Looking for IBM Series/1 4959 I/O Expansion Info

[Neuromancer]

We're looking to recover a Series/1 rack on Saturday, and I can't find any obvious manuals on Bitsavers for the 4959 I/O Expansion Module. In particular, it looks like the front side of the 4959 only has 1 card in it and is mostly empty, but I'm not sure about the back side of it. So among other things I'm trying to find out what's supposed to be in it, if there's a 4963 and a 4964 in the unit as well. We'd like to pull the hard disk unit out (since it's over 100 pounds) before we load it, but I'm still digging up manuals to see if something says how to do that. Thanks for any information you can provide, or links to manuals.

 

[N. Brown]

It is possible to hotwire the 4959 i/O expansion Module so it will work without its bus expansion card, but some peripherals wont work when that done, without hotwiring some components.
As far as expansion card that where in a 4959 i/O expansion Module they where mostly client/customer related so it varied. But they can also be the same cards that are used in the main unit as well.
With pictures a lot of people with IBM series/1 would be able to help much on this.
..
A lot of the Series/1 that are still in service are mostly under FGO's NDC's. so any data form them will be limited, they might not even reply.

 

[RetroAND]

It is possible to hotwire the 4959 i/O expansion Module so it will work without its bus expansion card, but some peripherals wont work when that done, without hotwiring some components.
As far as expansion card that where in a 4959 i/O expansion Module they where mostly client/customer related so it varied. But they can also be the same cards that are used in the main unit as well.
With pictures a lot of people with IBM series/1 would be able to help much on this.
..
A lot of the Series/1 that are still in service are mostly under FGO's NDC's. so any data form them will be limited, they might not even reply.

In the past I found lots of useful information as well schematics and programs in the DTIC-ADA archive. It contains declassified information so searching them might be a solution.

 

[Neuromancer]

 

[Neuromancer]

Above are photos of the 4959 (note the lots of open space) and the 4956. This unit also has an attached 4963 hard disk and a 4964 half bay floppy drive attached. And this photo is of the backside, which does at least show cables going from and to various things, including the I/O Expander. But this doesn't necessarily mean someone didn't decide to harvest the cards from the front side.

 

[m_thompson]

The RICM has 6x Series/1 systems. We have never powered them up, and have only done a limited inventory. I don't think that we have any documentation for them.

IBM Series/1

IBM Series/1 Part of this collection was donated by Caves Lumber, Newark, NY. "IBM introduced the new Series/1 computer in November 1976 for experienced data processing users, i.e., primarily for customers with programming capabilities and a need for multiple systems. It was a general purpose

www.ricomputermuseum.org

 

[N. Brown]

AboveView attachment 1278248 are photos of the 4959 (note the lots of open space) and the 4956. This unit also has an attached 4963 hard disk and a 4964 half bay floppy drive attached. And this photo is of the backside, which does at least show cables going from and to various things, including the I/O Expander. But this doesn't necessarily mean someone didn't decide to harvest the cards from the front side.

Thanks for uploading some pictures/photos of the 4959 and other etc.
If the card slots on the 4959 all have some dust on them then likely there was no cards in them. If one or more Card slots are cleaner then there was likely a card in them.
As for the card that would depend on who had the system before you got it, and what department and how many staff used the system. (As I hinted in a previous message
that they where some what customer/client significant it could on been several different things).
Other then that - I cant really offer more at the moment.