IBM PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 (TM) MODEL 50 IBM Announcement Letter Number 187-049 dated April 2, 1987 IBM US - Last Revised on April 2, 1987 Brief Description of Announcement, Charges, and Availability The IBM Personal System/2 Model 50 (IBM 8550) introduces advanced design and technology and a new Micro Channel (TM) Architecture to provide significant performance enhancements for desktop computer operations and workstations. The 10MHz Intel 80286 microprocessor offers application growth capabilities and is designed to maintain software compatibility with most current IBM personal computer programs. A high level of feature integration on the system board reduces optional adapter requirements. When configured with the new analog displays, the new integrated Video Graphics Array (VGA) for the IBM 8550 provides enhanced performance, increased display functions, and increased color availability. The system includes a 1.44MB, 3.5-inch diskette drive and a 20MB fixed disk drive. The IBM 8550 introduces new memory, diskette drive features, as well as an IBM Mouse and the IBM 80287 Math Co-Processor. New connectivity adapters (dual asynchronous, multi-protocol, and modem), and other features allow the IBM 8550 to communicate with a variety of hosts and networks. Purchase Price: $3,595 Planned Availability: System: 8550-021 -- April 1987 Features: 80286 Memory Expansion Option (#3006) -- April 1987 80286 Memory Expansion Kit (#3012) -- April 1987 80287 Math Co-Processor (#3001) -- April 1987 Multi-Protocol Adapter/A (#3042) -- April 1987 Dual Async Adapter/A (#3033) -- April 1987 300/1200 Internal Modem/A (#0349) -- April 1987 Mouse (#8770) -- April 1987 1.44MB Diskette Drive (#3057) -- Third quarter 1987 (TM) Trademarks of the International Business Machines Corporation. Customer Letter Section HIGHLIGHTS o New Micro Channel Architecture with a 16-bit bus o Increased processing speed (80286/10MHz) o Improved multitasking and communications capabilities o New level of graphics and text quality o A 20MB fixed disk and 1.44MB, 3.5-inch diskette drive o High level of feature integration on the system board o Ease of installation and configuration o Universal, automatic voltage-sensing power supply DESCRIPTION The IBM Personal System/2 Model 50 is a desktop, entry-level introduction into IBM's new System/2 family with Micro Channel Architecture. The system unit features a 10MHz microprocessor, ROM BASIC and 1MB of memory on the system board, expandable to 7MB with memory options. Standard features on the IBM 8550 are: - 1.44MB, 3.5-inch diskette drive - 20MB fixed disk drive - Disk controller - Keyboard port - Serial/asynchronous port - Parallel port - Pointing device port - Video Graphics Array (VGA) port. The VGA port supports graphics and text modes (including 640 x 480 graphics, 320 x 200 graphics in 256 colors, and 720 x 400 text), and yet maintains compatibility with Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) and Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) modes. The system has two levels of BIOS that total 128KB. There is a compatibility BIOS (CBIOS) with memory addressability of up to 1MB that provides compatible support for many current application programs. An additional version of BIOS, Advanced BIOS (ABIOS), provides support for multitasking operating systems and has extended memory addressability up to 16MB. (However, the physical memory capacity of the IBM 8550 is limited to 7MB.) This high level of feature integration on the system board reduces the requirement for optional adapters. In addition, the system is designed for tool-free installation and includes security features in both BIOS/CMOS and an external keylock. Additional features of the IBM 8550 System Unit include: four 16-bit input/output (I/O) slots (with one slot occupied by the disk controller adapter), a 94-watt, automatic voltage-sensing, universal power supply, a time and date clock with battery backup, an additional position for a second 3.5-inch diskette drive, and the IBM Enhanced Personal Computer Keyboard. The IBM 8550 supports the new IBM 8503, 8512, 8513, and 8514 analog displays that together with the new VGA built-in function provide significant enhancements to graphics and text capabilities. The ability to display more colors using larger palettes with enhanced addressability widely expands new application opportunities. The following new features are also announced to provide additional capabilities. These features are supported on the IBM 8550 and 8560. - An IBM Personal System/2 80287 Math Co-Processor (10MHz) - An IBM Personal System/2 80286 Memory Expansion Option (.5MB/2MB) for memory expansion up to 7MB on the IBM 8550 and up to 15MB on the IBM 8560 - An IBM Personal System/2 80286 Memory Expansion Kit (512KB) with memory modules for the Memory Expansion Option. The following new features are also announced and are supported on the IBM 8550, 8560, and 8580. - An IBM Personal System/2 Dual Async Adapter/A supporting two RS232C ports - An IBM Personal System/2 Multi-Protocol Adapter/A supporting asynchronous, bisynchronous, HDLC, or SDLC protocols - An IBM Personal System/2 Mouse, a two-button mechanical pointing device (also supported on the IBM 8530) - An IBM Personal System/2 1.44MB Diskette Drive, providing a second device for 3.5-inch media - An IBM Personal System/2 300/1200 BPS Internal Modem/A Other associated features and accessories are described in related announcements to support a variety of local area network and host connectivity environments and provide other capabilities including: - IBM 3270 Connection - System 36/38 Workstation Emulation Adapter/A - IBM Personal System/2 PC Network Adapter II/A - IBM Personal System/2 PC Network Baseband Adapter/A - IBM Personal System/2 Token-Ring Network Adapter/A - Scanner adapters that support the IBM 3117 and 3118 Scanners - An external diskette drive and adapter that support 5.25-inch/360KB diskette data transfer and conversion - A high-function graphics adapter and memory kit providing 1024 x 768 resolution in 256 colors for support of the new IBM 8514 Color Display - An external optical disk drive supporting up to 200MB in a "write-once-read many" mode. - A data migration accessory for transferring data directly from another personal computer. PERFORMANCE The 80286 10MHz 16-bit microprocessor combined with the new Micro Channel Architecture, the Disk Cache program, and the 80287 Math Co-Processor, allows the IBM 8550 to perform up to two times faster than the IBM Personal Computer XT (TM) Model 286. This information is based on the testing described in the Personal System/2 Performance Guide. Your results may vary. For details, contact IBM or an IBM authorized dealer. A Disk Cache program is available on the Reference Diskette (included in the Quick Reference manual), which the user can install with IBM Disk Operating System (DOS) Version 3.30. This program is designed to provide enhanced disk performance for most applications. (TM) Trademark of the International Business Machines Corporation. NEW FEATURES -- IBM 8550 o IBM Personal System/2 80286 Memory Expansion Option (#3006) (6450344) The 80286 Memory Expansion Option provides 512KB of memory as standard. Up to three 80286 Memory Expansion Kits (#3012) (6450345), with 512KB each, can be added to the expansion option to provide a total of 2MB of memory for each card. Up to three fully-populated Memory Expansion Options can be installed in the IBM 8550 to provide 6MB of memory on the system in addition to the 1MB standard on the system board. No switch setting is required. This option requires an expansion slot. o IBM Personal System/2 80286 Memory Expansion Kit (#3012) (6450345) The 80286 Memory Expansion Kit provides 512KB of memory and can only be installed on the 80286 Memory Expansion Option (#3006) (6450344). No switch setting is required. Up to three kits can be installed on each Memory Expansion Option. o IBM Personal System/2 80287 Math Co-Processor (#3001) (6450356) The 10MHz 80287 Math Co-Processor provides additional processing power and performance for application programs requiring many or repetitive arithmetic calculations. The 80287 conforms to the ANSI/IEEE floating-point standard. This feature is installed in the Math Co-Processor socket on the system board and does not require an expansion slot. o IBM Personal System/2 1.44MB Diskette Drive (#3057) (6450353) This feature is a double-sided, 3.5-inch diskette drive that supports 3.5-inch media providing 1.44MB of formatted storage capacity. The drive uses the diskette controller on the system planar board. When installed, it becomes the B drive. The drive will operate in two modes, low-density and high-density. In low-density mode, it is compatible with the 720KB (3.5-inch) diskette drive. In high-density mode, it doubles the data capability to 1.44MB and the data rate to 500K bps. The 1.44MB Diskette Drive formats, reads, and writes either 1MB or 2MB diskettes. The 1.44MB Diskette Drive should NOT be used to: - Format a 1MB diskette as 1.44MB, or - Format a 2MB diskette as 720KB. TECHNICAL DATA (SIZE): o Height: 41 mm (1.6 in.) o Width: 102 mm (4.0 in.) o Depth: 150 mm (5.9 in.) o Weight: 0.68 kg (1.5 lb.) Media: o 3.5-inch ANSI compatible o Media capacity (2MB) -- high-density mode - Unformatted 2MB (1MB per side) 12.5KB per track - Formatted 1.44MB (720KB per side) 9KB per track Track Density: 135 tracks per inch Tracks: 80 Number of Heads: 2 Transfer Rate: 500,000 bps (MFM) -- high-density mode Access Time: Track to track: 6 ms Seek settle time: 15 ms Motor start time: 500 ms (maximum) Disk Speed: 300 rpm +/- 1.5% o IBM Personal System/2 Multi-Protocol Adapter/A (#3042) (6450348) This feature provides a full-duplex or half-duplex multi-protocol serial data transmission channel. It supports asynchronous, bisynchronous, HDLC, or SDLC protocols. It supports modems or direct attachment. The feature is programmable at speeds of up to 19,200 bps and supports automatic protocol switching via software at setup. This adapter requires one expansion slot. o IBM Personal System/2 Dual Async Adapter/A (#3033) (6450347) This feature provides asynchronous communications on two independent RS232C ports. The feature is programmable and supports communications speeds from 50 to 19,200 bps. This adapter supports signal transmission across 50 feet of cable. A maximum of three Dual Async Adapters can be physically attached providing a total of seven serial ports (one on the system board plus two per adapter). Total system load will limit the practical number of ports and the speed of each port. This adapter requires one expansion slot. o IBM Personal System/2 300/1200 Internal Modem/A (#0349) (6450349) The 300/1200 Internal Modem/A provides the capability to transmit data in duplex mode over the Public Switched Telephone Network at 300 or 1200 bits per second and supports the AT command set. The 300/1200 modem is compatible with the Bell 212A and 103 practice (asynchronous only) recommendation for transmitting data over the Public Switched Telephone Network. Compatible IBM modems include: IBM Personal Computer 1200 bits per second Modem (internal) and the IBM 5841 Modem (asynchronous mode only). A 7-foot communications cable and a diagnostic diskette are supplied with the modem adapter. This adapter requires one expansion slot. o IBM Personal System/2 Mouse (#8770) (6450350) The two-button mechanical mouse is available for applications that operate more efficiently using a pointing device. The mouse attaches to the system pointing device port and requires no additional hardware features or external power. A device driver is packaged with each mouse for addition to the operating system. The IBM Mouse is ergonomically designed to fit in the hand and uses mechanical motion detection to indicate the "x" and "y" movement to the system. Two push-button switches transmit states directly to the system. The IBM Mouse is connected to the system with a thin, 9-foot long shielded, four-conductor cable. The connector has a special overmolding for ease of connection to the system pointing device port on the IBM 8530, 8550, 8560, and 8580. NEW RELATED PRODUCTS AND FEATURES o IBM Personal System/2 80286 Expanded Memory Adapter/A (#3920) (1497252) IBM Personal System/2 80286 Expanded Memory Adapter/A is a 2MB memory adapter for IBM Personal System/2 Models 50 and 60 providing 2MB of expanded memory function. The adapter requires and supports the device drivers resident within the IBM 3270 Workstation Program, Versions 1.0 and 1.1. The adapter will also operate as contiguous memory with IBM Operating System/2 Standard and Extended Editions. Refer to Product Announcement 187-061, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Personal System/2 Monochrome Display 8503 (8503-001) The IBM 8503 Monochrome Display has a 12-inch diagonal picture tube with paper-white phosphor, which provides a realistic appearance for document processing and gray-shade imaging. The characteristics of this display make it suitable for text, graphics and image applications. The tilt/swivel base is standard. Refer to Product Announcement 187-055, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Personal System/2 Color Display 8512 (8512-001) The IBM 8512 Color Display has a 14-inch diagonal picture tube with a 0.41-millimeter pitch stripe phosphors format. The stripe format is designed for image presentation while still providing high-quality text and graphics. The tilt/swivel base is optional. Refer to Product Announcement 187-056, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Personal System/2 Color Display 8513 (8513-001) The IBM 8513 Color Display has a 12-inch diagonal picture tube with a 0.28-millimeter dot pitch phosphors format. The dot format is designed for text and graphics presentation while still providing high-quality images. The tilt/swivel base is standard. Refer to Product Announcement 187-057, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Personal System/2 Color Display 8514 (8514-001) The IBM 8514 Color Display has a 16-inch diagonal picture tube with a 0.31-millimeter dot pitch phosphors format. In its maximum addressable mode, the characteristics of this display are suited for text, graphics, and image presentation. The entire data area of the screen is filled, even though the mode of operation addresses less than 1024 by 768. This is true, for example, when it is connected to an integrated display adapter. The tilt/swivel base is standard. Refer to Product Announcement 187-058, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Personal System/2 Display Adapter 8514/A (#4054) (1887972) When configured with the IBM 8514 Color Display, this adapter is suited for applications that require advanced function, high performance and large screen content (1024 x 768 format). It also supports the IBM 8503 Monochrome Display as well as the IBM 8512 and 8513 Color Displays. A Memory Expansion Kit (#4081) can be attached to provide enhanced color capabilities. This adapter requires one expansion slot. Refer to Product Announcement 187-054, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM 3363 Optical Disk Drive (A11, B01) The IBM 3363 Optical Disk Drive is a new high-performance removable disk storage device. It utilizes the high-density characteristics of optical storage technology to achieve very high capacity (200MB) on a 130MM (5.25-inch) removable disk. It is designed to attach to the Personal System/2 Model 50 via a special controller card inserted in one of the expansion slots of the Model 50. This card is included with the IBM 3363 Model A11. Two drives can be attached to the controller card and up to three controller cards may be inserted into the IBM 8550, yielding up to 1.2GB of removable, write once, online storage capacity. The IBM 3363 Model A11 attaches as the first drive, and the B01 attaches to the A11 as the second drive. Software included with the drive contains a file driver providing commands compatible with most DOS magnetic disk commands. It also provides extensions to DOS supporting multiple versions of files and files of greater than 32MB. There is also a save/restore function for versions of files, single files, groups of files, or all files. It is recommended as an alternative to a fixed disk, as a supplement to a fixed disk for higher capacity storage, and for applications where removability of the disk is important (for example, security, archive, portable data, electronic text, and personal disks for individual uses). Refer to Product Announcement 187-064, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Personal System/2 5.25-inch External Diskette Drive (#4869-001) A 5.25-inch external diskette drive (360KB) is available for attachment to the IBM Personal System/2 to enhance conversion or operation of present 5.25-inch system applications. A universal power supply with auto-sensing for line frequency and voltage is included. This drive does not support diskettes prepared on 1.2MB drives, even when a 360KB format is used. This drive requires the External Diskette Drive Adapter/A (#8760) for operation with the IBM 8550, 8560, and 8580. Refer to Product Announcement 187-060, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Personal System/2 5.25-inch External Diskette Drive Adapter/A (#8760) (6450245) This feature allows the IBM 4869 5.25-inch External Diskette Drive to be connected to the IBM 8550 System Unit. The feature consists of an adapter card, an internal cable assembly, and a feature card. The adapter card plugs into the connector for the 3.5-inch B drive. The internal cable is a 34-pin flat cable and is used to connect the two cards. When installed, it becomes the B drive. This adapter requires one expansion slot and an open B drive position. Refer to Product Announcement 187-060, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Personal System/2 6157 Tape Drive Adapter (#4160) (92X1458) This adapter supports attachment of the IBM 6157 Streaming Tape Drive to the IBM 8550 System Unit. This tape drive provides fast, convenient save/restore and data interchange capability for the IBM 8550 System Unit. A diagnostic diskette is included with this adapter. The adapter requires one expansion slot. Refer to Product Announcement 187-066, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM Token-Ring Network Adapter/A (#4790) (69X8138) The IBM Token-Ring Network Adapter/A contains a microprocessor operating under control of adapter resident microcode. The adapter transmits and receives at a speed of 4 million bits per second using protocols conforming to IEEE 802.5 and ECMA 89 standards. The adapter provides logical link control functions conforming with the IEEE 802.2 standard. The adapter provides 16KB of random access memory (RAM) and provides all of the function of the IBM Token-Ring Network PC Adapter (#3391) (6339100) and the IBM Token-Ring Network PC Adapter II (#5063) (67X0438). A diskette is included with the adapter that contains an adapter diagnostic program and a single-ring network diagnostic program. The adapter diagnostic program is used to verify the correct operation of the adapter. The ring diagnostic program is used as an aid in network problem determination. Permanent and recoverable error conditions are detected, and information on the probable source of the error is presented. The installation and testing document is included with the adapter to assist with the adapter installation. This adapter requires one expansion slot. Refer to Product Announcement 187-076, April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM PC Network Adapter II/A (#1222) (1501222) Attachment to a new or existing PC Network is provided via this feature. The PC Network Adapter runs at 2 megabits per second, broadband. Network protocol is CSMA/CD. PC Network connected systems are ideal for small to medium-sized networks (small business/departmental). This adapter requires one expansion slot. Refer to Product Announcement 187-080, April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM PC Network Baseband Adapter/A (#1223) (1501223) The PC Network Baseband Adapter/A is a feature card that includes a modular baseband modem for connecting the IBM 8550 System Unit to the PC Network. The adapter features a 2 megabit per second transmission speed with a CSMA/CD access protocol and supports the Token-Ring 802.2/LLC protocols via the IBM Local Area Network Support Program. This adapter requires one expansion slot. Refer to Product Announcement 187-082, April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM 5173 PC Network Baseband Extender (5173-001) (6134339) This product is the extender unit for the baseband PC Network. It operates in any configuration of the baseband IBM PC Network. It may not be required in small daisy-chain configurations. Consult the IBM Baseband Planning Guide for further information, and Product Announcement 187-083, dated April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM System 36/38 Workstation Emulation Adapter/A and Quick Reference (#6279) (69X6279) This adapter provides attachment capability to the IBM System/36 and IBM System/38 and is attached via the normal twinaxial interface using the IBM System 36/38 Workstation Emulation Attachment Cable (#6293) (69X6293). A Diagnostic Diskette, Quick Reference, and Hardware Maintenance Service, Maintenance Reference and Technical Reference Manuals are available separately. This adapter requires one expansion slot. Refer to Product Announcement 187-047, April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM 3270 Connection (#2000) (83X9702) This feature expands the capability of the IBM 8550 by providing coaxial cable attachment to the IBM 3174, 3274 and 3276 Control Units, the 4321, 4331 or 4361 Processor Display/Printer Adapter, the 4361 Workstation Adapter, and the 9370 Workstation Subsystem Controller. A quick reference manual and a diagnostic diskette are included with this adapter. This adapter requires one expansion slot. Refer to Product Announcement 187-069, April 2, 1987, for additional information and availability date. o IBM 3117 Adapter/A (#1029) (65X1925) The 3117 Adapter/A provides the capability of attaching the IBM 3117 Scanner to the IBM 8550. The 3117 Adapter/A provides the function of 3117 mechanical control, CCD (Charged Couple Devices) image sensor control, and video signal processing to capture image data from IBM 3117 Scanner operations. An IBM 3117 Cable (IBM 3117 Scanner -- #3005, 6456807) is required for connecting the adapter to the IBM 3117 Scanner. This adapter requires one expansion slot. Refer to Product Announcement 187-063, April 2, 1987, for additional information and