Josh: /* Models */

2026-05-23T21:34:09Z

Models

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:34, 23 May 2026
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	== Models ==		== Models ==

	{\| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:~~100~~%; text-align:center;"		{\| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:70%; text-align:center;"
	\|+'''IBM 3270 PC (5271) submodels'''		\|+'''IBM 3270 PC (5271) submodels'''
	! Submodel !! Storage !! RAM !! Notes		! Submodel !! Storage !! RAM !! Notes

Josh: Deep technical XT/370 + 3270 PC family page with verified sources (IBM SA38-0037-00 Service Info Manual, IBM GA33-3141-0, IBM 1502336, Kozuh/Livingston/Spillman IBM Systems Journal 1984, seasip.info, Wikipedia)

2026-05-23T21:32:03Z

Deep technical XT/370 + 3270 PC family page with verified sources (IBM SA38-0037-00 Service Info Manual, IBM GA33-3141-0, IBM 1502336, Kozuh/Livingston/Spillman IBM Systems Journal 1984, seasip.info, Wikipedia)

New page

{{Infobox computer
| name = IBM 3270 PC
| image = [[File:IBM 3270 PC.jpg|260px]]
| caption = IBM 3270 PC (machine type 5271) — XT-based mainframe-terminal-emulation workstation, announced 18 October 1983
| developer = IBM Entry Systems Division, Boca Raton, in cooperation with IBM 3270 terminal groups
| manufacturer = IBM
| type = Mainframe-terminal-emulation workstation (PC XT chassis + 3270 hardware)
| release date = 18 October 1983 (announcement letter 183-129)
| discontinued = 1987 (superseded by IBM 3270 Workstation Program software running on standard PCs and PS/2s)
| cpu = Intel '''8088 @ 4.77 MHz''' — identical to the [[IBM PC XT (5160)|IBM PC XT]] planar
| memory = 256 KB minimum (Model 2 fixed); 512–640 KB on Models 4 / 6 / 24 / 26 / 30 / 50 / 70; up to 2 MB on 31 / 51 / 71 with the Expanded Memory Adapter (XMA)
| storage = 5.25" 360 KB DSDD floppy (1 or 2); optional 10 MB ST-412 hard drive (Model 6) or 20 MB hard drive (Models 30 / 50 / 70 from 1986)
| display = '''IBM 5272 Color Display''' (14" tilt/swivel, 720×350, 7 colours, 24 kHz hsync), or '''IBM 5151''' monochrome, or '''IBM 3295 Plasma Monitor''' (Models 24/26)
| sound = PC speaker
| os = '''3270 PC Control Program''' + PC DOS 2.0 / 2.1. Control Program v3.0 required for Models 31/51/71 and all P-models. Up to '''4 mainframe sessions + 1 DOS task + 2 notepads''' simultaneously in a windowed display. Single DOS task only. Superseded in 1987 by the 3270 Workstation Program
| predecessor = [[IBM PC XT (5160)]] (chassis) and IBM 3278 / 3279 terminals (function)
| successor = IBM 3270 Workstation Program (1987) — same multi-session experience on a standard XT/AT with only a 3278/79 emulation card
| model = 5271 (system unit machine type). Submodels: 2, 4, 6, 24, 26, 30, 31, 50, 51, 70, 71, and P-prefix variants (P30, P31, P50, P51, P70, P71)
}}

The '''IBM 3270 PC''' (machine type '''5271''') is a mainframe-terminal-emulation workstation announced by IBM on '''18 October 1983''' (announcement letter '''183-129''').<ref>https://sharktastica.co.uk/resources/docs/IBM_183-129_3270PC_83.pdf</ref> The system unit is essentially an [[IBM PC XT (5160)]] motherboard, chassis, and PSU, but with the eight ISA expansion slots almost entirely occupied by specialist 3270-terminal-emulation cards. The combination of these cards plus the '''3270 PC Control Program''' allows the workstation to host '''up to four mainframe terminal sessions, one DOS task, and two notepads''' simultaneously in a windowed display — a unique capability in 1983.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3270_PC</ref>

The 3270 PC was '''discontinued in 1987''' when IBM released the '''3270 Workstation Program''' (a software-only product that ran on standard PCs/PS/2s with only a 3278/79 Emulation Adapter), removing the need for the 3270 PC's specialised cards.

== Note on Machine-Type Confusion ==

The "3270 PC" family includes:

* '''IBM 3270 PC''' (this page) — system unit '''5271''', the XT-based original.
* '''[[IBM 3270 PC/G]]''' — system unit '''5371''', graphics version with IBM 5278 Display Attachment Unit and IBM 5279 14" display.
* '''[[IBM 3270 PC/GX]]''' — '''also system unit 5371''' (not 5372 — both /G and /GX share the same system unit type; the /GX is differentiated by the IBM 5378 Display Attachment Unit and IBM 5379 19" display).
* '''IBM PC AT/G and AT/GX''' — system unit '''5373''', AT-based equivalents.

== Models ==

{| class="wikitable styled-table" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
|+'''IBM 3270 PC (5271) submodels'''
! Submodel !! Storage !! RAM !! Notes
|-
| 2 || 1 × floppy || 256 KB fixed || Entry; not RAM-expandable
|-
| 4 || 2 × floppy || up to 640 KB ||
|-
| '''6''' || floppy + 10 MB HDD || up to 640 KB || Most common configuration
|-
| 24 / 26 || 2 × floppy / floppy + HDD || up to 640 KB || Added 25 Oct 1984 (announcement 184-136); IBM 3295 Plasma Monitor support
|-
| 30 / 50 / 70 || various || 640 KB on planar, 20 MB HDD || Added 1986 (announcement 186-053)
|-
| 31 / 51 / 71 || various || 256 KB planar + 1 MB on Expanded Memory Adapter card || 1986 generation
|-
| P30 / P31 / P50 / P51 / P70 / P71 || various || various || Use 101-key Enhanced AT-style keyboard instead of the 122-key
|}

The 1984 expansion announcement (184-136, 25 October 1984) added '''IBM 3295 Plasma Monitor''' support — an orange-plasma display capable of 62 × 160 or 46 × 106 text grids, far beyond the 5272's text capabilities.<ref>http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/rep_ca/6/897/ENUS184-136/index.html</ref>

The 1986 expansion (186-053) added '''640 KB on the planar''' and the '''XMA Expanded Memory Adapter''' (up to 1 MB of EMS-style expansion memory) on the 31/51/71 submodels.<ref>http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/printableversion.wss?docURL=/common/ssi/rep_ca/3/897/ENUS186-053/index.html</ref>

== Launch Pricing ==

* '''Model 6''' (512 KB + 10 MB HDD): '''$6,210 system unit only'''.
* Typical working colour-monitor configuration: '''~$8,465''' including software and cabling.<ref>PC Magazine, 22 January 1985 — Valenzuela review.</ref>

== Specialist Cards ==

The 3270 PC system unit is fundamentally an XT 5160 motherboard / chassis / PSU; the difference from a stock XT is in the cards that occupy nearly all eight ISA slots:

=== Keyboard Adapter Card ===

* Intercepts the '''122-key IBM 5271 Keyboard Element''' scancodes and translates them to XT scancodes.
* Two variants:
:: '''Simple''' (ROM '''6323581''')
:: '''Complicated''' (ROM '''6323582''') — adds NMI button and serial port.
* '''Critical: this card holds the video BIOS''' for the 3270 PC Display Adapter — the video cards do not work without the keyboard adapter card installed.<ref>http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/5271.html</ref>

=== 3270 PC Display Adapter ===

* Main video card, full-length 8-bit ISA.
* '''SCN2672 Programmable Video Timing Controller (PVTC)''' at I/O ports '''0180h–019Bh'''.
* '''8 KB framebuffer''' split: 4 KB for the 3270-emulation layer / 4 KB for an emulated CGA-or-MDA layer.
* Drives a unique '''720 × 350 mode''' on the IBM 5272 colour monitor.

=== All Points Addressable (APA) Card ===

* Optional add-on.
* Adds CGA-compatible 320 × 200 / 640 × 200 modes plus two 3270-PC-unique graphics modes.
* Required for graphics-capable mainframe applications.

=== Programmed Symbols (PSS) Card ===

* Optional add-on.
* '''RAM-loaded character sets''' (up to '''seven fonts''') for 3270 graphics applications.
* '''Three of the fonts (4, 5, 7) are tri-plane''' allowing 8-colour characters.

=== 3278/79 Host Connect / Emulation Adapter ===

* '''BNC twinax''' connection to the IBM '''3174''' or '''3274''' cluster controller.
* Two variants exist:
:: Older — 4 KB buffer, I/O at '''2D0h–2D6h'''.
:: Newer — adds register at '''2D7h'''; reconfigurable buffer size.
* Technical reference: '''IBM 1502336''' — ''PC 3278/79 Emulation Adapter Technical Reference'' (October 1983).<ref>http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/ibm/pc/cards/1502336_PC_3278_79_Emulation_Adapter_Technical_Adapter_Oct83.pdf</ref>

[[File:IBM 5271 physical layout.svg|center|thumb|480px|IBM 5271 (3270 PC) physical layout diagram showing slot placement for the keyboard adapter, display adapter, host-connect card, and the optional APA / PSS expansion cards. (Image: Wikimedia Commons, public domain)]]

== Operating Environment ==

The 3270 PC runs '''PC DOS 2.0 or 2.1''' overlaid with the '''3270 PC Control Program''':

* '''Up to 4 mainframe sessions''' running concurrently.
* '''1 DOS task''' running concurrently with the mainframe sessions (only one DOS task can be active at a time).
* '''2 notepads''' for cross-session text manipulation.
* All seven of these contexts visible in a '''windowed display''' on the 5272 monitor.

''PC Magazine'' (January 1985) called the Control Program "a memory hog" — it consumes approximately 200 KB resident, leaving limited free RAM for DOS applications.

'''Control Program v3.0''' is required for the 1986 Models 31/51/71 and all P-models.

In '''1987''' the '''3270 Workstation Program''' (IBM '''84X0982''') replaced the Control Program, providing the same multi-session experience on a standard XT or AT with only a 3278/79 Emulation Adapter — and adding DOS 3.3 support plus up to six DOS sessions.<ref>http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/pc/3270/84X0982_3270_Workstation_Program_V1.0_Users_Guide_and_Reference_Apr87.pdf</ref>

=== File Transfer ===

The 3270 PC's stand-out practical capability is its '''SEND / RECEIVE file transfer''' between CMS (or TSO) on the mainframe and PC DOS on the workstation, with automatic '''EBCDIC↔ASCII conversion'''.

== Display ==

* '''IBM 5272 Color Display''' — 14" tilt/swivel, '''720 × 350''' in '''7 colours''' (no high-intensity; bright and standard CGA colours render identically). Pin 4 of the DE-9 selects mono vs colour. Color timings: '''hsync 24 kHz negative, vsync 63 Hz negative'''. Mono timings: 18.6 kHz / 50 Hz.<ref>http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/5271.html</ref>
* '''IBM 5151''' monochrome — also supported (the graphics card auto-detects monitor type via pin 4).
* '''IBM 3295 Plasma Monitor''' — orange plasma, '''62 × 160''' or '''46 × 106''' text grids, supported on Models 24/26.

== Keyboard ==

The defining accessory of the 3270 PC family is the '''IBM 5271 Keyboard Element''' — '''IBM part 6110344'''. It is the '''122-key Model F''' '''terminal keyboard:'''

* '''24 PF (Program Function) keys'''.
* '''Weight: 9.3 lb''' (much heavier than a standard PC keyboard).
* '''AT protocol''', scan code set 3.
* First announced October 1983; shipped Q1 1984.<ref>https://sharktastica.co.uk/wiki/ibm-model-f</ref><ref>https://deskthority.net/wiki/IBM_Model_F_122-key</ref>

The keyboard connects to the '''keyboard adapter dongle''' — a small cable that splits a DE-9 on the keyboard controller card into two 5-pin DIN connectors (one for the 3270 keyboard, one passing through to the planar XT keyboard socket).

A plain XT 83-key keyboard works but produces POST error '''302''' (press F1 to continue). P-model variants use the 101-key Enhanced AT-style keyboard instead.

[[File:IBM Model F 122 key keyboard.jpg|center|thumb|480px|The IBM 122-key Model F keyboard (IBM part 6110344) — the 5271 Keyboard Element used on all 3270 PC family machines. (Image: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)]]

== Common Faults ==

The 3270 PC chassis is identical to a stock IBM PC XT, so chassis faults are:

* '''RIFA-branded X / Y mains-suppression caps''' in the PSU — vent and produce smoke / fish odour. Replace immediately.
* '''Tantalum bypass cap shorts''' on the planar — pull the +5 V rail.
* '''Hard disk failure''' on Model 6 / 30 / 50 / 70 — original ST-412 / ST-225 drives are end-of-life.

3270-PC-specific faults:

* '''Keyboard adapter dongle cable''' — wear, missing, or pin damage. Pinout is documented at [http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/5271.html seasip.info] and reproducible.
* '''Custom cards''' — scarce in 2024. The Display Adapter + APA + PSS trio can be transplanted into other XT-class machines provided three adjacent full-length 8-bit ISA slots are available and any onboard video is disabled.
* '''IBM 5272 monitor''' — dedicated tube and timings unique to the 3270 PC; failure means substituting a 5151 mono display (losing colour) is the only practical recovery.
* '''Capacitor failure''' — seasip.info documents a real-world case of a blown capacitor taking out a 5271 planar.

== Gallery ==

<gallery widths="220" heights="160" mode="packed">
File:IBM 3270 PC.jpg|IBM 3270 PC (5271)
File:IBM 3270 PC Original.jpg|3270 PC with display
File:IBM 3270 PC XT color variant.jpg|3270 PC XT colour configuration
File:IBM 5271 physical layout.svg|5271 physical layout diagram
File:IBM Model F 122 key keyboard.jpg|5271 Keyboard Element (122-key Model F)
File:IBM 122 key terminal keyboard.jpg|122-key keyboard alternate angle
</gallery>

== Related Pages ==

* [[IBM 3270 PC Maintenance Guide]]
* [[IBM 3270 PC Troubleshooting Guide]]
* [[IBM 3270 PC Capacitor Replacement Guide]]
* [[IBM 3270 PC/G]] — graphics variant
* [[IBM 3270 PC/GX]] — extended-graphics variant
* [[IBM PC XT/370]] — contemporary mainframe-emulation workstation (the 3270 PC connects to mainframes; the XT/370 ''becomes'' a mainframe)
* [[IBM PC XT (5160)]] — base chassis

== References ==

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_3270_PC IBM 3270 PC — Wikipedia]. Authoritative model reference, pricing, announcement letters.
* [http://www.seasip.info/VintagePC/5271.html John Elliott, seasip.info — IBM 5271 (3270 PC)]. The most thorough community technical reference.
* [https://sharktastica.co.uk/resources/docs/IBM_183-129_3270PC_83.pdf IBM Announcement Letter 183-129 (3270 PC, 18 October 1983)].
* [http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/rep_ca/6/897/ENUS184-136/index.html IBM Announcement Letter 184-136 (1984 IBM 3295 Plasma extension)].
* [http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/printableversion.wss?docURL=/common/ssi/rep_ca/3/897/ENUS186-053/index.html IBM Announcement Letter 186-053 (1986 XMA / 30 / 50 / 70 series)].
* [http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/pc/SA38-0037-00_Personal_Computer_Family_Service_Information_Manual_Jul89.pdf IBM SA38-0037-00 Personal Computer Family Service Information Manual (July 1989)], Chapter 10 — 3270 PC service procedures.
* [http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/pc/3270/G320-9539-0_IBM_3270_Personal_Computer_Hints_and_Tips_198605.pdf IBM G320-9539-0 — 3270 Personal Computer Hints and Tips (June 1986)].
* [http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/ibm/pc/cards/1502336_PC_3278_79_Emulation_Adapter_Technical_Adapter_Oct83.pdf IBM 1502336 — PC 3278/79 Emulation Adapter Technical Reference (October 1983)].
* [https://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/pc/3270/84X0982_3270_Workstation_Program_V1.0_Users_Guide_and_Reference_Apr87.pdf IBM 84X0982 — 3270 Workstation Program v1.0 User's Guide (April 1987)]. The Control Program's software-only successor.
* [https://www.stanislavs.org/helppc/diagnostic_codes.html HelpPC — IBM PC diagnostic codes]. 28xx / 32xx code ranges.

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[[Category:IBM]]
[[Category:IBM PC family]]

IBM 3270 PC - Revision history

Josh: /* Models */

Josh: Deep technical XT/370 + 3270 PC family page with verified sources (IBM SA38-0037-00 Service Info Manual, IBM GA33-3141-0, IBM 1502336, Kozuh/Livingston/Spillman IBM Systems Journal 1984, seasip.info, Wikipedia)