website/content/museum/ibm-5100.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
IBM 5100	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1975	IBM circuit module	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts hardware links related oc_id source 5100 /media/museum/photos/ibm_5100_system_1.jpg /companies/ibm IBM label value NAME 5100 label value MANUFACTURER IBM label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR September 1975 label value END OF PRODUCTION 1978 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE BASIC or APL or both label value KEYBOARD Full stroke 74 keys with numeric keypad and arrow keys label value CPU IBM circuit module label value SPEED 1.9 MHz. label value RAM 16 KB to 64 KB by 16 KB steps label value ROM 32 KB to 64 KB label value TEXT MODES 64 chars. x 16 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES None label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND No sound capabilities label value SIZE / WEIGHT 24 Kg. label value I/O PORTS 5103 printer and 5106 external tape drive unit label value BUILT IN MEDIA Built-in 204 KB DC600 tape drive label value OS APL or BASIC label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PRICE From $8975 (BASIC 16 KB) to $19,975 (BASIC+APL 64 KB) photos adverts hardware links 776 title subtitle text image FRONT VIEW BASIC only model (no APL) with no tape drive. Thanks to redrum76 for this picture /media/museum/photos/ibm_5100_front_1.jpg title subtitle text image FRONT PANEL A close-up of the controls. **(1)** Brightness adjustment\ **(2)** Power switch\ **(3)** Display left 32 cols, all 64 cols, or right 32 cols\ **(4)** Process Check Led\ **(5)** In Progress Led\ **(6)** Display reverse switch\ **(7)** Tape cartridge door\ **(8)** Restart switch\ **(9)** Display Registers switch /media/museum/photos/ibm_5100_frontpanel_1.jpg title subtitle text image MEMORY DUMP Memory dump in hexadecimal form. /media/museum/photos/ibm_5100_hexadump_1.jpg title subtitle text image DISPLAY CLOSE-UP Thanks to redrum76 for this picture /media/museum/photos/ibm_5100_display.jpg title subtitle text image DETAIL Thanks to redrum76 for this picture /media/museum/photos/ibm_5100_detail_1.jpg title subtitle text image STRAPPING MAN! Advert said: A compact problem-solving add for engineers, statisticians, scientists and financial and business analysts. /media/museum/pubs/ibm_5100_pub_1.jpg title subtitle text image 5103 PRINTER 132-column bidirectional dot matrix printer with tractor feed. 80 characters per second. /media/museum/hardware/ibm_5120_printer5103_1.jpg title subtitle text image ESSENTIAL ACCESSORY #1 /media/museum/hardware/ibm_5100_tshirt_1.jpg title subtitle text image ESSENTIAL ACCESSORY #2 /media/museum/hardware/ibm_5100_cup_1.jpg title url text Eric's Eccentric Emporium of Egregiously Effervescent Effluvium, Etc - 5100 page http://www.brouhaha.com/~eric/retrocomputing/ibm/5100/ Détailed page with interesting info title url text IBM 5110 page http://computermuseum.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/dev/ibm_5110/technik/en/ Very complete information here ! title url text oldcomputers.net http://oldcomputers.net/ibm5100.html Nice article with good pictures title url text Wikipedia - IBM 5100 article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_5100 Nice article /museum/ibm-5120 795 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230405101343/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=795 2023-04-05

In September 1975, IBM announced its smallest and first portable computer (If you consider a 28 Kgs. computer portable, that is), the IBM 5100, no bigger than one of IBM's typewriters.

Developed in Rochester, it used the same operating system as IBM's /370 line of main frames. Thus it could accommodate the same APL interpreter, permitting the use of APL programs. A BASIC interpreter was also available, depending of the 5100 version chosen.

This was the first widely marketed and supported personal computer, and definitely the first useful all-in-one, portable computer system. However, it was a very primitive machine that was largely unsuccessful due to its high price tag (basic version costed $8,975) and limited expansion capabilities.

It had a built-in tape drive and a small 5" 64 character display. A special display mode allowed the user to select right or left bigger 32 chars. of each line.
The tape drive used a 1/4 inch DC300 tape cartridge and stored 204 KB of data.
The 5100 didn't feature a microprocessor chip, but a card called PALM (Put All Logic in Microcode) which acted as a 16-bit microprocessor.

Notice that the 5100 is the first serial number of IBM "Personal Computer" range that will later include the 5110, 5120, 5150 (IBM-PC) and 5160 (PC-XT).