website/content/museum/olivetti-m10.md

---
title: Olivetti M10
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Portable
origins:
- Italy
years:
- '1983'
cpus:
- Intel 80c85 CMOS
params:
  name: M10
  image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_2.jpg
  company: /companies/olivetti
  company_name: Olivetti
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: M10
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Olivetti
  - label: TYPE
    value: Portable
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: Italy
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1983'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Enhanced version of Microsoft BASIC
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: |-
      Excellent QWERTY/AZERTY full-stroke keyboard\
      4 arrow keys and 8 function keys
  - label: CPU
    value: Intel 80c85 CMOS
  - label: SPEED
    value: 3 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: |-
      8 kb, up to 32 KB\
      by incremental 8 kb RAM pack on PCB
  - label: ROM
    value: 32 kb (up to 64 kb)
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: 40 x 8
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 240 x 64
  - label: COLORS
    value: Black & white (LCD screen)
  - label: SOUND
    value: Built-in speaker capable of generating different pitches and tones
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: 30 x 22 6 cm / 1,8 kg
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: RS232c (19200 bauds max.), Parallel port, Tape-recorder (1500 bauds), Barcode reader, System Bus, Phone
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: 6v CC (4 x AA battery cells 1,5v or with an external power supply unit)
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: 300-baud built-in modem (US versions)
  - label: PRICE
    value: 800 (France, 84)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - adverts
  - hardware
  photos:
  - title: M-10
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_1.jpg
  - title: FRONT VIEW
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_front_1.jpg
  - title: REAR
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_rear.jpg
  - title: REAR CONNECTORS
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_rear_1.jpg
  - title: UNDER
    subtitle: ''
    text: We can see here the battery cells compartment, system bus trap and the optional ROM & RAM sockets.
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_under_1.jpg
  - title: OPTIONAL RAM & ROM SOCKETS
    subtitle: ''
    text: ROM can be upgraded to 64k with only one additionnal ROM chip (32k). RAM can be expanded up to 32k with 8k RAM chips.
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_rams_1.jpg
  - title: SYSTEM BUS (40 PINS)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_system-bus_1.jpg
  - title: M-10 MOTHERBOARD
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      **The electronic part of the M-10 was made in Japan by Kyocera Cie.**

      **(1)** System init button (Reset).\
      **(2)** Four 1.5v battery cells provide 20 hours of work in running mode, or 80 hours in sleep mode.\
      **(3)** Serial RS-232 connector.\
      **(4)** Parallel Centronics printer connector. As it is not a standard connector, a special Olivetti cable is needed.\
      **(5)** Cassette recorder DIN connector with remote control. Data transfer speed is of 1500 baud (about 190 char./second).\
      **(6)** Bar code reader connector.\
      **(7)** A 8 Kb. RAM expansion chip can be plugged to each of these three sockets. Originaly, a 8Kb. RAM chip is already mounted on the left one. Thus, a maximum of 32 Kb RAM can be installed.\
      **(8)** This socket can receive an additional 32 Kb ROM chip. The original 32 Kb ROM holds the built-in software and the Microsoft Basic interpreter.\
      **(9)** 80C85 low power CMOS 8 bits microprocessor, running at 2,457 Mhz.\
      **(10)** External power supply unit connector.
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_inside_1.jpg
  - title: BASED ON THE SAME HARDWARE
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      Like Philips which sold in Europe a part of its products under Radiola or Schneider brands name, or even Sharp which sold its pocket computers under Tandy's name with minor design changes; these three computers (<$475$>Olivetti M10, <$334$>NEC 8201, <$233$>Tandy Model 100) are, in fact the same model, manufactured by Kyocera.

      If the hardware part is basically the same, external design is slightly different. Olivetti offered a tilting display and Nec added arrow keys. The main purpose of this partnership was to reduce research & development and manufacturing costs. The same model, designed and manufactured by a single company could have been 25% more expensive.
    image: /media/museum/photos/olivetti_m10_samehard.jpg
  adverts:
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT
    subtitle: ''
    text: '''''The Best'''''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/olivetti_m10_pub_the-best.jpg
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT
    subtitle: ''
    text: '''''Olivetti M10, the portable professional micro-computer, here comes why."'
    image: /media/museum/pubs/olivetti_m10_pub_the-best_2.jpg
  - title: FRENCH ADVERT (JUNE 1985)
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/pubs/olivetti_pub_docile-compatibles_2.jpg
  hardware:
  - title: ACOUSTIC COUPLER
    subtitle: ''
    text: Acoustic coupler and TELCOM integrated software allow the M10 computer to send or receive information and files through a telephone line.
    image: /media/museum/hardware/olivetti_m10_coupler_1.jpg
  comments:
  - author: LubikCZ (Czech Republic)
    date: Saturday 29th February 2020
    text: Hi, I also own this little computer. It remains to be acquainted with him. But it''s a beautiful machine.
  - author: Rainer Kaufhold (Germany)
    date: Tuesday 11th February 2020
    text: |-
      Hello everybody,\
      rediscovered this Olivetti M10 in a dark drawer after many years. 4 batteries in, turned on ... he left immediately! Great, I''m happy!

      https://photos.app.goo.gl/pAywNrTL4KhZ7G4E8
  - author: Mittal Vora (INDIA)
    date: Thursday 2nd October 2014
    text: Hi. I am from India. I recently inherited my dad''s Olivetti M10 Portable computer. If ANYONE still interested let me know.
  - author: eliot (uk)
    date: Monday 10th October 2011
    text: |-
      I have an almost brand new M10 with its original case and instruction book.\
      I worked at olvetti for 8 years - great place.\
      Also had an M20, M24,M240,290 and a 380 tower.
  - author: dragos (romania)
    date: Monday 6th June 2011
    text: hello everybody , today june 06 2011 , i found in a old motorcycle garage , between old carburetors , pipes and other scrap of motors , an OLIVETTI M10 !!!!! yeaaahhh first when i see it , i dont know what i found , after that , i look careffuly at him... do''nt understand what it is ... i am motorcyclist , and a little bit computerist...and i dont know very good computers , but when i see display , i know .."this is an old stuff..." it must be keeped by me i say.. here in romania in year ''90 an old computers made by a comunist plant , it was felix icee , or HC85 , or cubZ.. from that computers i know a little basic programing .... i am very hapy now when i found this old stuff... :)))))
  - author: Andrew Roach
    date: Friday 1st April 2011
    text: |-
      Ack! Sorry, I just realized that you posted that offer in 2007. I guess I''m a little late there.

      You were also offering an M15, not an M10. I blame the months of April.

      If anyone does have an m10 they want to part with, catchingtech@gmail.com .
  - author: Andrew Roach (USA)
    date: Friday 1st April 2011
    text: Nick, is that m10 still available?
  - author: Nick Blackburn (isle of man, uk)
    date: Friday 10th August 2007
    text: |-
      I own an Olivetti M15 laptop, A dual 720kByte floppy based PC. This is possibly the best laptop from the 80's in my opinion!

      If anyone wants it, its free to a good home, you just need to pay the postage. email me for more details.\
      nick
  oc_id: 475
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230605024227/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=475
    date: '2023-06-05'
---

The Olivetti M-10 is basically the same computer as the [Tandy 100](/museum/tandy-radio-shack-trs-80-model-100-102/) or the [NEC PC-8201](/museum/nec-pc-8201a/). All these machines were in fact conceived by Kyocera Corporation (Japan). Thus they all have very similar characteristics.

Olivetti is well known for computers with special design, and the M-10 is not an exception. Compared to the Tandy 100 or NEC PC-8201, the M-10 is quite beautiful. The main physical difference is the LCD screen which can be tilted for user's comfort.

Just like its brothers, the M-10 was used a lot by reporters all around the world. This success was mainly due to its excellent keyboard and large battery autonomy.

The M-10 a some built-in software :\
\- An Extended Microsoft Basic\
\- A wordprocessor\
\- A small spreadsheet (adress files)\
\- An Agenda\
\- And a communication program.

The M10 had 4 standard RAM/ROM sockets, whereas all other Kyocera machines had specific RAM or ROM sockets.

The french model doesn't seem to have the modem built-in as it is the case for the "normal" M-10. This is maybe because any Modem sold in France had to be "agreed" by the French Post Office (!), which was a difficult task...