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Fujitsu Siemens A250: Hardware 

Fujitsu Siemens A250 Thin Client

Specifications

The Fujitsu Siemens A250 is a small and neat unit that is similar in style to the VXL Percio. There is no date of manufacture on the unit but the BIOS carries a date of 2007 and the data sheet on Fujitsu's site is dated January 2008.

The basic specs for the A250 are:

Processor
   Type
   Speed
Geode LX800
500MHz
Memory
   Flash
   RAM
256MB
256Mb (max 1GB)
Video
   Chip
   Max resolution
CS5536A
1600 x 1200 32-bit colour
Ports
   Network
   USB
   Serial
   Parallel
   PS/2
10/100/1000
3 x USB2.0
1
0
Kybd & mouse
Power
   Supply
   Plug
   Off
   Running
12V 1.6A (Label)
Coax 5.5mm/2.1mm
0 W
~9W
Dimensions
H x W x D (mm)195 x 152 x 43

The operating system is eLux NG. (Support now migrated to unicon-software). I actually bought this unit new for £10 plus postage and it comes with unlicenced software - you can apparently run it 38 times before it goes on strike if you haven't entered a valid licence number by then.

CPU

Some details from /proc/cpuinfo:

vendor_id   : AuthenticAMD
cpu family  : 5
model       : 10
model name  : Geode(TM) Integrated Processor by AMD PCS
stepping    : 2
microcode   : 0x8b
cpu MHz     : 498.054
flags       : fpu de pse tsc msr cx8 sep pge cmov clflush mmx mmxext
              3dnowext 3dnow 3dnowprefetch vmmcall

PCI

00:01.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] CS5536 [Geode companion] Host Bridge (rev 33)
00:01.1 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Geode LX Video
00:01.2 Entertainment encryption device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Geode LX AES Security Block
00:0d.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8110SC/8169SC Gigabit Ethernet (rev 10)
00:0f.0 ISA bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] CS5536 [Geode companion] ISA (rev 03)
00:0f.2 IDE interface: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] CS5536 [Geode companion] IDE (rev 01)
00:0f.3 Multimedia audio controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] CS5536 [Geode companion] Audio (rev 01)
00:0f.4 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] CS5536 [Geode companion] OHC (rev 02)
00:0f.5 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] CS5536 [Geode companion] EHC (rev 02)

Power Supply

The A250 uses a small external power supply that provides a 12V 2A supply. The plug is a standard 5.5mm/2.1mm coax plug.

Expansion

board Flash: Like the VXL Percio the operating system is stored on a Compact Flash card that is concealed behind a cover on the left-hand side, so a change of operating system/flash memory size is just a matter of what is inserted here.

RAM: The RAM is a standard 200-pin SODIMM. The one fitted carries a label 256MB DDR 333 (aka PC-2700). In October 2016 Darek emailed me to say that he'd successfully installed 1GB of RAM.

IDE Interface: Unusually for modern thin clients the on-board IDE interface is a 40-pin one (CDROM/3.5" drive) rather than the more usual 44-pin laptop style.

Links: mfd emailed me to point out that jumper J3 - located at the corner of the board by the power switch - makes the system auto boot following a power failure.

Click on the photograph to get a more detailed view of the circuit board.

 


Any comments? email me. Added August 2010    Last update October 2016