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Bosanova RBT-802: Hardware 

Bosanova RBT800

This Bosanova (now 10ZiG) thin client is a small and neat unit. The label on the bottom of the unit identifies it as an RBT802. It also carries a label on the side identifying it as an ION A603. This is a Mini PC manufactured by First International Computer Inc (FIC) in Taiwan. I guess it was rebadged by Bosanova who launched the RBT-800 series at the start of 2007.

If you Google for ION A603 you'll find stuff about various mini PCs that were based on the same board.

However we do have a slight mystery here. I picked up my RBT802 in April 2013. In August 2017 I got hold of a few RBT820s. The RBT802 and the RBT820 were announced back on January 10 2007. An excerpt from the press release reads:

"Powered by the high speed AMD Geode LX 800 processor, the RBT-802 and RBT-820 offers increased performance and low power consumption in a compact package. Both units are uniquely designed with built-in optional wireless in a small form factor. Weighing in at less than 1lb, these thin clients allow for flexible mounting options and lower shipping cost.

....

The RBT-802 Linux thin client also includes....

The RBT-820 CE.Net thin client includes...."

To me this implies that they use the same underlying hardware and that the only difference between them is the operating system that they run.

The 820s I got hold of turned out to use DT166 hardware, not an ION 603 so I went out and tracked down an early data sheet on the RBT802. This does show a unit that looks like the DT166 - it only has two USB sockets on the front panel, not the four on the one I have.

Turning to Google (August 2017) I did manage to find an RBT badged unit visually similar to my RBT-802 on ebay.ca. Unfortunately neither the photos nor the description gave any associated RBT part number. All I can assume is that at some time Bosanova changed the underlying hardware without changing the model number.

As a result I'm leaving this entry unchanged. If the RBT802 that's caught your eye only has two USB sockets on the front panel (and two on the rear panel) I suggest you switch to the RBT820 entry.

Specifications

My summary:
Processor
   Type
   Speed
AMD Geode LX800
500MHz
Memory
   Flash
   RAM
256MB
256MB (max 1GB)
Video
   Chip
   Max resolution
CS5336
1920x1440 ?-bit colour
Ports
   Network
   USB
   Serial
   Parallel
   PS/2
10/100
4 x USB2.0
0
0
0
Power
   Plug
   Input
   Off
   Running
Coax 5.5mm/2.5mm
12V 1.2A (datasheet)
3W
7W
Dimensions
H x W x D (mm)35 x 140 x 130

This appears to available with Linux (RBT-802) or Windows CE.Net (RBT-820)

CPU

Having booted Tinycore, /proc/cpuinfo shows:

vendor_id:AuthenticAMD
cpu family:5
model:10
model name:Geode(TM) Integrated Processor by AMD PCS
stepping:2

Power Supply

The unit requires a 12V supply and uses a conventional 5.5mm/2.5mm coax connector.

Disassembly

You remove the back panel and then the circuit board can be slid out of the housing.

The back panel has a top and bottom strip of metal fingers that make contact with the inside of the housing. There are also a couple of plastic lugs that locate into slots in the base of the housing. The first time I took the unit apart I peeled back the self-adhesive rubber strips on the bottom to reveal these slots but subsequently realised this wasn't necessary. If you start by pulling back on the top edge of the back panel to get it at a suitable angle the lugs come clear of the slots and the back panel can be removed. There should be no need to poke a screwdriver through the slots.

Expansion

RBT-802 Circuit Board As usual, clicking on the photo (right) will take you to a larger scale photos of the top and bottom of the circuit board.

It is fairly compact in size so there is little space to fit anything internally. However, when I opened it up I found that it was fitted with a tray that would take a 2.5" disk drive that could be connected in place of the flash memory. There is space for this tray as, due to the low power of CPU, there is no heat sink on the CPU or the accompanying support chip.

Flash: The Flash memory is replaceable. It's a DOM plugged into a standard 44-pin IDE connector. If you decide to go down the Compact Flash route there is the disk tray that makes an excellent mounting point for your adaptor.

RAM: Having slid the board out there is no immediate sign of any RAM. It turns out that it's a conventional 200-pin SODIMM plugged into a socket fitted on the bottom the board.

The fitted SODIMM is marked A+ND333-56. This is a 256MB DDR333 (PC2700) 200-pin SODIMM manufactured by Aplus Technology Inc.

Wireless: The data sheet does mention an option of "Internal Mini PCI b/g wireless adapter". However I can't find any trace of any expansion connector on the board.

Link J7: This link controls whether or not the system will auto-boot when power is applied.

 


Any comments? email me. Added April 2013    Last update August 2017