8556 / 8557 SX Planar

rf855657.exe 8556/8557 Reference Disk v2.10 (zipped image)
rd855657.exe 8556/8557 Advanced Diagnostics v2.04 (zipped image)
   Reference disk supports SLC2/SLC3 upgrades.

191-078 PS/2 MODEL 57 SX (8557-045 AND 049)

486SLC CPU Upgrade
486SLC2 CPU Upgrade
486SLC3 CPU Upgrade
Cached CPU Upgrade

8556 / 8557 SX Planar
Riser Cards
VRAM Functionality?

---

8556 / 8557 SX Planar

F3 Keyboard / Mouse fuse J1 Mouse J2 Keyboard J3 Parallel Port J4 DB25 Serial J5 HDD-15 Video J6 C60 External SCSI port J7 Password-override J9-J11 72 pin SIMM sockets J13 Bus-adapter connector J14 Floppy Connector J15 SCSI connector J17 Power-supply connector P1 J18 Control-assembly connector J19 Power-supply connector P2 L5-L7 Filter for Video output? LC8, LC14 ?? OS1 28.3220 MHz OS2 41.5390 MHz OS3 32.0000 MHz OS4 22.1184 MHz OS5 14.3181 MHz

OS6 25.1750 MHz OS8 40.0000 MHz OS9 24.0000 MHz R149 Transorb RT1 Resistor Termpack U15 Sony CXK58267AM-12L U17 85F0120 U18 Inmos IMSG171P-50 U19 Dallas DS1210S U20 Dallas DS1285Q U21 91F7490 U22-U25 VRAM U28 64F4760 U30 84F7985 U35 Siemens 8032B-16 U36 92F1211 U41 387SX 120 pin socket U52 82077AA U55 92F1600 U58 92F1495 U59 80386SX-20 Y1 32.768 KHz

U22-U25 Toshiba TC511665Z-80H 40 pin ZIP VRAM Functionality

J7 has a little sticker over it that says "J18"

   The 57SX supports up to 16MB of 70-ns memory (all DMA addressable) on the planar in three SIMM sockets. The memory controller automatically supports enhanced performance via memory interleaving with all 2MB or all 4MB SIMMs. One, two or three 2MB SIMMs provide memory interleaving. Two or three 4MB SIMMs also provide memory interleaving. The 8MB SIMMs do not provide interleaving.

Video is provided via the enhanced 16-bit industry-standard VGA.

Supports 720KB, 1.44MB and 2.88MB diskettes

---

Riser Cards

8557SX Bus Adapter

Dotted area on J1 Solder pads for a BVE segment
J10 Solder pads for a 16 pin header
J2 AVE slot

   If you have a fantasy about swapping a Lacuna riser and planar into your 57SX, forget it. The Lacuna riser has two mounting slots where the screws are both horizontal, while the 57 has a vertical screw and a horizontal screw. The lacuna mounting holes at the front don't match.

---

VRAM Functionality?

> This one has actual sockets installed though, not empty pads...?

Peter says:
   Yeah, most have them, and they are somewhat connected to the video-chip glue logic on the planar. But basically they are non-functional. If you look on the board you will find the same old boring Inmos RAMDAC as on Models 50/60 55/65 70/80, with limited bandwidth. Just enough for standard-VGA or 320x200 / 256 colors CGA mode. And - as said: the machine lacks the video modes in its BIOS AFAIK.

Some of the later Greenock variants of the 8556/8557 planar even lack these sockets and have only soldering spots. That was what my comment referred on.

You might however try to install some chips there for 512K and see if you can enable the mode 2Eh - that's 640 x 480 / 256 colors from a 256K palette at 60Hz vertical / 31.5 KHz horizontal. The system should choke out at Mode 12h (640 x 480 / 16 out of 256K, 60Hz / 31.5 KHz) and 13h respectively (320 x 200 / 256 out of 256K, 70Hz / 31.5KHz).