Wyse 9650XE: Hardware 

• Hardware
• Disassembly
• Firmware
• Linux

The WTx650XE is a 15" LCD display with integral thin client hardware. I have two examples of this product:

Model No: WT9650XE, Part No: 902068-06, Manufactured September 2004.
Model No: WT9650XE, Product ID: WT3650XE, Part No: 902068-06, Manufactured March 2005.

They look identical, but the WT9650XE version runs XPe and has 256MB/256MB flash/ram whilst the WT3650XE runs Windows CE 5.0 and has 32MB/64MB flash/ram. When you disassemble the unit you find that the circuit board is a VIA EPIA Mini-ITX board. A label on the bottom identifies it as an EPIA 5001AW. It is basically the same circuit board as in the WT941GXL but using an earlier and slower VIA C3 processor (Samuel 2 @ 550MHz).

Specifications

The basic specs are:

Processor
Type    Speed	VIA C3 Samuel 2 550MHz
Memory
Flash    RAM	256MB 256MB (512MB max)
Video
Chip    Resolution	integrated Trident Blade 3D 1024 x 768 @ 32-bit colour
Ports
Network    USB    Serial    Parallel    PS/2	10/100 2 x USB1.1 1 1 2 (Kybd & Mouse)
Power
Input    Off    Running	12V ?A 5 W 40W
Dimensions
H x W x D (mm)	290 x 360 x 95 (excluding stand)

The embedded operating system is Windows XPe SP1 in the WT9650XE and Windows CE 5.0 in the WT3650XE.

Power Supply

The unit requires a 12V supply. Mine came with a Compaq unit (part ADP-60PB) which is rated at a beefy 5A. The power connector (see right) is a 4-pin one identical to that used by the Compaq T20. If you don't have the right connector you can either buy one from somewhere like Toby Electronics (Search for "DP Valcon 7.5 Amp Cable Mount Power Plugs") or fit an alternative socket somewhere on the case. (It's not too easy to replace the existing one as it is soldered to a circuit board).

Expansion

Almost everything you need to know is in the motherboard manual.

The flash is a DOM plugged into one of the two 40-pin IDE connectors.

The RAM is a conventional stick of 168-pin PC133 SDRAM plugged into one of the two DIMM sockets. According the manual each DIMM socket will take upto 512MB DIMMs giving a 1GB maximum (2x512MB). NB The RAM has to be of a lowish profile to allow you to refit the metal cover. The ones supplied are 22mm high. The ones I have were 29mm and 35mm high. The 29mm are just ok. With a 35mm one you can't get the cover back on.

One thing to note is that there are no spare power connectors other than two small two-pin connector that matches the one connected to the DOM.

Note: The keyway pin on the IDE connector is missing. In some thin clients this is present, at least on the first IDE interface, as it is used to directly power a DOM. In it's absence you have provide power to a DOM through a separate connector.

I assume that the board part number (5001AW) marks it out as a special for Wyse (hence the final W). The audio line-in and line-out sockets are missing from the circuit board. There is a cable soldered to the board to take the headphone (line-out) signal to a socket adjacent to the power supply. Similarly there is no VGA connector fitted to the board - the connections to the LCD display are soldered directly to the board where the connector would have been. Both these, especially the latter, mean that you can't do a simple upgrade by just swapping out the Mini-ITX board for a more modern version.

There is a small riser board carrying a PCI socket so that a small expansion board can be added - such as another ethernet interface or wireless LAN card.

There is also a small cover on the side of the display. If you remove this you find some space for a peripheral (such as disk drive?) which could be mounted on the metal cover. The photo shows what it looks like with the back cover removed.

What with the PCI slot and the available internal space there is considerable scope to turn this into a useful appliance of some kind. If you want to go wireless then a PCI card would be the way to do it as that would avoid the bottleneck of the USB 1.1 interface.

Click on the photo for a closer look at the internal hardware.