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Olivetti · PCS

Olivetti PCS 386SX

1990 · Architecture: 80386SX

16 MHz 80386SX model with integrated Paradise VGA, IDE storage and an optional 80387SX coprocessor.

PartialImplemented in BluMach

Olivetti PCS 386SX. Concept illustration

History

The PCS 386SX brought a 16 MHz 80386SX to the family's compact format in 1990. BluMach now represents the photographed HT101SX, HT113 and GC102-PC chipset instead of the incorrect HT18 model, and has validated BIOS 1.14, Built-In Setup, MS-DOS boot, 1–8 MB memory configurations and the optional 80387SX. The machine is usable but remains partial; IDE installation and second boot, broader software, EMS and hardware-level compatibility still require validation.

Hardware

Processor
Intel 80386SX 16 MHz
Memory
1 MB standard; up to 8 MB on-board and 16 MB system; LIM 4.0/EMS
Chipset
Headland HT101SX + HT113 + GC102-PC
Video
Paradise PVGA1A integrated, 256 KB
Floppy drive
3.5 in, 1.44 MB
Clock and CMOS
128-byte CMOS RTC
Math coprocessor
Intel 80387SX 16 MHz optional
Expansion slots
2 × 16-bit AT + 1 × 8-bit XT full-size slots
Interfaces
RS-232C, bidirectional parallel, PS/2 mouse, AT keyboard
Dimensions and weight
360 × 312 × 100 mm; 7.6 kg

Catalogue classification

Form factor
Desktop
Mobility
Stationary
Processor generation
80386SX class
Graphics standard
VGA
Storage interface
Floppy drive, IDE

Research

This page separates documented hardware facts, behavior observed in original firmware, and the current fidelity of BluMach emulation.

Architecture and memory

Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware

CPU and bus

Intel 80386SX at 16 MHz with zero wait states and a 16-bit external data bus; optional Intel 80387SX at 16 MHz.

Memory

1 MB standard, expandable to 8 MB on the motherboard and 16 MB in the system; BIOS tests base and extended memory and stores configuration in 128-byte CMOS.

Video

Integrated Paradise PVGA1A with 256 KB; OVC 1.06 video firmware is embedded in the known BIOS set.

Storage

Integrated IDE/ATA. Commercial configurations use two 1.44 MB floppy drives, or one floppy drive with a 20, 40 or 100 MB hard disk. The brochure does not identify exact drive models.

Chipset and board logic

Evidence: manufacturer manual compared with the BluMach implementation

Main circuits

Confirmed physical population: Headland HT101SX + HT113 + GC102-PC three-chip set. BluMach models them as three separate devices and no longer reuses the HT18/HT21 core internally.

Integrated functions

The exact HT101SX/HT113 data sheet has not been found. Board evidence and two independent BIOS families establish the 80386SX memory, shadow and EMS interface. BluMach assigns the firmware-visible memory controller to HT113, keeps HT101SX as the system-controller package and models GC102-PC as a transparent data buffer; this division is explicit and replaceable if primary documentation or hardware traces prove otherwise.

Modeled interface

Both the PCS 386SX Phoenix 1.14 BIOS and another surviving HT101SX BIOS program 1ECh–1EFh: EMS mapping data, configuration index, EMS mapping address and configuration data. Neither BIOS accesses fast A20 port 92h, so the dedicated chipset does not install it.

Serial and parallel

TI TL16C451FN: one TL16C450-compatible UART plus a bidirectional Centronics printer interface. BluMach models that documented decomposition directly, replacing the unrelated PC87310 approximation.

Floppy drive

Western Digital WD37C65CJM, represented by BluMach's AT-compatible uPD765 FDC core under the real component identity.

BIOS and firmware

Evidence: observed in preserved firmware and boot testing

Known revisions

BIOS 1.14 with embedded OVC 1.06.

Configuration

Extended Setup (F1–F10) stores in CMOS the clock, hard disk (12h), floppy drives A and B (10h), video (14h/1Ch), shadow RAM (none, BIOS, VGA or both), RAM test speed, the split between extended and EMS memory, RAM/IO/coprocessor clocks (16/8/16, 16/16/16 or 8/8/8 MHz), keyboard repeat rate, password and keyboard language. Checked in BluMach: the frequency setting is kept and 8/8/8 approximately slows memory. The 16 MHz I/O choice is stored, but the BIOS does not apply it. Keeping the shadow, EMS and drive B settings is still to be checked.

Resident diagnostics

Customer Test exercises memory, clock, controllers and peripherals. U_MGR from the preserved copy hangs and remains under investigation to distinguish disk damage from an emulation incompatibility.

Findings from BIOS disassembly

Evidence: behavior recovered from BIOS code and testing

ROM organization

Two 64 KB LOW/HIGH images are byte-interleaved into 128 KB at E0000h–FFFFFh. The global eight-bit checksum is zero. The first 24 KB contain OVC 1.06.

8042 protocol

At F000:37C6 (physical F37C6h), Phoenix sends AEh to the 8042, waits for OBF at 64h and requires 3Bh from 60h. The generic 8042 only enabled the keyboard and left BIOS waiting; BluMach queues one machine-specific 3Bh response.

Olivetti IOC02

Selector is at 68h, data/status at 6Ah, with an additional 6Ch register. Phoenix 1.14 verifies 55h/AAh writes and expects 6Ah reads to apply XOR 20h; with selector 00h a write must not latch. Warm reset restores 04h/04h/FFh.

Memory-controller test

The provisional HT113 device exclusively owns conventional memory, 384 KB relocation, shadow RAM and EMS. With CR0 bit 2 clear, the 384 KB hidden by the upper-memory area is relocated above 1 MB. BIOS 1.14 does not contain the PCS 286 RAM-REMAPPING 60000h/80000h test; that copied alias and the generic AT remap were removed because they overlap the controller's maps.

CMOS and BIOS data area

128-byte Phoenix CMOS. BIOS 1.14 encodes 80x25 internal video as video bits 00h in CMOS 14h plus 20h in CMOS 1Ch; 80x25 external uses 20h in 14h plus 00h in 1Ch. The 80387SX updates bit 1 of 14h, and every change requires the 10h–2Dh checksum to be recalculated.

Video firmware

OVC 1.06 is embedded in the system BIOS and controls the integrated 256 KB PVGA1A; therefore the device does not mount an external Paradise ROM at C0000h.

Emulation status

Evidence: current BluMach status; not necessarily a description of the original circuit

Verified

Usable partial emulation: BIOS 1.14 POST and MS-DOS boot at 1, 2, 4 and 8 MB; Built-In Setup, internal PVGA1A/OVC 1.06 video, keyboard, CMOS/RTC, floppy and optional 80387SX diagnostics. The IOC02 self-test passes. An instrumented 8042 reset-entry probe confirms that CRI, MAR, CR0–CR4 and MR state survive a soft reset, while a hard reset recreates cold defaults.

Pending or approximate

Status: partial and bootable, not cycle-exact. IDE installation, persistence and second boot remain pending. No exact HT101SX/HT113 data sheet or original M5L8042 keyboard-controller ROM is public, so the register ownership and keyboard protocol are BIOS-derived functional models. GC102-PC parity/NMI wiring, physical HT113 warm-reset behaviour and EMS page mapping still need original hardware or diagnostics. General software compatibility has not yet been surveyed, and the preserved Customer Utility U_MGR module hangs; its disk history and DOS/Barrotes_1310 detection prevent treating that result as a confirmed emulator fault. The password keyboard-lock mode is not emulated, and the keyboard repeat rate follows the host computer.

Sources

Preserved research material

Evidence: primary sources and research notes

Analyzed firmware
Phoenix BIOS 1.14, embedded OVC 1.06, disassembly of F000:37C6 and IOC02 paths, cold/warm boot traces and tests with/without an 80387SX.
Diagnostic media
Resident Diagnostics, Customer Utility 1.51 and Tutorial 2.2. Original IMDs preserve one unavailable sector; working RAW copies fill it with F6h. The sanitized Customer Utility copy remains separate from the original.

Machine-translated and checked with several tools. Spotted a mistake? Let me know.