What's this? (Random eBay item)

[sean0118]

I was looking through past eBay auctions for something and I stumbled on this item. Does anyone know what it is? Is it part of an old IBM mainframe or something?

All I can tell is that it's much older than me...   



http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-old-IBM-processor-for-the-IC-collector-or-low-grade-scrap-gold-recovery-/331587481344?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item4d34276f00&nma=true&si=xrSGDw2kkkQEHGSMCNTk9nwTR8E%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[XOIIO]

Item is gone, but the tags in that title, like you could profit doing gold recover through ebay 

Is that bubble memory by any chance? Those silver boxes look similar to the ones dave got.

[Mephitus]

I have taken a quick buzz around the net and cant find much of anything except for some server/mainframe calibration boards or logic boards. But nothing of any actual value/use. Strange...

[bktemp]

Is that bubble memory by any chance? Those silver boxes look similar to the ones dave got.

I don't think so. I have similar looking ics from IBM and cracked one open: It contains a ceramic substrate with an asic in the middle.

[XOIIO]

Is that bubble memory by any chance? Those silver boxes look similar to the ones dave got.

I don't think so. I have similar looking ics from IBM and cracked one open: It contains a ceramic substrate with an asic in the middle.

Ah, yeah I haven't seen either. Man is that a nice picture though, that must be a great thing to have sitting around, I love seeing the inside of chips.

[JoeO]

Yes, those are IBM cards.  The metal cans are custom chips, they are not processors.  The DIPS are IBM marked TTL.

[Stray Electron]

Item is gone, but the tags in that title, like you could profit doing gold recover through ebay 

Is that bubble memory by any chance? Those silver boxes look similar to the ones dave got.

  Nope, at least Intel made Bubble Memory.  Those boards look like typical boards that IBM used to use in their pre IBM PC mainframes.  The boards in my IBM 5100 looked like that too. IBM had to switch from custom made ICs to standard TTLs when they started building the IBM PCs in order to reduce their design cycle time so that they could keep up with the market. That evolved into the use of special purpose LSIC chips by Intel and other 3rd party non IBM companies.

[sean0118]

...boards look like typical boards that IBM used to use in their pre IBM PC mainframes.  The boards in my IBM 5100 looked like that too. IBM had to switch from custom made ICs to standard TTLs when they started building the IBM PCs in order to reduce their design cycle time so that they could keep up with the market. That evolved into the use of special purpose LSIC chips by Intel and other 3rd party non IBM companies.

Ah, I think you're on to something, I had always wondered what these were from, now I know. Sadly there doesn't seem to be much info on what the individual boards do...   

[SeanB]

IBM custom lockin, so that they were the only ones who could do component level repair, using the returned failed boards as the source. The only thing IBM did not realise was that the custom logic was so reliable that it would still be running a half century later in many cases. More than half of IBM's business comes from making sure that the new hardware is bug for bug compatible with old systems, even if it means writing extra code to make sure it is. Kind of like pulling the table out from under a dinner sitting and putting a new one in, while people are busy eating and drinking while seated there, without them even noticing.

[XOIIO]

IBM custom lockin, so that they were the only ones who could do component level repair, using the returned failed boards as the source. The only thing IBM did not realise was that the custom logic was so reliable that it would still be running a half century later in many cases. More than half of IBM's business comes from making sure that the new hardware is bug for bug compatible with old systems, even if it means writing extra code to make sure it is. Kind of like pulling the table out from under a dinner sitting and putting a new one in, while people are busy eating and drinking while seated there, without them even noticing.

Lol, that's great, guess that's a bit of a backfire but also a win. Good on you ibm.