question about model 50 (not 50z)

[Fred Mau]

"SUPRDAVE" <supr...@aol.comAolsucks> wrote in message
news:20000423204836...@ng-ch1.aol.com...
> picked up a clean 8550 for free and whats even more interesting, it's not
a Z
> model. where there very many 50s made before the 50z types were announced?
can
> i use bigger hard drives from a 50z in this 50?

The 50 and 50z used different riser cards. The 50z used a 90X9441 riser, and
worked with 30, 60, 120, and 160 meg drives. The earlier 50 originally used
a 72X8505 riser with a 20 meg drive, but was upgradeable via a 90X9571 riser
to use the later drives same as the 50Z.

Based on just what I've seen going through surplus warehouses, I'd have to
guess that the 50Z outsold the 50 by at least 10 to 1, but I don't know the
time frames involved.

Fred Mau
Columbus, Ohio
fre...@ibm.net

[Aron Eisenpress]

The difference isn't just the riser card - the BIOS in the 50 only has
support for the 20mb drive. The upgrade riser card is different from the
50z's riser card because it has a BIOS in it.

(Someone posted a while ago about transferring a 50z's BIOS code into
a mod 50 - it worked, but the 50z and 50 use different BIOS chips so it
is not just a matter of moving the chips over.)
-------

-- Aron Eisenpress, City U of NY / Computing & Information Services
(email: af...@cunyvm.cuny.edu)

[SUPRDAVE]

picked up a clean 8550 for free and whats even more interesting, it's not a Z
model. where there very many 50s made before the 50z types were announced? can
i use bigger hard drives from a 50z in this 50?

D.B. Young. Team OS/2!
-->this message printed on recycled disk space<--
visit the computers of yesteryear at
http://members.aol.com/suprdave/classiccmp/museum.htm
(now accepting donations!)
Delete the obvious (Aolsucks) to reply.

[Ferrousp]

Drop in Bordshtles chat room and ask him.....I am pretty sure he knows a bit
about them.

[Bordshtles]

while we are on the topic of Mod. 50 machines, anyone ever see a Mod.50 486
I got about four of the little buggers, it has a IBM stick on logo that says
"IBM Personal system/2 model 50 486.
I also have a couple that look like Mod. 55 machines that are 486 slc2
machines, they also have a IBM glue on logo. was this a upgrade kit from IBM,
or is this the way the machines were shipped from IBM.

[SUPRDAVE]

you sure they werent mod 70s? the 8570 486 was the only one ive seen and the
one type i can find in old IBM glossies.

[Peterwendt]

Hi !

>you sure they werent mod 70s? the 8570 486 was the only one ive seen and the
>one type i can find in old IBM glossies.

Typically the souped-up Mod. 50 with the Reply 486 upgrade planar.
They had these cheesy cheap "printed" stickers. Have seen 50-486, 55-486 and
70-486 variations.

Very friendly greetings from Peter in Germany
http://members.aol.com/mcapage0/mcaindex.htm

[Peterwendt]

Hi !

>The 50 and 50z used different riser cards. The 50z used a 90X9441 riser, and
>worked with 30, 60, 120, and 160 meg drives. The earlier 50 originally used
>a 72X8505 riser with a 20 meg drive, but was upgradeable via a 90X9571 riser
>to use the later drives same as the 50Z.

... where the 90X9571 is in fact a sort of "additional controller" - the 50-021
lacked the enhanced ESDI BIOS that the 50Z had.

>Based on just what I've seen going through surplus warehouses, I'd have to
>guess that the 50Z outsold the 50 by at least 10 to 1, but I don't know the
>time frames involved.

The quota sounds right to me. Time frame was 1987 - mid-1988, when the 50Z
replaced the 50-021. The 50Z was available into the early 90s - still listed in
the 1992 price / option list AFAIR.

[Peterwendt]

Hi Aron !

>The difference isn't just the riser card - the BIOS in the 50 only has
>support for the 20mb drive. The upgrade riser card is different from the
>50z's riser card because it has a BIOS in it.
>
>(Someone posted a while ago about transferring a 50z's BIOS code into
>a mod 50 - it worked, but the 50z and 50 use different BIOS chips so it
>is not just a matter of moving the chips over.)

Yup. That was me.
The "ROM-section" on the 50-021 consists out of 4 x 27C256 (32K x 8 bit) while
the 50Z had 2 x 27C512 (64K x 8 bit).

[Peterwendt]

Hi !

>I also have a couple that look like Mod. 55 machines that are 486 slc2
>machines, they also have a IBM glue on logo. was this a upgrade kit from IBM,
>or is this the way the machines were shipped from IBM.

IBM "Model 53" - 9553 - a 55SX-style case with a 5.25" slimline bay, IDE and
Cirrus Logic SVGA (hence: 95xx) and the Reply Corp 486SLC2 board inside.

Had been originally built "on customers demand" for more CPU-power and same
55SX footprint, where storage capacity wasn't the main topic. Turned out to be
a good mid-range desktop and has been taken into the IBM program for a year or
so.
Substituted by the 9556 ...

[Thomas J Watercott]

IBM sold an upgrade kit for the model 50z that included the sticker a chip puller
a mathco compatibility plug and an upgrade processor board with a 486slc2 chip

Bordshtles wrote:

> while we are on the topic of Mod. 50 machines, anyone ever see a Mod.50 486
> I got about four of the little buggers, it has a IBM stick on logo that says
> "IBM Personal system/2 model 50 486.

[Bordshtles]

should have went to the NG before sending that last email. thanks>>I also have

a couple that look like Mod. 55 machines that are 486 slc2
>>machines, they also have a IBM glue on logo. was this a upgrade kit from
>IBM,
>>or is this the way the machines were shipped from IBM.
>

[Skywkr666]

>
>while we are on the topic of Mod. 50 machines, anyone ever see a Mod.50 486
>I got about four of the little buggers, it has a IBM stick on logo that says
>"IBM Personal system/2 model 50 486.

> I also have a couple that look like Mod. 55 machines that are 486 slc2
>machines, they also have a IBM glue on logo. was this a upgrade kit from IBM,
>or is this the way the machines were shipped from IBM.
>
>
>

>I got 2 of em