Neoware CapioII: Hardware 

• Hardware
• Firmware

While the logo on the front of the box clearly states Capio II by Neoware most Internet searches on Capio II bring up references to Boundless Technologies who appear to be the actual designers/manufacturers of this particular model. The unit itself is slightly larger than the Capio 620/800 and is designed to sit horizontally rather than vertically. There seems to be a range of model numbers - I've seen mention of 320,325 and 420. The one I have is labelled:

Class:	CP2A-A32B-AB001
Model:	2992-0001516

and carries a manufacturing date of J031202 which, coming from the US, I take to be 12th March 2002. This is a year before the Capio 620s I have. I must admit to my inexpert eye the Capio II would appear to predate the Capio 620 in design terms.

The WinCE Terminal Properties page identifies it as a Boundless Capio Model 325.

Specifications

The basic specs for the Capio II are:

Processor
Type    Speed	Geode 233MHz
Memory
Flash    RAM	8M 32Mb (max 128Mb?)
Video
Chip    Max resolution	CS5530 1024 x 768 16-bit colour
Ports
Network    USB    Serial    Parallel    PS/2	10/100 2 x USB1.1 1 1 Kybd & mouse
Power
Off    Running	11W 11W
Dimensions
H x W x D (mm)	240 x 35 x 210 (Excluding Stand)

Part of a Press Release:

The new Capio II models 420 and 425 Windows(R)-based Terminals (WBTs) are the first in the product line to feature a built-in Microsoft(R) Internet Explorer 4.0 web browser for local Internet access and are priced significantly lower than their closest competitor.

Building on the fast, cost-effective Capio II hardware platform, Boundless has expanded its Microsoft Windows CE-based thin-client family to offer the ability to access web-based applications directly from the desktop instead of via the server, eliminating unnecessary traffic on the network and reducing server load, thereby boosting performance. With standard 16 MB of flash memory and 32 MB of RAM, both the model 420 and 425 offer.....

Power Supply

The Neoware Capio has an internal power supply. The mains connector is the usual kettle style.

Expansion

Both the Flash memory and the RAM in the Capio II are easily(?) replaceable.

Flash: The flash is a Disk-On-Chip (DOC) in a DIL socket.

RAM: The RAM is a standard 144-pin SODIMM. I haven't been able to locate an actual specification for what the Capio II supports, but mine came with a PC100 64MB module fitted.

I have tried replacing this by various 128MB and 256MB SODIMMs with mixed results. The limit would appear 128MB. With these the BIOS successfully recognised only those SODIMMs that carried 8 chips. The 4-chip versions appeared as 64MB rather than 128MB. One final point: Whilst the BIOS memory check reported the RAM sized as 128MB the WinCE control panel 'about' screen always reported the RAM size as 64MB.

Other:The serial and parallel port are on a daughter board that plugs into a 50-way strip-line connector on the motherboard. I assume that other expansion modules may exist.

Unfortunately there are no IDE or Floppy connectors on the motherboard. The only way to run an alternative operating system would appear to be by off-board reprogramming of the DOC. (Note: I haven't yet explored the network boot option in the BIOS to see if that is a viable option).

Click here for a larger picture of the Capio circuit board.