Groupe Bull SA-owned Zenith Data Systems has launched five portable computers including the first notebook to use Intel Corp’s 80386SL microprocessor, and the first laptops with the 80486 and 80486SX processors. Zenith is also introducing two notebook personal computers based on the 80286 and 80386SX processors. They are the MastersPort 386SL, the MastersPort 386SX, the SupersPort 486 and SupersPort 486SX, and the MastersPort 286. The 20MHz MastersPort 386SL weighs in at a still hefty 6.8 lbs, 5.4 lbs without the battery, and runs on battery power for up to eight hours during rest-resume operations, and in rest mode bundled applications are maintained for two weeks. The 2.5 60Mb hard disk with 19mS access time was designed by Conner Peripherals Inc, and there is 2Mb of system memory expandable to 8Mb. The 80386SL microprocessor chip set has a switchable clock speed of 20MHz or 5MHz, integrated 64Kb four way set-associative cache and a user installable 80387SX co-processor. Also included is 128Kb of user upgradeable Flash BIOS read only memory, a windowed setup menu layout, MS-DOS 4.01 and Windows 3.0. Measuring 8.3 by 12.4 by 1.8, the system is powered by a 24.48WHr rapid charge NiCad battery pack. The 80386SL Superset has two components – an 80386SL central processor with main memory and bus interface control system, and the 82306SL peripheral component subsystem. The heart of the device is an 80386-compatible central processing unit that contains the same paged memory management as all 80386 microprocessors. Also, on-chip hardware implements an expanded memory system that is compatible with Lotus/Intel/Microsoft 4.0 standard. Address-mapping and control logic within the processor can shadow BIOS ROMs with faster memory devices and it supports common memory roll-over and back-filling devices. The processor contains the control and interface logic needed to drive a 32Mb memory system and fast cache. Also contained within the processor are bus drivers and control circuitry for two expansion interfaces. A peripheral-interface bus communicates with devices on the same circuit board as the SL SuperSet, while an AT-compatible system backplane bus communicates with add-in boards. On-chip control logic routes each memory or input-output operation to the appropriate memory array, cache, peripheral bus or backplane. The second component, the 82306Sl Peripheral Input Output Subsystem, contains dedicated logic to perform a number of CPU and memory support functions, a set of input output peripherals, and interfaces for disks and hard-disk controllers. The peripheral registers can be configured under software control to operate like discrete components, and Intel says that the subsystem contains power-management control facilities to reduce energy requirement. Zenith says that the new system does not need an expansion bus because of features like an external VGA port, modem port and a networking product, the Xircom Pocket local area network adaptor. Zenith’s new SupersPort 486 and SupersPort 486SX are said to be the first laptops to use Intel’s 80486 and 80486SX processors. They weigh 15 lbs and measure 12.1 by 15.1 by 3.1 in a magnesium cabinet. Both are equipped with a 120Mb hard drive, a 10.7 VGA display, and 4Mb of memory that is expandable to 16Mb. The 80486 machine operates at 25MHz and Zenith says it is designed to run heavy numeric programs, while the 80486SX runs at 20MHz. The 386SX notebook computer weighs measures 8.5 by 11, weighs 6.6lbs and has a 20MHz 80386SX processor, a 19mS 60Mb hard drive and 2Mb of 80nS random access memory that is expandable to 4Mb. There is 128Kb read only memory for system BIOS and shadow random access memory is standard for system and video BIOS. Standard input output-ports include a serial 9-pin RS-232C compatible, a parallel 25-pin Centronics-compatible printer port and a slot for an internal modem. The MastersPort 286 is identical in size and weight to the 386SX, and it has a 12MHz 80C286 processor, a 30Mb hard drive and 1Mb of memory. Both notebooks have VGA backlit displays and
a range of ports for attaching peripherals. The MastersPort 386SL costs GBP3,695 and will be available in July, while the MastersPort 386SX and the MastersPort 286 will be available in June at GBP3,000 and GBP2,000 respectively. The SupersPort 486 and 486SX will ship in September, at approximately GBP7,000 and GBP6,000. – Janice McGinn
