Toshiba · T-series
Toshiba T5200
A 20 MHz 386DX transportable with VGA graphics and a gas-plasma display.
Development alpha candidate: earlier guest results are historical; interactive regression of this build is pending. No commercial HDD image is created automatically. EXPERIMENTAL: Award V1.30 boots Toshiba MS-DOS 3.30 from validated 720 KB and 1.44 MB floppy paths, and all selectable memory sizes pass TEST3. External VGA and internal plasma outputs now operate simultaneously in VGA and CGA modes. Toshiba gate-array timing, the regional CG-ROM, external-floppy routing and Conner hard disks remain incomplete.
History
The T5200 brought a desktop-class 32-bit 80386DX, external cache and VGA graphics to Toshiba's transportable T-series. Its integrated gas-plasma screen and mains-powered 8.5 kg chassis made it movable rather than truly mobile. The T5200/100 and /200 paired the same architecture with larger Conner IDE disks; the colour-screen T5200C is not represented by this entry.
Hardware
- Processor
- Intel 80386DX, 20 MHz; optional Intel 80387
- Memory
- 2 MB onboard, selectable and validated from 2 to 14 MB
- Video
- Toshiba OEM Paradise PVGA1, 256 KB VRAM; internal 16-level orange gas-plasma panel and external color VGA output
- Floppy drive
- One internal 3.5-inch 720 KB or 1.44 MB drive; both read paths validated
- Interfaces
- Two serial ports, parallel/external-floppy connector and proprietary expansion
Catalogue classification
- Form factor
- Transportable
- Mobility
- Portable
- Processor generation
- 80386 class
- Graphics standard
- VGA
- Display technology
- Plasma
- Display colour
- Amber
- Storage interface
- Floppy drive, IDE
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
A high-end transportable business computer combining a 20 MHz 386DX with an integrated display and desktop expansion.
- Commercial models
T5200 with 40 MB, T5200/100 with 100 MB and T5200/200 with 200 MB IDE storage. T5200C used a colour STN LCD and is outside this platform.
Architecture and memory
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- Memory
2 MB onboard, expandable to 14 MB. Selectable 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 MB populations report the expected totals and pass TEST3. The firmware-facing EMS selector model is functional but its physical gate-array ownership and timing are unknown.
- Video
Toshiba OEM Paradise PVGA1 with 256 KB VRAM, external VGA output and an internal 11.5-inch orange gas-plasma panel, presented simultaneously by default. VGA Color/Monochrome, bright/semi-bright, CGA two/16-level, Single/Double font and Plasma/CRT-only firmware choices drive the internal output. The documented Ctrl+Home action restores a disabled panel at runtime without interrupting external VGA. CGA activates a separate BGS window and completes a clean boot. The original keyboard-controller protocol, CRT indicator, orange curve and regional glyphs from the missing 64 KB CG-ROM remain approximate or pending.
- Storage
One internal 3.5-inch drive supports 720 KB and 1.44 MB media; both boot/read paths and 720 KB write persistence and protection are validated. The model initializes IDE, but documented Conner geometries and firmware compatibility remain unvalidated.
BIOS and firmware
- Known revisions
Award V1.30 system BIOS (128 KB) with the matching Toshiba 1988 VGA BIOS (32 KB file, declaring 24 KB of content). Both local ROMs are required.
Emulation status
- Screen controls
The manual documents contrast for the 16-level neon-orange plasma. View → Screen controls adjusts only the internal panel; simultaneous VGA is unchanged. Brightness and the BIOS/PDC tables stay under the guest’s control. The manual mentions no backlight or physical brightness dial, so none is added. The host curve is approximate.
- Verified
Toshiba MS-DOS 3.30 boots through both the internal 16-level orange plasma view and the external color VGA view, and from 720 KB and 1.44 MB media. TEST3 identifies the T5200 and passes memory at every selectable size. EMS selectors pass a direct guest probe. Cache control, Toshiba integration and the PDC-GA transfer curve are deliberately narrow approximations; this is functional validation, not cycle accuracy.
Engineering
This public engineering narrative explains how the evidence became an emulator implementation, including failures, compromises, validation and replacement criteria.