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IBM 5110

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IBM 5110 Computing System
IBM 5110 Computing System at the Ridai Museum of Modern Science, Tokyo
Specifications
DeveloperIBM General Systems Division; designed at IBM Rochester, Minnesota; project led by Bill Sydnes
ManufacturerIBM
TypeDesktop business computer
ReleasedJanuary 1978 (announced); first customer shipment 2 February 1978 to Punxsutawney Electric Repair
Discontinued31 March 1982 (Models 1 and 2); Model 3 (= IBM 5120) withdrawn 10 December 1982
CPUIBM PALM (Put All Logic in Microcode) — 16-bit board-level processor (same as IBM 5100). 1.9 MHz, 530 ns 2-byte cycle. 13 bipolar gate arrays
MemoryRWS (RAM) 16 / 32 / 48 / 64 KB in 16 KB increments. Executable ROS + Language ROS (APL / BASIC); sized for the larger EBCDIC character set support
StorageModel 1: 1 × DC300 1/4-inch cartridge tape drive built-in. Model 2: no internal tape; diskette only via external 5114. Model 3 (= 5120): 2 × 8-inch floppy drives built-in. External IBM 5114 Diskette Unit (1 or 2 × 8-inch floppy drives, 1.2 MB each, up to two 5114 units for 4 drives × 1.2 MB total)
DisplayIntegrated 5-inch CRT (same as 5100), 1024 characters (16 × 64) addressable
SoundNone
Dimensions~610 mm wide × ~440 mm deep × ~240 mm high (same shell as 5100)
Weight~25 kg
OS / FirmwareAPL and / or BASIC interpreter as operating environment. EBCDIC character set throughout (different from 5100's 5100-specific code). PALM microcode includes the same System/370 and System/3 instruction-subset emulators as the IBM 5100
PredecessorIBM 5100 (1975)
SuccessorIBM 5120 (1980, also designated 5110 Model 3)
Model no.5110

The IBM 5110 Computing System is a desktop business computer announced by IBM General Systems Division in January 1978 and first shipped on 2 February 1978 to Punxsutawney Electric Repair — whose vice-president Jeff Grube famously said "If you can type and use a hand-held calculator, you have all the skills necessary to operate a 5110."[1] Models 1 and 2 were withdrawn on 31 March 1982; Model 3 (= the IBM 5120) was withdrawn on 10 December 1982.[2]

The 5110 was designed at IBM Rochester, Minnesota; the project was led by Bill Sydnes in a reportedly 90-day concept-to-production effort. Sydnes later joined Bill Lowe's task force that produced the IBM PC (5150) — making the 5110 a direct ancestor in personnel as well as architecture.[3]

Relationship to the IBM 5100

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The 5110 is the successor to the IBM 5100 Portable Computer, sharing:

  • Same PALM board-level processor.
  • Same 5-inch CRT housing and shell.
  • Same APL and BASIC language environments (with EBCDIC encoding on the 5110 — different from the 5100's encoding, the source of the 5110's partial incompatibility with 5100 software).

The 5110 adds:

  • EBCDIC character set throughout (the 5100 used a 5100-specific code).
  • IEEE-488 (HP-IB / GP-IB) bus — distinctive lab-instrument bus interface not available on the 5100.
  • RS-232 channels.
  • External diskette support via the IBM 5114 Diskette Unit.

Models

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IBM 5110 models
Model Storage Notes
Model 1 Built-in DC300 1/4-inch tape drive (204 KB / cartridge) + optional external 5114 Direct equivalent of the 5100 form factor
Model 2 No internal tape; diskette only via external 5114 Diskette-first configuration
Model 3 No internal tape; 2 × built-in 8-inch 1.2 MB floppy drives; 9-inch CRT; detached keyboard Marketed separately as the IBM 5120 from 1980

Architecture

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The 5110 uses the same IBM PALM processor as the 5100 — a 16-bit board-level processor at 1.9 MHz with a 530 ns 2-byte cycle.[4] Memory architecture also matches the 5100:

  • Executable ROS — microcode + monitor in PALM's directly addressable 64 KB.
  • Language ROS — APL and / or BASIC interpreters in a separate ROS address space; PALM accesses it as a peripheral.
  • RWS (RAM) — 16, 32, 48 or 64 KB in 16 KB increments.

The PALM microcode includes the same System/370 and System/3 instruction-subset emulators as the 5100, used to run the unmodified APLSV and System/3 BASIC interpreters in their original object code.

Form Factor

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  • Same shell as the 5100, with a different cosmetic colour scheme.
  • Integrated 5-inch CRT — 1024 characters (16 lines × 64) addressable.
  • Integrated keyboard with APL, BASIC, or dual-language keytops (toggle on dual-language units).
  • Front-panel storage — DC300 cartridge tape (Model 1) or floppy port (Model 2 connects to external 5114).
  • Weight and dimensions match the 5100 — approximately 25 kg.

Storage

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  • DC300 cartridge tape (Model 1 only) — 204 KB per cartridge, same drive as the IBM 5100.
  • IBM 5114 Diskette Unit (external) — 1 or 2 × 8-inch floppy drives; up to two 5114 units attachable to a Model 1 or Model 2, giving four drives × 1.2 MB = 4.8 MB total online (Model 3 limited to one external 5114).
  • Diskette formats — single-sided "Diskette 1" (~250 KB) vs Diskette 2D (double-sided double-density, 1.2 MB). The 5114 writes Diskette 2D format.
  • IBM 5106 Auxiliary Tape Unit — external second DC300 drive (Model 1 only).

I/O and Peripherals

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  • IBM 5103 Printer — matrix printer carried over from the 5100.
  • IBM 5106 Auxiliary Tape Unit — external DC300 second drive (Model 1).
  • IBM 5114 Diskette Unit — defining peripheral of the 5110.
  • 5110 Async Communications Feature (Bitsavers SY31-0557) — BSC and start-stop over RS-232.
  • IEEE-488 (GP-IB) bus — lab-instrument interface; not available on the 5100.
  • Communications Adapter — IBM 2741 terminal emulation for host connectivity.

Languages: APL and BASIC

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The 5110 supports APL and BASIC, the same as the 5100, but with EBCDIC encoding throughout. This makes the 5110 partially incompatible with 5100 software at the byte level even though the language semantics are identical. APL on the 5110 is APLSV (the modified APL\1130 / APLSV interpreter from System/370). BASIC is the System/3 BASIC port.

Service Documents

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The complete IBM service documentation set for the 5110 is preserved at Bitsavers:

  • GA21-9300-0 — IBM 5110 General Information Manual, December 1977.
  • GH30-0232-1 — IBM 5110 / 5120 Computing Systems Bibliography, September 1980 — the master reference list.
  • SY31-0550-2 — IBM 5110 Computer Maintenance Information Manual (MIM), February 1979 — the CE service manual.
  • SY31-0553-2 — IBM 5110 System Maintenance Analysis Procedures (MAP), January 1979.
  • SY31-0551-1 — IBM 5114 Diskette Unit Maintenance, January 1979.
  • SY31-0557-0 — IBM 5110 Async Communications, January 1978.
  • S131-0626-1 — IBM 5114 Diskette Parts Catalog, September 1978.
  • SA21-9301-0 / -9302-1 / -9303-0 — APL Introduction / Users Guide / Reference.
  • SA21-9306-0 / -9307-2 / -9308-2 — BASIC Introduction / Users Guide / Reference (April 1979 revisions are most complete).
  • SA21-9311-1 — Customer Support Functions, October 1978.

Common Faults

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  • PALM board — same gate-array risks as the 5100; arrays are unobtainium.
  • ROS modules — more ROS than the 5100 (EBCDIC + IEEE-488 support), more failure surface.
  • 5114 8-inch floppy drive — drive belt aging is the dominant failure; head load solenoid fatigue; spindle motor brush wear; oxide shedding from old IBM Diskette 2D media.
  • DC300 tape drive (Model 1) — belt and capstan issues, same as the 5100.
  • CRT — same risks as the 5100.
  • PSU electrolytic aging — linear PSU; same caveats as the 5100. The 5114 has its own separate linear PSU board for the diskette spindle and head-load electronics, also 45+ years old.

Software

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The 5110 was aimed at IBM General Systems Division's small-business accounting market; IBM offered a basic accounting software bundle. Core International (Hal Prewitt) developed an extensive third-party application catalogue and, in 1981, the first hard-disk subsystem and CoreNet LAN add-on for the 5110 and 5120.[5]

John Titor Connection

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The 5110 is the machine originally named in the John Titor IRC log of 14 October 2000 — the poster mentioned the 5110 four times before quietly switching to "5100" on the public forums in November 2000. Pamela Moore, a Titor correspondent, received a physical fragment of a 5110 label by post (Orlando postmark), consistent with the IRC claim.[6] See the IBM 5100 page for full coverage of the Titor story and the System/370 emulator claim.

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  • IBM 5110 at the Ridai Museum of Modern Science, Tokyo
    IBM 5110 at the Ridai Museum of Modern Science, Tokyo
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References

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  1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_5110
  2. ↑ https://ibmhursleymuseum.info/docs/hardware_list_to_1987.pdf
  3. ↑ http://www.ibm.com/ibm100/us/en/icons/personalcomputer/team/
  4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PALM_processor
  5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110721193112/http://www.coreinternational.info/1981_5110_Disk_Brochure.pdf
  6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor
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