Aox Inc.

Aox Inc.

File:Aox Inc. wordmark.svg
Formerly	Aox Associates
Company type	Private
Industry	Technology
Founded	1978 (1978) in Waltham, Massachusetts
Founders	Michael Aronson Linda Aronson
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Effectively defunct in 2000, dissolved in 2007
Products	Expansion cards
Number of employees	45 (1998)
Website	aox.com (archived)

Aox Inc. was a privately owned American technology company established in 1978 by Michael and Linda Aronson. Over a span of 22 years, Aox produced both software and hardware mainly for IBM PC compatibles, the IBM Personal System/2, and the Macintosh. In later years, its focus shifted toward multimedia devices, teleconferencing equipment, and integrated circuit designs. Michael Aronson, who held a physics doctorate from Harvard, led the firm until 2000 before founding EndPoints Inc., a semiconductor design company without fabrication facilities.

Corporate history

In 1978, Michael and Linda Aronson launched Aox Inc. in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company initially operated under the name Aox Associates. Their debut product was MATE, a word processing program designed for microcomputers based on Z80 and 8080 processors running floppy disk operating systems. Michael Aronson co-founded the company following his completion of a physics PhD at Harvard; his computing interest originated from his research involving computational analysis of historical specimens. The company's name was inspired by their Afghan Hound named Aox.

Aox gained prominence with Baby Blue, an expansion card providing Z80 CP/M compatibility for the IBM PC, thereby broadening the PC's software capabilities. Throughout the 1980s, Aox concentrated on producing hardware upgrade boards and expansion cards. By December 1992, the company transferred marketing and manufacturing rights for numerous upgrade boards to Kingston Technology, moving its business model toward licensing new designs. Key customers included IBM—its largest client in 1993—alongside Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, and Apple. Notably, IBM briefly acquired equity in Aox during 1990.

Rich Levandov, formerly associated with Phoenix Technologies and instrumental in developing PC-compatible BIOS firmware, joined Aox as vice president of business development in the late 1980s. Under his guidance, the firm shifted focus to multimedia and teleconferencing solutions, unveiling an all-in-one communications card featuring an Analog Devices DSP in 1993. Early 1994 saw the introduction of teleconferencing products. In March of that year, Apple engaged Aox to create cross-platform devices utilizing its GeoPort serial communication protocol as well as to develop a peripheral manufacturer development kit, which resulted in product launches by August.

The workforce expanded from roughly 20 employees in 1987 to approximately 45 by the mid-1990s, with revenues nearing $4 million by 1998. Operations effectively ended in 2000 when Michael Aronson moved on to establish EndPoints Inc., concentrating on fabless semiconductor design. The company was officially dissolved in 2007.

IBM Personal Computer

Following the release of 1982's Baby Blue, Aox launched a CPU upgrade card for IBM PCs and compatible systems in September 1984. Created by Michael Aronson for machines equipped with Intel 8088 processors, this full-length 8-bit ISA card incorporated an Intel 80286 CPU alongside 512 KB of RAM, expandable up to 2 MB. The card boosted system speed by bypassing the slower onboard memory; it delegated I/O tasks to the original 8088 processor while the 80286 managed application processing. Phoenix Technologies handled its marketing.

In December 1986, Aox introduced the 386° Accelerator Card, a 16-bit CPU upgrade featuring an Intel 80386 running at 16 MHz with zero wait states, designed for PC/ATs or compatibles still using the 80286. Users could enable or disable the acceleration through software without needing to reboot. An enhanced model, the Master 386-16, debuted in November 1987 and added bus mastering capabilities for direct memory access by other expansion cards, thereby improving overall system throughput. This version also offered a socket for an optional Intel 80387 floating-point unit and supported memory expansion modules that allowed capacity to grow to as much as 16 MB. To ensure compatibility with disk controllers synchronized to the 80286 clock, the card reduced the 80386 clock speed during floppy drive seek operations.

The Master 386-16 was further refined in January 1988 with the Master 386-20, which featured a faster 20 MHz processor and redesigned circuitry addressing a known bug in Intel’s 80387 FPU that caused system hangs in protected-mode environments such as Unix. Memory expansion transitioned from module-based to card-based solutions connected via ribbon cables, freeing up motherboard slots. Both Master models received positive evaluations in InfoWorld, with reviewers commending their compatibility and performance advantages over Intel’s Inboard 386.

In November 1988, Aox unveiled an i386SX-based upgrade board tailored for ATs and compatibles. This innovative design utilized a cable linking to the vacant 286 processor socket on the motherboard, representing a notable advancement in their product lineup.

IBM Personal System/2

In 1988, Aox adapted its Master 386 upgrade from ISA to IBM’s Micro Channel architecture (MCA), marking the beginning of a key collaboration with IBM that lasted until Aox transferred PS/2 upgrade rights to Kingston Technology in 1992. The Micro Master 386 enabled PS/2 Models 50 and 60—originally powered by Intel 286 processors—to be upgraded with Intel 386 CPUs running between 16 and 25 MHz, achieving performance comparable to higher-end PS/2 Models 70 and 80. Aox was among the earliest MCA card manufacturers to implement bus mastering—a critical MCA feature that improved system efficiency but was often overlooked by developers due to sparse IBM documentation.

By September 1989, Aox had released a Micro Master running at 33 MHz along with a specialized version for Zenith Data Systems’ Z-248 model, targeting federal agencies where the Z-248 had substantial market penetration. Prominent corporate customers included Sovran Bank of Virginia and Lithonia Lighting, both acquiring large quantities for upgrading their systems.

Starting in 1989, Aox developed OS/Master—a software package launched in January 1991—that allowed multiple operating systems to run concurrently on systems equipped with Micro Master cards. This capability supported configurations featuring several Master Micro cards simultaneously. Alongside OS/Master, Aox introduced Disk Quick in September 1989, a disk caching utility designed to enhance storage performance.

Late in 1989, IBM commissioned Aox to create an i486-based Micro Master variant for its "Super Server" initiative, which debuted in early 1990 showcasing networked PS/2 Model 70 systems. This partnership led IBM to invest in Aox for marketing Micro Master products and expanding bus mastering technology. Additionally, Aox played a founding role in establishing the Micro Channel Developers Association alongside IBM and other industry participants.

Prior to selling its PS/2 upgrade division to Kingston in December 1992, Aox developed Master Micro cards based on i486, i486SX, and i386SX processors. The i386SX versions targeted PS/2 models with Intel 286 CPUs lacking bus mastering support and were marketed as Stax plug-in modules, providing expanded upgrade choices for existing PS/2 users.

Apple Macintosh

In January 1988, Aox introduced the Doubletime-16, an accelerator card designed for the Macintosh SE. It was equipped with a Motorola 68000 CPU running at 16 MHz—twice the SE’s original clock rate—alongside a Motorola 68881 floating-point unit. This clock frequency could be toggled via software, optimizing performance particularly in database management and record processing tasks. Despite some programs such as Microsoft Excel leveraging the 68881 FPU effectively, several scientific and engineering applications required a Motorola 68020 processor to fully utilize the FPU, which restricted its compatibility.

By August 1988, Aox had broadened its offerings by releasing its initial custom integrated circuit: a dedicated graphics accelerator chip compatible with both Macintosh and PC systems, marking a strategic entry into the graphics hardware market.

See also

• Reply Corporation, a company also producing expansion cards and peripherals for the PS/2