Max Eskin wrote:
> Hi,
> I'm wondering: was the IBM PC the first machine with PSU in the rear
> right, drives in the front right, motherboard in rear left, or did they
> borrow this design from someone else?
I don't know about "someone else", but the IBM System/23 (Datamaster) had
exactly that design.
The Tektronix 4051 (1975) may have been similar: tape drive to the right of the
display, PSU in rear RH corner of case. I have a 4052, which has these two
featurs, but no "motherboard" - the processor is 4 boards mounted horizontally
in 2 layers covering almost the entire bottom of the case (under PSU, display,
tape drive etc.) but to the rear of the keyboard (which occupies the front 20%
of the area)
The PET had a very close mirror image of the IBM layout. Large transformer in
rear LEFT corner, cassette deck to the left of the keyboard in the front,
motherboard flat in the bottom to the right of the transformer. Other power
supply components on LH side of mobo, except for two big fat capacitors chassis
mounted next to the transformer.. Expansion of various sorts was rear right.
Hmm. I'll add one more - some DEC boxes. Can't remember what box my 11/10 is
in, but the BA11L (?) is similar. Power supply rear right. Backplane vertical
next to it. All plug-in cards horizontal rear left (well, sort of rear - they
take up almost the whole length of it), front panel across whole of front.
Drives in separate (rather larger) boxes, though.
Any more examples?
Philip.
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Received on Tue Jul 06 1999 - 12:24:50 BST