Ibm Pc 3270

[Yzzerdd]

I have an IBM PC 3270 clogging space under the bed. In good condition with the original parts. Even has DOS installed, but it is missing the emulator card. They pop up on eBay frequently for cheap(the card, not PC). Looking for a good price on it, I aint giving it away. Will trade for a Vintage PC though, particurally looking for the following, and will trade PC for PC:

IBM 5150
any Compaq Portable, either I, or II, but not III
Apple IIc+
HP 85
Macintosh Color Classic
Eagle II or III
a Kaypro
or an Amiga

--Ryan

[chuckcmagee]

Uh, without the emulation board, isn't really just a 5150 in a thin disguise?

[Yzzerdd]

Basically, but it has 640K of RAM, and an HD. I want to have a geniune 5150 though

[dongfeng]

Without the emulation card, it is just a regular 5150...

Plus, I always thought the 3270 was based on an XT? Maybe you just got the wrong case cover?

[Yzzerdd]

Naw, it's definatley an IBM 3270. It may not say "PC" I'm not TOTALLY sure, seems it is pretty deep under the bed. Anyway, the case is definatley the right case for the machine.

[mbbrutman]

I doubt that it is a real 3270 PC. A real 3270 PC would have a 3270 communications card, special video card, a special monitor, a special keyboard card, and a special keyboard. The keyboard and monitor would be quite distinctive too - not your run-of-the-mill 5151 or 5153 monitor.

It sounds more like a normal PC with a 3270 emulation card. The badging on the case seems to be wrong. It may have been a 3270 PC with all of the cards at one point in time, but now it's just a PC with a slightly funny badge.

http://www.nothingtodo.org/classiccmp/3270pc.htm

[Vlad]

Remember that keyboard you showed me on ebay? That is what it would have if it was a 3270.

[Yzzerdd]

It has a monitor card with parallel, a serial card, and a keyboard connector on the mobo. All the plates in the back that cover up unused expansion match and are the originals. There is one plate missing were the emulator card is supposed to go, but is missing.

Oh, just saw Vlad's post. Crap. It uses standard DIN connections. It also came with a standard 5151 monitor. I wonder if it was sold in this configuration by IBM, or if the owner upgraded it.

Sorry for the confusion, I'm just going by what the case says.
--Ryan

EDIT: Either way, the thing gotta go, I want one with the right badging, I just want my collection to be somewhat perfect.

[Terry Yager]

I just want my collection to be somewhat perfect.

MeToo! (Somewhat perfect?)...

--T

[Yzzerdd]

By somewhat perfect, I mean it doesn't have to have every machine ever made, and every machine doesn't have to be totally sterile(clean) and in perfect shape. I just want them to be in good condition with original stuff(keyboard, mobo, cards) and be in working order.

[Terry Yager]

By somewhat perfect, I mean it doesn't have to have every machine ever made, and every machine doesn't have to be totally sterile(clean) and in perfect shape. I just want them to be in good condition with original stuff(keyboard, mobo, cards) and be in working order.

That's ok. After living with a FEMA employee for some time, I'm getting used to hearing such oxymoronic terms as 'minor disaster', etc...

--T

[Yzzerdd]

I doubt that it is a real 3270 PC. A real 3270 PC would have a 3270 communications card, special video card, a special monitor, a special keyboard card, and a special keyboard. The keyboard and monitor would be quite distinctive too - not your run-of-the-mill 5151 or 5153 monitor.

It sounds more like a normal PC with a 3270 emulation card. The badging on the case seems to be wrong. It may have been a 3270 PC with all of the cards at one point in time, but now it's just a PC with a slightly funny badge.

http://www.nothingtodo.org/classiccmp/3270pc.htm


Ha! I knew I was right! I decided to get to the bottom of this mess and settle it once and for all, and after an hour of poking through stuff, finding nothing, and then using quotation marks in my search, I found someone in a similar dillema. Turns out they have the same thing I have, but they have a PC/370 card. I am now positive I have a geniune PC 3270. Even if it had the wrong cover, the bottom case still tells the story of a PC 3270/5371 model 168. Every label on the back agrees with it. Copyright 1982. It's a shame I don't have the PC/370 card. It is still up for sale, still clogging space. I am still wanting a geniune PC 5150. I have to admit, for awhile I thought I had a PC XT with a different cover, but now I am set on it being a 3270. Oh, and instead of an 8088, it has an NEC v20, as well as an Intel math coproccessor.

--Ryan
http://neil.franklin.ch/Usenet/alt.folklore.computers/20010609_IBM_3270_Personal_Computer_w_PC_370_Board

[IBMMuseum]

It has a monitor card with parallel, a serial card, and a keyboard connector on the mobo. All the plates in the back that cover up unused expansion match and are the originals. There is one plate missing were the emulator card is supposed to go, but is missing.

Oh, just saw Vlad's post. Crap. It uses standard DIN connections. It also came with a standard 5151 monitor. I wonder if it was sold in this configuration by IBM, or if the owner upgraded it.

Sorry for the confusion, I'm just going by what the case says.
--Ryan

EDIT: Either way, the thing gotta go, I want one with the right badging, I just want my collection to be somewhat perfect.

The 3270 PC did come in a few different configurations from IBM, even with straight MDA video. It would have had to had the keyboard adapter (but presto, remove it and use a standard PC keyboard) and 3270 emulation board. What the others were getting at is that the 3270 PC is based on an XT chassis (8 slots), not the PC (5 slots), despite the name.

[Yzzerdd]

Hmm...Well this one I have has 8 slots.

--Ryan

[IBMMuseum]

Ha! I knew I was right! I decided to get to the bottom of this mess and settle it once and for all, and after an hour of poking through stuff, finding nothing, and then using quotation marks in my search, I found someone in a similar dillema. Turns out they have the same thing I have, but they have a PC/370 card. I am now positive I have a geniune PC 3270. Even if it had the wrong cover, the bottom case still tells the story of a PC 3270/5371 model 168. Every label on the back agrees with it. Copyright 1982. It's a shame I don't have the PC/370 card. It is still up for sale, still clogging space. I am still wanting a geniune PC 5150. I have to admit, for awhile I thought I had a PC XT with a different cover, but now I am set on it being a 3270. Oh, and instead of an 8088, it has an NEC v20, as well as an Intel math coproccessor.

--Ryan
http://neil.franklin.ch/Usenet/alt.folklore.computers/20010609_IBM_3270_Personal_Computer_w_PC_370_Board

Not quite to the bottom of the mess, because the PC/370 was yet another system (the "370", just like "3270" for the terminal types and PC emulation, denotes mainframe equipment or simulation). There was also an AT/370, as well as boards that went into the later PS/2s. The actual 3270 emulation adapter you are missing from the system is far more common.

[Sharkonwheels]

Well, to clarify things a little bit...
A PC/370 is a totally different beast...That is actually a 370-mainframe-on-a-card, using the PC or XT as it's I/O subsystem. And as IBMMuseum pointed out, they later came out in MCA format, both P/370 and P/390. There were also 2 variants of the PCI P/390: The standard P/390 and the higher-spec P/390e, which had more 390 RAM onboard, and I believe it was faster - not exactly positive though.

The PC/3270's were used for both console for older mainframes (438x I believe, and MAYBE early ES/9000 or 390 systems, but I doubt it), as well as using them for smart terminals. They had the best of both worlds: run PC software, as well as connect to the corporate mainframe, all in one box, instead of a pc, and a 3270 terminal on the desk.

Now, the P/3x0's are cool - I just sold m P/390 to a chap in PA about 6 months ago, but they are PAINFULLY slow. IPL on mine (OS/390 V2R10 I think) took about 12-15 minutes. On a relatively current Linux box, running hercules (IBM Mainframe hardware emulator) IPL takes, oh, I don;t know, 30 seconds?

Those P/370's and P/390's were normally used for development, as they were cheap solutions to have the programmers coding, and not involve the enterprise box. Quite a few found their way to end-users, as they were cheaper, smaller, ran cooler, used less power, etc.. Just in the past few years, they were going up in price, but suddenly the price tanked about mid 2006. I think everyone is hoping to get their hands on a Multiprise 3000, like an H50 or an H70, but last one I saw on eBay in the summer (H70) went for near $7K.

Man would I *LoVE* to get my hands on an H70 - that would rock! Got a nice corner saved for it in the garage on the hope!


T

[IBMMuseum]

...I am now positive I have a geniune PC 3270. Even if it had the wrong cover, the bottom case still tells the story of a PC 3270/5371 model 168. Every label on the back agrees with it...

And I finally dug out my IBM book. The 3270 PC had a 5271 system unit, with the 3270 PC/G and 3270 PC/GX having a 5371 system unit (what you have). Furthermore it says the only 5371 units with an MDA card were the 3270 PC/GX.

But it only talks about the Model 12, 14, and 16, differing slightly by the internal options...