Olivetti · M
Olivetti M300-02
1992 M300 with a 16 MHz 386SX, VLSI TOPCAT chipset and integrated WD90C11 video.
History
The M300-02 is the 16 MHz model of the BA013 board in the professional M300 range. The M300-02F uses the 25 MHz version of that board, and the PCS 11 and PCS 33 of late 1992 were built on the same base, with a different case and BIOS.
Hardware
- Processor
- Intel 80386SX 16 MHz
- Memory
- 2, 4 or 10 MB
- Chipset
- VLSI TOPCAT VL82C320/VL82C331
- Video
- Integrated Western Digital WD90C11, 512 KB
Catalogue classification
- Form factor
- Desktop
- Mobility
- Stationary
- Processor generation
- 80386SX 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
- Commercial models
The service guide presents the M300-02 as the earlier 16 MHz model with the BA013/16 board and 2 MB, and the M300-02F as the later 25 MHz model with the BA013/25.
Architecture and memory
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- CPU and bus
16 MHz Intel 386SX on the BA013/16 board, with an i387SX socket. VLSI TOPCAT chipset: VL82C320 system controller and VL82C331 bus controller. Two 16-bit ISA slots on the bus expansion board.
- Memory
Bank 0 with 2 MB soldered and bank 1 with two sockets for 1 M × 9 SIMMs (2 MB in total) or 4 M × 9 SIMMs (8 MB in total): 2, 4 or 10 MB. 80 ns access.
- Video
Integrated VGA: Western Digital WD90C11A, WD90C64 clock generator and Brooktree BT476 DAC. BluMach uses its WD90C11 model with 512 KB.
- Storage
3.5-inch 1.44 MB or 5.25-inch 1.2 MB floppy drive, with an Acer controller and serial and parallel ports in the 87C310. The IDE disk uses a buffered interface on the board. The BIOS table has only four types; the first three are 980/5/17 (40 MB), 977/10/17 (85 MB) and 762/8/39 (120 MB).
BIOS and firmware
Evidence: observed in preserved firmware and boot testing
- Known revisions
The preserved BIOS is R1.02 (04/28/92), 128 KB in a 27C010. The service guide lists R1.03 as the last one for the BA013/16; it has not been found. It includes Resident Diagnostics and a Setup in ROM with six languages.
Emulation status
Evidence: current BluMach status; not necessarily a description of the original circuit
- Verified
The R1.02 BIOS (128 KB) is identified and hash-verified. POST and booting from floppy disk have been observed.
- Pending or approximate
Partial emulation: it boots from floppy disk; the IDE disk still needs testing. The R1.02 BIOS programs the same TOPCAT values as the PCS 11 one; compared with the 25 MHz board only the memory and bus timings change, and the emulator does not use them. The later R1.03 service BIOS is missing, and the TOPCAT and board logic are partial functional models.
Sources
Preserved research material
Evidence: primary sources and research notes