I wonder if it the products listed here would be a good resource to have
somewhere on the FreeDOS wiki as a reference for others.
Thoughts, Jim, everyone?
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------- Original Message -------
On Friday, March 10th, 2023 at 2:28 PM, Lukas Satin <luke.sa...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hello from Czechia, I run makerspace in the past and have 86Duino EduCake, a
> smart breadboard including Vortex86. It can run DOS and Windows. Only
> disadvantage is a lack of VGA output, so it can do only SSH.
>
> I second that Vortex86 choice.
>
> By the way Win XP and Win 7 won’t boot non ACPI bios, right? Or they wont
> boot multicpu non ACPI bios. This issue happens with 6x Pentium Pro server
> Unisys Aquanta or ALR Revolution 6x6. There is article to overcome this using
> Whistler build that did not have ACPI hardcodes yet and apply XP SP3 on top
> of it.
>
> Lukas RetroGamer (sberatele historickych pocitacu FB)
>
> On Fri 10. 3. 2023 at 15:32, Frantisek Rysanek <frantisek.rysa...@post.cz>
> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
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