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

• Charlie Chaplin, computer salesman
• IBM Personal Computer

Indlægget IBM Personal Computer Setup blev først udgivet på Daths Garage.

Background

I have always been fascinated about cool secret hiding places, hidden in normal everyday objects around the home. Not because I have something to hide from anyone, but more in a cool childish spy gadget way. This is a short DIY project about how to make your own secret organizer hidden in a normal drawer.
I was inspired from this Makezine page that sums up some of the coolest hidden rooms from the simplest hidden compartment from cutout pages inside a book to complete hidden rooms and even a garage. In my opinion some of the coolest is the fake mains power outlet that reveals a tiny storage room for valuables and the idea about drilling a hole in the top face of a door that is large enough for a cigar cylinder that can hide money or a USB memory stick.

This project was inspired by the False Bottom Secret Compartment because it was a perfect addition for another project I’m working on. Even though I think the idea about using a false bottom plate is great, I didn’t like the way it was constructed. All the hidden things will rattle around when the drawer is opened or closed. I wanted to design a more professional solution with an organizer where things have a specific place and where they fit without moving around and reveal their hiding place. Below you will find a description of how I designed it.

How it’s made

1. Measure the inner dimensions of the drawer. Be precise because it’s important to make a tight fit with the organizer plate and the new bottom plate.
2. Find out what you want to hide in the drawer. Take precise measure of all the items. I always prefer to make a digital sketch. My preferred programs are Trimble Sketchup for quick ideas and Fusion 360 when I want to 3D print or laser cut something. When all the items has been sketched it is easier to figure out how to do the complete layout. Make sure to leave enough empty space around the outer border for strength of the plate. Remember to think about the height of the object. I settled on a 5 mm thick acrylic plate for the organizer plate but you could use plywood or similar instead.
3. Laser cut the organizer plate and the extra bottom plate. Make sure the wooden veins are in the same direction as the real bottom and has the same color and texture. It’s also important to make sure that the plates fits into the drawer, and the cutouts for the items are perfect. The width of the laser cut path on the laser cutter I use is around 0.2 mm which is a perfect tolerance so the things don’t get stuck in the organizer plate.
4. Make a small circle in the front of the organizer plate. This is used to push up the false bottom plate.
5. Put the organizer plate in the drawer and drill through the hole and through the real drawer bottom.
6. Fill up the organizer with the items you designed it for and put the false bottom plate on top.
7. To get access to your items, use a pen and push it up from the underside of the drawer to lift up the false bottom plate again.

If you don’t have access to a laser cutter another solution could be to use cardboard for the organizer. Then maker small paper models in actual size of the things that needs to go into the organizer and use a sharp knife to make the cutout holes.

Organizer design

Below is the final design of my organizer. It’s always hard for me to settle on a final design, because things can always be optimized. Going from left to right the large room is for a folded A4 document (or A5). The middle top and bottom rooms are for banknotes, the dimensions fits a Danish 1,000 KR banknote and smaller. In-between there are two credit card sized rooms room for ID or credit cards. To the right there are room for two USB memory sticks. At the far right (the front of the drawer) there is easy access to the four SD card rooms and two Compact Flash card rooms. The hole for lifting up the false bottom plate is placed in the front middle.

Final assembly

The organizer looks way more cool with all the stuff in it. Everything fits perfectly except for the Microdrives (type of CF card) that needs a little adjustment to fit. Another small annoyance is that the plate I used for the false bottom was cut in the wrong directions compared to the veins of the original bottom plate. The pictures also shows that the false bottom has a tiny gab but that is important in order to make it possible to lift it up.
I’m very happy about this quick little hack. And I can always make another or one more organizer if I need room for other secret things. What do you want to store in your own secret organizer?

Indlægget How to Make a Secret Organizer in a Drawer blev først udgivet på Daths Garage.