This year for #DOScember, an annual vintage computing event that takes place in December to celebrate all things related to MS-DOS era computing, this old “Apple guy” took a dive into the first desktop PC, the IBM 5150. The IBM 5150 was released in 1982 and has become the root for all the PC clones that followed after.
I wanted to get to know more about how this PC worked, and to learn how to troubleshoot and restore one to working condition. After purchashing one from eBay back in June, I got to work on testing my “as-is” digital treasure.
As DOScember comes to a close, I can say it has been an interesting ride. I have started to learn how the Intel 8088 CPU works to get the PC booted up, how to use a multimeter and osilliscope, configurign and troubleshooting the 5150 motherboard, and a tiny bit about reading integrated circuit (IC) datasheets and electrical schematics.
For example, using my Zoyi ZT-702S, I have been able to confirm that original power supply form 1985 is working as expected and that my AMD 8088 CPU does appear to be working. As a result, I’m more confidnet using this tool and not blowing up the house with an old cranky power supply.
On this final day of DOScember 2025, my IBM PC still isn’t booting, but with the help from the awesome people in the vintage retro computing community, I feel that I’m close to finding the fault that is keeping the it from booting up. It’s only a matter of time now.
I plan on contiuing to work on restoring my IBM 5150 even after DOScember ends in the background and eventually posting a follow up video of the machine being repaired and booting.
Until then, enjoy this DOScember 2025 recap playlist on YouTube!