Olivetti · M
Olivetti M280
Experimental 12 MHz 80286 desktop with an 8 MHz bus, FE2000 logic, external OEC/PGC video, and locally preserved BIOS 2.16.
IN DEVELOPMENT: we are working on the M280 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 M280 service guide records BA817 and BA824 system boards, an IF622 bus adapter, ME903 memory expansion, OEC/PGC monitor adapters, and GO714 MFM or GO723 RLL storage controllers. It is a service options record, not a recovered sales-price matrix.
Hardware
- Processor
- Intel 80286, 12 MHz CPU / 8 MHz bus
- Memory
- 1 MB base; ME903 RAM expansion board documented up to 2 MB
- Chipset
- Olivetti FE2000 proprietary logic with MC146818 and 8742 keyboard controller
- Video
- External OEC EGA-compatible or PGC monitor adapter; no native video board is modelled
- Floppy drive
- GO714 ST506/MFM or GO723 ST506/RLL HD/FD controller options documented
- Hard disk
- BIOS 2.16 expands the HDU table and adds a 62 MB RLL option
- Expansion slots
- IF622 bus adapter; ME903 RAM expansion; OEC/PGC monitor adapters
Catalogue classification
- Form factor
- Desktop
- Mobility
- Stationary
- Processor generation
- 80286 class
- Graphics standard
- EGA
- Storage interface
- Floppy drive, ST-506
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 guide documents a 1 MB base system, ME903 memory expansion up to 2 MB, OEC EGA-compatible or PGC monitor adapters, and GO714 MFM or GO723 RLL controller options. It does not establish which combinations were commercial bundles or their prices; the 3 MB selectable total is an explicit inference.
Architecture and memory
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- CPU and bus
Intel 80286 at 12 MHz with an 8 MHz bus, 100 ns RAM access and one wait state.
- Memory
The service guide lists 1 MB minimum RAM and ME903 expansion up to 2 MB. The selectable 3 MB total is inferred from those two documented facts and remains experimental, despite emulator support.
- Video
OEC GO451/GO467 is EGA-compatible and PGC GO423 is a positive-monitor adapter. Neither original board is modelled; PVGA1A is used only as an external compatibility display for the creation profile.
- Storage
GO714 (WD1003-WA2, ST506/MFM with floppy), GO717 (WD1003-WAH, ST506/MFM) and GO723 (WD1003-RA2, ST506/RLL with floppy). Creation offers the GO723 with the two 62 MB RLL drives in its table (types 23 and 30) and the GO717 with the 40 MB ones (types 6 and 7).
Jumpers and physical configuration
Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware
- Jumper bank
JU1 selects 512 KB or 1 MB RAM and serial/parallel enablement; JU2/JU6/JU7 select system and 80287 clocks; JU3 selects burn-in, monitor, and 32 MHz clock; JU8/JU9 control RTC/NVR clocks. Default positions are documented, but these physical controls are not modelled individually.
BIOS and firmware
Evidence: observed in preserved firmware and boot testing
- Known revisions
Documented BIOS pairs are PBVW/PBVV 2.14 and PBVS/PBVT 2.16, with a 2.16.1 update. The local PBVT/PBVS 2.16 pair is preserved as local-only interleaved firmware.
Emulation status
Evidence: current BluMach status; not necessarily a description of the original circuit
- Verified
Observed by the owner on 2026-09-03 with BIOS 2.16, 1 MB and PVGA1A: POST completes and the keyboard responds.
- Pending or approximate
Saving Setup, DOS boot and the hard disk remain pending. BIOS 2.16 stores its configuration in the keyboard-controller NVRAM with the same protocol as the M380, but BluMach only enables it on the M380 for now, so SETUP cannot yet save it on the M280. FE2000, console, OEC/PGC and the exact memory mapping need modelling or validation; generic AT services and PVGA1A are explicit approximations. The GO723, GO717 and GO714 are emulated with the WD1003: their jumpers are not modelled, they stay at 1F0h and IRQ 14, the machine provides the floppy controller, and they reset on a soft reset. The GO714 can be chosen in the controller settings, but its drive table (the GO406's) has not been recovered.
Sources
Preserved research material
Evidence: primary sources and research notes
- Original manual
- Olivetti Personal Computer - Pocket Service Guide, CAP4 M280, pages 4-1 to 4-4 (local preservation copy).