making an IBM model 30 work (8530)
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:13 am
Hi everyone!
I have a client who wants the computer of his childhood - so he can play all the games he never finished as a kid... Since he's a paying client, he gets what he wants :0
The system specifically is a model 80 IBM (circa 1992)... with all original equipment - monitor, keyboard, mouse, joystick, etc...
Well, it took months but I FINALLY found one in good condition - actually mint condition... Still sealed in the original boxes... So we got it... It cost a lot more than I thought on ebay, but apparently he wasn't the only one wanting one... It arrived way quicker than I expected, I unpacked everything... It was all factory sealed with the original IBM tape... Ah what a joy it was to remove everything from their factory sealed baggies too :0
Anywho... I plugged everything in, and much to my surprise - although the monitor works great, the computer not. No noise. No beep. No fan. No nothing.
Right... so I opened up the case... Everything looked ok, no capacitors had exploded or looked like they were bowing... So I started taking out everything one by one to see if that was the power issue. Nope. Didn't matter what I took out - still no fan spinning. No beep. No nothing.
I got out my trusty multimeter and tested the voltage (DC) on the power supply. It gave me the readings that would indicate to me a bad power supply on a newer system. I don't know if that applies to older systems...
I tried plugging in JUST the power supply... Still nothing. No fan either.
So I think the PSU is bad...
Along with this one primo system (lets call it primary) I also got off ebay another 8530 system (let's call it secondary). The secondary system was JUST the computer - which works just fine although it does make a horribly loud noise upon boot up - it does however boot up... So I though well, maybe I could take the power supply from the secondary system and put it in the first. Easy, right?
Wrong. Apparently the CONNECTORS are different! Huh? Didn't think that was the case on the old 30s... Thought there was only one type! But apparently not...
The primary's motherboard connector is a 12 + 5 pin dealio (2 different plugs, one 12, one 15)... The secondary is two plugs, identical - 12 pins each total - 2 rows, 6 holes on each row, each row a different size too)...
So... Now here's my boat load of questions... :0
Is there such a thing as a converter connector that would allow me to plug the secondary PSU into it, attached the converter connector, then be able to plug it into the primary's motherboard?
If no... can you take a more modern psu (like a 300watt or less), get an at/atx converter connector and thereby plug it into primary's motherboard? is such a thing possible? does such a connector exist? would it run to hot? or just plain short out all these older components?
if no... where is a good place to find a working PSU for this? I am only lukewarm on getting one from an old system - because there's no guarantee how long that will last... but if it's the only way, then it's the only way.
Also, I have no way of testing (or don't know how, happy to take direction if you know) the cmos battery. It's the old Dallas battery... If that battery is bad (again I don't know if it is) would that brick the whole thing?
Thanks for any thoughts and/or suggestions!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a client who wants the computer of his childhood - so he can play all the games he never finished as a kid... Since he's a paying client, he gets what he wants :0
The system specifically is a model 80 IBM (circa 1992)... with all original equipment - monitor, keyboard, mouse, joystick, etc...
Well, it took months but I FINALLY found one in good condition - actually mint condition... Still sealed in the original boxes... So we got it... It cost a lot more than I thought on ebay, but apparently he wasn't the only one wanting one... It arrived way quicker than I expected, I unpacked everything... It was all factory sealed with the original IBM tape... Ah what a joy it was to remove everything from their factory sealed baggies too :0
Anywho... I plugged everything in, and much to my surprise - although the monitor works great, the computer not. No noise. No beep. No fan. No nothing.
Right... so I opened up the case... Everything looked ok, no capacitors had exploded or looked like they were bowing... So I started taking out everything one by one to see if that was the power issue. Nope. Didn't matter what I took out - still no fan spinning. No beep. No nothing.
I got out my trusty multimeter and tested the voltage (DC) on the power supply. It gave me the readings that would indicate to me a bad power supply on a newer system. I don't know if that applies to older systems...
I tried plugging in JUST the power supply... Still nothing. No fan either.
So I think the PSU is bad...
Along with this one primo system (lets call it primary) I also got off ebay another 8530 system (let's call it secondary). The secondary system was JUST the computer - which works just fine although it does make a horribly loud noise upon boot up - it does however boot up... So I though well, maybe I could take the power supply from the secondary system and put it in the first. Easy, right?
Wrong. Apparently the CONNECTORS are different! Huh? Didn't think that was the case on the old 30s... Thought there was only one type! But apparently not...
The primary's motherboard connector is a 12 + 5 pin dealio (2 different plugs, one 12, one 15)... The secondary is two plugs, identical - 12 pins each total - 2 rows, 6 holes on each row, each row a different size too)...
So... Now here's my boat load of questions... :0
Is there such a thing as a converter connector that would allow me to plug the secondary PSU into it, attached the converter connector, then be able to plug it into the primary's motherboard?
If no... can you take a more modern psu (like a 300watt or less), get an at/atx converter connector and thereby plug it into primary's motherboard? is such a thing possible? does such a connector exist? would it run to hot? or just plain short out all these older components?
if no... where is a good place to find a working PSU for this? I am only lukewarm on getting one from an old system - because there's no guarantee how long that will last... but if it's the only way, then it's the only way.
Also, I have no way of testing (or don't know how, happy to take direction if you know) the cmos battery. It's the old Dallas battery... If that battery is bad (again I don't know if it is) would that brick the whole thing?
Thanks for any thoughts and/or suggestions!!!!!!!!!!!