← All machines

Toshiba · T-series

Toshiba T3200

1987 · Architecture: 80286

Original 12 MHz 286 portable with EGA-compatible graphics and a plasma panel.

ExperimentalImplemented in BluMach

Development alpha candidate: earlier guest results are historical; interactive regression of this build is pending. No commercial HDD image is created automatically. EXPERIMENTAL: BIOS 4.61 and Toshiba DOS 3.30 boot with either option of the single internal floppy drive (720 KB or 1.44 MB). The two 4 MB memory endpoints, complete floppy formats, MFM installation and BIOS-mediated display switching have been validated. PEGA2 timing, AGS capture/NMI and physical memory-card decode remain approximate.

Toshiba T3200. Photograph
Photo: Liftarn · Public domain · View the original

History

The original T3200 combines a 12 MHz 80286, plasma display and two expansion slots in a transportable computer. Toshiba marketed it as a compact desktop alternative. Its brochure lists 1 MB RAM, a 40 MB hard disk, a 720 KB floppy drive and MS-DOS 3.2. TECHaccess documents later 1.44 MB drives and an upgrade to that capacity; the production date and serial boundary remain unknown. The T3200SX is a different machine, with different hardware, and is not covered here.

Hardware

Processor
Intel 80286, 12/6 MHz; pilot fixed at 12 MHz
Memory
1 MB base or 4 MB with experimental 3 MB card: EMS-only, or 3 MB extended plus 384 KB EMS
Video
PEGA2/AGS, 256 KB VRAM, 2 KB SRAM; EGA approximation
Floppy drive
One internal 3.5-inch drive: early 720 KB or later 1.44 MB; BIOS 4.61 supports both. Default 1.44 MB.
Interfaces
AT-compatible serial/parallel; Toshiba keyboard behavior incomplete

Catalogue classification

Form factor
Transportable
Mobility
Portable
Processor generation
80286 class
Graphics standard
EGA
Display technology
Plasma
Display colour
Amber
Storage interface
Floppy drive, MFM

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 transportable business PC positioned as a compact desktop alternative, combining an integrated plasma display with room for standard expansion cards.

Commercial models

The Toshiba brochure lists a 12 MHz 80286, 1 MB RAM, a 40 MB hard disk, a 720 KB floppy drive and MS-DOS 3.2. Toshiba later documented original T3200 units with a 1.44 MB drive and an upgrade option; the revision boundary is unknown.

Options and accessories

Documented expansion includes the optional 3 MB memory card, an 80287 coprocessor, external RGB display support and two internal expansion slots.

Architecture and memory

Evidence: documented or confirmed hardware

Memory

1 MB: 640 KB conventional + 384 KB EMS. With the optional 3 MB card, EMS-only mode provides 3456 KB EMS; extended mode provides 3072 KB extended + 384 KB EMS. Both endpoints pass Toshiba EMM.SYS and write/read tests. Physical EMS page order is approximated; intermediate 0.5–2.5 MB splits and 512 KB conventional mode remain unavailable.

Video

Experimental 256 KB EGA with separate 2 KB AGS SRAM. Internal plasma decodes four BIOS/XCHAD levels; external output retains the sixteen EGA colors. Right Ctrl + Home/End selects the display. Right Ctrl + Down requests the BIOS 350/400-line extension. Documented 640-column active modes retain physical pixel proportions; exact line replication, fonts, hue and full-panel placement remain approximate. The resident XCHAD Ctrl+SysReq menu opens, edits levels and retains them on reopening; 41h SRAM access is supported. Capture/NMI and broader PEGA2 behavior remain incomplete.

Storage

One internal 3.5-inch floppy: early 720 KB or later 1.44 MB. Unmodified BIOS 4.61 identifies the drive selected in Configure. Experimental internal MFM for Fujitsu M2227DT, physical 615/8/17; BIOS type 4 uses 612/8/17. New profiles contain no hard disk.

BIOS and firmware

Known revisions

Toshiba system BIOS 4.61: IC22_033E.BIN and IC24_034E.BIN, 32 KB each; AGS_IC8_035C.BIN, 32 KB. Local ROMs required; hashes and provenance in the machine documentation.

Emulation status

Screen controls

The owner’s manual describes one combined contrast/brightness dial. View → Screen controls represents it with a single brightness slider on the approximate internal orange plasma. The manual mentions no LCD backlight or second dial, so none is added. External EGA is unchanged; the optical response is approximate.

Verified

Both 720 KB and 1.44 MB pass complete BIOS format/read, DOS FORMAT /S and fresh-process boot. A new MFM disk passes all BIOS-visible sectors, native FDISK and FORMAT /S, installation of all 67 Toshiba DOS 3.30 utilities, independent hard-disk boot and CHKDSK. Both 4 MB memory endpoints pass Toshiba SETUP, EMM.SYS and full page tests. FDC channel-2 DMA into the D000 EMS window also passes. These are scoped functional results, not cycle accuracy.

Sources

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