Olivetti M290 80286 - The computer on a processor card

Starting with the Olivetti M290, first released in 1984, Olivetti began a new computer layout with the actual CPU, optional maths co-processor, RAM, and Keyboard controller all on one processor card. This computer model was one of the first to be shipped with a video card & monitor compatible with the IBM EGA standard.
Images and BIOS dump are available on: archive.org/de...
#Olivetti #M290 #80286

[@brunomelandri1147]

Nice to see it again. I was one of the designers.

[@TiBosRetroComputers]

Ohh you where on of the designers of this model ... Can you tell me if there besides the 286 (M290) and the 386sx (M300) card was other models produced?

[@cannabiscomet4410]

What a pleasantly assembled little clone. Also that cable management, very nice touch.

[@TiBosRetroComputers]

Thank you for yours kind words

[@miked4377]

nice tibo .
..very nice......

[@jasonhaman4670]

That's a very nice looking front panel.
Olivetti's extreme proprietary-ness is simultaneously frustrating and fascinating.
Regarding the proprietary Olivetti keyboards, do you know if the earlier ones are electronically standard XT-interface, and this one electronically AT-interface, and it's just the physical connectors that are non-standard? In which case, if the pinout is documented somewhere, it would theoretically be possible to replace the DIN connector on a standard AT keyboard with a custom-wired DE-9 connector and use it with this computer. And for the earlier ones, a standard XT keyboard, also with its DIN connector replaced with a custom DE-9, wired to match those earlier PCs. Or are these keyboards electronically incompatible as well?

[@TiBosRetroComputers]

The Keyboard 1-2 and 3 is
1 - DATA
2 - CLOCK
3 & 4 GROUND
5 - +12 V
and in the case of the keyboard for this computer pin 9 became the +12 V
So it is just a "normal" XT standard

[@eliotmansfield]

That wasn’t the original video card - they had 16bit vga cards by then iirc

[@TiBosRetroComputers]

Thank you for your input.
The M290 was shipped with the following 3 different video cards
GO424 - PGC monitor adapter (Positive monitor)
GO481 - OVC monitor adapter (16 bit VGA)
GO491 - OEC monitor adapter (EGA compatible)

[@eliotmansfield]

@@TiBosRetroComputers In reality they only ever had the vga cards fitted though - ega was old hat even back then 😝

[@panzerkadse5361]

The M290 has basically the same chipset as the M250 … this is so long ago, I don’t remember which one of them was first 😢 anyway, back then i didn’t care about details like this 🤗

[@Neksus-M06]

Sometimes you don't need more horsepower than needed and cutting costs is the deal.

[@TiBosRetroComputers]

#True

[@djbrizzolato]

i have one with keyboard... i would like to sell it...

[@TiBosRetroComputers]

My email can be found on the About Page

[@KingofUrukhai]

Uhhhhh this was a real achievement to sqeezey all the logic in a rather small board....
M290 was released on 1989 or 90 and at that time I alredy quitted Olivetti...after a career that lasted exactly ten years in the mini computer division : it was regarded as a competitor to the pc divisions, which were " Office" and the more professional " System".
M290 belonged to the System branch....
The use of an outdated interface for the disk drive like mfm, maybe was dictated by cost considerations , since it was the cheaper solution for low capacity disks: in fact the more performing ESDI interface was around since mid eighties, but it was reserved for high capacity drives, and the mini computer division had an ESDI controller and a 140 Mbytes unit as the entry level configuration....
Maybe Olivetti PC never used ESDI disks and made a direct transition from mfm to ATA units.... 😬😬😬