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IBM 5160  -  VGA Cards


Requirements
Cards that are known to work in the IBM 5160
Possible resource conflict



Requirements


Requirement #1 - 5160 motherboard configuration

• The two video switches on SW1 (shown here) are to be set for:  5=ON, 6=ON   (Otherwise the POST will complain when it doesn't find an MDA/CGA card.)
• Do not place the card in expansion slot 8 unless the card specifically supports slot 8.  Cards that are slot 8 compatible usually have a 'slot 8' jumper.


Requirement #2 - Suitable VGA card

The second requirement is a VGA card that is known to work in the IBM 5160.

• The documentation for some 16-bit VGA cards indicate that they work in an 8-bit expansion slot.  You must not expect that to mean all 8-bit slots.  Some of those cards are intended only for an 8-bit slot within an AT-class computer, and will not work in an IBM 5160.  The maker's documentation for the card will indicate whether the card will work in an IBM 5160.
• Some people have discovered that certain 8-bit compatible 16-bit VGA cards can be made to work in a 5150/5160 if the 8088 CPU on the motherboard is upgraded to a V20 CPU.
And some people have discovered that it does not work.
Note that such a CPU upgrade can sometimes cause a problem (example).


Requirement #3 - VGA card configuration

• Some VGA cards have configuration switches and/or jumpers.  An example is here.  Refer to the card's documentation to ensure that those switches/jumpers are set appropriately.  For the switches, do not confuse the off position with the on position.
• 16-bit VGA cards that are known to work in an IBM 5160, sometimes need to be manually configured to run in 8-bit mode.  Refer to the card's documentation, because configuration is done differently on different cards.



Some VGA cards that are known to work in the IBM 5160

This is where things can get tricky.  For example, when I tell you that I have a Video Seven VEGA VGA card that works in my 5160, you must not assume that all Video Seven VEGA VGA cards work in a 5160.  It could be, for example, that a design change in later revisions of the card results in 5160 incompatibility.  However, I think that you would have to be very unlucky to encounter that, but the fact may be important to you if you about to spend $100 on a card that you will not be able to return.

Make Model 8/16-bit Card's
FCC ID		 V20
Required ?		    Information source    Comment
????? ????? 16-bit - No Me. I have this card and it works in my 5160. "LICENCED" informs me that this card is not made by Western Digital.  No FCC ID.
AST VGA 8-bit   No AST document at here.  
AST VGA Plus 16-bit   No AST document at here. SW2 needs to be off
ATI VGA Wonder 16-bit   No Operation Manual at here. "it will also automatically configure itself in an 8-bit slot of an IBM PC, XT"
ATI VGA Wonder 16 16-bit   No Post #3 of the VCF thread at here. Member mikey99 of the VCFF.
IBM PS/2 Display Adapter 8-bit   No IBM document at here.  
Monotech PC XT-SVGA 8-bit   No Member river of the VCFF.   Warning: See note 5 below.  
Oktec EVGA-16 16-bit   ? Post #3 of the VCF thread at here. Member Stone of the VCFF.
Orchid ProDesigner IIs 16-bit   No Page 1.3 of the user's manual at here.  
[Sergey] ISA Super VGA 8-bit   No Web page at here.   Warning: See note 3 below.  
Tseng Labs ????? 16-bit   No Me.  I have this card and it works in my 5160. See note 1 below.
Video Seven VEGA VGA 8-bit D2A 62L1989V5 No Me.  I have this card and it works in my 5160. The card has a jumper for operation in slot 8
Video Seven VGA-16 16-bit D2A62LVGA16 No Various pages of the user's guide.   Warning: See note 2 below.  
Video Seven VGA 1024i 16-bit   No Various pages of the user's manual. Example: Page 11 contains, "an IBM PC or PC/XT".
Video Seven V-RAM VGA 16-bit   No Post #5 of the VCF thread at here. The information at here indicates that switches 6 and 7 both need to be OFF.
Western Digital Paradise PVGA1A 8-bit   ? Post #7 of the VCF thread at here. Member Scali of the VCFF.      Warning: See note 4 below.  


Note 1 Printed on the PCB is, "TSENG LAB INC." and "P/N 8927".
On power up, the card displays, "VGA-4000".
Set the BIOS8/BIOS16 jumper to BIOS8 (force BIOS ROM reads into 8-bit mode).
   
Note 2 I have one of these cards.  The VGA-16 user's guide indicates 5160 (IBM XT) compatibility, and indicates how to force the card into 8-bit operation.  But whilst I can get my card to operate in a 16-bit slot, I have been unable to get my card to operate in 8-bit mode (fitted to a 5150/5160/5170).  Maybe my card is faulty.
Also, I have noted that the user's guide indicates an FCC ID of D2A62LTJWBJC, whereas my card has the FCC ID of D2A62LVGA16.  Maybe I have a later version of the card, in which 8-bit operation was dropped!
   
Note 3 From the web page:
"PCB Version 1.0 requires a rework for compatibility with the original IBM PC and IBM XT computers, please see the Errata section below.  This errata was fixed in the PCB Version 1.1"
   
Note 4 "Paradise PVGA1A" is a chip.  There are many different make-models of VGA card based on the Paradise PVGA1A chip.  The card Scali is referring to is particular make-model of VGA card that uses the Paradise PVGA1A chip.  Other VGA cards based on the PVGA1A chip may not be compatible with the IBM 5160.
   
Note 5 Same as Sergey's ISA Super VGA.  Like that card, for IBM 5160 compatibility, the XT-SVGA needs to be of at least revision 1.1 (look for "Rev1.1" printed on the XT-SVGA card).



Possible resource conflict

If your IBM 5160 contains an XT-class hard disk controller, then be aware that some VGA cards may have a resource conflict with it.

This possibility is described in the 'Possible BIOS ROM conflict - hard disk controller and VGA' section at here.