On 10 Mar 2023 at 11:13, Mart Zirnask wrote: > Just for reference, I'll share some of my bookmarks. > I'm just a shy hobbyist, not an engineer whatsoever, but I've been > interested in fanless, small form factor DOS computing solutions for > quite a while. > We are a similar blood type. Only I happen to have been working in this toystore for 20 years :-)
> EBOX-3100: Vortex86 400MHz, 1GB RAM, VGA, SeaBIOS, enclosure -- this > one seems like the most "complete" solution: > https://www.compactpc.com.tw/products/item/21 > FYI, compactpc.com.tw is another sibling company of the DMP holding. Therefore, similar to ICOP, "they also have their own CPU" = the Vortex86. AFAICT, CompactPC are more on the consumer/office side of the business - in terms of temperature range, form factor and the general feature set. The particular EBOX model that you've pointed to seems a bit of an oddball to me. The Vortex86EX is junior to the Vortex86DX that I've mentioned before. IIRC, the Vortex86EX is originally an "embedded" CPU = intended for vehicle onboard computing, machine control and whatnot. It shows in several respects: - a relatively lower CPU clock - some special peripherals: ADC, multichannel motor controller . - an integrated 80C51 MCU core for general use https://www.vortex86.com/datas/upload/site/2019042310373055.jpg https://www.vortex86.com/products/Vortex86EX Similarly to the DX, the EX does not have a VGA subsystem on chip either - but, in contrast to the DX, the EX does not have a parallel PCI - instead, it has a single external lane of PCI-e. Therefore, this particular computer has a dedicated VGA chip - on PCI-e, rather than the neat old Z9s on the PCI. This dedicated VGA on PCI-e is possibly something "own" by DMP, possibly related to the on-chip integrated VGA of the Vortex86DX2/DX3. In the computer that you're referring to, its nominal maximum resolution is 1024x768. Which doesn't seem like very much. The SeaBIOS looks cool! This is the first piece of hardware that I see from the DMP corp that has anything else than AMI. I can see that eBox PC's with Vortex86DX no longer exist. No more XGI Z9s for the consumer segment. Interestingly, that chip could only produce 1280x1024 maximum on the ICOP boards, despite 32 MB dedicated RAM. But, eBox PC's with the Vortex86MX are still listed. This one has on-chip integrated VGA, with a maximum resolution of 1920x1200. And, there's a DX3-based version that can do 1920x1080 (on-chip integrated VGA). Note that these VGA subsystems can only do basic 2D acceleration (blitting and such), no 3D, no video playback accel. > Various DOS SBCs by JK Microsystems: http://www.jkmicro.com/Products.html#dos > Interesting... I didn't know about this brand. They have some pretty old legacy stuff, starting from a 386... > Various Vortex86 SBCs: https://www.emacinc.com/products/pc_compatible_sbcs/486 > The SBC models mentioned at that link are made by ICOP. > Categorized as "legacy" on the home page: > SAT-DX4 - 133 MHz SBC with video and ethernet: > https://www.winsystems.com/product/sat-dx4/ > I didn't know this one either. The particular board model looks like an ultra-classic (legacy) 486DX4, but it smells to me of the pioneer days: a non-standard form factor, two sockets for the DiskOnChip... Doesn't appeal to me very much. (I still remember the relief and exhileration, when the CompactFlash arrived and the DiskOnChip landed in the scrap bin.) Frank _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
