NCR PC386sx/MC20, an introduction

In my quest for an old computer I came across this beauty: a NCR PC386SX/MC20. At first sight a fairly normal 386, with a nice big red power button that you can push, a 3.5″ 1.44MB diskette drive, a 100MB hard drive and a host of interfaces at the back. When I bought it, it came with a matching VGA monitor and a Tulip DIN keyboard. The price on Marktplaats was fairly low, so it seemed a good bargain for me. Only thing was that nobody else was interested in it. I wondered why! So I looked this particular type up, and then I knew ..

If it was just a PC386SX, life was pretty simple: an onboard Intel 80386 at 20mHz, floppy drive, hard drive and IBM AT / ISA slots to expand your system with every card you ever wanted. But the /MC20 extension meant something completely different: this was no AT clone with ISA, but a system equipped with Micro Channel Architecture, or MCA. For you guys that don’t know this: MCA was the IBM answer to the AT / ISA interface, but with better specs and performance: higher frequency, wider bus and a kickass feature that predated Plug & Play for years and years. Read the full article at Wikipedia. An MCA system is notoriously difficult to install and manage, that’s why a lot of people left it where it was. I decided to take on the challenge, so here it is!

The good:

• When I started it for the first time, it booted right away! And still with working software on the HD: a DOS shell like menu receives you with open arms, offering a wide range of software shortcuts for WP51, DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1 etc;
• Monitor and keyboard work! I only had to buy a converter from DIN to PS2, as the NCR only has PS2 input for the keyboard;
• System is equipped with 4MB RAM, a 100MB HD, with an additional floppy controller, two serial ports and a network interface for MCA cards;
• The serial mouse I had worked right away. Only had to clean the X and Y axis rollers;
• It booted up, ready to go!

The bad:

• When exploring the computer, the 1.44MB TEAC FD-235HF floppy drive seemed to fail all diskettes I fed it. So I am afraid it’s broken. A new (hopefully toime correct) drive is flown in as we speak
• When I removed the lid, I think I accidentally broke off the nice red power button. So, when removing the lid, pay attention that you horizontally slide of the top lid before lifting it.
• That’s about it.

The main challenge now is to find the reference diskette software and the ADF’s, or Adapter Description files, for all the installed hardware. After that I want to have a go at reinstalling DOS, Windows and some applications. Luckily, the guys at WinWorld, have archived almost every MS-DOS and Windows version. I am trying to find an old greybeard at NCR to help me collect a full software set, and to perform a clean install. More posts to come!