Triumph-Adler · Dario
Triumph-Adler Dario 386SX
Triumph-Adler badge of the 16 MHz PCS 386SX platform, with preserved original ROMs
History
Triumph-Adler sold the 80386SX member of this common platform as Dario 386SX or P45. Comparison of surviving version 1.14 ROMs proves that its executable video and system firmware is identical to the Olivetti PCS 386SX; only unused EPROM padding differs.
Hardware
- Processor
- Intel 80386SX 16 MHz
- Memory
- 1 MB standard; up to 8 MB on-board; LIM 4.0/EMS
- Chipset
- Headland HT101SX + HT113 + GC102-PC with IOC02
- Video
- Paradise PVGA1A, 256 KB, embedded OVC 1.06
- Floppy drive
- 3.5 in, 1.44 MB
- Math coprocessor
- Intel 80387SX optional
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.
BIOS and firmware
Evidence: behavior recovered from BIOS code and testing
- Published identity
Offsets 00000h–05FFFh (OVC 1.06) and 10000h–1FFFFh (Phoenix 1.14) are byte-identical to PCS 386SX. All 40,959 differing bytes lie in unused 06000h–0FFFFh padding: mostly FFh on Dario and 00h on Olivetti.
- ROM organization
Original 64 KB LOW and HIGH dumps interleave exactly into the 128 KB FULL image. BluMach loads the Dario originals, preserving their FFh erased-area state rather than normalizing it to the Olivetti image.
- Known revisions
Phoenix system BIOS 1.14 dated 30 October 1991 with 24 KB OVC video BIOS 1.06, Resident Diagnostics and tables.
Emulation status
Evidence: current BluMach status; not necessarily a description of the original circuit
- Main circuits
Shares the PCS 386SX board model: Headland HT101SX + HT113 + GC102-PC, IOC02, discrete TL16C451FN serial/parallel and WD37C65CJM floppy control, plus integrated PVGA1A.
- Verified
ROM reconstruction and executable identity are proven. The Dario uses the same corrected HT101SX + HT113 + GC102-PC implementation as the PCS 386SX and boots BIOS, Built-In Setup and MS-DOS with configured memory and IDE disks; its status is therefore the same usable partial level.
- Pending or approximate
Partial and bootable, with the same boundaries as the PCS 386SX: chipset ownership is reconstructed without exact HT101SX/HT113 documentation, the M5L8042 ROM is missing, EMS and GC102-PC parity need validation, and broad software compatibility has not yet been tested. Brand-specific external hardware differences beyond the proven firmware/padding distinction have not been independently validated.
Sources
Preserved research material
Evidence: primary sources and research notes
- Main circuits
- Photographed PCS 386SX motherboard identifying HT101SX, HT113, GC102-PC, M5L8042, TL16C451FN and WD37C65CJM
- Serial and parallel
- Texas Instruments TL16C451/TL16C452 official data sheet (SLLS053C)
- Original product brochure
- Olivetti PCS 386SX product sheet for the badge-equivalent platform
- Analyzed firmware
- Preserved TA Dario and Olivetti PCS 386SX version 1.14 LOW/HIGH/FULL dumps and byte-level comparison