BeBox
| Industry | Computer hardware, software |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Jean-Louis Gassée |
| Defunct | January 1997 |
| Fate | Shifted focus to software development after porting BeOS to Macintosh |
| Products | BeBox, BeOS |
The BeBox was a personal computer created by Be Inc. that is no longer in production. It operated on the company's own operating system, eventually called BeOS. The system was notable for its dual PowerPC processors, a specialized I/O board featuring a "GeekPort," and a front panel equipped with unique "Blinkenlights."
Introduced in October 1995, the initial BeBox models were equipped with dual PowerPC 603 CPUs running at 66 MHz.[1] By August 1996, the hardware was enhanced to include dual PowerPC 603e processors clocked at 133 MHz (referred to as BeBox Dual603e-133). Production ended in January 1997 when Be Inc. redirected its efforts towards software development after porting BeOS to the Macintosh. Around 1,000 units of the original configuration and roughly 800 units of the upgraded version were sold.[2]
CPU configuration
The commercially available BeBox models came with either dual 66 MHz PowerPC 603 processors or dual 133 MHz PowerPC 603e chips. Although prototypes featuring dual 200 MHz CPUs or even four processors were developed, these variants never reached the market.
Main board
The motherboard adheres to a conventional AT form factor typical of PC systems and incorporates standard PC components to reduce manufacturing expenses.
- Dual PowerPC 603/66 MHz or 603e/133 MHz CPUs
- Eight slots for 72-pin SIMM memory modules
- A 128 KB Flash ROM chip
- Three slots for PCI cards
- Five ISA expansion slots
- Internal connectors for SCSI and IDE devices
- Internal floppy disk drive connector
- External SCSI-2 port
- AT-style Parallel port and keyboard connectors
- Three fuses dedicated to the GeekPort interface
- Connectors for I/O board, front panel, and power supply
I/O board
The input/output board offers four serial ports with 9-pin connectors, a PS/2 mouse port, and two joystick ports with 15 pins each.
Audio capabilities include four DIN-format MIDI ports (two inputs and two outputs), two pairs of stereo RCA line-level inputs and outputs, as well as 3.5 mm stereo jacks for microphone input and headphone output. Internally, connectors support CD audio line-level input along with microphone and headphone connections. The system supports stereo audio at 16-bit resolution with sampling rates up to 48 kHz.
Additional connectivity is provided by three infrared (IR) I/O ports using 4-pin mini-DIN connectors.
GeekPort
The ISA bus features a specialized 37-pin D-sub interface called "GeekPort," designed for experimental electronics projects. This port offers digital and analog input/output capabilities along with DC power supply lines, safeguarded by three fuses located on the motherboard:
- Two separate, bidirectional 8-bit digital ports
- Four analog-to-digital inputs via a 12-bit A/D converter
- Four digital-to-analog outputs through an independent 8-bit D/A converter
- Two pins serving as signal ground references
- Eleven pins supplying power and ground: two +5 V pins, +12 V, -12 V, plus seven ground connections
"Blinkenlights"
The front bezel includes two vertical arrays of yellow-green LEDs known as "blinkenlights," which visually indicate CPU usage levels. Additionally, the lowest LED on the right side signals hard disk activity.
Market
The BeBox was promoted as "the pioneering real-time, portable, object-oriented system equipped with multiple PowerPC processors, genuine preemptive multitasking, an embedded database, high-speed I/O, and broad expansion capabilities — all offered at a price point significantly lower than competitors."
Jean-Louis Gassée, the BeBox's designer, targeted the device not at the general consumer market but rather at users proficient in programming, especially those skilled in C++.
Prototype
By 1993, early models—then named Be Machine—were outfitted with two 25 MHz AT&T Hobbit processors alongside three AT&T 9308S digital signal processors (DSPs). A scarce prototype featuring the Hobbit CPU was sold at auction in 2009.
Linux
Craftworks Solutions created Be_Linux specifically for the BeBox platform. In 1996, a collaboration between Craftworks and Be Inc. was established to support Be_Linux on this system.
See also
- Multi Emulator Super System (MESS), which supports emulation of both BeBox 66 and 133
External links
- An interview featuring Be Inc. CEO Jean-Louis Gassée and VP of Engineering Erich Ringewald.
- BeBox Photo Gallery (Joseph Palmer: Be Hardware Engineer)
- (BeBox)