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VXL Itona: Hardware 

Itona thin clients

General

The Itona range is based around mini-itx motherboards. The motherboards themselves seem to be specific to VXL in that they are screen printed with the VXL logo. However, those that I've seen, are actually manufactured by Gigabyte. I would guess that VXL use special builds of standard boards - eg the GA-C7V7-RH (coded as GA-C7V7VX-RH) which has the SATA connectors left off.

It looks as though specific model ranges share the same motherboard but have a different processor fitted and/or the amount of flash and RAM. (The amount of memory fitted varies with the supplied operating system - Linux, Windows CE or Windows XP).

Other than the sliver one pictured above (TC4321 & TC4331) the other models that I have seen share a common black metal case. With these the Itona label can be removed and rotated through 90 degrees to suit the orientation of the thin client.

As the large Itona range is probably based on a small range of motherboards I've decided to document the basics with a common page (this one) and then individual pages on the specifics of the motherboards.

Some VXL manuals can be downloaded from VXL's website.

PSUs

All the Itonas I have seen are fitted with an internal power supply with a standard IEC connector.

I have a few non-working examples of Itonas. In each case the motherboard is fine and it is the internal PSU at fault. Google found some mention of this (but the link is now gone). As with Neoware PSUs it all seems down to replacing leaking/dead capacitors.

Numbering Scheme

It would appear that the model number (TCxxxx) in the VXL Itona series can be broken down as follows:

TCxxxx : Thin Client
TCxxxx : Series (eg TC3541)
TCxxxx :  Operating system:
  2 - Windows XP
  3 - GIO Linux
  4 - Windows CE
TCxxxx : Amount of flash/RAM fitted - 1=standard amount (?)

Models I have seen

So far I've seen:

ModelCPUMotherboardMemory
ModelSpeedFlashRAM
TC3541 Via C3 Nehemiah800MHzP3VB-VXL32MB64MB
TC3641 Via C3 Nehemiah1GHzP3VB-VXL32MB64MB
TC3841 Via Samuel 2800MHz6VLE-VXL32MB128MB
TC3931 Via C3 Nehemiah1GHz6VLE-VXL32MB512MB
TC4321 Via C7 Esther1GHzGA-C7V7VX-RH256MB256MB
TC4331 Via C7 Esther1GHzGA-C7V7VX-RH32MB128MB

From this and the information below my best guess is:

Model RangeCPUMotherboard
ModelSpeed
TC35xxVia C3 Nehemiah800MHzP3VB-VXL
TC36xx1GHz
TC38xxVia Samuel 2800MHz6VLE-VXL
TC39xxVia C3 Nehemiah1GHz
TC43xxVia C7 Esther1GHzGA-C7V7VX-RH

Model Range

VXL's website does not provide a comprehensive listing of past legacy products - in fact there is no mention on the legacy pages of some of the models I have. VXL's own search function was pretty useless but Google has found me some further information elsewhere and also in VXL's own Newsroom pages.

Looking at the press releases - they start in 2004 - we see this timeline:

DateModelsAnnouncement
January 2005 TC36xx
TC37xx
The TC36xx and TC37xx come complete with the new VIA C3-1GHz processor that provides over a 100% improvement in connection times and graphics resolution compared to the current Via 800 MHz....
September 2005 TL laptop ...announced the launch of its Itona TL range of Thin Client Laptops. Aimed at key vertical market sectors including Education, Health, Manufacturing and Warehousing...
February 2006 TC68xx ...the launch of its 68xx Series terminal with embedded WLAN capability.
March 2006 TL37xx
TI54xx
...The Itona TL37xx series takes VXL's laptop range to new levels of connectivity via the integral PCMCIA slot.... Itona TI54xx series is VXL's first integrated model..
October 2006 TC45xx
TC46xx
... The TC45xx Desktop and TC46xx Wireless Desktop ranges...the first thin client to boast the new 1Ghz VIA C7 chipset...
May 2006 TC38xx
TC39xx
....launch of its TC38xx and TC39xx Series terminals which replace the previous 35xx & 36xx series..... The new models have substantial feature enhancements on the old models such as faster processor, increased flash and RAM memory and enhanced USB and networking features...
December 2006 TC43xx
TC44xx
...The TC43xx Desktop and TC44xx Wireless Desktop models....using the new 1Ghz VIA C7 chipset...
January 2007 TC45xx
TC46xx
..is delighted to announce that the new Itona TC45xx Desktop and TC46xx Wireless Desktop ranges have been afforded Citrix Ready status...
March 2008 TC23xx ..The TC23xx is based on a 1Ghz Via C7 processor...
September 2009 TC1330 Featuring a compact design - the box is just 7.5 inches (19cm) high - the Itona TC1330 boasts ultra green and high security credentials. T
May 2010 TC14xx
TC15xx
et al
..Entry Level product comprises the highly compact, Itona TC1430 and TC1440 models, measuring just 19cm (7.5") high. Energy Star rated, both models include the LX600 chip set...
The Mid-Range line-up features the 15 Series (TC1520, 1536, 1526 and 1540 models) and the 1 GHz C Series (C21, C23, C32, C35 and C42 models). Utilising the respective VX855 and CN896 chipsets....
. The flagship High Performance range boasts the Cs Series, Ds Series and Es Series. The 1.6Ghz Cs represents a faster version of the standard C series and is capable of delivering more raw processing power. The Ds and Es series incorporate the highly rated VX800 chipset that.....

Looking on the legacy section of VXL's website we see they had a large range of products under the Itona name. Interestingly this list does not include the TC35xx, TC36xx, TC37xx, TC38xx or TC39xx series. (Why not? There's no Itona product under the current list of Products). The search box on the VXL website doesn't appear to find anything, but Google does. I did locate elsewhere this pdf summarising the TC35xx, TC36xx and TC37xx series. from which I've extracted the information below.

ModelCPUMemory
ModelSpeedFlashRAM
TC3531-LI VIA C3 800MHz32MB64MB
TC3533-LI VIA C3 800MHz64MB128MB
TC3541-CE VIA C3 800MHz32MB64MB
TC3521-XP VIA C3 800MHz256MB256MB
TC3631-LI VIA C3 1GHz32MB64MB
TC3633-LI VIA C3 1GHz64MB128MB
TC3641-CE VIA C3 1GHz32MB64MB
TC3621-XP VIA C3 1GHz256MB256MB
TC3731-LI VIA C3 1GHz32MB64MB
TC3733-LI VIA C3 1GHz64MB128MB
TC3741-CE VIA C3 1GHz32MB64MB
TC3721-XP VIA C3 1GHz256MB256MB

The legacy products listed on the website are grouped into three categories:

Entry Level

ModelCPUMemory
ModelSpeedFlashRAM
TC2341-CE VIA C7 1GHz32MB256MB DDR2
TC3241-CE VIA C3 800MHz32MB128MB DDR
TC3221-XP VIA C3 800MHz256MB256MB DDR
TC2331-LI VIA C7 1GHz32MB256MB DDR2
TC3231-LI VIA C3 800MHz32MB128MB DDR
TC3233-LI VIA C3 800MHz64MB128MB DDR
TC1330-LIGeode GX466 64MB256MB

Mid Range

ModelCPUMemory
ModelSpeedFlashRAM
TC4341-CE VIA C7 1GHz32MB256MB DDR2
TC4342-CE VIA C7 1GHz128MB256MB DDR2
TC4321-XP VIA C7 1GHz512MB512MB DDR2
TC4331-LI VIA C7 1GHz32MB256MB DDR2
TC4335-LI VIA C7 1GHz512MB512MB DDR2
TC4334-LI VIA C7 1GHz128MB256MB DDR2
TC4333-LI VIA C7 1GHz64MB256MB DDR2

High End (appears to include DVI port)

ModelCPUMemory
ModelSpeedFlashRAM
TC7342-LI VIA C7 1GHz64MB256MB DDR2
TC7335-LI VIA C7 1GHz512MB512MB DDR2
TC7321-XP VIA C7 1GHz512MB512MB DDR2
TC7334-LI VIA C7 1GHz128MB256MB DDR2
TC63xxIntel Atom N2701.6GHz  
EsxxVIA Eden1.6GHz?DDR2 SODIMM

 


Any comments? email me.    Last update September 2012