was replaced after this photo was taken as you can see the rubber has deteriorated in the 55 years this machine has been operating.

As for being allowed to post photos, that’s not an issue. The last 1219 was decommissioned in 2014 and now you can find all of its documentation online at http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/univac/military/1219/

[adafruit]

🎄💾🗓️ Day 5: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Compaq DeskPro 1 🎄💾🗓️

The Compaq Deskpro Model 1, introduced in 1984, featured an 8 MHz Intel 8086 CPU, which had better performance than the IBM PC's 4.77 MHz 8088 processor. It combined Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) graphics with high-resolution Monochrome Display Adapter (MDA) text, delivering enhanced text display. This improved speed and better text clarity over IBM PCs equipped with standard graphics. The Deskpro's architecture allowed for various disk configurations and was an influence for many personal computers.

Check out The Centre for Computing History's Compaq DeskPro 1 page (and other resources there!)

And here's a somewhat "first computer" story from Adafruit team member Anne!

"In my first year of EE (junior) we were limited to larger computers. My senior year we could check out Compaq Portables (really luggables) which allowed us to run C compilers and compile cross assemblers onto a machine for ease of use.

When I graduated, I needed a computer and went to a PC store. They contrasted the IBM PC/XT 8088 with the newly released Compaq DeskPro 1. With an 8086 processor running at 7.16 MHz, it was faster. It came with monochrome graphics (green or yellow) with both CGA and text mode video. I bought the dual 5.25" floppy version to start, to have enough money for an IBM ProPrinter for output.

The machine was great and I spent many hours on programming, databases, word processing and more. It was upgraded eventually to a 30MB RLL hard disk and an added 720k 3.5" floppy."

It got through the '286 era and was supplanted by a '386 machine. I still have the DeskPro and I intend to resurrect it in the not too distant future.

Have first computer memories? Post’em up in the comments, or post yours on socialz’ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing – See you back here tomorrow!

[ui-alcoholic]

PolType/Cyfronex

Polish PolType is a family of microcomputer systems developed by Polish engineers in close cooperation with the Polish representative of the British MonoType company (PolType was acquired by the Cyfronex company in 1986, but the original developers remained with the company).

PolType devices were able to control LaserComp and MonoType Imagesetter machines (Imagesetter produces the printing film from which the printing plate is made – nowadays the plate is made directly, and the film is not needed).

The first generation of Poltype (1988) required its own eight-bit computer, the next, Poltype 03 and 04, used a PC XT class computer.

The 510-key POLSET 04 keyboard (for PolType 04) shown in the picture below was also Cyronex's own development. This was also excellent for typing complex mathematical formulas, but through it the functions of the SW were also available (the mouse and WYSIWYG were still in a very experimental stage at that time)

510-key keyboard for the PolType 04 system.

The keyboard of PolType 03 (this system already used IBM XT machines)

Jacek Sobczyk, co-owner of the company Cyfronex with PolType 03 keyboard (this one also has more buttons than what we are used to)

Cyfronex // PolType 03 system

source:

• Tumbler // sailing the cylindrical sea

• Mikro Klan 1988/1

• Bajtek 1988/5

Check these out too if you are interested in retro computing

[mxargent]

New MOTD "picture" for my IBM PC-XT.

[mikurulucky]

It's spring of 1984 Claire is finally in high school and her mom was doing better than ever working as a gene therapist at the local hospital. With her higher income, she was eventually able to scrape up enough cash for a brand new IBM pc. (yeah, I know that's the cheapo pc from the base game, just pretend it's an IBM 5150, XT, or a similar IBM compatible from the era lol)

[gutsofthemachine]

Loading CPM.SYS... CP/M-86 for the IBM PC/XT/AT Vers. 1.1

Hardware Supported:

‎‎‎ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤDiskette Drives                : 3

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤHard Disk Drives   : 1

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤParallel Printers      : 1

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤSerial Ports             : 3

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤMemory (TB) ��               : 387

. . . . . .

Nodes Ported   Check

Life Support   Check

Location Tracking   Check

SYS Responsive   Check

Layers Corresponding   Check

All Systems Operational.

Begin Bootup Sequence? Y/N

Y

Firmware Latest Version (1972.7.27)

Calibration Recently Updated

Preform Recalibration? Y/N

Y

What 's up , Chumps !?

BAH ! Told 'ja I'd be back. Well! Consider me damned- I had'ta fiddle with sum, and what'dya know ! I er, came back with a few other fellers willin' to help me run the joint; Might appear as a different color, cause lil' chum 'ere had t'hog it. Nuffa me, though! Hear from de rest of what else I got stocked, eh !?

WjH++Hat ???W

Greetings, QUEERS. Heard y'all had a lounge to MEANDER around, couldn't help but rob NINX of his only means of communicating OUTWARDS. HA ! HAHA ! HAH. Yeah. Felt good beating 'im to a pulp, admittedly. Oyp told me NOT to. Anyways HAIII !!!!

Aegis Speaking.

it's. it's going., dont have much running for me but I thought i'd put something down to say. bit rude of ninx and wid to push me to write something, but if the crowd here is eager enough, i'll provide. halleujah, or- how it goes.

THE MACHINE

In task of everything managed, from asks to overtaking the wheel when things get chaotic. Assets are loose to roam the site, ask, receive, so on. Suggestive or otherwise unruly questions will be denied. Neither is this sector open for direct interactions, you get your conversation- done. For clarification, these subjects take place within a canon position and are not meant to be afflicted whatsoever.

No Multiverse Warping, Capiche?

Great Great, yeah. AS for our new guests we's got here, have a looksie, eh ??

                                Wid            Oyp

 He/She/Them        They/Them

As fer me, well. Eeehhhh... Not in the best shape! Blame Wid. I aint do nuthin ter deserve it.

You DID! I'll BITCH about how your loud ass got us detected on the CAMS!

It's your fault for being loud as all hell, now ain't it ?? Now quit your yappin' before I got a reason t' throw out this device fer good!

Way to GO about using that NOGGIN, Ninx!

quit arguing, we're in the public's eyes. asks are open in 3.. 2.. 1.

ASKS ARE OPEN.

Ninx's Status: HEALTHY (ASKS AVALIABLE)

Wid's    Status: HEALTHY (ASKS AVALIABLE)

Oyp's    Status: HEALTHY (ASKS AVALIABLE)

[commodorez]

Note: this does not include PC clones.

[lonelyrollingstar]

Created the museum’s first Hidden Mickey-esque gag easter egg

[dimalink]

State 89

Three-dimensional scene based on videogame Interstate 76. It is excellent game about car theme. With shooting. In genre of combat racing. Open space. Story style of action movie 70s-80s. Excellent 3d graphics, which easy to start with 486 Dx2 computer. Later it was a versions 3DFX of this game. Ride a car about free space. And shoot.

And this is my three-dimensional scene based on this game. Style of retro action movie. I remember a square based graphics of Interstate 76.  It is such a firm style. I have done it much more simple way. But something like the way – characters of this game. It was a Groove Champion, character in game. I dedicate it to Groove Champion. As I can say. And car Lincoln or Jefferson. As I remember, it is Jefferson. I like a lot this car. So, you can select a game mode – ride a desert. At any car, if I am right.

Let’s move to 1989. Very end of 80s. Style of retro action movie. Retro graphics. Retro characters.

Somewhere in desert. It is going a stylish car. Yacht on wheels. Desert. It is hot in day. And cold at night. Though all the desert it is going one single car.

Racer Disco is going to a secret point. Point of meeting. Disco with nickname at the road track – master. Disco Master, also, a policeman, which investigation a strange car modifications. Strange car transporting. Someone here is moving cars, take a race, makes wrong modifications. Dark story.

Early at the morning. Sun is only starting. It is yet cold. He takes his pistol. And he has reached the house. Amongst the desert. Somewhere, computer master is waiting for him. He will show him with newest computer Ibm pc xt new variations of the car. And help to modify car for a race. With building into it a computer. But it is good to be careful. Opponents can to know about this. It is very dangerous!

In a little house. Computer master is waiting for a long time. Hesitation. And paranoid. It is better to finish it faster. Nothing to do. Program is already written. Loaded to a diskette. It is good to make a debug and install into Disco`s car. And that’s all. Disco can win the race. And to get to know what is wrong with other`s modifications. It is good to press Enter and go into State 89. Secret car modification. Computer and machine -  no one see this before.

It helps to know what is going on. And catch intruders.

Dima Link is making retro videogames, apps, a little of music, write stories, and some retro more.

WEBSITE: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html ITCHIO: https://dimalink.itch.io/ GAMEJOLT: https://gamejolt.com/@DimaLink/games

BLOGGER: https://dimalinkeng.blogspot.com/

[davetheinverted]

The Big Red Switch from the power supply to an IBM PC XT.

(Fun historical fact: one of the early versions of MS-DOS (2.0 maybe?) would default to the C: drive if you just typed in format by itself with no arguments. So you'd get something like "Formatting C: drive. Press any key to continue...." The best part was it accepted Ctrl-C as an "any key to continue", so if you made it to there, the only way to prevent your hard drive from being wiped was to hit The Big Red Switch.)

every girl wants to get in a vehicle and flip 3-6 switches overhead in the process of turning it on

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

IBM Cybersecurity Basics: Free, Online, and Self-Paced

I wish I had a course like this 20 years ago. I could have prevented being a cyber-victim.  I grew up in an era without computers, even without electricity or TV. My entertainment came from the radio and books. It wasn’t until my postgraduate years that I encountered computers, thanks to studying at a university with mainframe systems.  Fast forward to 1980, I got my hands on an XT PC, which…