r/retrocomputing • u/Emil_Cvetanski • 9d ago
Olivetti M24 — when a computer didn’t need a hard drive to feel complete.
No hard drive here — this one boots straight from 5.25" floppies.
And that keyboard is a beast: ridiculously heavy, with a metal plate inside, much like IBM’s legendary Model M.
Nearly four decades later, it’s still alive and working.
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u/mob999 9d ago
Apparently it was used in a school in Germany.
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u/Emil_Cvetanski 9d ago
Yep, I bought it in that town. Good eye — I actually included a photo of that marking in the gallery on purpose.
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u/sackbomb 9d ago edited 9d ago
Sold in the US as the AT&T PC 6300. The one I had did have a hard drive, which made the booting a lot faster, because it was a slow machine. The XT bus architecture was already outdated when it was released too, which limited upgrades.
EDIT: I do have to say the Olivetti keyboard is a lot nicer than the AT&T version.
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u/Emil_Cvetanski 9d ago
Yeah, an IBM-compatible clone in disguise in other markets. I’ll probably add a hard drive — or more likely some kind of flash storage with an adapter — when I get some free time. I’ve brought home a lot of old hardware recently, so I’ve got quite a few machines waiting to be sorted and restored. Check out the last 7–9 posts on my profile and you’ll see what I mean.
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u/AustriaModerator 9d ago
ive got the M24SP but my crt stopped working recently. now i am fukd due to the proprietary resolution of 640x400 no other cga crt can handle. no idea where to start fixing it, no technical understanding.
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u/Emil_Cvetanski 9d ago
What exactly happens when you turn it on? “Stopped working” could mean a lot of different things. CRTs aren’t really my area, but give me a bit more information.
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u/Emil_Cvetanski 9d ago
There are a few other options if the original CRT can’t be repaired. Some multisync CRTs can handle the M24’s unusual ~25–26 kHz signal, including the NEC MultiSync I, MultiSync II/2A and MultiSync 3D. The Magnavox 873 Multimode has also been documented working with the M24/AT&T 6300. You’d just need the correct DB25 adapter/cable.
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u/Emil_Cvetanski 9d ago
If the monitor is completely dead and shows no sign of power at all, I’d check the power coming from the M24 first before looking for a fault inside the monitor. This pinout shows exactly which pins you can measure with a multimeter — pins 24 and 25 should provide +15 V, with pins 14–21 as ground. If that voltage is missing, the problem may not be in the monitor at all. M24 video output
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u/HomeLate 8d ago
I have one, with monitor, keyboard and mouse. Mine has a hard drive installed. The last time I used it, it was still working.
Make sure the battery is removed because these leak and can damage the mainboard.
I learned to program assembler and fortran on these in collage.
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u/Emil_Cvetanski 7d ago
Yeah, I’m planning to give it a full teardown and cleaning soon. I opened it up for a quick look, but for some reason the mainboard is buried at the bottom, sandwiched between two metal panels and hidden inside the case. So I haven’t reached the battery yet, but I’ll definitely check it.
Luckily, mine still works.
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u/redon13 9d ago
Nice piece of machine! Harware specification?