Ohio Scientific Challenger 1P, Apple II+, TRS-80 Model 1, Atari 400, Osborne 1a, System-80/Video Genie/PMC-80, IBM-5150 (IBM-PC), ZX-81, TRS-80 Colour Computer 1, Vic-20, Epson HX-20, BBC-B, ZX-Spectrum, Kaypro II, Eaca Colour Genie, RX-8800, Apple IIe, Atari 800XL, Tandy Model 100, Commodore 64, Commodore 64C, Commodore SX-64, Spectravideo 318, Mattel Aquarius, Sinclair QL, Atari 130XE, Apple IIe Platinum, IBM PS/2 30-286, Compaq SLT/286, Amiga 500, Atari 1040ST, Mac SE/30, Mac Classic II, Mac Powerbook 145B, Generic 386DX-40

IBM PS/2 Model 30-286

The PS/2 represents one of the lines developed by IBM in 1987 to wrest back market share from the PC clones. Whilst the plan never worked, the line was responsible for several features which were widely adopted by others. This included the 1.44 MB 3.5-inch floppy disk format, 72-pin SIMM RAM, the PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, and the VGA video standard.

That's why an example of this model line is in my collection.

Fairly plain on the outside, this PS/2 Model 30-286 was designed to wear a monitor on top like most business computers of the day. That is not the type of monitor it would have been wearing in 1987 though. That's a modern LCD replacement but because the PS/2 gave us VGA, it works fine with this old machine. The keyboard and the mouse are not authentic either.

This unit arrived in mid-2008. At first it was working, then the on/off switch became somewhat unreliable. It had to be flipped just the right amount for things to fire. Eventually the computer failed to go at all! Luckily, I found a $13 replacement unit loaded with Dr-DOS, Windows 3.0 and lots of games. The replacement works perfectly. I now have a spare non-working PS/2 for parts!

Speaking of that switch, it is the wierdest thing. Inside the unit, that on-off switch is actually attached to a metal arm, which pushes ANOTHER switch on the power supply. This is a large red switch only slightly smaller than the one found on the original IBM-PC. It seems a oddball way to turn the power on. Why they didn't just wire up the external rocker switch directly to the power suppy unit I'll never know!

Want to know more about this micro? Google is your friend.

This page last edited 23rd December, 2008

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