IBM 3101
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | IBM |
| Fate | Discontinued |
| Headquarters | Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Greenock, Scotland; Fujisawa and Yamato, Japan , United States, United Kingdom, Japan |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | ASCII display terminals (IBM 3101, 3151, 3152, 3153, 3161, 3163, 3164) |
| Owner | IBM |
| Parent | IBM |
The IBM 3101 ASCII Display Station along with its follow-up models, the 3151/315X and 3161/316X, are asynchronous serial communication terminals utilized with a variety of IBM and third-party computer systems during the 1980s and 1990s. These terminals were prominently deployed as data processing interfaces on non-IBM minicomputer platforms, IBM Series/1, and IBM AIX environments.
IBM 3101
Launched in 1979, the IBM 3101 ASCII Display Station came equipped with the following features:
- A 12-inch CRT screen with green phosphor
- Display capacity of 24 lines by 80 characters
- ASCII keyboards available in multiple language configurations such as US English, Belgian, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese Katakana, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Swiss French, Swiss German, and UK English
- Asynchronous data transmission through EIA RS-232C for short-range connections or EIA RS-422 for extended distances
- Supported baud rates ranging from 200/300 up to 19,200 bits per second
Differing from many IBM offerings of that period, this terminal:
- Integrated technologies not originally developed by IBM
- Required end-user configuration
- Included a variety of display units, keyboard types, and logic modules
- Was maintained exclusively at IBM service depots
- Provided users with diagnostic tools via a Problem Determination Guide embedded in the keyboard firmware
- Was sold outright with quantity-based discounts but was not available for rental
The IBM 3101 faced competition from asynchronous terminals produced by Digital Equipment Corporation (such as the VT100), Wyse Technology, and Applied Digital Data Systems. It found extensive use on non-IBM minicomputer systems and IBM Series/1 machines.
IBM 3102 printer
The IBM 3102 dot-matrix printer connected through the auxiliary port on the IBM 3101. Utilizing thermal paper technology, it printed at a rate of 40 characters per second with an 80-character line width (5x7 dot-matrix), producing six lines per inch.
IBM 3161/3163
Introduced in 1985, the IBM 3161 and 3163 ASCII Display Stations featured:
- Monochrome CRT screens—12 inches for the 3161 and 14 inches for the 3163
- Optional emulation cards that allowed these terminals to mimic devices such as ADDS Viewpoint, Hazeltine 1500, Lear Siegler ADM-3A/5, and TeleVideo 910
IBM 3164
Released in 1986, the IBM 3164 Color ASCII Display Station offered a 14-inch CRT monitor available in monochrome variants including green, amber, or white.
IBM 3151
Debuting in 1987, the IBM 3151 ASCII Display Station provided:
- A diagonal CRT screen measuring 14 inches with options for green, amber, or white phosphor
- Display capability ranging from 24 lines of either 80 to 132 characters per line
- Integrated display logic and keyboard units
- Optional terminal emulation supporting Lear Siegler ADM-3A, ADDS Viewpoint A2, Hazeltine 1500, Televideo TVI series terminals as well as compatibility with the IBM 3101
- An ASCII block operating mode (excluding models numbered 51 and 61), resembling the EBCDIC mode used by IBM 3270
In recognition of its design excellence, the IBM Japan branch received a Good Design Product Award from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion in 1988 for this model.
IBM 3152
Launched in 1992 targeting European, Middle Eastern, and African regions, the IBM 3152 Color ASCII Display Station featured:
- ASCII keyboards supporting numerous European languages
- PS/2 keyboards compatible with an extensive set of languages including Bosnian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Hebrew as well as UK English
IBM 3153
Introduced in 1993, the IBM 3153 InfoWindow II Color ASCII Display Station was designed to work seamlessly with cash register systems and kitchen monitors, bearing resemblance to NCR's Boundless Technologies 2900 series terminals.
Development, manufacturing and users
The IBM 3101/315x/316x Series originated from IBM's Communication Products laboratories located in Fujisawa and Yamato, Japan, with subsequent development efforts continuing at IBM facilities in Greenock, Scotland. Production was carried out at IBM's Research Triangle Park facility in North Carolina to serve the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions, while manufacturing for other global markets took place in Greenock.
These terminals functioned primarily as input/output devices for data processing across various minicomputers, including prominently the IBM Series/1 and IBM AIX platforms, and were utilized extensively within commercial enterprises, government agencies, and military organizations.
Legacy
The 31** series formed the foundation for multiple cost-effective IBM display stations, including the 3104 model for the IBM 8100, the 5291 terminal within the IBM 5250 lineup supporting the IBM System/36, the 4980 tailored for the IBM Series/1, and the 3178 unit featured in the IBM 3270 terminal family compatible with the IBM System/370.
See also
References
External links
- IBM history of Far Eastern Languages in Computing. Part 3. IBM Japan taking the lead through the 1990s (IEEE Annals of the History of Computing)
- IBM 3152 Display Terminals - FRU Substitution (AF/E and E/ME/A only)