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Amstrad PC5286

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Amstrad PC5286
PC5286 with 14-inch monitor, from Amstrad's 1991 leaflet
Specifications
ManufacturerAmstrad plc
TypeCompact desktop personal computer (IBM PC/AT compatible)
Released1991
Intro price£899 + VAT (£1,056.33) with monitor, sound card and games pack (UK, October 1991)
CPUIntel 80286 at 16 MHz; 80287 socket
Memory1 MB, expandable to 2 or 4 MB with SIMMs
Storage3.5-inch 1.44 MB floppy drive; optional 40 MB AT-IDE hard disk
Display—
SoundAdLib-compatible sound card with two speakers in the games bundle
GraphicsBuilt-in VGA, compatible with EGA, CGA, MDA and Hercules
Ports / interfaceParallel (25-way), serial (9-way), PS/2-type keyboard and mouse, VGA, monitor power outlet
ExpansionTwo half-length 16-bit ISA slots
Dimensions300 × 70 × 270 mm (W × H × D)
OS / FirmwareMS-DOS 3.30A with the Counterpoint graphical interface

The Amstrad PC5286 is the 80286 model of Amstrad's "Series 5" compact desktop PCs of 1991, alongside the 8086-based Amstrad PC5086. It shares the PC5086's case, keyboard, mouse and floppy drive type, with a 16 MHz 80286, 1 MB of memory on SIMMs, two 16-bit half-length slots and an AT-type BIOS.[1][2] In late 1991 Amstrad advertised it in the UK as a games and business machine, bundled with a 14-inch VGA monitor, an AdLib-compatible sound card with two external speakers, a joystick and three games, at £899 plus VAT.[3]

Specifications

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PC5286 (Amstrad leaflet and user manual)
Item Value
Processor 80286 at 16 MHz; 80287-10 socket
Memory 1 MB, expandable to 2 or 4 MB with SIMMs; built-in LIM expanded memory; shadow RAM for the BIOS
Floppy drive 3.5-inch 1.44 MB
Hard disk Optional 40 MB IDE, 28 ms average access, look-ahead cache; up to 1 MB/s
Expansion Two half-length 16-bit ISA slots; expansion bus at 8 MHz
Video Extended VGA, also supporting MDA, CGA, Hercules, EGA and MCGA
Ports Bi-directional parallel (25-way D female), RS232C serial (9-way D male), PS/2-type keyboard and mouse, VGA, monitor power socket
Keyboard 102-key with an XT/AT switch, set to AT for the PC5286
Clock CMOS RAM with a rechargeable Ni-Cad battery
BIOS AT-type ROM, version string AM52
Size 300 × 70 × 270 mm
Software MS-DOS 3.30A and Counterpoint

Sources: the leaflet and the user manual.[2][1][4][5][6][7] The leaflet describes the clock as "10 Year Battery-Backed NVR"; the user manual describes a rechargeable Ni-Cad battery that discharges if the PC is left off for some months.[2][6]

Hardware

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PC5286 motherboard with LK1 (VGA) and LK7 (CMOS RAM power) (user manual p. 11-9)

Memory is on SIMMs in four sockets, IC52 to IC55, fitted two or four at a time.[8] The motherboard has only two links documented by Amstrad: LK1 enables the built-in VGA, and LK7 powers the CMOS RAM, so moving it to pins 2 and 3 clears the setup memory.[7] The CMOS RAM itself is fixed to the board; its Ni-Cad battery is a replaceable part and recharges while the PC is switched on, taking about 16 hours from flat.[6][9]

The case, floppy drive, hard disk mounting and keyboard and mouse sockets on the underside are as on the PC5086 and are described in the Amstrad PC5086 Maintenance Guide.[10][11] Owners report that the floppy drives of both models fail with age, and that a standard drive on an adapter worked on a PC5286 where it did not on a PC5086.[12]

The sound card supplied in the bundle is Amstrad's own AdLib-compatible design, board 3100-015P-4, with an OPL2 FM synthesis chip and a joystick port; a restorer on Vogons found it was bundled with the PC5286, and the owner of a PC4386SX reported the same card in his machine.[13][3]

Configuration

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SETUP is in the BIOS and starts with Ctrl-Alt-S during the ten-second start-up screen, or with the DOSETUP command. It records the time and date, the floppy and hard disk types, the memory split between base, extended and expanded memory, the 384 KB relocation, the expanded memory I/O address (208h/209h by default), NumLock and the primary display.[4][10] Expanded memory needs Amstrad's SCATEMM.SYS driver.[1][4] The hard disk's type number is printed on a label on the back panel.[10]

The games pack comprised Links, F-15 Strike Eagle II and Prince of Persia, with a "Series 5" system disk carrying MS-DOS 3.3.[3][14]

Known faults

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  • Owners report capacitor problems in the power supply and on the motherboard. One machine died when it was switched on after long storage, which its owner put down to a capacitor exploding in the power supply.[12]
  • The Ni-Cad clock battery discharges if the machine is left off for months, giving "System battery has discharged - Run SETUP".[9]
  • The floppy drive fails, and replacing its belt has not always cured it.[12]

See the Amstrad PC5286 Maintenance Guide and the Amstrad PC5286 Troubleshooting Guide. No capacitor list has been published: Amstrad's service manual for the PC5086 and PC5286 (reference 272826) is held only in paper form by the Centre for Computing History.[15][16]

Documentation

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Amstrad plc, PC5086 and PC5286 User Manual and Guide to MS-DOS (1991), pp. 1-3 to 1-4. Specifications of the PC5086 and PC5286.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Amstrad plc, PC5286 leaflet (1991), p. 2 (specification). Hosted as File:Amstrad PC5286 leaflet (1991).pdf.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Amstrad plc advertisement, "The first PC to break the sound barrier", Amstrad User, December 1991, p. 13. Internet Archive. Retrieved 2026-10-02. PC5286 bundle and price, prices correct at 1 October 1991.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Amstrad plc, PC5086 and PC5286 User Manual and Guide to MS-DOS (1991), pp. 4-2 to 4-25. SPEED, DISPLAY and MOUSE, SETUP (Ctrl-Alt-S or DOSETUP) and auto-configuration on both models.
  5. ↑ Amstrad plc, PC5086 and PC5286 User Manual and Guide to MS-DOS (1991), pp. 7-2 to 7-5. Fitting an 8087-2 or 80287-10 co-processor, opening the system unit, and expansion bus speeds.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Amstrad plc, PC5086 and PC5286 User Manual and Guide to MS-DOS (1991), pp. 13-2 to 13-3. Automatic head parking, the PC5086 CMOS RAM and the PC5286 Ni-Cad battery.
  7. ↑ Amstrad plc, PC5086 and PC5286 User Manual and Guide to MS-DOS (1991), pp. 8-10 to 8-12. PC5286 SIMM upgrades.
  8. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Amstrad plc, PC5086 and PC5286 User Manual and Guide to MS-DOS (1991), pp. 14-1 to 14-12. Troubleshooting and system messages.
  9. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Amstrad plc, PC5086 and PC5286 User Manual and Guide to MS-DOS (1991), pp. 3-2 to 3-11. Ventilation, the XT/AT keyboard switch, monitor power socket, and start-up messages.
  10. ↑ John Elliott, "Using normal peripherals on Amstrad XTs", seasip.info. Retrieved 2026-10-02. Floppy cables and drives, hard drives and keyboards for the PC3086 and PC5086.
  11. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Vogons forum, "AMSTRAD PC 5086 - Floppy Drive Problems", Perro, tecnico, Jason_rg, flufetor, aotta69 and gca, May 2020 to August 2021. Retrieved 2026-10-02. Belt replacement on the original drives, a 26-pin to 34-pin adapter, capacitor failures in PC5286 power supplies and boards, and the PC4386SX power connector pinout.
  12. ↑ Vogons forum, "Amstrad Adlib Clone: Restoration and Testing", brassicGamer and others, April 2016 to May 2017. Retrieved 2026-10-02. The Amstrad OPL2 sound card 3100-015P-4 bundled with the PC5286; gca reports the same card in his PC4386SX.
  13. ↑ Vogons forum, "Amstrad PC5268 bundled games", Banjo and gca, September 2018. Retrieved 2026-10-02. The PC5286 games pack and its "Series 5" system disk; gca's PC4386SX with the same bundle, MS-DOS 3.3 and Windows 3.0.
  14. ↑ Centre for Computing History, "Amstrad PC5086 / PC5286 Service Manual" (CH27479): service manual for the PC5086, PC5286 and the PC14CDR, PC14HRCDR and PC14FMD monitors, reference 272826, 78 pages. Retrieved 2026-10-02.
  15. ↑ acpc.me (ACME) archive, Amstrad PC section, directory DOCUMENTS_TECHNIQUES/SERVICE_MANUALS. Retrieved 2026-10-02. The PC3086/PC3286/PC3386SX, PC4386SX and PC5086/PC5286 service manuals are listed with placeholder images only, marked missing.


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