IBM 5161

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Thu Apr 3 15:06:28 2003

> Because they occupied an entire slot (out of 5 on the PC), and other
> companies sold "multifunction" cards that could use the same slot for
> serial, parallel, clock, and memory. Most of those were marketed as SIX
> functions - how many people remember what the other two functions were?

Originally, I think the extra 2 functions were _software_, not hardware
on the board. Something like a print spooler and RAM disks to use all
that memory.

Later on, multifunction cards often included a games port, floppy
controller, and sometimes even video (there was a very popular card in
the UK that contained 2 serial ports, parallel port, joystick port,
Hercules/CGA graphics, floppy controller and real time clock -- yes, on
one full-length board).


>
> However, the IBM "Async" card could ALSO do current loop, which most of
> the after market cards could NOT.

That's one reason that I grab them if I see them...

-tony
Received on Thu Apr 03 2003 - 15:06:28 BST