Iyonix PC
Encyclopedia
The Iyonix PC was an Acorn
-clone personal computer
from Castle Technology
. It was released in 2002 and runs .
es (STBs). Pace had a licence to develop RISCOS Ltd
's OS sources for use in the STB market. The Iyonix was developed under the code name Tungsten and uses , which is a 32-bit version of . The sources and hardware design were subsequently acquired by Castle, who developed them into the final product. Castle continued to keep the project a secret, requiring developers to sign a non-disclosure agreement
. Information was distributed to such developers via a confidential section of the website. Customers were occasionally able to buy the computer as a bare bones system for self assembly.
Castle ceased production of the Iyonix after the July 2006 introduction in the UK of the RoHS Regulations. The design was not compliant and Castle did not redesign the Iyonix. Sales continued for over 2 years, via a newly established company, Iyonix Ltd, which enabled Castle itself to circumvent the regulations.
Units first went on sale in December 2002. On 25 September 2008, Castle announced that production of the Iyonix had ceased and that new units would no longer be available to order.
It was the first time that an Acorn "Clone" carried native PCI support or an XScale processor. It also accomplished a number of firsts.
It was the first time substantial changes had been made to the platform since the release of the Risc PC
was introduced in 1993. All interim machines had been built on the ARM7500 System-on-a-chip which was widely regarded as a single-chip Risc PC. (It incorporated the memory controller, video, sound, IO and CPU logic of a Risc PC, leaving only memory and disc interfacing to be added.)
The presence of PCI and USB capabilities, as well as the retained "podule" bus attracted comparisons to Acorn's aborted Phoebe PC
,
however such comparisons should be tempered with Phoebe's proposed feature set, which retained VIDC and 26-bit mode, and although Phoebe was intended to be capable of SMP
configurations, its proposed shipping configuration had been for one SA110 CPU.
Acorn Computers
Acorn Computers Ltd. was a British computer company established in Cambridge, England, in 1978. The company produced a number of computers which were especially popular in the UK. These included the Acorn Electron, the BBC Micro, and the Acorn Archimedes...
-clone personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
from Castle Technology
Castle Technology
Castle Technology Ltd. is a British limited company engaged in computer software and IT consulting. It produced and sold ARM computers, and sold the Acorn-branded range of desktop computers that run RISC OS. Prior to Acorn's demise, it was the largest of their dealerships...
. It was released in 2002 and runs .
History
The Iyonix originated as a secret project by Pace engineers in connection with development of set-top boxSet-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es (STBs). Pace had a licence to develop RISCOS Ltd
RISCOS Ltd
RISCOS Ltd. is a limited company engaged in computer software and IT consulting. It licensed the rights to from Element 14 and subsequently Pace Micro Technology. It continues to develop...
's OS sources for use in the STB market. The Iyonix was developed under the code name Tungsten and uses , which is a 32-bit version of . The sources and hardware design were subsequently acquired by Castle, who developed them into the final product. Castle continued to keep the project a secret, requiring developers to sign a non-disclosure agreement
Non-disclosure agreement
A non-disclosure agreement , also known as a confidentiality agreement , confidential disclosure agreement , proprietary information agreement , or secrecy agreement, is a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties...
. Information was distributed to such developers via a confidential section of the website. Customers were occasionally able to buy the computer as a bare bones system for self assembly.
Castle ceased production of the Iyonix after the July 2006 introduction in the UK of the RoHS Regulations. The design was not compliant and Castle did not redesign the Iyonix. Sales continued for over 2 years, via a newly established company, Iyonix Ltd, which enabled Castle itself to circumvent the regulations.
Units first went on sale in December 2002. On 25 September 2008, Castle announced that production of the Iyonix had ceased and that new units would no longer be available to order.
Features
Features include:- Standard ATXATXATX is a motherboard form factor specification developed by Intel in 1995 to improve on previous de facto standards like the AT form factor. It was the first big change in computer case, motherboard, and power supply design in many years, improving standardization and interchangeability of parts...
motherboard and NvidiaNVIDIANvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
video cardVideo cardA video card, Graphics Card, or Graphics adapter is an expansion card which generates output images to a display. Most video cards offer various functions such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors... - Intel XScaleIntel XScaleThe XScale, a microprocessor core, is Intel's and Marvell's implementation of the ARMv5 architecture, and consists of several distinct families: IXP, IXC, IOP, PXA and CE . Intel sold the PXA family to Marvell Technology Group in June 2006....
80321 600 MHz 32-bit32-bitThe range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
processorCentral processing unitThe central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in... - Two 64-bit64-bit64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...
and two 32-bit PCIPeripheral Component InterconnectConventional PCI is a computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer...
slots - RISC OSRISC OSRISC OS is a computer operating system originally developed by Acorn Computers Ltd in Cambridge, England for their range of desktop computers, based on their own ARM architecture. First released in 1987, under the name Arthur, the subsequent iteration was renamed as in 1988...
version 5 in hardware ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
module - Support for the LinuxLinuxLinux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
operating system - Support for "Legacy" Acorn DEBI expansion cards.
- USBUniversal Serial BusUSB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
interfacing
It was the first time that an Acorn "Clone" carried native PCI support or an XScale processor. It also accomplished a number of firsts.
- First pure 32-bit Acorn machine.
- First "Post Acorn" Machine to get to market without a Cirrus Logic ARM7500 series System On Chip.
- First compatible machine to completely avoid a hardware VIDC implementation.
- First working on-motherboard USB support.
It was the first time substantial changes had been made to the platform since the release of the Risc PC
Risc PC
The RiscPC was Acorn Computers's next generation RISC OS/Acorn RISC Machine computer, launched on 15 April 1994, which superseded the Acorn Archimedes. The Acorn PC card and software allows PC compatible software to be run....
was introduced in 1993. All interim machines had been built on the ARM7500 System-on-a-chip which was widely regarded as a single-chip Risc PC. (It incorporated the memory controller, video, sound, IO and CPU logic of a Risc PC, leaving only memory and disc interfacing to be added.)
The presence of PCI and USB capabilities, as well as the retained "podule" bus attracted comparisons to Acorn's aborted Phoebe PC
Phoebe (computer)
The Phoebe 2100 was to be Acorn Computers' next generation Risc PC, slated for release in late 1998. However in September 1998 Acorn cancelled the project as part of a restructuring of the company....
,
however such comparisons should be tempered with Phoebe's proposed feature set, which retained VIDC and 26-bit mode, and although Phoebe was intended to be capable of SMP
Symmetric multiprocessing
In computing, symmetric multiprocessing involves a multiprocessor computer hardware architecture where two or more identical processors are connected to a single shared main memory and are controlled by a single OS instance. Most common multiprocessor systems today use an SMP architecture...
configurations, its proposed shipping configuration had been for one SA110 CPU.