Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!me!yap
From: yap@me.utoronto.ca (Davin Yap)
Subject: Re: 386SX replacements for 80286 machines
Message-ID: <89Nov2.162059est.18926@me.utoronto.ca>
Keywords: whatever happened to them?
Organization: University of Toronto Mechanical Engineering
References: <786@awdprime.UUCP> <1989Nov2.080213.2989@ico.isc.com> <4001@peora.ccur.com>
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 89 16:20:55 EST

In article <4001@peora.ccur.com> joel@peora.ccur.com (Joel Upchurch) writes:
>ron@woan.austin.ibm.com (Ronald S. Woan) writes:
>> Whatever happened to the 386SX modules that could directly replace the
>> 80286 chip on AT motherboards?  I remember hearing that several were
>> announced, but haven't seen anything about them in the last year...
>> 
>
>I suspect that there isn't much market for these modules. With the
>new 386SX pricing it is easier to do a complete motherboard swap.

Yes, but what if you have a 286 laptop, and have no qualms about opening
it up.  How much glue is required to get the SX to look like a 286?  Can
it be done with a 'smart' socket that goes between the SX and the socket
on the board or is there something fundamentally wrong with this idea?
How many, if any, extra pins are there on the SX than on the 286?  Was it
really impossible for Intel to come up with a 16-bit 386 that was pin
compatible with the 286 or was this just a marketing thing.  Since they're
having so much trouble competing with the second source suppliers of cmos
286s, it would have been (would be) a real boon for them if such a thing
existed - hundreds of thousands of ATs would be given a second life, and
they'd make a mint.

Full of questions but no answers.  Opinions anyone?

Davin
_______________leave_nothing_to_the_imagination_of_those_without_______________
GOAL:  To dance the light fan- |Davin Yap, Mechanical Engineering, U of Toronto
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