Omnibook 300 ROM compatibility

[kahlil88]

Looking to upgrade my OB-300 and wondering if the ROM cards for 425/430 are compatible? If not, maybe I can send someone my ROM card for modification. They appear to be technically identical aside from the 425/430 using a better CPU.

 

[maestro]

Sorry about the lateness. This thread is a bit old but maybe the answer will help someone. These omnibooks are some of the best ever made for DOS programmers.

Yes, they are compatible. Modifying a 300 ROM card would be difficult and more effort than it's worth. The units are technically identical aside from the ROM and CPU, which one's better is a matter of debate. The 486 is 5 MHz faster and adds 1 KB cache but uses more power, so it depends on the use case. The major benefit of the 425/430 card on the OB300 is larger disk support. If using the 425 ROM card, take a look at maximizing conventional memory under DOS. It's the best it gets with that particular ROM.

http://omnibooks.info/archive/ob300-530/FAQs/bpi01072.htm

 

[cshaxu]

I've tested different ROMs with different machines and it's very interesting.

Generally, the newer ROMs will work well with older machines but not the other way around.
For example, my 1.0 ROM card is not fully compatible with my OB 430, while the 1.1 ROM (for 425) and the 2.0 ROM (for 430) works great for my OB 300.

 

[kahlil88]

What is the difference between the 1.1 and 2.0 ROMs and will there be any problem using an International English ROM if I can't find US English?
Large disk support sounds nice! Is there a thread on most compatible flash cards/adapters?

 

[maestro]

I've tested different ROMs with different machines and it's very interesting.

Generally, the newer ROMs will work well with older machines but not the other way around.
For example, my 1.0 ROM card is not fully compatible with my OB 430, while the 1.1 ROM (for 425) and the 2.0 ROM (for 430) works great for my OB 300.

Very interesting! I've never tried it the other way around. In a way the failure makes sense since predicting what the future Omnibooks would be with certainty is a black art.

I didn't realize that the 2.0 ROM supported 512 MB partitions. I'm going to try setting one up tonight. Thanks for the tip!

What is the difference between the 1.1 and 2.0 ROMs and will there be any problem using an International English ROM if I can't find US English?
Large disk support sounds nice! Is there a thread on most compatible flash cards/adapters?

To put it simply, the 1.0 and 1.1 are similar in what they provide, the latter being newer and possessing minor refinements over the original, namely larger disk support. The 2.0 is completely different beast that allows the user to install any OS they choose, which is contrary to the 1.X ROMs which only allow the OS provided on the card to be installed by policing of the main executables at the BIOS level, such as command.com.

International English will work but it will assume that you have the localized keyboard layout, keep that in mind if you start seeing odd characters.

I don't know of any thread about compatible flash cards, let us know if you find a good one.

 

[maestro]

My attempt at partitioning a 512 MB SD card has failed. Obfdisk was running for over an hour before it was found to be unresponsive and in need of a hard reset. This is the only 512 MB card I own so I'll need to provision another before trying again.

Sony Vaio PCMCIA Memory Card Adapter VGP-MCA10
ATP SD Card 512 MB

 

[cshaxu]

Generally the Industrial SanDisk CF card would work. I bought these on ebay that worked really well:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/143444182946 (red & blue label)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/294977600393 (black label, industrial)

I believe any SanDisk CF card labeled that way (red & blue label, and black industrial label) would work, regardless of size.

I also tried these (blue & green striped), that would NOT work and you should avoid:

10PCS 512MB Sandisk Compact Flash Card CF Memory card ï¼Rainbow versionï¼ | eBay

512MB Compact Flash card x 10. Would be greatly appreciated, if you do so.we will try our best to solve the problem.

www.ebay.com

 

[maestro]

Awesome, thanks for the tip! I have used the industrial 256 MB Sandisk CF cards and they worked out well. I've also used 256 MB Sandisk SD cards with success, just those standard blue cards, not the rainbow ones.