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Why 5150?

hargle

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Joined
Nov 30, 2007
Messages
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Location
minneapolis, MN
We all know about the IBM 5150, but I've been discovering that "5150" is being used for a lot of devices, from Dell, HP printers, laptops, cellphones, home stereo equipment, etc etc. It seems to be the most popular model number ever.

I know that 5150 is a mental health code used in california, but could that really be why IBM and everyone else uses it? I thought they were east coasters?

The IBM 5150 predates the van halen album, so it can't be that, but others could be influenced by it.

Is there something about 5150 that makes us look tech savy or something?
 
We all know about the IBM 5150, but I've been discovering that "5150" is being used for a lot of devices, from Dell, HP printers, laptops, cellphones, home stereo equipment, etc etc. It seems to be the most popular model number ever.

I know that 5150 is a mental health code used in california, but could that really be why IBM and everyone else uses it? I thought they were east coasters?

The IBM 5150 predates the van halen album, so it can't be that, but others could be influenced by it.

Is there something about 5150 that makes us look tech savy or something?

5150 has also been the model number of all of EVH's amps since the Peavey 5150 head in 1989, to the present $4000.00 Fender Head.

The 5150 is also his 1984 Kramer Pacer Special guitar with the letters "5150" across the bottom in house numbers referred to as "space tape". He has stuck that to all of his other main guitars since (Earnie Ball Music Man, Peavey Wolfgangs, and Fender-made EVH Wolfgangs).
 
other way 'round

other way 'round

hargle said...I know that 5150 is a mental health code used in california

Maybe it's the other way 'round. Maybe California chose 5150 as their code for crazy on the loose after using the 5150 for a couple of months.

patscc
 
IBM has model numbering schemes. The 5150 probably follows from the same scheme and group that first used 5100 for the IBM 5100 machine, which was small, personal, and also portable.

For a while everything in that first PC family had a 51xx number:

  • Original PC 5150
  • IBM Monochrome Display (5151)
  • IBM Graphics Printer (5152)
  • CGA Monitor (5153)
  • EGA Monitor (5154)
  • IBM PC XT (5160)
  • Expansion Unit (5161)
  • IBM XT 286 (5162)
  • IBM PC AT (5170)
  • PC Convertible (5140)

Interestingly, the PCjr is 4860 and the PCjr color monitor is 4863 .. seems kind of rude. :)
 
IBM has model numbering schemes. The 5150 probably follows from the same scheme and group that first used 5100 for the IBM 5100 machine, which was small, personal, and also portable.

For a while everything in that first PC family had a 51xx number:

  • Original PC 5150
  • IBM Monochrome Display (5151)
  • IBM Graphics Printer (5152)
  • CGA Monitor (5153)
  • EGA Monitor (5154)
  • IBM PC XT (5160)
  • Expansion Unit (5161)
  • IBM XT 286 (5162)
  • IBM PC AT (5170)
  • PC Convertible (5140)

Interestingly, the PCjr is 4860 and the PCjr color monitor is 4863 .. seems kind of rude. :)

Yes, and for the last two digits similiar to the terminals of the System/32/34/36: 5250. The 3270 PC is the 5271, 3270 AT is the 5281. The System/23 ("Datamaster") was the 5322.
 
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