CES Update: X86 Processor Module In A DIP

While walking through the halls of CES yesterday, we came across this one booth that had a bunch of cool stuff, like a robotic hand. [iCOP] makes a cool set of x86 processor modules with dual 0.100″ spaced headers. This allows for easy prototyping on a breadboard so you can quickly put together your latest project. What applications can you think of for these things?

30 thoughts on “CES Update: X86 Processor Module In A DIP

  1. I have used the Vortex at 1 GHz, it performs more like a 100 MHz 386. Keep your expectations low if you use one. Personally I’d use an OMAP ARM like the beagleboard or any of the chepo ARM boards if I didn’t need a display instead. Even at 500 MHz OMAP seems 20x more powerful than my 1GHz Vortex86.

  2. “sfe”, awfully nice of you to compromise the sparkfun website the day after they do something so generous for the community. could you possibly be any more of a worthless shitbag?

  3. @lolwat, you’re wrong. those deploy shell scripts aren’t going to show up in a wget mirror. neither are the backups that were in the utilities directory. never mind that sparkfun confirmed the compromise by phone.

  4. @Erik

    not really getting this either.. unless maybe you have some legacy X86 binaries that you have to run.. otherwise why would you kick yourself in the gonads by using an X86 processor in a domain that it is perfectly acceptable not to use X86.

  5. @Devin
    Yeah, I’m mad. It always pisses me off to see some spoiled child with no self control smash things for no reason other than to see the pieces fly off.

    He probably didn’t win the free day lottery. Big deal, neither did 70,000 other people. But this twit couldn’t deal with that like the rest of us, so he owns up the site. Wow, he really showed them. Hope the e-peen stroking helped heal the pain of the loss on his poor bruised ego.

  6. @pissed.

    nah those ARE fake.

    I got the directory listing too while they were down. except i wasn’t a dick and decided to downloaded the folders.

    (means anything saucy wasnt taken, just public files.)

    @sfe – please choke.

  7. The site is too slow at the moment for me to get much info :(
    I’m curious about the chipset and what processor the CPU is based on, and I/O. Is the CF adapter a custom host using something like MMIO, or is is connected to an ATA host on a PCI bus?

    Does it have BIOS, a boot loader, or is the customer responsible for this?

    Even if you just get Linux up and running on it via something like Core Boot, the availability of a JTAG interface could allow for some security research. Depending on price, it could even be reasonable on a basic budget.

    I have a lot of experience in ’embedded’ x86 and something like this could give me a platform to have some real fun with.

  8. @ Almost_There

    I paid over $300 for the Roboard RB-100 which is an 800mhz board with 256 mb of ram and all the I/O ports. It’s based on a Vortex86 chip like those.

    the thing even has a miniPCI slot which we used to conect a monitor to the thing. very cool stuff, much smaller in person that in the pictures!

    only complaint was that getting XP on them was a chore.

  9. @Paul

    I was going to ask could you get XP on them.

    How do they run? They do look pretty usefull to carry around; attach an LCD and hey presto.

    how big are they, can’t really judge it from the picture.

  10. “Why would one want to have a x86 board when there are plenty of arm boards available in the same dimensions.”

    What a pain to recompile the huge pile of existing stuff for IAx86 out there just for an ARM board that costs more and does less than an LX800 board.

  11. I was planning on using a Net-top in my truck for navigation and music playback.

    I also planned on getting a PSP LCD and touch screen from sparkfun.com but by the time I got to enter my info the $$ limit had been reached.

    This x86 board would be perfect to fit in behind an LCD of the size I’m planning.

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