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Multitech MPF-PC 8088 need help

There is some confusion over Multitech naming. The original MPF-PC was part of Multitech's Micro-Professor series. Other members were 6502-based Apple II compatibles, as well as a couple of Z80 models.

The first true PC-compatible is the "Popular 500", had only a single expansion slot. The "Plus 700" had 5 expansion slots and was also marketed as the "MPF-PC/700"--and I believe that's what you have. 4.77MHz 8088, serial, parallel, 256K base memory.

Perhaps the "DIO" files were meant for the original MPF-PC. The BIOS ROMs in your system do not appear to be original.

This from some old copies of "PC Tech Journal".
 
Multitech MPF-PC 8088 need help

Well, thans for your info. Almost now i know which kind of brand is the ram expansion card.
About my old PC: yes. i have a 4.77MHz 8088, serial, parallel, 256K base memory, but let check what i have on the bottom label on its chassis. Surely is "MPF-PC", but i not remember what numbers followed the name. Below some high definition pics:

http://enricolazzerini.interfree.it/MPF-PC/Foto2258.jpg
http://enricolazzerini.interfree.it/MPF-PC/Foto2270.jpg

The mentiones little file loaded before to load the CP/M was called "DIOS"

May you explain better about "This from some old copies of "PC Tech Journal"."??

Best
Enrico
 
PC Tech Journal published a yearly product summary, big, thick special editions of the magazine. Simple one-paragraph descriptions of just about any piece of PC gear made. Very useful if you are looking for information on some obscure bit of gear.

You can see the strange variation in Multitech labeling by this item, which shows a MPF-PC with a TI logo on the front.

Here's another MPF-PC description; note that this one is like yours, but has a 3.579 MHz CPU clock--about 25 percent slower than the IBM 5150, yet released in 1985. Note that the MPF series covered a lot of variation, down to single-board Z80 systems.

Observe the Spanish ad for sale on eBay item 380296811659; This is advertised as an "MPF-PC", yet has 640K memory on board--and there's an MPF-PC-XT wiith a hard disk.

Also, there was a 1985 release of a "Popular 500" with a single slot (at least according to my product guide) and a "Plus 700", which seems to be a lot like your system.

There is a review of the MPF-PC/700 in November, 1986 BYTE magazine.

In the August, 1984 issue of IEEE Computer, an announcement is made of the MPF-PC-XT, with 128K of RAM (with expansion to 256K optional), a 10MB hard disk, 360K floppy, 5 expansion slots, dual serial, parallel ports and CGA/Mono display adapter integrated onto the motherboard, shipping with DOS 2.0 for an MSRP of $3995.

My own experience with Multitech dates from around 1985 or so. An associate and I developed some hardware for a fault-tolerant system using 3 PC-XT commodity machines. It was pretty cool--you could short out the power supply on one system and the whole thing would keep on running; when you stuck a new PC in to replace the one you failed, it would bring the new PC back into synchronization, reloading the hard disk and memory without interruption. We synchronized on BIOS interrupts, using a deadman timer and voting arrangement.

Our setup used cheap swap-meet PC-XT generic clones with 10MB hard disks and generic no-name expansion cards.

The guys at Multitech got interested in this as a way to sell PCs and gave us three of their 700 series machines to play with. It worked okay, but they lost interest after awhile when they researched the market. I still have the schematics to the thing somewhere.
 
Multitech MPF-PC 8088 need help

Hi Chuck(G), you written many interesting things. I apreciated them. As for my ferguson bigboard 1 (http://elazzerini.interfree.it) i departed 4 years ago from its schematic, to continue to discorey its addons, and more to know who even known J. Ferguson, i'd love to understand well my Multitech MPF-PC 8088. So i left on my website all info i have. The list of ICs and their production date insert my machine in a exact moment of 1892-1983. Then the kind of ics give info of about what kind of machine would it be. I not know if it will be alive a day. What i'd wish to know at now is: is there anybody who know more than me on this machine? Do exists a schematic? A user manual? an exact info about its dip switches? and what about DIOS? and where to find a CP/M boot dischette or a its image it for it? Questions very hard at this moment, but i think that now my website on bigboard 1 is a little reference about it, and believe me ALL that i discovered is there shared with all people who wish to know more about it. So WELCOME to all who know more about Multitech MPF-PC 8088!! Best Enrico -Pisa (ITALY)
 
I have recently acquired an mfc pc 500 cpu card. Is it usable without the proprietary backplane? I would like to use t with a regułą isa backplane. Also I would be very glad for any info and manuals for this board.
 
Hi,
I'm very interested in this MPF computer. The popular 500 was my very first computer I used back in my school time. Unfortunately the pictures links in this forum are offline already. Any additional info about this machine will be appreciated. Thanks,
 
Unfortunately this is not very helpful. I have such a card:

mpf-pc.jpg

and it's named MPF-PC 500. I would love to gather more info regarding this hardware. First of all - is this ISA?
 
Chuck(G) said:
An associate and I developed some hardware for a fault-tolerant system using 3 PC-XT commodity machines. It was pretty cool--you could short out the power supply on one system and the whole thing would keep on running; when you stuck a new PC in to replace the one you failed, it would bring the new PC back into synchronization, reloading the hard disk and memory without interruption. We synchronized on BIOS interrupts, using a deadman timer and voting arrangement...I still have the schematics to the thing somewhere.
Click to expand...

Chuck, this is SO cool... would you be able to put up any more information on this?
 
Hi,

Recently I bought a MPF-PC, just like the one Enrico has: 8088, 256kkB RAM, 360kB FDD and disfunctional 10MB Shugart 712 HDD (MFM).
As he experienced, I am missing the DIOS file / boot floppy.

Since I cannot find the proper boot disk and/or Dios file (multiple search engines), is there a (re)post for this file or a boot disk image for this computer available?
Would the Dios file allow PC-Dos 5.02 to boot? (so I can use intersvr/interlnk)

I do have some floppydisks that will boot on my Philips XT: MS-Dos 3.30 and PC-Dos 5.02 (both custom compilated), both beg for the Dios file at boot.

PS. If I'm sorry if I'm kicking this post up and should have created a new post insead: please be gentile, it's my first time around here and getting used to the rules.
 
Hi, i not know the reason of the needs od a DIOS file.
I think that this is a proprietay and closed machine.
I'm sorry your hard disk not worked. My smoked years ago.
Anyway my website is www.vintagesbc.it

Enrico - Pisa - Italy
 
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