Editing IBM 5100 (section)

== Form Factor and Physical Design ==

The 5100 occupies a '''small-suitcase form factor''' — roughly 610 mm wide × 440 mm deep × 240 mm high — and weighs '''~25 kg (55 lb)'''.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_5100</ref> IBM marketed it as portable in an optional carrying case, but it requires mains power (no battery) and is heavy enough that "portable" in practice means "movable between desks, not between cities".

* '''Integrated 5-inch CRT''' — 16 lines × 64 characters. Front-panel switches:
:: '''Display All 64 / Left 32 / Right 32''' — view the full 64-character line or half of it.
:: '''Display Registers / RAM Hex''' — diagnostic mode; first 512 bytes of RAM shown live in hex.
:: '''Reverse Display''' — inverts the internal CRT (the external BNC video output remains white-on-black).
:: '''APL / BASIC''' — language toggle (only on dual-language configurations).
* '''Integrated keyboard''' with APL or BASIC keytops (or dual-language with mode switch).
* '''Integrated DC300 cartridge tape drive''' on the front panel.
* '''Rear-panel BNC video out''' — 60 Hz vertical, white-on-black only.
* '''Option panel''' for the Communications Adapter or Serial I/O Adapter.

[[File:IBM 5100 I197706.jpg|center|thumb|480px|IBM 5100 Portable Computer — front view showing the integrated 5-inch CRT, APL keyboard, and DC300 tape drive. (Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)]]