The IBM Personal Computer XT 5160 from 1983 is one of the most iconic computers in the collection and one of the only desktop computers. This was the second Personal Computer from IBM after the initial PC 5150 from 1981. Personally I think the 5160 is much more usable because of the 8 ISA ports instead of 5, a power supply with twice the power output but mostly because of the build in hard disk drive. After purchasing the computer I was lucky enough to acquire the 5151 monochrome 12″ green monitor to make the setup complete together with an original Model F ‘XT’ keyboard. A color monitor model 5153 was also available but personally I think the green phosphor glow looks much better.
This post is not supposed to be about the IBM Personal Computer itself or the technical details but more about the setup around it. While searching information about the IBM XT 5160 I came across advertising for the computer featuring the Charlie Chaplin character Little Tramp portrayed by the actor Billy Scudder. What really caught my attention was the elegance of the complete setup with the computer, monitor and keyboard placed on a round white table together with a chair in a similar design. A small detail was a red rose in a small white vase. I was so fascinated by this little and recognizable setup that I had to investigate further about it. Ultimately because I wanted to recreate this setup for my own computer if it was able to recognize the items and later find them for sale.
TABLE
I started to search online for a round white table, where a lot of different designs came up, just not anyone in the same elegant design with the nice thin tabletop and curved center leg. After a lot of research I found out the table was designed by Eero Saarinen, called the Tulip table and sold by a company called Knoll. I didn’t found any tables for sale at the regular second hand places but by pure luck some time later I found the lower part just without the tabletop, placed at the sidewalk meant for bulky waste collection. It wasn’t in the best condition it had some scratches and marks. But I wouldn’t argue about the price. Then I just had to find or make the tabletop. I ended up buying another round table where I could repurpose the tabletop which measured 90 cm, close enough to the 91 cm of the original small version of the table. I think this is the correct size compared to pictures found online. Sometimes the computer and monitor is shown standing next to each other and fits within the circumference. An important detail of the tabletop is that it has a reverse chamfer. I used a handheld router and build a jig to cut a wide edge off the underside and sanded it down until it felt smooth. The last thing was to paint the table and mount it with screws on top of the center leg.
CHAIR
Tracking down the model of the chair when I knew both the designer and model name of the table was a lot easier. The chair is called Tulip chair. It comes in different versions with or without integrated armrests and with or without back cushion. The chair itself is only available in white but the cushions comes in different colors. There wasn’t any chairs for sale when I searched online for both Eero, Knoll or Tulip. But after some random browsing I found a single chair for sale on Marketplace for 400 DKK listed as an unknown design. I bought it the same day since I was afraid it would be sold because of the low price. It came with a red cushion, which I really appreciate since this seems like the most popular color and has a great contrast to all the white. I also like the detail that the chair was considered Space Age when it was released because of its futuristic curvy design and the use of artificial materials.
ROSE IN A VASE
A small but very important detail is the rose in the tall white vase. The red color is a perfect match to the red cushion on the chair. The rose is just a plastic one that looks like the one you can win in a tivoli shooting competition. The vase however was so much harder to find. Online there was just way too many different kinds to choose from and without a known brand it was very slowly to search through. I made it a habit to scout for the right design everytime I came by a second hand store, and then finally I found one. I’m not sure it is a 100% match but it looks very much like it. It has the same round bottom and it curve outwards at the top, it’s just a little to low.
MISSING MANUALS
The last thing I’m missing is the stack of manuals. Below is a list of the manuals that I would like to add to the setup. The only place I have seen them for sale is on eBay and they are not cheap. Especially not if you have to buy them separately and include taxes and shipping each time.
- Guide to Operations Personal Computer XT
- Technical Reference
- Hardware Maintenance and Service Vol. 1-3
- BASIC
- DOS Technical Reference
I can really recommend https://minuszerodegrees.net/ where you can browse through a lot of documentation about the IBM 5160 XT and similar computers like IBM 5140 Convertible, 5150 PC, 5155 Portable PC and 5170 AT.
GALLERY
LINKS
