Castle unveils new Iyonix case | Drobe.co.uk archives

Castle unveils new Iyonix case

By Chris Williams. Published: 26th Feb 2004, 18:41:43 | Permalink | Printable

X ...for EXTREME

Is it a new ARM10 portable? Is it a new 800MHz XScale desktop? No! It's a new case. Castle have unveiled just in time for this weekend's South West show their new Iyonix X100 model which is near identical to their current range of Iyonixes except it comes in a slightly better desktop case.

The X100 measures up as 105mm high, 325mm wide and 430mm deep and kinda resembles a mix between the original Acorn A7000 case and a Sun Ultra5. Everything else about the new X100 model is the same: 600MHz XScale processor, RISC OS 5, NVidia GeForce2 graphics and you know the rest. The only thing it's lacking is space for legacy podules - what a shame.

Links

Iyonix website - X100 announcement

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Discussion

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Don't forget the option of an in-built card reader!

Phlamethrower on 26/2/04 7:18PM
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Oooh, Sun Ultra. I still want one them them. But like RISC OS kit, they're disgustingly expensive, even second hand.

nunfetishist on 26/2/04 7:58PM
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A new case? Whoopity. Unfortunately it looks to be exactly the same case as those really nasty cheap PCs that you get at PC World.

imj on 26/2/04 8:04PM
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Maybe I've not been to PC world recently enough, but I thought that it was the old Iyonix case that looked like a cheap PC clone. Oddly enough it seems to be cheaper (well, better spec for the same price in most configurations) on the Castle website, though I can see at least one mistake on Castle's Iyonix price list at first glance, so it's worth checking if the 128MB X100 really comes with the same HDD as the top-of-the-range tower Iyonix.

Anyway, in my opinion it's an improvement. Shame about the lack of podule space, but I've only got one podule anyway. Shame it's a SCSI podule, though it may be time to chuck out all that old SCSI gear now we've got fast, quiet IDE drives and USB.

ninja on 26/2/04 8:19PM
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I hopped over to the iyonix site and the also seem to have "quietly" introduced a mid-range (256MB DDR) machine that fits between the low and high end ones.

Actually the case looks pretty good (albeit at the expense of loosing Podule Bus backwards compatibility). But then tastes do differ (by the way Imj its usually *not* a good idea to judge a book by its cover

)

Regards

Annraoi

AMS on 26/2/04 8:23PM
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OK, who is the guy who decides on the case designs for Iyonixes? He really ought to be shot/fired!

It looks like an old Packard Bell or some other decade-old PC. Is it just that these are cheap and fit the mobo?

I guess it's OK if you're targetting shops where space is at a premium and looks/expandability not, but I doubt many home uses would like this.

Ah well, at least there's a real, working, finished computer in there

simo on 26/2/04 8:37PM
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bloody castle!

Setting up a home network & they only go and do a decent little machine

b**tards ;-)

epistaxsis@work on 26/2/04 8:39PM
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spot which company is progressing RISC OS computers...

epistaxsis@work on 26/2/04 8:40PM
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Very bad form for Drobe editors to have even *seen* an Ultra 5, given its age and utterly pathetic (by Sun standards) disk interface :-)

dgs

dgs on 26/2/04 9:36PM
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Grrrr, now I find out about a *slightly* better looking case, the day after my Iyonix is delivered. Anyway, cant complain, feels like a bullet on speed....

opelfruitcase on 26/2/04 9:47PM
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Surely if it's an ATX motherboard (and I think it is) and you don't want podules, you can shove it in any old/lovely case?

nunfetishist on 26/2/04 9:53PM
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In reply to nunfetishist: I've had a look inside the case today and it is just a standard ATX motherboard, the blanking panel would have to transferred to the new case as the positions of the sockets are (slightly) non-standard. The nice thing to try next would be the Iyonix motherboard in a Mini-ITX form factor.

opelfruitcase on 26/2/04 10:19PM
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s/Mini-ITX form factor/laptop/

Phlamethrower on 26/2/04 10:36PM
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simo Those least likely to buy an Iyonix are those most likely to complain about the box. As you say the computer inside it works very nicely thank-you!

Anyway haven't you seen the Cino Iyonix?

blahsnr on 26/2/04 10:38PM
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Phlamethrower: Let us know when it's available.

dgs

dgs on 26/2/04 10:39PM
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blahsnr: We're planning on bringing it to the show, so that everyone can see it! :-)

dgs

dgs on 26/2/04 10:43PM
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[link]

for those that havnt seen it...and yes, it will be at the SW show on Saturday running Aemulor Pro!

Cheers,

/Neil/

spellinn on 26/2/04 11:34PM
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In reply to blahnr: How you work that one out then? I think the case looks crap for the £1249 + P+P. I've just paid, but I don't care because I've got a damn fast RISC OS machine, and as Rob said eariler, it can be shoved into any old case!

opelfruitcase on 26/2/04 11:39PM
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Oooh, and BTW, I'm off to my first ever RISC OS show in Sat..... I've either decided its to far to go (in the past), or I've never had the money to go before, not as an impoverished student anyway. So it'll be kinda nice to meet a few ppl, including Lionel Smith whom I met a few months back, if he's there! Who else is going on Saturday, just out of interest?

opelfruitcase on 26/2/04 11:47PM
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opelfruitcase: There are normally one or two ordinary users (as opposed to exhibitors) at the South West show from north-east England, and four or five from the London area. Looks likely to be much the same this year.

There aren't normally any ordinary users from Germany or Poland at the South West show, as it's too far to go for just one day.

But I think plenty of Drobe regulars will be there.

dgs

dgs on 27/2/04 12:05AM
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Hm, is there any bigger picture of the new case? I went to the iyonix website but couldn't find any. Hard to judge from the stamp size pictures.

But I have another question: How is the card reader connected to the computer? Is there an internal USB port or is it connected via IDE?

maikl on 27/2/04 2:55AM
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In reply to openfruitcase:

John Cartmell (and his wife Sheelagh) from Finnybank Ltd, owners of Qercus, will be there. Feel free to stop and speak to him, and/or catch his theatre presentation.

Col1 on 27/2/04 8:29AM
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I've got an Ultra 5 right in front of me on the desk now, and it looks nothing like the new Iyonix case. CD Drive on the wrong side and doesn't have that silly little flap above the floppy slot. I'll be the Iyo is quieter to.

Actually, it is more reminiscent of my old A420/1. It certainly has an Acorn look about it.

mrtd on 27/2/04 9:06AM
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maikl: As to how the Iyonix does it I'm not sure, but in the PC world (which I expect is what the card reader was produced for in the first place) they either have a breakthough, going into arear USB socket, or they have an adapter to connect directly to the motherboard's USB socket (where the other external sockets are connected to). This means the card reader can tell the USB device it's a mass storage device, and uses standard USB drivers.

I thought the case looks fairly interesting; at least it's not plain beige all over. It will be interesting to see if anyone mods this case (or just swaps itto another case) in the near future. I thought of an Iyonix portable is quite exciting though, and should it happen (considering when it's likely to happen, if it does) I expect I'll buy one.

Smiler on 27/2/04 9:45AM
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I think the case looks great and screw anyone who thinks differently :P

-- Spriteman

Spriteman on 27/2/04 10:04AM
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In reply to spriteman I too think the case looks great. (You'd be worried and wondering what I was after if I swiftly replied that I thought differently) It looks like it will colour match the Castle free monitor better than the one in the picture.

I just phoned Castle. At the SW show you can buy this new top model and (A) Claim a free monitor OR (B) Have £90 off the price OR (C) Trade in an old RiscPC (see old drobe news).

A shame the ORs are not ANDs but that would be illogical !

martin on 27/2/04 10:38AM
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could they give the Iyonix a more useful upgrade, such as a faster front page bus speed and the new faster XScale CPU?

Clades on 27/2/04 3:04PM
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clades:

1 thing at a time - when castle feel the need to do Iyonix mk2 then they will.

Don't forget that RISC OS isn't even using the current Xscale's memory access abilities to the full.

Oh and me & my iyonix will be on the AAUG stand...

epistaxsis@work on 27/2/04 5:55PM
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If I spend that kinda money on a Iyonix... I'd be sure to buy a 150 quid case and fill it with wierd light emmiting gadgets... do men ever grow up... probably not

NoMercy on 28/2/04 11:53AM
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Ah! so you think that filling a computer case with wierd light emmiting gadgets is an indication of not having grown up?.

Personally I thought it was simply an indication of lack of good taste :-)

vshears on 28/2/04 2:18PM
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Well my PC will look better than yours so ner ner, ne ner ner *blows a rasbey and scuttles off to play with his toys*

NoMercy on 29/02/04 01:20AM
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There there! Yes I am sure it will look lovley, really "Kewel"

vshears on 01/03/04 11:29AM
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