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computers / comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware / What was the first microchannel adapter?

What was the first microchannel adapter?

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Subject: What was the first microchannel adapter?
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by: IBMMuseum - Sat, 18 Nov 2023 07:55 UTC

Something converted easily from 8-bit/ISA like the Token-Ring Adapter/A, 3270 emulation adapter, or boards to have more RAM? What do you think was the first?

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Subject: Re: What was the first microchannel adapter?
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by: Christian Holzapfel - Sat, 18 Nov 2023 19:00 UTC

Interesting question.
I would assume, when IBM introduced their new series of Personal Systems, they already had a couple of adapters ready to sell, in order to push their new ecosystem and let everything shine.
The very first, not commercially available, must have been an early prototype while developing the MCA bus and protocol itself, maybe a bus attached RAM or ROM to develop and test the different transfer modes.

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Subject: Re: What was the first microchannel adapter?
From: ibmmuseum@gmail.com (IBMMuseum)
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by: IBMMuseum - Sun, 19 Nov 2023 00:05 UTC

> The very first, not commercially available, must have been an early prototype
> while developing the MCA bus and protocol itself, maybe a bus attached RAM
> or ROM to develop and test the different transfer modes.

I'm speaking of a commercial adapter. An IIBM PC didn't need drives to have basic (no pun intended) functionality, but a display adapter was needed (and there were options for different levels, with the adapter setting what was used). In contrast to that, the system unit of a PS/2 didn't *require* any adapter to be installed to function. The development of microchannel also meant a big lead for IBM to initially offer adapters that enhanced the systems.

The 8515/A and MME adapters would have had to have been prototyped that the design would work work as the systems were announced - but I'm thinking it was the 4Mbps Token-Ring adapter (which adds networking, and it was from IBM, so had to Token-Ring; another contender was the baseband adapters like on the PC). The 'Adapter ID' was E000h. However, the 4Mbps "Long" Token-Ring adapter didn't change at all over time (even keeping n "equal flow" griding on the PCB like a prototype board); the same microcode version was just soldered in for the ROM, as visible in this two adapters (the top adapter was produced late in 1986, and the bottom one almost two years later - Token-Ring was announced at IBM on October 15th, 1985):

https://ibmmuseum.com/Adapters/Network/Token-Ring/IBM/Microchannel/4Mb-Long/MCA4MTR.jpg

In contrast, the "Long" 8-bit Token-Ring adapter had different microcode versions and always had socketed ROMs - and lost the "equalflow" griding on the PCB over the same two-year timespan:

https://ibmmuseum.com/Adapters/Network/Token-Ring/IBM/8-Bit/4Mbps/8Bt4MTR.jpg

Both the 8-bit and microchannel "Long" Token-Ring adapters were replaced with a "Short" version, and with time, the 16/4 (E001h) adapters...

Subject	Author
What was the first microchannel adapter?	IBMMuseum
Re: What was the first microchannel adapter?	Christian Holzapfel
Re: What was the first microchannel adapter?	IBMMuseum