website/content/museum/ibm-instruments-computer-system.md

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

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
IBM Instruments Computer System	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1982	Motorola 68000	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos oc_id source Instruments Computer System /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_system_1.jpg /companies/ibm IBM label value NAME Instruments Computer System label value MANUFACTURER IBM label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR June 1982 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE None label value KEYBOARD 57 (Mainframe) + 10 (Monitor) programmable soft keys\ Full-stroke 86 keys PC-type keyboard label value CPU Motorola 68000 label value SPEED 8 Mhz. label value CO-PROCESSOR None label value RAM 128 KB expandable in 256 KB increment up to 5 MB label value VRAM Unknown label value ROM Up to 128 KB label value TEXT MODES 80 columns x 30 lines label value GRAPHIC MODES 768 x 480 dots label value COLORS Monochrome label value SOUND Beeper label value SIZE / WEIGHT 39 Kg with CRT, printer and keyboard label value I/O PORTS Serial RS-232C x 3, IEEE-488, Parallel, Analog,\ VERSAbus compatible system bus label value BUILT IN MEDIA Up to 4 x 5.25'' (322 KB) or 8'' (1 MB) F.D.D.\ Up to 4 x Winchester disks, 5 or 10 MB each. label value OS IBM specific multitasking O.S. label value POWER SUPPLY Built-in power supply unit label value PERIPHERALS 4-color, 200 CPS Plotter-Printer label value PRICE $5,695 (basic version) photos 610 title subtitle text image PRICE LIST The stripped-down version of the IBM-9000 with CRT display (but without F.D.D.), 57-key keypad, processor board and chassis was sold for **$5695**. here is the options list: **Hardware pieces**\ 256 KB memory expansion card **$1095**\ Additional 256 KB of RAM expansion **$995**\ Single 5.25 disc drive mounted in display **$650**\ Cabinet with one 5.25" disk drive **$795**\ Additional 5.25" disk drive **$650**\ Cabinet with one 8" disk drive **$1495**\ Additional 8" disk drive **$975**\ Hard-disk controler **$1295**\ 5 MB hard-disk drive with cabinet **$2495**\ Additional 5 MB hard-disk drive **$1995**\ 10 MB hard-disk drive with cabinet **$2695**\ Additional 10 MB hard-disk drive **$2195**\ Keyboard **$270**\ Printer/plotter **$2095**\ Expansion feature with five slots **$95** **Software pieces**\ BASIC language **$195**\ Operating system extensions **$155**\ Chromatography application package **$495** /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_system_2.jpg title subtitle text image COMPLETE SYSTEM The implementation shown here costed close to $10,000 /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_system_3.jpg title subtitle text image KEYBOARDS CLOSE-UP The programmable 57-key keypad (at top) and the 83-key mechanical keyboard (PC-type) /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_system_4.jpg title subtitle text image PRINTER/PLOTTER Close-up of output from the dot-matrix printer/plotter, which features four-colour printing, 200 characters per second in draft mode and 220 x 336 dots per inch of resolution. /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_printer_1.jpg title subtitle text image CRT DISPLAY Ten user-definable keys are located along the bottom of the display with user-chosen legends on the screen. /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_display_1.jpg title subtitle text image MOTHERBOARD The seven layer motherboard showing a remarkably dense population of IC's and VLSI's.\ The card had over 1600 test points.\ By plugging in an optional expansion board, up to five Versabus (a 32-bit bus standard developed by Motorola) cards can be plugged into the main board. /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_mboard_1.jpg 623 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230417004103/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=623 2023-04-17

About this strange computer, IBM said that it was "A unique combination of features and a new dimension in small computers".
The 9000 (its reference name) was first presented in June 1982 at the COMDEX show in Atlantic City. The system ans peripherals was manufactured by IBM's instrumentation division in Danbury, Connecticut.
It was first and foremost intended to be used by scientists and engineers for instruments control and data acquisition. Its modular concept made the system to grow easily and allowed the user to adapt it to each particular environment.

The mainframe was equipped with five I/O interfaces allowing it to be connected to a variety of laboratory instruments. Three user-input devices was available: Two programmable sensitive keyboards and a standard PC-type keyboard. A high-resolution display could be supplemented by a 4-color plotter-printer.

The 9000 has been engineered with crowded lab benches in mind: The modules stack vertically to conserve space.

The unit used a specific real time and multitasking operating system custom designed by IBM, as well as standard programming languages: BASIC, PASCAL, FORTRAN. It also ran Xenix, which was a form of UNIX written for Motorola 68000 computers by Microsoft.