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IBM 5170  -  Some IBM Expansion Cards and Options

Serial/Parallel Adapter
128KB Memory Expansion Option
512KB Memory Expansion Option
128KB/640KB Memory Expansion Option
512KB/2MB Memory Expansion Option
Memory Expansion Adapter
Enhanced Memory Expansion Adapter
Fixed Disk and Diskette Drive Adapter   (first generation)
Fixed Disk and Diskette Drive Adapter   (second generation)
Monochrome Display and Printer Adapter (MDA)
Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter (CGA)
Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA)
IBM Personal Computer Internal Modem 1200
Floor Standing Enclosure



Serial/Parallel Adapter

Combined serial port (of type RS232) and parallel port on one card.
Up to two of these cards (configured appropriately) may be fitted in the 5170.

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.
There is an error in that documentation in regard to the setting of jumper J2 - parallel port address/interrupt.
That error is on document page 20, where "Port 1" has been labelled as "Port 2", and vice-versa.
Accordingly, the first one of these cards in your 5170 should be jumpered per the photo below (Serial port 1 / Parallel port 1).

Serial port 1 corresponds to I/O base address 3F8 and interrupt 4.
Serial port 2 corresponds to I/O base address 2F8 and interrupt 3.

Parallel port 1 corresponds to I/O base address 378 and interrupt 7.
Parallel port 2 corresponds to I/O base address 278 and interrupt 5.


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128KB Memory Expansion Option

Optionally supplied in the early model 5170s.

Provides 128 KB of conventional memory from address 512 KB to 640 KB, via one bank of 128 KB.

Click here to see the layout of chips in the bank.
RAM chips of type 4164 are used, of an access time rating of 150 ns (or less), and of the type where pin 1 is not used (Not Connected).  4164 examples.

Only one card may be fitted in the 5170, and only fitted if there is no other card providing RAM between addresses 512 KB to 640 KB.
Click here to see some general information about RAM addressing in the 5170.

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.

As can be seen in the photo, this card has "PARITY MEM.CO.  128 K" printed on it.
The "CO" was no doubt meant to be "CD" (a shortened version of "card").


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512KB Memory Expansion Option

Optionally supplied in the early model 5170s.

Provides 512 KB of extended memory, via two banks of 256 KB.

Click here to see the layout of the two banks on the card.
RAM chips of type 41128 are used, of an access time rating of 150 ns (or less).  41128 examples.

The starting address of the RAM is controlled by the switches.
Click here to see some general information about RAM addressing in the 5170.
When configuring this card, make sure that there are no address conflicts with other RAM cards (RAM on this card does not 'overlap'with RAM on a different card).

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.

As can be seen in the photo, this card has "PARITY MEM.CD.  512 KB" printed on it.


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128KB/640KB Memory Expansion Option

Optionally supplied in the later model 5170s.

Provides:
* 128 KB of conventional memory from address 512 KB to 640 KB, plus
* 512 KB of extended memory, the starting address of which is controlled by switches 1 to 5.

Click here to see some general information about RAM addressing in the 5170.
When configuring this card, make sure that there are no address conflicts with other RAM cards (RAM on this card does not 'overlap'with RAM on a different card).

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.

IBM's technical document does not give examples of the setting of switches 1 to 5 (starting address of the 512 KB bank).
Click here to see the settings.

In the particular unit pictured below, the bank 1 RAM sockets are not populated, and thus this unit is only providing the 128 KB component of RAM.






512KB/2MB Memory Expansion Option

Optionally supplied in the later model 5170s.

Provides up to 2 MB of extended memory, via four banks of 512 KB.
RAM chips of type 41256 are used, of an access time rating of 150 ns (or less).  41256 examples.

Click here to see some general information about RAM addressing in the 5170.
When configuring this card, make sure that there are no address conflicts with other RAM cards (RAM on this card does not 'overlap'with RAM on a different card).

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.

IBM's technical document does not give examples of the setting of switches 1 to 5 (starting address of the card).
Click here to see the settings.






Memory Expansion Adapter  (MEA)

Released about August 1986.

Provides up to 3 MB (via twelve 256 KB sized SIMMs) of extended memory.
Some of the RAM fitted to the card can be used to 'top up' conventional memory.
Includes a parallel port and a serial port.

A magazine article describing the card is at here.



Enhanced Memory Expansion Adapter

Released about September 1987.

For the IBM 5170 and IBM 5162  ("for IBM Personal computer AT and the IBM Personal computer XT Model 286")

This appears to be the Memory Expansion Adapter (see above) that has been enhanced so that it can also use 1 MB sized SIMMs.

Provides up to 12 MB (via twelve 1 MB sized SIMMs) of extended memory.
Some of the RAM fitted to the card can be used to 'top up' conventional memory.
Includes a parallel port and a serial port.

A magazine article describing the card is at here.

Some photos from an eBay item are at here.

The switch settings for this card appear to be here, but for some unknown reason, forteen SIMM sockets (instead of twelve) are described.



Fixed Disk and Diskette Drive Adapter   (first generation)

Combined controller for hard drives (fixed disks) and floppy drives.

This is the first generation of the controller - supplied in the early model 5170s.
Made for IBM by Western Digital.

Some information sources incorrectly state that the card is a Western Digital WD1002-WA2.  The WD1002-WA2 is a different card.  Even the chip count is different.

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.
Click here for cabling information.
Click here for jumper information.
Click here for information about low-level formatting.


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Fixed Disk and Diskette Drive Adapter   (second generation)

Combined controller for hard drives (fixed disks) and floppy drives.

This is the second generation of the controller - supplied in the later model 5170s (and incidentally, the IBM 5162).
Made for IBM by Western Digital.

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.
Note that that document covers both the first and second generation controllers (2 sets of circuit diagrams).

Click here for cabling information.
Click here for jumper information.
Click here for information about low-level formatting.


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Monochrome Display and Printer Adapter (MDA)

This card is designed to connect to IBM's 5151 monitor (MDA).

Connecting this card to a monitor that is not designed to accept MDA video/sync signals may damage the monitor.
The IBM 5153 monitor (CGA) and IBM 5154 monitor (EGA) are in that category (not designed for MDA signals).

The included printer port is hardwired to I/O base address 3BC, and interrupt 7.

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.

When this card is newly fitted to a 5170 (as the only video card), two things need to be changed:
  1.  Motherboard switch SW1 set to the rear position.
  2.  SETUP modified to reflect the monochrome video card.


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Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter (CGA)

This card is designed to connect to IBM's 5153 monitor (CGA).

Connecting this card to a monitor that is not designed to accept CGA video/sync signals may damage the monitor.
The IBM 5151 monitor (MDA) is in that category (not designed for CGA signals).

The IBM 5154 monitor (CGA and EGA) will accept the CGA video/sync signals from this card.

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.

When this card is newly fitted to a 5170 (as the only video card), two things need to be changed:
  1.  Motherboard switch SW1 set to the front position.
  2.  SETUP modified to reflect the CGA video card.


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Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA)

This card is primarily designed to connect to IBM's 5154 monitor (CGA and EGA), but if reconfigured via the red switch block, is capable of use with the IBM 5151 monitor (MDA) or the IBM 5153 monitor (CGA).

Unlike on the IBM CGA card, the RCA connectors, J1 and J2, do not contain video for a composite monitor.  Instead, J1 and J2 are part of the card's feature connector functionality (J4).

In the photo below, the optional Graphics Memory Expansion Card (plugs into J5) that provides additional video RAM, is not shown.  Without that add-on memory board, the EGA card has only 64 KB of video RAM, and that may result in some programs not displaying as intended (detailed here).  And CheckIt software has a problem with that as well (detailed here).

In the photo below, the switch positions shown on the red switch block suit an EGA monitor.

During the computer's Power-On Self Test (POST), the IBM EGA card will perform its own self test (a crude/basic one).  If the card finds a problem with itself (including video RAM), the card will cause the speaker to beep one of two possible error patterns: 1 long beep followed by 2 short beeps, or 1 long beep followed by 3 short beeps.

Click here to see IBM's technical document for the card.


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IBM Personal Computer Internal Modem 1200

Jumper Positions

Command Set - Quick Reference         (source: clh333 at the VCF)



Floor Standing Enclosure

This is referred to in IBM's Announcement Letter for the 5170.

It appears on page 7-32 of the MAR84 edition of the Hardware Maintenance and Service manual for the IBM 5170.


aaa (photo source: Framer at the VCF)