Olivetti · M
Olivetti M250 E
Separate 12 MHz M250-family 80286 board with 82C206 logic and its own firmware identity.
IN DEVELOPMENT: we are working on the M250 E 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 M250 E is documented alongside the M250 in Olivetti service material, but has distinct 12 MHz timing, CHIPS 82C206 and GA80/GA99 board logic, as well as its own PDSF/PDSD firmware. Its Setup documents 20, 40 and 100 MB Conner types, while a standalone sales configuration and release date remain unrecovered.
Hardware
- Processor
- Intel 80286, 12 MHz
- Memory
- 1 MB base profile; 2 and 4 MB populations documented
- Chipset
- CHIPS 82C206 with M250 E-only GA80/GA99 board logic
- Video
- Paradise PVGA1A / Olivetti VGA-compatible video
- Floppy drive
- 3.5-inch drive class; exact shipping configuration remains pending
- Hard disk
- On-board AT (IDE) disk interface, called AT/RLL by Olivetti; BIOS 1.06 Setup types 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), 5 745/4/28 and 6 965/5/17 (drives not identified); BIOS 1.07 adds type 7 CP3044
- Expansion slots
- AT-compatible expansion; exact sales bundle remains pending
Catalogue classification
- Form factor
- Desktop
- Mobility
- Stationary
- Processor generation
- 80286 class
- Graphics standard
- VGA
- Storage interface
- Floppy drive
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
Late-1980s M250-family derivative. Its standalone commercial positioning, release date and regional bundles remain pending.
- Commercial models
The service guide documents the 12 MHz board, 2 or 4 MB of memory and the Conner drives in Setup: CP3022 20 MB, CP346 and CP3142 40 MB, CP3106 100 MB and, from BIOS 1.07, CP3044 40 MB. No list of sales configurations has been found.
Architecture and memory
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- CPU and bus
Intel 80286 at 12 MHz, documented separately from M250's 8 MHz design.
- Memory
Service material documents 2 MB using two 512 KB SIMMs and 4 MB using two 512 KB plus two 1 MB SIMMs. The 1 MB default is a current emulation profile, not a claimed sales configuration.
- Main circuits
CHIPS 82C206 peripheral controller with GA80/GA99 logic and an M250 E-only port at 6Bh. BluMach currently uses the shared AT peripheral path where 82C206-specific behavior is not documented.
- Storage
On-board AT disk interface at 1F0h-1F7h and IRQ 14, which Olivetti calls the AT/RLL adapter; it is the same IDE interface as on the M250. Setup types in BIOS 1.06: 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); 5, 745/4/28, and 6, 965/5/17, with no identified drive. The service guide gives 766 cylinders for type 2, but the BIOS has 776. BIOS 1.07 adds type 7 for the CP3044. P6 selects 1:1 or 1:3 interleave and P10 states whether a disk is fitted; the BIOS takes the disk from CMOS.
Jumpers and physical configuration
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- Jumper bank
P1/P2 choose 1, 2 or 4 MB of RAM. P6 selects the disk interleave, P8 the battery, P9 the floppy mode (16 MHz or 1.2 MB), P10 disk presence, P11 the serial port, P12 VGA and P15/P20 hysteresis and precompensation. BluMach does not model them.
BIOS and firmware
Evidence: observed in preserved firmware and boot testing
- Known revisions
Observed local sets are PDSF 1.06 system BIOS and PDSD 1.06 PVGA1A video BIOS. They are distinct from M250 firmware and remain local-only.
Emulation status
Evidence: current BluMach status; not necessarily a description of the original circuit
- Verified
Local isolated cold initialization at 12 MHz/1 MB created NVR without a ROM-load error. It is not visual POST or diagnostic evidence.
- Pending or approximate
On-screen POST, Setup and System Test, soft reset, RTC, operating system, hard disk and the documented memory sizes are still missing. Its PDSD 1.06 video BIOS is now loaded at C0000h; until this version the Amstrad video ROM was loaded. The 82C206 and jumpers P6, P9 and P10 are documented hardware differences that the emulation does not yet reproduce in a verified way.
Sources
Preserved research material
Evidence: primary sources and research notes
- Original product brochure
- M250 1989 brochure retained as family context only; not proof of an M250 E commercial bundle