Olivetti · M
Olivetti M250
1989 8 MHz 80286 desktop with integrated Paradise VGA-compatible video and 1 MB standard memory.
IN DEVELOPMENT: we are working on the M250 emulation. You can create the machine, but it may fail or stop partway. Any result you send us, even if it does not boot, helps us finish it.
History
The April 1989 M250 brochure positions this 8 MHz, zero-wait-state 80286 as a lower-professional system. It specifies 1 MB memory, integrated 1.44 MB 3.5-inch floppy, 20/40 MB disks, optional 40 MB streaming tape, VGA-compatible graphics, three 8/16-bit XT/AT slots and integrated mouse/video.
Hardware
- Processor
- Intel 80286, 8 MHz, zero wait states
- Memory
- 1 MB standard; 2 MB on-board with kit; up to 16 MB system with expansion boards
- Chipset
- CHIPS 80C206 with Olivetti GA98/GA99 memory logic
- Video
- Integrated Paradise PVGA1A / Olivetti VGA-compatible video
- Floppy drive
- One integrated 3.5-inch 1.44 MB drive; optional external 5.25-inch 360 KB drive
- Hard disk
- On-board AT (IDE) disk interface, called AT/RLL by Olivetti; BIOS 1.03 Setup types 1 Conner CP346 40 MB (805/4/26), 2 CP3106 100 MB (776/8/33), 3 CP3142 40 MB (635/4/33), 4 CP3022 20 MB (615/4/17)
- Cassette
- Optional 40 MB streaming-tape unit
- Expansion slots
- Three 8/16-bit XT/AT slots; integrated mouse and video free expansion slots
Catalogue classification
- Form factor
- Desktop
- Mobility
- Stationary
- Processor generation
- 80286 class
- Graphics standard
- VGA
Research
This page separates documented hardware facts, behavior observed in original firmware, and the current fidelity of BluMach emulation.
Sales and commercial configurations
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- Markets and period
Lower-professional market, 1989. The manufacturer brochure names MS-DOS and MS OS/2 compatibility.
- Commercial models
The brochure documents 8 MHz, 1 MB, a 3.5-inch floppy drive, VGA-compatible graphics and a 16-bit AT bus. The service guide and the BIOS list the Conner drives in Setup: CP3022 20 MB, CP346 and CP3142 40 MB, and CP3106 100 MB.
- Physical specifications
Manufacturer brochure: base unit 412 × 109 × 393 mm, 9 kg; keyboard 2 kg. It also lists 340 × 315 × 300 mm / 6 kg monochrome and 370 × 360 × 380 mm / 16 kg colour monitors.
Architecture and memory
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- CPU and bus
Intel 80286 at 8 MHz with zero wait states, as stated by the 1989 product brochure.
- Memory
The brochure starts at 1 MB and service material documents 2 MB as the M250 limit. With 1 MB, port 69h rearranges the 384 KB behind the hole: during POST it enables the 40000h and 80000h banks; with the E0000h-FFFFFh shadow on it leaves 256 KB of extended memory at 100000h, and 384 KB without shadow. The BIOS RAM-REMAPPING test only sizes memory: there is no permanent alias between 60000h and 80000h. BluMach reproduces this scheme with 1 MB; with 2 MB memory is linear.
- Video
Integrated Paradise PVGA1A/OVC, advertised as VGA-compatible graphics. Its PERC 1.06 BIOS is a separate image that BluMach loads at C0000h; until this version the Amstrad video ROM was loaded by mistake.
- Storage
The board carries an AT disk interface at 1F0h-1F7h and IRQ 14. Olivetti calls it the AT/RLL adapter and the board manual identifies it as an IDE interface. Setup types in BIOS 1.03: 1, CP346 40 MB (805/4/26); 2, CP3106 100 MB (776/8/33); 3, CP3142 40 MB (635/4/33); 4, CP3022 20 MB (615/4/17). The service guide gives 766 cylinders for type 2, but the BIOS table has 776. P6 is set to 1-2 for the 40 MB drives and to 2-3 for the CP3022 or no disk; the BIOS does not read it to detect the disk, which it takes from CMOS. Creation offers the four types.
Jumpers and physical configuration
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- Jumper bank
P1/P2 choose 512 KB, 1 MB or 2 MB of on-board DRAM; P6 the disk capacity and interleave, and P8 connects the battery. BluMach does not model them: memory is chosen when the machine is created and P6 changes nothing on the emulated IDE interface.
BIOS and firmware
Evidence: observed in preserved firmware and boot testing
- Known revisions
Observed local sets are PERB 1.03 system BIOS and PERC 1.06 PVGA1A video BIOS. Their bytes are local-only and are not included in BluMach.
Emulation status
Evidence: current BluMach status; not necessarily a description of the original circuit
- Verified
Isolated local cold initialisation at 8 MHz/1 MB; the user observed a soft reset without Keyboard Error 6 on 2026-09-03 with a new NVR. The history also records M250 POST, Setup and System Test boot, before the memory, video and CMOS fixes of 2026-10-16.
- Pending or approximate
POST, Setup and System Test must be repeated with the memory, video and CMOS fixes, checking the shadow and the extended memory POST reports. RTC, operating-system installation and the hard disk with Olivetti's drive types remain open. The M250 E needs its own complete validation.
Sources
Preserved research material
Evidence: primary sources and research notes
- Original product brochure
- Olivetti M250 commercial brochure, 1989 (access-restricted preservation listing)