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HiNote Ultra

From RetroTechCollection
Digital HiNote Ultra
HiNote Ultra CS450 (PhotographyEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Specifications
ManufacturerDigital Equipment Corporation
TypeNotebook computer
ReleasedNovember 1994[1]
CPUIntel 486SX, 486DX2 or DX4, by model[2]
Memory4 MB (passive-matrix and mono) or 8 MB (TFT) on the board, plus one 4, 8 or 16 MB module[2]
StorageInternal IDE hard disk (170, 240 or 340 MB in DEC's acoustic tables); 3.5-inch diskette drive in the Floppy Dock[3][4]
DisplayMonochrome or colour passive matrix, or colour TFT; 512 KB or 1 MB video memory[2][1]
Sound—
Power7.2 V 3300 mAh lithium-ion pack; 11 V 2.4 A AC adapter[5][3]
Dimensions216 × 280 mm; 25.4 mm high (passive) or 30.5 mm (TFT)[2]
Weight1.59 kg (mono), 1.75 kg (DSTN), 1.8 kg (TFT), without the Floppy Dock[2]
OS / FirmwareMS-DOS and Windows for Workgroups[6]
SuccessorHiNote Ultra II
Model no.433, CS433, CS450, CT450, CT475, CS475

The Digital HiNote Ultra is a thin notebook computer that Digital Equipment Corporation introduced in November 1994, alongside the HiNote VP, as the first of its HiNote range.[1] Its lithium-ion battery pack latches on to the back of the case, and its 3.5-inch diskette drive is a separate Floppy Dock that screws on underneath.[1][4] The later HiNote Ultra II and HiNote Ultra 2000 are different, Pentium-based machines.[1]

Models

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HiNote Ultra models (Wikipedia, from DEC announcements)
Model Processor Display Introduced
433 486SX-33 Monochrome passive November 1994
CS433 486SX-33 Colour passive November 1994
CS450 486DX2-50 Colour passive November 1994
CT450 486DX2-50 Colour active (TFT) November 1994
CT475 486DX4-75 Colour active (TFT) November 1994
CS475 486DX4-75 Colour passive June 1995

[1]

Hardware

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DEC's user's guide gives the specification as an Intel 486SX, DX2 or DX4 with 8 KB of internal cache, an 8.33 MHz ISA bus, a 256 KB flash BIOS, and 512 KB of video memory on the PC-70 and PC-71 or 1 MB on the other models.[2] The passive-matrix and mono machines have 4 MB on the main board and the TFT machines 8 MB; one optional 4, 8 or 16 MB module fits in a compartment underneath.[2][7] There are two PCMCIA slots taking two Type I or II cards or one Type III card, at 3.3 V or 5 V, and most models have 16-bit Sound Blaster-compatible audio on an ESS chip; the guide also covers an infrared port.[8][9] The pointing device is a trackball in front of the keyboard.[9]

The battery is a 7.2 V, 3300 mAh lithium-ion pack (DEC part FR-PCP8H-AB) that DEC rated for about 3½ hours at full power.[3][10][11] The clock is backed by a separate CR1220 lithium coin cell; the guide specifies a Sanyo part only.[12] The AC adapter delivers 11 V at 2.4 A from 90–135 V or 180–264 V.[5]

Known faults

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  • Battery pack not recognised. A pack left to run completely flat, in storage or in suspend mode, trips its protection circuit and is no longer seen by the computer: no charge light and no gauge. Packs of revision 36-44194-01 B01 can be brought back with Digital's REVIVE.COM utility. See HiNote Ultra Battery Service.[10]
  • Data lost in suspend. Suspend holds memory for up to two weeks from a full battery, and pressing the reset button while suspended loses it.[11][13]

See HiNote Ultra Troubleshooting Guide and HiNote Ultra General Maintenance.

Documentation

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DEC's field service material for the machine is catalogued but not online; see HiNote Ultra Documentation.

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  • CS450 on its docking station (PhotographyEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0)
    CS450 on its docking station (PhotographyEdits, CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • CS475, keyboard and hinge (ume-y, CC BY 2.0)
    CS475, keyboard and hinge (ume-y, CC BY 2.0)
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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Digital HiNote", Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_HiNote, citing InfoWorld and Computerworld, November 1994, and InfoWorld, 19 June 1995. Introduction date, model table, battery and Floppy Dock design, later models.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, p. A-2. Notebook computer specifications.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, p. A-4. Lithium-ion battery pack; acoustic figures for 170, 240 and 340 MB disks.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, pp. 5-8 to 5-9. Connecting the Floppy Dock.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, p. A-3. International AC adapter.
  6. ↑ Digital Equipment Corporation, Digital HiNote Ultra User's Guide, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, November 1994 (File:Digital HiNote Ultra User's Guide (ER-P70WW-UA.A01).pdf).
  7. ↑ DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, pp. 7-6 to 7-7. Installing a memory module.
  8. ↑ DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, pp. 1-1 to 1-2. Processors, PCMCIA slots, audio.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, pp. 6-6 and 6-13. Trackball, audio (ESS) and IR troubleshooting.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Digital Equipment Corporation, README.TXT for REVIVE.COM, 18 February 1997, "This article relates to Digital's HiNote Ultra and HiNote Ultra II Notebooks", in the archive.org item Digital Hi Note Ultra CT 450 Battery Revive. Battery part number, revision and revive procedure.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, pp. 3-1 and 3-3. Battery running time; suspend holds data up to two weeks.
  12. ↑ DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, front matter. Warning to replace the clock battery with a Sanyo CR1220 only.
  13. ↑ DEC, ER-P70WW-UA.A01, p. 1-5. Caution on pressing reset in suspend mode.
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