FrancisK wrote on 2026-08-08, 15:50:

Problem: PicoMEM and PS/1. S doesn't show BIOS.

Solution: Put BIOS C800 and PREBOOT in config.txt

On the PicoMEM 2 I have the BIOS at C800 and the PREBOOT command as well, I got the file example from Github as recommended for the Book8088. Still the mouse is not detected.

my mouse on pc port works

My mouse is on the PS/2 port on the PS/1

I have PicoMEM 2 in the PS/1. I can connect to my router by WiFi but cant connect to the internet with mTCP.

Changed ne2000 to pm2000. All works now. logged on to SlashNET irc with IRCjr from mTCP.

I have a free ISA slot now.

Does anyone know how to connect a joystick or buttons to the PicoMEM 2 to control floppy disk swapping? I have an OLED LCD working already but the buttons are not labeled on the PiCOMEM 2.

What's the latest on the PicoMem 2? I don't see anyone really talking about it even tho it just came out and seems quite exciting. Is it just not in people's hands yet?

I'm seeing its primarily talked about wrt really old machines like XTs, but it seems like its a viable / better solution than PicoGUS 2 all around because its got a 2350 in it and more capability? thanks!

I have one and am just getting around to installing it. I'll try and give some feedback, etc once I have spent some time with it.

nickpunt wrote on 2026-08-31, 01:13:

What's the latest on the PicoMem 2? I don't see anyone really talking about it even tho it just came out and seems quite exciting. Is it just not in people's hands yet?

I'm seeing its primarily talked about wrt really old machines like XTs, but it seems like its a viable / better solution than PicoGUS 2 all around because its got a 2350 in it and more capability? thanks!

If all you want is GUS compatibility, PicoGUS is still the more straightforward and cheaper option. It focuses on doing one job really well, with minimal bus load and fewer "moving parts". Setup is simple, firmware is mature, and it behaves very predictably across a wide range of systems.

PicoMEM2 is a completely different beast. It can emulate a GUS, but that’s just one of many subsystems it’s juggling. The card is mostly interesting for older machines because of the things they struggle with: large HDD emulation (XT/286 systems benefit the most), RAM beyond 1mb, etc. On newer systems, the “extra RAM” isn’t a performance upgrade — it’s actually slower than what a fast 386/486 expects.

Yes, PicoMEM2 has more raw horsepower thanks to the RP2350, but that power is spread across a lot of simultaneous emulation tasks: RAM, ROM, SB, OPL3, GUS, MPU‑401, NE2000, USB HID, storage, etc. It improves on the original PicoMEM, but the first version was the real breakthrough, and PicoMem2 is the refinement and expansion of that idea. Perhaps that's why it isn’t generating the same buzz...

And yes, I got one for my IBM PS/2 8530-286 and I love it.

Hmm.. First.. Im a newbie to a picomem 2. I have a fully recapped / restored Toshiba T5200 running the custom XTIDE BIOS low and a Adaptec 6360 SCSI card. I am on 4 x 2GB CF based drives off a 8GB IDE. The SCSI card is not HDs, not boot rom, its for Zip, CDR, MO. This all works flawlessly.

During boot i can hit S and the Picomem looks fine, but, im a newbie.

Dropping in the PicoMem 2 all default causes a hang right when XTIDE would normally show Boot A Boot C.

I tried the orginal BIOS, I pulled the Adaptec, I tried all the IRQs. Same issue..

Untill... I happened to unplug the cmos batt. On power cyc the laptop complained about cmos and time date. I enteted bios setup and saved exit without changes. It booted perfectly. I can ctl-alt-del and it will boot fine UNTIL i plug in the batt and it boots without entering BIOS setup first and save exit.

This is true for all BIOS including the fact orginal.

I admit, i dont know how to deal with this one.

Xymox wrote on 2026-09-01, 22:25:

Hmm.. First.. Im a newbie to a picomem 2. I have a fully recapped / restored Toshiba T5200 running the custom XTIDE BIOS low an […]
Show full quote

The attachment IMG_2999.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_2999.jpg is no longer available

Hmm.. First.. Im a newbie to a picomem 2. I have a fully recapped / restored Toshiba T5200 running the custom XTIDE BIOS low and a Adaptec 6360 SCSI card. I am on 4 x 2GB CF based drives off a 8GB IDE. The SCSI card is not HDs, not boot rom, its for Zip, CDR, MO. This all works flawlessly.

During boot i can hit S and the Picomem looks fine, but, im a newbie.

Dropping in the PicoMem 2 all default causes a hang right when XTIDE would normally show Boot A Boot C.

I tried the orginal BIOS, I pulled the Adaptec, I tried all the IRQs. Same issue..

Untill... I happened to unplug the cmos batt. On power cyc the laptop complained about cmos and time date. I enteted bios setup and saved exit without changes. It booted perfectly. I can ctl-alt-del and it will boot fine UNTIL i plug in the batt and it boots without entering BIOS setup first and save exit.

This is true for all BIOS including the fact orginal.

I admit, i dont know how to deal with this one.

You definitely picked ‘hard mode’ by combining XTIDE with PicoMEM, but it’s still a feasible setup.

First, verify that XTIDE isn’t using the same ROM address as PicoMEM — your screenshots show PicoMEM at D000. If they do overlap, you can change PicoMEM’s ROM address so it gets scanned first. I would suggest moving it to C800 (add the line ‘BIOS C800’) by editing the config.txt file on the SD card.

Also, if you already have a PicoMEM installed, you might not need XTIDE at all. You could simply image your CF card and let PicoMEM emulate the drive directly. It tends to be cleaner and avoids ROM‑address conflicts entirely (like what you're experiencing most probably).

** Edit: just noticed XTIDE is using address F900... My hypothesis was wrong... But I would still give it a try at C800; it's usually the silver bullet to fix everything.

Hmm.. Thank you.. But, still no go.

Its SO weird that it seems to work without the cmos batt connected. if the boot path starts from a loss of date time forcing entry to BIOS then exit via end save boots fine. It will then ctrl alt reset boot without the cmos msg just fine. A power cycle will bring back the lack of batt bios and end save but will boot.

But.. Connecting the batt. It will first ask time date and i just end save, touch nothing. It boots. Ctl alt reset boots fine.. But.. If i power cycle and the batt holds the cmos, it will then hang every time.

Its like the branch of boot process that goes on with a checked BIOS is different then when the cmos batt is disconnected.

I need to point out that it also does this with factory BIOS, no XTIDE.

Very odd. But, it is a Tosh 5200..

A few more picomem screen shots.

It looks like you are using an old firmware version (from April)... The latest is dated from June 21st: https://github.com/FreddyVRetro/ISA-PicoMEM/t … rmware/PicoMEM2 However, no mention of anything regarding a fix for the RTC...

nickpunt wrote on 2026-08-31, 01:13:

What's the latest on the PicoMem 2? I don't see anyone really talking about it even tho it just came out and seems quite exciting. Is it just not in people's hands yet?

Had mine for just over a week and put up some thoughts in a video if interested...
https://youtu.be/tGfNww0JGJ8

For XT machines the main advantage is that the faster CPU allows better timing compatability with turbo XT machines/machines with non-standard bus timings so it works in more systems. Plus all the othert nice to to have features (more sound options/MIDI/USB/etc)

Being faster it should also work with more 286/386/486 systems. That's going to be part 2...

Hmm... Thank you I will update firmware..

I did a vid to show the issue better. Its very odd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOpHlWmBT9Y

Xymox wrote on 2026-09-02, 23:07:

Hmm... Thank you I will update firmware..

I did a vid to show the issue better. Its very odd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOpHlWmBT9Y

FIXED !!!!

Firmware update. Yes im a idiot..

Hi,

Wow, there are posts here, I should check more often 😀

Working on the new PicoMEM 2 Firmware :
- CD ROM / CD Audio added.
- CD Audio player via the OLED
- ROM emulation added > To add GLATick ROM for example
- RTC code updated to support GLATick
- Multiple other fix, it is difficult for me yet to do the count

What is fun, is it can do Gravis UltraSound under DOOM, while playing a CD Audio (via the control panel)

nickpunt wrote on 2026-08-31, 01:13:

What's the latest on the PicoMem 2? I don't see anyone really talking about it even tho it just came out and seems quite exciting. Is it just not in people's hands yet?

I'm seeing its primarily talked about wrt really old machines like XTs, but it seems like its a viable / better solution than PicoGUS 2 all around because its got a 2350 in it and more capability? thanks!

Hi,

250 PicoMEM 2 were sold, so 10x less than the PcioMEM 1 so far

It can do almost all what a PicoGUS does, and more (Mindscape, Covox, General MIDI and all together)
It is also much faster than the PicoMEM 1, for Turbo XT compatibility
Plus the Front panel, Integrated DAC, Real time clock with battery USB A connector and so on

List of differences is on the GitHub

Linoleum wrote on 2026-09-02, 00:21:

You definitely picked ‘hard mode’ by combining XTIDE with PicoMEM, but it’s still a feasible setup. […]
Show full quote

Xymox wrote on 2026-09-01, 22:25:

Hmm.. First.. Im a newbie to a picomem 2. I have a fully recapped / restored Toshiba T5200 running the custom XTIDE BIOS low an […]
Show full quote

The attachment IMG_2999.jpg is no longer available

The attachment IMG_2999.jpg is no longer available

Hmm.. First.. Im a newbie to a picomem 2. I have a fully recapped / restored Toshiba T5200 running the custom XTIDE BIOS low and a Adaptec 6360 SCSI card. I am on 4 x 2GB CF based drives off a 8GB IDE. The SCSI card is not HDs, not boot rom, its for Zip, CDR, MO. This all works flawlessly.

During boot i can hit S and the Picomem looks fine, but, im a newbie.

Dropping in the PicoMem 2 all default causes a hang right when XTIDE would normally show Boot A Boot C.

I tried the orginal BIOS, I pulled the Adaptec, I tried all the IRQs. Same issue..

Untill... I happened to unplug the cmos batt. On power cyc the laptop complained about cmos and time date. I enteted bios setup and saved exit without changes. It booted perfectly. I can ctl-alt-del and it will boot fine UNTIL i plug in the batt and it boots without entering BIOS setup first and save exit.

This is true for all BIOS including the fact orginal.

I admit, i dont know how to deal with this one.

You definitely picked ‘hard mode’ by combining XTIDE with PicoMEM, but it’s still a feasible setup.

First, verify that XTIDE isn’t using the same ROM address as PicoMEM — your screenshots show PicoMEM at D000. If they do overlap, you can change PicoMEM’s ROM address so it gets scanned first. I would suggest moving it to C800 (add the line ‘BIOS C800’) by editing the config.txt file on the SD card.

Also, if you already have a PicoMEM installed, you might not need XTIDE at all. You could simply image your CF card and let PicoMEM emulate the drive directly. It tends to be cleaner and avoids ROM‑address conflicts entirely (like what you're experiencing most probably).

** Edit: just noticed XTIDE is using address F900... My hypothesis was wrong... But I would still give it a try at C800; it's usually the silver bullet to fix everything.

Hi,

PicoMEM with XTIDE is explained in the Wiki

If PicoMEM ROM is placed before the XTIDE, PREBOOT need to be added in the config file.
If PicoMEM is placed After the XTIDE, you have to Disable PicoMEM BOOT Code