This weekend's refurbishment project tackles two vintage Alpha Micro systems: the 1982 AM-1000E and 1987 AM-1200XP. Both machines, part of the 68000-based multiuser lineup that once dominated niche markets from emergency dispatch to funeral homes, are currently non-functional. The AM-1000E originally shipped with a 30MB hard disk, while the AM-1200XP featured additional serial ports and a 70MB disk.

These systems represent the most widespread Alpha Micro models, used both as desktop workstations and office servers. The AM-1000 family's flexible form factor meant they appeared in diverse settings - from medical offices to churches. Their operating system, AMOS, was notable for being a highly efficient real-memory preemptively multitasked system, and they were the only 68K-based machines to effectively run little-endian.

The refurbishment will involve tearing down both systems to diagnose issues, comparing them with stored units, and attempting data recovery from a frozen hard disk. Success means finding them new roles; failure means space recovery and storage. This project continues a series documenting these obscure but technically significant machines that still quietly operate in back offices today.