27 Aug
2014
27 Aug
'14
10:03 a.m.
On Aug 26, 2014, at 11:14 PM, Mark J. Blair <nf6x at nf6x.net> wrote:
So, I decided to buy an IBM 5155 Portable PC on the
eBay, in part due to it being a lot cheaper than other 51xx machines I've seen listed
recently since I started paying attention. Maybe it'll satisfy my desire for an early
IBM PC, and I won't need to spend money on another? Yeah, dream on. :) I'll try
putting an XT CF Lite into it; I ordered one in kit form, since soldering on the
surface-mount CF socket doesn't intimidate me.
I do have one misgiving about getting this machine, though: I don't like orange CRTs.
I mean, I REALLY don't like them. So, at the risk of being virtually tarred and
feathered, I shall don my asbestos long johns and ask a sacrilegious question: Is there
any prior art regarding swapping out the CRT in a 5155 for one with a less offensive
phosphor, such as green, white, etc.?
I'm diving into my flame-proof bunker now... ;)
Actually as I recall there were prototypes of that system build with 3 different colored
CRT phosphors (white, green and amber). I'm not sure in the end why amber was chosen.
But I remember having/working with both amber and green screen versions and I saw folks
with white screens. So, while others may scream, I don't think it would be too much
of an affront since internally IBM was trying to decide which one to use.
TTFN - Guy