ñ Cardinal PC10-386SX/20 Copyright 1992 David Batterson Three years ago I reviewed the Cordata WPC Model CS 40. This PC's design had the 12" monitor/CPU combined into one box like a Mac, with a footprint of about 14" x 15". It weighed 40 pounds, and had a green monochrome monitor with CGA graphics capability. The Cordata PC featured an 8088-2 dual-speed microprocessor, 512K RAM, 2 floppies, clock/calendar, serial/parallel ports, 4 expansion slots, 130-watt power supply, MS-DOS 2.11 and no hard drive. The suggested retail was $1,095. Cordata Technologies, now part of Korea's huge Daewoo Group, did not have much success with the Model CS 40. It soon disappeared from the market. Now Cardinal Technologies is trying the "single box" approach again, with its PC10-386SX Integrated Personal Computer. The PC10 comes in 386SX/16 or 386SX/25 configurations with options, and is aimed at the entry-level and small business user. The PC10 has a footprint of 10.8" x 11.6" and weighs only 26.5 pounds. It features 1MB RAM (expandable to 16MB using SIMMs), 2 serial/1 parallel and PS/2 mouse ports, 12" monochrome VGA (640x480 resolution), one 3.5" 1.44MB floppy drive, 135-watt power supply, and the terrific DR DOS 6.0. It also has 2 ISA expansion slots, a VGA color monitor port, and a compact 101-key keyboard. Options for the PC10 include a 40MB/17ms or 80MB/17ms hard drive, and a 80387SX math co-processor. The review unit came with the 80MB drive. The manual [page 4] states that the PC10 "requires a PS/2 mouse." Nonsense! While the PC10 has a PS/2 mouse port, you can also use a regular serial mouse via either serial port. The manual also warns users not to use the same AC line shared by "a circular saw, drill press or machine shop equipment," to avoid electrical noise and spikes. I was sure glad to get that news flash! The keyboard seemed a bit cheesy, for those of us used to a high-quality 101-key enhanced keyboard. It has 101 keys but the overall footprint is much smaller. I didn't like the feel of this keyboard. There's one problem using a system like this. With a separate monitor, you can tilt it up. Since the monitor is built in, there's no swivel/tilt capability. I propped a book under the front of the unit to tilt it up. The PC10's overall performance was fine, and the 80MB hard drive was perky. The controls are very simple: the on/off switch is in front, and contrast and brightness controls are on the right side. There is no speaker volume control. While the PC10 will run Windows 3.0, it doesn't make a lot of sense since the display is b&w, not color. It's hard to say if the integrated PC will make it this time around, but some users will find it an appealing package. Suggested retail for the PC10-386SX/16 is $995; $1395 w/40MB HD and $1695 w/80MB HD. The PC10-386SX/25 w/80MB HD is $2095. Street prices will be lower. For more info, contact Cardinal Technologies, Inc., 1827 Freedom Road, Lancaster, PA 17601; 800-233-0187, 717-293-3000, FAX: 717-293-3055. # David Batterson writes about various PCs, peripherals and software. Send e-mail via MCI Mail: DBATTERSON. Epson NB3s 386SX/16 Notebook Copyright 1991 David Batterson At the November '91 COMDEX show in Las Vegas, notebook PCs were coming out of the woodwork. While those using the new 386SL chip are the new kids on the block, most of the current crop use a 386SX microprocessor. Epson has upgraded its NB3s notebook since its introduction a year ago. This is my first look at an evaluation unit, though, so it was all new to me. The NB3s 386SX runs at 16 or 8 MHz (selectable either by software or keyboard). The only time you would want to choose 8MHz is when running on battery power, as the slower clock speed will conserve power. You get 1MB RAM (100ns and 0 wait state, for those interested) on the motherboard, expandable to 5MB. You must use Epson's own memory card, which fits into a slot on top above the keyboard. My review unit came with the 1MB card, boosting system RAM to an ample 2MB. System ROM is 128K. Storage devices are a 3.5", 1.44MB floppy drive and Conner Peripherals 2.5" hard drive (20, 40 or 60MB choices). The review unit came with the 60MB hard disk, with 19 ms average access time and a 1:1 interleave. The hard drives are removable, for upgrade and extra storage capability. There is an optional 5.25", 1.44MB floppy drive that will work via the parallel port. The onboard floppy disk controller takes care of both. The NB3s features 384K of shadow RAM (user-selectable) for ROM and VGA BIOS. By disabling shadow RAM, you have access to 384K of extended memory. You get one 9-pin serial and one parallel port, on the left side of the case. If you want to use an exterior VGA monitor, just plug it into the 15-pin port located next to the parallel port. The high-contrast, backlit LCD screen measures 8.5" diagonally, and provides 80x25 line display at 640x480 resolution with 16 gray levels. The gray shades can be modified using the SETLCD utility program. You can reverse the black-on-white to white-on-black if you prefer, via <,> or a software command. I found this necessary when using such programs as Artline, which otherwise would be white-on-black. Changing the default setting of the NB3s to reverse video corrected this with Artline. Weight and battery life are important issues. The NB3s weighs 5.8 lbs., including battery and hard drive. The measurements are 11.8" x 8.5" x 1.8", small enough to carry in an attache case or a briefcase. The keyboard has a soft touch to it, with keys across the top. You cannot attach a full-size keyboard unless you purchase the optional expansion unit (more on that later). There is a 9-pin mini-DIN port in front, to attach an optional external numeric keypad. I had a little difficulty getting used to the keyboard, since I'm used to a click-tactile Northgate keyboard. The NB3s keyboard requires pressing harder on the keys. Another annoyance was undersized and keys, which took some getting used to. Batteries [two come with the NB3s] are NiCads with overcharge protection. A ballpark figure on battery life between charges is 1 to 1.5 hours. This varies according to how you conserve power. Recharge time is 2 hours if you are not using the NB3s, or 8 hours while in use. The batteries pop into a compartment on the left side. After installing the battery, getting the cover back on was a little tricky. You have to push in on the battery as you slide on the cover. This needs some redesign. There are different ways to extend battery life, besides running at 8 MHz. One is by using the power save button on top. After pressing it, the LCD display shuts off, hard drive is parked, keyboard is disabled and the CPU stops all processing. (The power save button is disabled during AC operation.) Another way is to lower the level of the LCD backlight. The third way is to set the backlight and hard disk time-out periods. You do this within the system setup (stored in CMOS RAM) during bootup. The backlight time-out period is between 1 and 63 minutes. The hard disk time-out setting varies from 1 to 18 minutes. Accessing the keyboard during the time-out period starts the system again. Besides the monitor, there's a small LCD status indicator bar on top, which indicates battery life, CPU speed, whether a printer or 5.25" floppy drive is connected, and other information. The optional expansion unit has a slot for an optional 120MB hard drive, two slots for option cards, additional power to support the external keyboard, and a carrying handle. If install a video board in the expansion unit, you must disable the internal VGA controller. The review unit came with the optional internal 2400-bps, MNP5 modem made by Holmes. It installs easily, and I encountered no difficulties with it. Notebook prices are changing rapidly. At this writing, the NB3s lists for $2199. The 60MB HD is a whopping $1020 (overpriced), modem $399 (overpriced), 1MB RAM card $199 and nylon carrying case $99. Additional NiCad batteries are $79, expansion unit $699, external numeric keypad $149, 5.25" external FDD $399 (wow), and cigarette lighter adapter $149. If you want that 120MB removable HDD for the expansion unit, it lists for $1299 (wow!). This is a fine notebook, but probably not the best value out there. Because of that and the average keyboard, I'm awarding it 4 out of 5 stars. For more information, contact Epson America, Inc., 20770 Madrona Avenue, P.O. Box 2842, Torrance, CA 90509-2842; 213-782-0770, FAX: 213-782-5220, 800-922-8911. # The author of PC REVIEWS also does tech writing and business editing. Contact him via MCI Mail: 273-7218.