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A compatibility card is an
* Apple IIe Card for the Macintosh LC family
* Houdini I PDS card for
* In 1992, the company Aleph One released the 386PC, an expansion that added a 20 MHz 386SX processor to the Archimedes for running DOS applications. Licensed versions of these cards were soon made by Acorn for the A3020 and A4000; these official cards were available with both 386SX and 486SLC processors.
* An updated DOS compatibility card with a 40 MHz 486SX (underclocked to 33 MHz) was available as an upgrade for the Archimedes' successor, the Risc PC.
A compatibility card is an expansion card
In computing, an expansion card (also called an expansion board, adapter card, peripheral card or accessory card) is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector, or expansion slot (also referred to as a bus sl ...
for computers that allows it to have hardware emulation
In integrated circuit design, hardware emulation is the process of imitating the behavior of one or more pieces of hardware (typically a system under design) with another piece of hardware, typically a special purpose emulation system. The emu ...
with another device. While compatibility cards date back at least to the Apple II family, the majority of them were made for 16-bit computers, often to maintain compatibility with the IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the List of IBM Personal Computer models, IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible ''de facto'' standard. Released on ...
. The most popular of these were for Macintosh
Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...
systems that allowed them to emulate Windows PCs via NuBus or PCI
PCI may refer to:
Business and economics
* Payment card industry, businesses associated with debit, credit, and other payment cards
** Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, a set of security requirements for credit card processors
* Prov ...
; Apple had released several such cards themselves.
Compatibility cards by system
Apple II
* The Z-80 SoftCard made theApple II
Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...
and Apple II Plus compatible with CP/M by way of a Zilog Z80 processor, and was followed up by the Premium SoftCard IIe for the Apple IIe.
IBM PC compatibles
* 3DO BlasterMacintosh
By Apple
* Apple IIe Card for the Macintosh LC family
* Houdini I PDS card for Macintosh Quadra
The Macintosh Quadra is a family of personal computers designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Inc., Apple Computer, Inc. from October 1991 to October 1995. The Quadra, named for the Motorola 68040 central processing unit, replaced the Macintosh ...
with a 25 MHz 486 CPU
* DOS Compatibility card for Power Macintosh 6100
The Power Macintosh 6100 (also sold as the Performa 6110 – 6118 and the Workgroup Server 6150) is a personal computer designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Computer from March 1994 to March 1996. It is the first computer from Apple to use ...
with a 486/66 CPU (actually a Quadra PDS card with a special adapter; if the adapter is removed, the card can be used in a Quadra)
* 7-inch PCI
PCI may refer to:
Business and economics
* Payment card industry, businesses associated with debit, credit, and other payment cards
** Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, a set of security requirements for credit card processors
* Prov ...
PC Compatibility card with 5x86/100 MHz CPU
* 12-inch PCI PC Compatibility card with Intel Pentium
Pentium is a series of x86 architecture-compatible microprocessors produced by Intel from 1993 to 2023. The Pentium (original), original Pentium was Intel's fifth generation processor, succeeding the i486; Pentium was Intel's flagship proce ...
100MHz CPU, Intel Pentium 166MHz CPU, or Cyrix 6x86
The Cyrix 6x86 is a line of sixth-generation, 32-bit x86 microprocessors designed and released by Cyrix in 1995. Cyrix, being a fabless company, had the chips manufactured by IBM and SGS-Thomson. The 6x86 was made as a direct competitor to Intel ...
133MHz CPU (166PR) for Power Macintosh 7200, 7300, Power Macintosh 4400 and 7220
By other manufacturers
* Dayna Communications released the MacCharlie for theMacintosh 128K
The Macintosh, later rebranded as the Macintosh 128K, is the original Mac (computer), Macintosh personal computer from Apple Inc., Apple. It is the first successful mass-market All-in-one computer, all-in-one desktop personal computer with a gr ...
and 512K
* AST Research released the Mac86 as a PDS expansion for the Macintosh SE, giving it DOS compatibility through a 10 MHz 8086 processor. It was followed up by the Mac286, which added a 286 processor through the Macintosh II
The Macintosh II is a personal computer designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer from March 1987 to January 1990. Based on the Motorola 68020 32-bit CPU, it is the first Macintosh supporting color graphics. When introduced, a basic ...
's NuBus slots. After AST left the Mac market, the rights to both were sold to Orange Micro.
* Orange Micro's OrangePC series of cards were the spiritual successor to the Mac86 and Mac286. These cards provided support for 386, 486, and Pentium processors, up to a 400 MHz AMD K6-2
The K6-2 is an x86 microprocessor introduced by AMD on May 28, 1998, and available in speeds ranging from 266 to 550 MHz. An enhancement of the original K6, the K6-2 introduced AMD's 3DNow! SIMD instruction set and an upgraded system-bus interf ...
processor in the final model. Orange Micro also released the PCfx!, a cut down OrangePC board with a 200 MHz Pentium soldered on.
* Reply Corporation's DOS on Mac series of cards added a 486/5x86 (up to 100 MHz) processor and DOS compatibility to Centris, Quadra, Performa, and Power Macintoshes through a PDS expansion; later models supported PCI-based Power Macs and Pentium processors up to 200 MHz. This technology was acquired by Radius
In classical geometry, a radius (: radii or radiuses) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its Centre (geometry), center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The radius of a regular polygon is th ...
in 1997, who began selling the cards under the name "Detente."
Amiga
*Amiga Sidecar
The Commodore A1060 Sidecar is an expansion hardware device developed by Commodore and released in 1986 for the Amiga 1000 computer. It is an IBM Personal Computer XT-clone in an expansion case which connects to the expansion bus on the right ...
for the Amiga 1000
The Amiga 1000, also known as the A1000, is the first personal computer released by Commodore International in the Amiga line. It combines the 16/32-bit Motorola 68000 CPU which was powerful by 1985 standards with one of the most advanced grap ...
Archimedes
* In 1992, the company Aleph One released the 386PC, an expansion that added a 20 MHz 386SX processor to the Archimedes for running DOS applications. Licensed versions of these cards were soon made by Acorn for the A3020 and A4000; these official cards were available with both 386SX and 486SLC processors.
* An updated DOS compatibility card with a 40 MHz 486SX (underclocked to 33 MHz) was available as an upgrade for the Archimedes' successor, the Risc PC.
Notes
References
Compatibility cards Interoperability {{Compu-hardware-stub