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

---
title: IBM Instruments Computer System
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1982'
cpus:
- Motorola 68000
params:
  name: Instruments Computer System
  image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_system_1.jpg
  company: /companies/ibm
  company_name: IBM
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Instruments Computer System
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: IBM
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: June 1982
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: |-
      57 (Mainframe) + 10 (Monitor) programmable soft keys\
      Full-stroke 86 keys PC-type keyboard
  - label: CPU
    value: Motorola 68000
  - label: SPEED
    value: 8 Mhz.
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: None
  - label: RAM
    value: 128 KB expandable in 256 KB increment up to 5 MB
  - label: VRAM
    value: Unknown
  - label: ROM
    value: Up to 128 KB
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 80 columns x 30 lines
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 768 x 480 dots
  - label: COLORS
    value: Monochrome
  - label: SOUND
    value: Beeper
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 39 Kg with CRT, printer and keyboard
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: |-
      Serial RS-232C x 3, IEEE-488, Parallel, Analog,\
      VERSAbus compatible system bus
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: |-
      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: OS
    value: IBM specific multitasking O.S.
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Built-in power supply unit
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: 4-color, 200 CPS Plotter-Printer
  - label: PRICE
    value: $5,695 (basic version)
  tabs:
  - photos
  photos:
  - title: PRICE LIST
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      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**
    image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_system_2.jpg
  - title: COMPLETE SYSTEM
    subtitle: ''
    text: The implementation shown here costed close to $10,000
    image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_system_3.jpg
  - title: KEYBOARDS CLOSE-UP
    subtitle: ''
    text: The programmable 57-key keypad (at top) and the 83-key mechanical keyboard (PC-type)
    image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_system_4.jpg
  - title: PRINTER/PLOTTER
    subtitle: ''
    text: 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.
    image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_printer_1.jpg
  - title: CRT DISPLAY
    subtitle: ''
    text: Ten user-definable keys are located along the bottom of the display with user-chosen legends on the screen.
    image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_display_1.jpg
  - title: MOTHERBOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      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.
    image: /media/museum/photos/ibm_ics_mboard_1.jpg
  comments:
  - author: Phil Hollenback (United States)
    date: Wednesday 19th July 2017
    text: Note that the history of Xenix is quite a bit more nuanced than "Xenix, which was a form of UNIX written for Motorola 68000 computers by Microsoft". See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenix for the full Xenix story.
  oc_id: 623
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230417004103/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=623
    date: '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.