IBM PS / 1

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IBM PS / 1
IBMPS1.jpg
Manufacturer IBM
Type Home computers
publication 1990
End of production 1994
Factory price 990DM
processor Intel 80286 @ 10 MHz / Intel 80386 @ 20 MHz
random access memory 512 KB to 6 MB
graphic 512 KB
Sound Unavailable
Disk 40 MB HDD IDE
operating system PC-DOS 4.01 in ROM

With the IBM PS / 1 personal computer , IBM made another attempt in 1990 , five years after the IBM PCjr , to establish itself in the home computer market. In September 1994 the PS / 1 was replaced by the IBM Aptiva . All PS / 1 and Aptiva models had a built-in modem for access to online help and pre-installed software.

Position within the IBM brand

The designation “PS / 1” should indicate a machine with limited performance compared to the professional PS / 2 product line . However, unlike the PCjr, the PS / 1 had a higher degree of compatibility with the PS / 2 systems. The PS / 1 family was intended for beginners and was sold in normal electronics stores together with comparable offers from Compaq , Hewlett-Packard , Packard Bell and others, a departure from the previously common strategy that IBM products were only available from IBM to buy yourself. All PS / 1 models included a modem so users could contact IBM online for help. A special feature of all PS / 1 models was that you could restore the original state of the BIOS if you kept both mouse buttons pressed when switching on the computer and only released them after the power-on self-test had ended . In the 2011 and 2121 models, this procedure also resulted in the PC-DOS being booted from a built-in ROM instead of the hard disk. In this way, the PS / 1 systems had elementary protection against viruses, since the state of the factory delivery could always be restored.

During the production of the PS / 1 systems there were different housings:

  • 2011 Proprietary design, power supply in the screen
  • 2121 Proprietary design power of the screen, one ISA - slot
  • 2123 Based on the IBM PS / 2 Model 30, only a few copies were made
  • 2133 desktop model. The two digits 3 refer to the number of ISA expansion slots and drive bays available ; CPUs from Intel 80486SX to 80486DX-33 (sub-model 575)
  • 2155 desktop model. The two digits 5 refer to the number of available expansion slots and drive bays
  • 2168 tower model. The digits 6 and 8 refer to the number of expansion slots and drive bays available

The cases 2133 and 2155 were used in different model years; the tower device 2168 appeared later.

"DOS in ROM" models

The original PS / 1 contained a 10 MHz Intel 80286 CPU and was designed with the goal of being easy to set up and easy to use. IBM made the rather unusual decision to accommodate the motherboard and other electronics in the monitor . The early 2011 and 2121 models started DOS from a ROM and initially showed a four-part graphic screen that offered direct access to help information, Microsoft Works, its own software and the DOS command processor. They had 1 MB of main memory, a built-in 2400 baud modem, an optional 30 MB hard drive and an optional sound card . IBM also sold a 5.25 "floppy disk drive and an adapter card unit (ACU) to accommodate third-party expansion cards. The 2121 model used the same chassis as the 2011 model, but had an ISA expansion slot inside the chassis proprietary 4-MB memory module can be expanded from 2 MB to 6 MB.

The first PS / 1 models (2011, 2121) offered too few expansion options, mainly due to the lack of ISA expansion slots.

A successor model later had an Intel 80386 SX processor with 16 MHz, a version with the Intel 80486 SX ran with 20 MHz.

The 2133 models can be divided into the following hardware categories:

Model MB FRU CPU R.A.M. VRAM SIMM Hard drive
2133-? 11 93F2397 Intel 80386sx @ 25 MHz 2 MB 256 KB 2 × 72 pin FPM 59G9567 (85 MB IDE)
2133-? 13 93F2397 Intel 80386sx @ 25 MHz 2 MB 256 KB 2 × 72 pin FPM 93F2329 (129 MB IDE)
2133-? 43 34G1885 Intel 80486sx @ 20 MHz 4 MB 512 KB 2 × 30 pin FPM 93F2329 (129 MB IDE)
2133-? 50 34G1848 Intel 80486sx @ 25 MHz 4 MB 512 KB 2 × 30 pin FPM 93F2329 (129 MB IDE)
2133-? 53 34G1848 Intel 80486sx @ 25 MHz 4 MB 512 KB 2 × 30 pin FPM 93F2329 (129 MB IDE)
2133-575 Intel 80486DX @ 33 MHz 4 MB 512 KB 4 × 72 pin FPM 170 MB IDE

Later models

In May 1993, IBM introduced a "new generation" of the PS / 1 product line. These systems contained a normal LPX motherboard. Oddly enough, many of these later PS / 1 systems came pre-installed with MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows instead of IBM's PC-DOS or OS / 2 . This was because IBM saw the market for OS / 2 in more expensive machines with more computing power. However, one of the first 2133 models had OS / 2 2.1 preinstalled.

End of production

The PS / 1 product line was discontinued in 1994 and replaced by the Aptiva line, which was architecturally similar to the last PS / 1 models, but had a more common name. Aptivas were sold in the United States through the spring of 2000; Back then, price pressure made the product line unprofitable and IBM withdrew completely from the consumer PC market.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sound Devices Supported: PS / 1 Audio Car.
  2. ↑ PS / 1 - 2133 18A / 21C / 23C / 52D (SL-B) Service parts . IBM. March 8, 1999. Retrieved June 14, 2008.
  3. ↑ Hardware Maintenance Service for PS1 computer (Machine Types 2133, 2155, and 2168). IBM Corporation, March 1993, 63G2028.