Wyse 2108 with EGA monitor
Posted by WingedGundark@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 23 comments
Here are couple of my latest vintage projects. The system is Wyse 2108, a 8MHz 286 from 1987-88 in a very original state. Like other Wyse PCs of the time, it has some interesting quirks. First, it has some absolutely wonderful proprietary bullshit. First, the design uses "dumb" ISA backplane where the PSU is integrated with the backplane (seen in the 2nd photo). The CPU and memory (1MB) exists in the large dual card (seen on the left 3rd pic). System also uses Wyse RJ11 terminal keyboard connector, gladly the protocol in these is AT and this came with an adapter although making your own is not difficult. Backplane design does have beneefits, this system has very small desktop footprint cmpared to many other computers of the time, including 5170. It is on par with many IBM PS/2s or later Compaq 486 LPX desktops I have in my collection.
Although it has some odd design choices, you find exactly the same chipset as IBM 5170 on the CPU/RAM card, so it is very in spec clone. The LCD display is wonderful, you can get CPU speed, time and date as well as custom messages displayed in it. It also shows when and which drives are accessed.
Floppy drive is Epson 1.2MB and HDD is NEC D5146H 40MB MFM half height drive with 0 bad sectors and it also sounds 100% healthy. FDD and HDD controllers are on the same card, seen on the right of the third photo.
This has Quadram EGAVGA EGA high res card, it is one of those Chips & Technologies EGA hires cards that can access something like up to 800x600 lines. Name is misleading as it doesn't have true VGA capability like some hybrid cards had. Card lacks the Quadram brand markings, but it is 100% ver2 of that particular Quadram card.
I added Aztech Sound Galaxy BX II 8-bit sound card, Microsoft InPort BUS mouse card because why not and they are better than serial mice and finally Intel 8/16 network card.
All wasn't smooth sailing. I first thought that system works fine, but when I got the system back from the workshop, I smelled bad caps so I had to recap the PSU which meant dismantling the whole system thanks to the design. It also had some crashes after that, but those got fixed with pressing every socketed chip on the MB/RAM card firmly in place. It naturally had a dead external battery pack, so I made a new one from 3.6V AA lithium cell.
I picked the monitor just yesterday. I don't know who made it, the sticker is of one former local computer brick and mortar shop which had very good branding already in the 80s, so it is not a manufacturer. You might be willing to say that it is just a rebranded IBM 5154 as I thought first too, but I say that it isn't. The case is pretty much identical up to the screws and cover plates, but the insides are wildly different from what I've seen photos and videos of any 5154. This has a single PCB design, a NEC tube which I think none of the 5154s used and PSU has 220/120V switch when 5154 has separate designs for different regions. If anyone can help to identify the monitor, it would be awesome. PSU has date code 5186, so this particular monitor was most likely sold in early 1987.
Monitor needed a good clean up and I also reflowed and cleaned vertical size adjustment potentiometers as they didn't work at all and after that the monitor looks and works wonderfully. And pairs nicely with this system.
MWink64@reddit
I have a somewhat similar machine that has the same front, but with different stickers. The label on mine says it's a "Wyse Communications Controller" but I'm not sure what that means. Does anyone have any guesses what it might have been used for more specifically? Despite having the same front panel, I don't think it's exactly the same machine as in the OP. I believe it has an AT KB connector, and only one expansion card has an external port (and it's huge). I haven't opened it up in decades and I don't remember what's inside, but I don't think it has a video card or possibly even a HD. However, it does still have what I assume is the original floppy in the drive. I've always wondered what it would've been used for.
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
Interesting, it is difficult to tell what it is especially without pics of the insides and connectors. Based on your description, it could be some sort of administration controller system for network or networked systems. Try to check some model information from stickers etc, google a bit or post information here.
I couldn’t find anything by googling WCC, so there’s that.
MWink64@reddit
Your post got me curious, so I decided to take another look at it. Apparently, I was remembering a few things wrong. I believe mine might be the exact same system, or one extremely close to it. It looks like the same CPU/RAM boards and disk controller, though mine doesn't have a HD. It has one smaller ISA card that might be a parallel port (I can't tell if yours has the same card). The biggest difference is the lack of a video card and the presence of a Digiboard.
Since it doesn't have a video card, I believe it relied on the built-in LCD. I very vaguely recall booting it and seeing various messages flash on the LCD, though I can't recall any of the details. I don't think I dare try powering it up now, at least not without cleaning it out and checking the PSU.
RandomNameIllForget@reddit
I have one of these that I picked up for a project years ago, the lcd displayed a memory error and if I remember correctly it even specified which memory chip was faulty. So hopefully I can replace just that one on the expansion board.
RandomNameIllForget@reddit
That monitor is so cool, I was hoping to get mine working with a green phosphor monitor.
codykonior@reddit
People piss themselves over VGA but EGA was peak.
Foreign-Attorney-147@reddit
I had a very similar Wyse PC in the early 90s when 286s were cheap. It was a good computer. I don't know what became of it, I wish I'd held onto it.
I agree your monitor is a clone monitor, not a relabeled 5154. For a while, it was pretty common for clone monitors to imitate the look of IBM monitors closely. Even some of the brand-name monitors did, such as Princeton.
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
What strikes me odd is that the case is pretty much identical to 5154. I agree that many companies tried to imitate IBM looks, but this case is like a carbon copy, only differences are probably only in the back with power connector location etc. at best.
My initial theory is this: all or at least large majority of european 5154 were made by finnish electronics company Salora, later Salora-Nokia. They also made their own displays and I’ve seen one of their EGA displays, which looks externally different from this. As they had tooling for IBM display, maybe they at some point made their own display in IBM case and sold it to third parties? This would make sense as this display is from Finland and sold by finnish shop back in the day. And it would also explain that this was not that widely available anywhere else and there is no information or photos about similar displays in the internet.
MortalityMindful@reddit
what a beauty!
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
Thanks!
DeepDayze@reddit
Such a nice system and I've seen these Wyse machines back in the day when I once worked for a small bank. No doubt this could be a nice DOS retro-gaming rig.
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
Yes, these were popular business computers in the late 80s. My dad worked in a telecom operator in the 80s and his first work PC was Wyse and they used their machines a lot. They also had Wyse terminals for the big iron.
EngineerMinded@reddit
Was this meant to be the host server of Wyse Terminals? I've only known Wyse to make ASCII Terminals.
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
No, it is just a PC. You are correct that Wyse became known as prolific terminal manufacturer, but in 1984 they also entered the growing personal computer business.
frumperino@reddit
Wyse used that LCD display on several models around 1989-1990, including a 386 16MHz with a CPU board and 4MB RAM occupying two full-length slots. I was very proud of that machine, a very expensive thing at the time. The LCD thing was so unnecessary and cool and it was literally decades before I saw anything similar in modern gamer PC builds.
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
Yeah. With this particular series in 1987 Wyse released this, 2112, 2114 and 3216. The last one was with 16MHz 386 CPU the middle ones are both 12,5MHz 286s, but the 2114 has 0 wait states making it somewhat faster.
The display is indeed unique feature. It does have a purpose in a sense that the system doesn’t have HDD or power leds, so the display functions as such. But is still odd thing and without a doubt adds to the cost without actually being that useful. I have the program for adjusting and adding custom messages to the screen. There is also a sys-file that I think works as sort of an api so that programs can write messages to the screen. I don’t think many if any programs ever used this feature.
cch123@reddit
It seemed likte to me EGA was pretty short livrd and VGA quickly became the standard. Did I miss some years?
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
It was introduced with IBM 5170 in 1984 and VGA in 1987 with PS/2 line, although it took a while to get traction outside of IBM systems as it took a while other manufacturers introduced VGA chipsets and cards. And of course CGA and EGA stayed as an option for some time too.
EGA was not particularly short lived or rare, but the monitors kind of are. Many users just paired a much cheaper CGA monitor with EGA card. You couldn't use the high resolutions, but you got the improved graphics for low res mode which most of the games used too.
cch123@reddit
Those years make sense. I was in college studying Computer Science and all I cared about was an 80 column Hercules that could do Turbo Pascal.
krum@reddit
My dad resold a bunch of that style of Wyse PC mostly with SCO Xenix on them.
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
These were pretty popular machines in the late 80s, I believe. AFAIK Wyse was very early on optimizing manufacturing and supply chain in SE Asia and thus could offer their computers for very competitive price compared to other big manufacturers. For a few years.
toastli@reddit
Nice dos colors!
ansi.sys or nansi.sys used?
WingedGundark@reddit (OP)
Everything is a combination of ansi.sys (and prompt) and 4DOS. Besides 4DOS, it is just vanilla DOS 5.