DTK Data 1000 Turbo XT Part 1 : Hardware Overview

In part 1 of this 2 part series on the DTK Data 1000 IMB PC XT compatible, we're going to be looking at the hardware of the machine.

In part 2 we're going to go over the experience of owning an XT, what kind of software you can play around , and stuff to look out for when you are buying an XT.

#Retro #XT #8088

[tonocastillo]

It was in 1988 when my dad bought one of these, I learned using computers on one of these except it had no hard drive :) Brings good memories back!

[kibblestherexouium]

This machine is LOVELY! I hope it never stops working, even with the almost jet noise it makes.

[greatquux]

I’ve spent the last 3 days cleaning up from the huge ransomware attack in the news. Watching this really relaxed me and took me back to the days when you didn’t have to worry about any of that! Looking forward to part 2. A text adventure would look nice on that amber monitor.

[dormcat]

My first PC compatible was a DTK 80386DX-20 with 1 MB RAM and an amber monochrome display (very similar, if not identical, to that INTRA display at 13:14 as I remember that hemispherical power button) in 1990. The case is also very similar but with a few cosmetic upgrades: three 5.25" bays (one occupied by two FDD and one 40 MB IDE HDD internally) and two vertical 3.5" bays. Two years later I upgraded it with 1.44MB 3.5" FDD, ET4000, SB Pro, CD-ROM and continued using it for almost four more years.

[BilisNegra]

Wow this machine is so clean you would think it has gone through a restoration process already. It's nicely designed, too!

[hellion]

Very same HDD that was mounted in the Apple SC20 external drive! First drive i ever dissected after it crashed. Just love the startup of these machines. It's really feels like starting a machine, rather than a computer.

[Psychx_]

Wow, the previous owner really took care of this PC. It's in pristine condition!

[KrotowX]

Had exactly this DTK box in my first job. Those buttons at front panel was very easy to accidentally push with a knee without noticing that when case was placed in cheap computer table characteristic for begin of 1990-ies :) It took some time to realize why coworker is complaining about spurious restarts.

[ollyalme]

Ah, the GOOD noice from the ISA age. PCs had more noticeable limitations back then, and needed more help from you the user. Unlike todays computers. Todays computers have absolutely no soul at all. They just work. Boring. Another great video, thank you!

[angieandretti]

What a nice rig! I absolutely love the nostalgic sounds of the ST-225. What ever will we do when there are none left in operation? Will someone build us a retro storage replacement that accurately replicates the lovely sounds... or perhaps a true functional NEW MFM hard drive for the retro community? Well for now I'll push for a company like Sony to produce a NEW CRT!

[nneeerrrd]

Noooice!

I only hope the second part will not end up in your Part 2 Graveyard 😁

[wesley]

My first experience with a PC was a DTK 8088 but in a flip top metal case. No turbo button so during boot you had to repeatedly hit CTRL-ALT-minus until the line cursor turned into a half-block.

[dykodesigns]

That is fine looking specimen, it’s well looked after by the looks of it. Amazing that it works fine at first boot.

[JenniferinIllinois]

Wow, that system looks like new. Makes me think it was sitting in come business' back room (still in the box) and never used. Awesome find. 👌

[DanPellegrino]

What a beauty! Excellent machine to have around.

[virtualinfinity]

At the time when they were popular the ST-225 was named the "seagate stone washed". Because of it's distinctive noise - it always sounded like some gravel made it into the drive and gets spun up when the drive powered down. But they were comparatively cheap but pretty slow. And you could get them everywhere, as Seagate literally flooded the market with drives.

[douro]

DTK Computer was probably the first Taiwanese company to be largely successful in the computer market in the West.

A good hard disk controller upgrade is the WDXT-GEN2 which supports dynamic translation so you can use it with hard disks not normally supported by the controller BIOS. I have a Seagate ST-4096 in my 5150 and it's set up with dynamic translation.

[rtstaley]

This is one of my favorite boards in my collection. Sadly I don't have the case. Works awesome with an 8-bit vga card.

[wombatmarsupial]

The sound of that chunky power switch, I used to love LGR when he went on about the same. These are tanks of the computer world I have two clones and yes I love the sounds they make😊😊

[vwestlife]

The MCGP card does both MDA/Hercules monochrome and CGA color graphics. The name stands for Mono/Color Graphics and Printer.