apologies for the previous non-post (and the 2
off-list replies). Here's what I intended to post.
--- Gregg Levine <gregg.drwho8@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > The 186 was used in CP/M-86 systems. I have a
> computer with one that runs
> > AutoCAD version 1.4 for CP/M. I don't know if the
> 186 was used in computers
> > beyond those with the S-100 bus.
> >
> > The computer with AutoCAD has more video memory
> than system memory. : )
Can you provide the make (and model) of this unit
please.
> I have here an accelerator card who has an I80186 on
> it. At one point
> I had an idea to sort out how to reprogram its
> firmware to pose as
> such a system, but the idea ran out of steam, when I
> couldn't find
> anything further about the firm.
is this the early Orchid accelerator?
The 80186 was used in the Tandy 2000, the Mindset,
Televideo Personal Mini (PM/4t and PM/16t I think were
their designations), the Northstar Dimension, and also
the Burroughs ICON. Others? It was used on a number of
"4 port cards", AST was one manufacturer. These were
essentially high performance serial cards (I know
little more, though I did correspond w/a gent who
developed, in Modula-2, a bbs system for a Televideo
286 box (the Telecat I believe) that had 4 of these
cards (each providing maybe 4 high speed serial ports
- these boards also sported some Zilog logic). The
system was capable of hundreds of simultaneous users
in hundreds of chatrooms. It was an interesting app
from what I could tell, but unfortunately the vendor,
GeNiE, wasn't interested, wanting to make use of a
newly purchased mini of some sort. I could get more
details if anyone is interested).
Early Ampro Little Boards had a '186 (later ones had
an NEC V40).
There was talk on some usenet group, probably for
generic TRS-80s (and the Tandy 2000 did carry the
TRS-80 moniker). Allegedly some code was ever so
slightly incompatible when run on a 186 machine.
Subtle timing differences mayhap. I taught myself
assembler on my original Tandy 2000 many moons ago,
but farbeit for me to have noticed any
incompatibilities like that. But keep in mind...the
main reason 80186 based computers were incompatible
were because they just weren't clones - the Tandy 2000
used a video chipset by SMC. Remember during the early
*clone* wars (these were clones in a broad sense) most
vendors wanted to either outdo IBM's PEECEE (and did
oftentimes w/more speed, better graphics, more
storage) or were afraid to make something too
compatible and risk litigation. A common high
performance graphic chip was the NEC 7220. It was
found in the NEC APC and APC III. It wasn't compatible
with the Motorola 6845, used on both the CGA and MDA
cards.
There is an *8 bit* version of the 80186 called the
80188. I know of no computer that used it, but I do
have an IBM PGA clone by Vermont Microsystems that
uses it (the PGA was a high performance video card
(actually a sandwich of 3 boards) that predated the
vga, but was at least as capable.)
Oi. There was also a generic clone mobo/system
manufactured in the US which sported an 80186. I
forget the name, but they were based in California. I
think Computer Products United was the name, but I'd
have to check the ad to be sure.
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