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Hi all,
For a long time I dreamed of small PC easy to carry around, but functional enough to
download data and run Metastock. Ideally, it would be just a 'core' device without
external keyboard, monitor, ... assuming you can easily borrow them on the run or
if you want to carry them too, being able to choose them in any configuration desirable.
Reading a hardware review this morning I came across the following link
http://www.tiqit.com/ with this amazing computer which sells for about $US 1,500 .
Forgive me the word "amazing" :-), it's not a sales pitch - I don't have any connection to
the company, moreover never heard about it until this morning.
I am not in a rush to get it now , but hope the tendency will develop with more gadgets
like this, and lower price.
Cheers, Vitaly
Main specifications of the PC:
CPU: 66 MHz 486-SX (AMD Elan SC410)
Main Memory: 16 MB SDRAM
Video: 512K VRAM, Cirrus CL-GD6235 chip
SVGA Resolution (800x600), 256 colors
XVGA Resolution (1024x768), 16 colors
Ethernet: 10BaseT (10 Mb/s twisted pair)
2 RS-232 Serial Ports (COM1/COM2), both 16550A
Parallel Port: Bidir, EPP, ECP
Floppy Port: header for standard 1.44MB drive
Hard Drive: One Controller
IDE Controller:
Master: Fixed 16 MB Flash
Slave: Removable 340 MB IBM Microdrive (rotational magnetic media)
Slave electrically compatible with standard IDE drives (no physical adapter supplied)
Power Requirement:
6.5-40 VDC unregulated at 3-7.5 watts
Permits operation from Sony NP-550/NP-750/NP-950 Li-Ion battery, auto cigarette
lighter, 12V
or 24V lead-acid battery, etc.
At idle, NP-550 lasts 2 hours, NP-750 4 hours, NP-950 6 hours.
Can also operate from 5 VDC regulated at 2.5-6 watts.
Physical Specifications (without battery or expander):
Dimensions: 2.75" x 1.97" x 0.95" (70 x 50 x 24 mm)
Volume: 5 cu.in. (84 cc)
Weight: 3.3 oz (93 g)
Notes:
CPU is BIOS-settable for 100 MHz operation with heat sink installed.
IO ports on the main unit are brought out to a 68-pin female VHDCI (Very High Density
Cabled
Interconnect) connector, normally used in very small SCSI IO systems. This connector
was
chosen from a wide range of alternatives for its combination of small size,
robustness, and ease
of pluggability.
The VHDCI connector brings out the following ports.
PS/2 keyboard port, 2 signals (Data, Clock);
Two 115Kb/s serial ports, COM1 and COM2, 16550A, 8 pins each (full modem
capability
for each including RI and DCD);
Parallel port (LPT1), 17 pins, choice of Bidirectional, EPP, or ECP;
VGA port: standard HD-15 (15 pin High-Density) connector, 3 analog signals: Red,
Green,
Blue, 2 digital signals: Horizontal sync, Vertical sync;
Ethernet port: RJ-45 connector, 4 pins: TX+, TX-, RX+, RX-; Link and Activity LEDs
on main
board to conserve VHDCI pins; 1:1 Halo isolation transformer on main board;
Floppy port: standard 26 pin header: 12 signals;
PGOOD: used as reset pin, active low (reset by grounding pin);
6 Ground pins;
4 Power (VCC, +5VDC) pins.
The full VHDCI pinout is available at http://www.tiqit.com/computer/pinouts.
The Microdrive can be removed and replaced by a different Compact Flash card, e.g. a
64MB
solid-state CompactFlash card such as made by SanDisk or Lexar. A standard
CompactFlash
socket is used which can accommodate any thickness CompactFlash card from Type I (3.3
mm)
through Type II (5 mm, such as the IBM Microdrive), to Type III (10 mm).
The MPC operates the CompactFlash socket in True IDE mode as per the CompactFlash 2
standard. This permits any IDE device such as a 2.5" or 3.5" drive to be plugged into
the
CompactFlash socket via a suitable adaptor (not supplied), permitting a wide range of
hard drives
to be attached, from a 6 GB 2.5" drive up to a 27 GB 3.5" drive. The only standard IDE
pin not
brought out to the CompactFlash socket is BALE, Bus Address Latch Enable, which is
unused
by an ISA I/O slave.
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