| Make | Olivetti |
| Model | M24 |
| Model Number | XP1050 |
| Serial Number | 0017412 |
| Processor | Intel 8086 |
| Bus | ISA |
| Release Date | 1983 |
| Cost New | ? |
| Acquired | 2015-05-11 |
| Configuration (as collected) | 640KB memory ANK 2462 keyboard (unreliable) Monochrome monitor (some screen burn) Fox Research network card (9-pin D-sub) 5¼” floppy disk drive No P1050 bus converter No hard disk controller No hard disk drive |
| Current Configuration | Added: Monitor donated to second M24 5¼” floppy disk drive and mounting rail donated to second M24 |
| Status | Operational |
| Documentation | https://bitsavers.org/pdf/olivetti/m21_m24/ |
I bought this one from an eBay seller in Worcestershire. There was no hard disk controller. The keyboard did not appear to work. It had some screen burn. It also had some slightly more cosmetic damage, missing a reset button and a panel covering the ON light. I also realised it did not have any expansion slots.
On closer inspection, it turned out that one of the power cables was disconnected inside, when this was connected the keyboard worked. However the keyboard was somewhat unreliable with many keys requiring multiple attempts for them to register. I have since restored the keyboard. The monitor had some screen burn and also flickered a bit, particularly when touching the contrast control, I later fixed this with some contact cleaner.
It did not have a hard disk drive in the upper bay nor a hard disk controller, but it did have a 5¼” floppy disk drive. It was missing the P1050 bus converter that allows standard ISA cards to be added as well as supporting some proprietary Olivetti ones. I donated some of its parts to my second Olivetti M24. It now looks like this:
It also has a strange LAN card in it with a 9-pin D-sub connector by Fox Research. I think it is this one. If so, then the manual is here. There seems to be some more information about this card here.
The backup battery looked a bit different too:
I did get a P1050 Bus Converter board for it on eBay, but I lacked the standoffs to be able to install it, so it remains untested.
Restoration History
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| 2015-05-16 | Inspected internally, connected power connector, booted, keyboard unreliable, noticed screen flicker |
| 2015-11-07 | Received P1050 bus converter but no mounting hardware so could not fit it. |
| 2016-03-25 | Transferred parts to second M24. |
Rob's Old Computers 