Recently snagged this huge 286 from VCF east for 25 bucks, seems to be in good condition. Any ideas on what brand it's from or tips on restoration?
Posted by Vinylmaster3000@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 23 comments
The case seems to need some work, alot of scratches and whatnot so I was considering spray painting it. Any ideas on buffing the scratches and fixing the front?
The case badge just says "PS1" but it looks nothing like an IBM PS/1. The motherboard has the identifier "PCC-77ATO5", which I am assuming is this board. Is this board just a standard 286 at 15mhz? Would it be fine for playing speed sensitive stuff from the 286 era?
Any restoration tips? I've had bad... luck with turning on a 386 board and the tantalum caps exploding so I'm lowkey kinda scared of trying it with this. The external battery seems to be fine but there is no PSU which makes me think this was tested quite recently. Should I add a VGA card, or even a sound card?
What year would this have been from? The Monochrome adapter implies that this would have been used in an office setting.
isecore@reddit
This looks like every generic AT clone from the 286 era that I have ever seen. Right down to the red and white/yellow buttons on the front. Pretty sure the 286 AT clone I inherited when I was a kid looked the same like this too, right down to the three 5 1/4" drive bays on the right.
bhiga@reddit
Yeah my friend's looked exactly like that. IIR. there wasn't much (any?) variety in PC cases yet as it hadn't reached build-your-own availability.
MWink64@reddit
While it's definitely not AT form factor, my Amstrad 286 has a very unique case (and design). The motherboard is comprised of two separate boards. The PSU runs directly across the center of the case (likely to help support the monitor). The expansion slots are on the side. Most perplexingly, it has zero 5.25" bays.
Vinylmaster3000@reddit (OP)
Were they always quite massive too? Only asking because I've seen smaller 286 machines
gcc-O2@reddit
If they wanted to be able to accommodate Full AT motherboards in addition to Baby AT, yes, it has to be this huge.
Kiwi_eng@reddit
I suspect Baby AT was not a thing this early.
Kiwi_eng@reddit
As mentioned it’s a Full-AT size, super common for a short time before the Baby AT form factor took over. Much like micro ATX and full ATX sizes today. It might be hard to find a power supply that fits.
Vinylmaster3000@reddit (OP)
I was considering using a modern psu and trying to fit it in there, I think that should fit maybe?
isecore@reddit
Every one I've seen was this size with three bays.
shazbot996@reddit
My second computer, a 386sx-16 was shipped in this exact same case from Gateway Computers before they exploded and shifted to their own branded cases!
MWink64@reddit
I likely had the exact same machine. I wish I still had it.
Der_Unbequeme@reddit
this early 286er clones has no worth at all, only the ISA-IDE HDD/FDD Controller maybe.
but the case is perfect for a sleeper.
Vinylmaster3000@reddit (OP)
Hard disagree, you can play alot of games which are slow on a 386 on a 286
Der_Unbequeme@reddit
on later ones, yes.
but this is an early version from 1987/88, 7,86Mhz (15mhz crystal), without ext.RAM, without A20 Gate, only 640kb possible.
RandomPhaseNoise@reddit
This is an early generic 286 AT clone of the IBM 286. End of 80's, early 90's era. I think the case was manufactured in the same factory as the IBM one. Just the IBM logo was left blank due to copyright.
I had the same case, it had a huge motherboard full with TTL chips. 36 DRAM chips in one corner as 1MB ram.
Later motherboards got 3 or 4 big LSI chips as chipsets, boards became smaller, so could cases too.
ken_the_boxer@reddit
That case is indeed a very common early AT clone, but is totally different from that of the IBM 5170, not only design but also build quality.
Kiwi_eng@reddit
It should be compatible with the early 5170 enclosure.
AppropriateCap8891@reddit
We all had that case in that era.
orion3311@reddit
While it looks generic, I have a nearly identical one I almost took to VCF, and mine seems to have Everex guts in it. (Everex mobo, video card, etc)
Legal-Swordfish-1893@reddit
Fun evacuation day 3, huh?
Vinylmaster3000@reddit (OP)
Oh that shit was... yeah that happened. No idea who did it
TheFowlOwl@reddit
I have a 386 machine that is in a case exactly like that except for the label. It was used for CAD as it still had a good SCSI hdd and software loaded.
r3dd1tr@reddit
Ich have a few of these cases, 8088 and 80286 IBM clones. Pretty nice. Keep it and bring it back to life! ❤️