Re: Pocket 386 using usb drive. In need of an unobtrusive drive, I have two older Verbatim Store 'n Go's, 4gb and 8gb. Recently, both began freezing in DOS and Win95 when listing their directories/files (both work fine in all other machines).

Then I unearthed an 8gb Cruzer Mini, and the list/access problem went away. I've also started storing more individual files in fewer directories to limit the list. At any rate, with the Cruzer, I can maintain the form factor.

Interesting, a new version,might have to get one:
https://www.8086cpu.com/lm4/109.html
lots of the things people have been asking for:
ALL THIS IS JUST FROM ME LOOKING AT THE ONLINE PICS AND SCHEMATIC, I haven't got one to confirm all the following!
1. 'real' connectors for VGA, Serial, mouse, 0.1" pitch for the floppy & ISA
2. 16MB memory
3. gameport (& covox is mentioned on the PCB legend, but I cant see the audio section in the schematic, picture of the PCB looks like there prob is a covox R2R ladder) to add to the adlib - shame no soundblaster still...
4. 387 socket... (there seems to be PCB space for more 2MByte DRAMS (16MB total)on the 387 PCB, but its not populated??)
5. Parallel port has the more 'modern' options, provided by an ALi M5113, also used for serial ports & IDE - which does make me wonder if it will give faster transfer rates on the CF card?
6. Realtek 8019AS 10 baseT networking (NE2000 compatible)
7. It looks like the keyboard is done differently, I don't think the 8051 is used for it anymore??? hopefully fixing the game issue
8. 4:3 screen - not sure on size/res - looks like the video card may have more ram than the pocket 386
9. real touchpad
Looking at the PSU schematic there are quite a few 100uF & 220uF capacitors in parallel where there used to be single 220uF s, maybe that's about fitting them in, maybe about reducing esr... Ive been meaning to check out the esr of the ones fitted to the pocket386...
The battery charge IC is now a different one - so it shouldn't suffer the oscillation/reliability issues Ive seen on he pocket386..

The MCU ADC line used to monitor the battery voltage is now via a 10K+10K potential divider with a series 10K + 100N cap - this will low pass filter the signal (should give better battery voltage readings) & protect the MCU ADC from high currents at switch on if supplies go up at different rates...
There is now a current monitor IC, INA219 on the +5V supply, I presume this is done to monitor the battery usage better? on the pocket386 its done by just monitoring the voltage ...
The M6117 power on reset and CMOS voltage circuits have changed, no idea if this fixes the BIOS reset issue I have seen... I haven't found all of the circuit n the schematic to get the full picture of how it works...

All in all it looks quite an upgrade, if a larger format...

Jules_nerd wrote on 2026-07-24, 08:53:

Interesting, a new version,might have to get one: https://www.8086cpu.com/lm4/109.html lots of the things people have been ask […]
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Interesting, a new version,might have to get one:
https://www.8086cpu.com/lm4/109.html
lots of the things people have been asking for:
ALL THIS IS JSUT FROM ME LOOKING AT THE ONLINE PICS AND SCHEMATIC, I haven't got one to confirm all the following!
1. real connectors for VGA, Serial, mouse, 0.1" pitch for the floppy & ISA
2. 16MB memory
3. gameport (& covox is mentioned on the PCB legend, but I cant see the audio section in the schematic, picture of the PCB looks like there prob is a covox R2R ladder) to add to the adlib - shame no soundblaster still...
4. 387 socket... (there seems to be PCB space for more 2MByte DRAMS (16MB total)on the 387 PCB, but its not populated??)
5. Parallel port has the more 'modern' options, provided by an ALi M5113, also used for serial ports & IDE - which does make me wonder if it will give faster transfer rates on the CF card?
6. Realtek 8019AS 10 baseT networking (NE2000 compatible)
7. It looks like the keyboard is done differently, I don't think the 8051 is used for it anymore??? hopefully fixing the game issue
looking at the PSU schematic there are quite a few 100uF & 220uF capacitors in parallel where there used to be single 220uF s, maybe thats about fitting them in, maybe about reducing esr... Ive been meaning to check out the esr of the ones fitted to the pocket386...
The battery charge IC is now a different one - so it shouldn't suffer the oscillation/reliability issues Ive seen on he pocket386..

The MCU ADC line used to monitor the battery voltage is now via a 10K+10K potential divider with a 100N cap - this will filter the signal (should give better battery voltage readings) & protect the MCU ADC from high currents at switch on if supplies go up at different rates...
There is now a current monitor IC, INA219 on the +5V supply, I presume this is done to monitor the battery usage better?
The reset and CMOS voltage circuits have changed, no idea if this fixes the BIOS reset issue we have seen... I haven't found all of the circuit n the schematic to get the full picture of how it works...

All in all it looks quite an upgrade, if a larger format...

That does look nice. Can't wait to see availability and pricing. 16mb of ram on 386 is pretty crazy.

Thanks a lot for the ping.
It does change the form-factor a lot to be a lot larger, 4:3 LCD and adds a touchpad and a fan.

Just the 16MB and the touchpad will likely make me buy one .... (I could not figure where to put the trackpoint on the chassis of the old one so that it was comfortable without heavy redesign =) ).
It is still the 386SX, so even the 16MB will not improve that much (notice he no longer has screenshots of it running 9x, but 3.x).

I have not found the Covox thing, I guess it is an addon?
IMHO if true, I'm not sure if it is a real improvement over just bit-banging the adlib with PCM, in either quality or CPU usage 😀
The schematic doesn't cover the new "expansion" cards, i.e. can't find the OPL3 for example 😒
It seems there are now two internal ISA "slots" instead of one, they are already factory occupied (by GPU and Adlib expansions).
The good news is that the internal slots are more complete (80 pins instead of 60) and they do have the DMA lines wired, so maybe internal SB in the future 😀 (as a replacement for the adlib addon) .

The CH735/USB still has the IRQ line disconnected on the schematic ... so still annoying to use USB mouse and other periph.

Ethernet I just don't understand, but hey..

Looks very nice indeed. Adding a PicoGUS to the ISA connector and you'll have CD-ROM and SB/GUS support as well which would make it very versatile. Curious when it will be released.

you can see a pic of the audio card here:
https://www.8086cpu.com/static/upload/file/20 … 86023200542.pdf
mentions covox, I guess there is also an option to switch it on/off in the OSD as there is a line from the 8051 that is labeled something like covoxen#
I hadnt clocked that the connector has all the lines to add a soundblaster! Id looked at doing a cut down one for the pocket 386, but no way Id have fitted it on the PCB size... not sure if it would fit on this one, though I guess if you can get a chip an ESS audiodrive card is a real possibility....
I like the inclusion of Ethernet! I think with 16MB ram & prob faster CF card transfers Id expect win95 to be much more usable, more so if you can upgrade to 32MB with chips on the 387 PCB...
On DZTs store it seem available now, and sold with win95
Yeah shame its got bigger, I didnt see a mention of the dimensions???

Jules_nerd wrote on 2026-07-24, 10:55:

you can see a pic of the audio card here: https://www.8086cpu.com/static/upload/file/20 … 86023200542.pdf mentions covox, I gues […]
Show full quote

you can see a pic of the audio card here:
https://www.8086cpu.com/static/upload/file/20 … 86023200542.pdf
mentions covox, I guess there is also an option to switch it on/off in the OSD as there is a line from the 8051 that is labeled something like covoxen#
I hadnt clocked that the connector has all the lines to add a soundblaster! Id looked at doing a cut down one for the pocket 386, but no way Id have fitted it on the PCB size... not sure if it would fit on this one, though I guess if you can get a chip an ESS audiodrive card is a real possibility....

I also found https://www.8086cpu.com/lm6/112.html , so it seems like he may sell it separately or sth. But notice Covox is strikethrough'd in the photos 😁
In any case, it does seem more feasible for now to just replace the entire audio card . Without an intuition of this thing's new size it's hard to say if an SB would fit or not. But I'd just replace the entire thing with an RPi 😀 , albeit now one has to source the sockets for the PCB...

Jules_nerd wrote on 2026-07-24, 10:55:

I like the inclusion of Ethernet!

Considering most ports are part of the expansion cards now, I just don't get why Ethernet, the one I will never use, is the one he decided to make NOT replaceable 😀 But this is just me I guess. At least it's not the less period correct one (that would be the also annoyingly non-replaceable USB).

and of course if you do want a 387sx, finding a 40MHz one at a reasonable price could be challenge...
there do seem to be some ULSI 80387sx around...

Remember that it was a fire hazard to install one of those in the book8086 😀
(EDIT: dunno about the ulsi one ofc , just extrapolating from the 8087 he shipped for the 8086 )

By the way, it looks DZT Store does not ship to the EU. Let me know if you are in some EU country and it shows up for you.

Oh, OK! I am in the UK, Hmm I have bought one of my pocket386s directly from that store, & I have just ordered this new Book386!
it did do some rather odd VAT reduction thing... but it seemed to go through?

@Jules_nerd Wonderful find, thank you.

and my mistake, it seems the VGA card is still only 512KB
https://www.8086cpu.com/lm6/111.html

mind you I still don't know the screen resolution...

Does anyone recognize the connector used between the PCBs on these products? like the 60 or 80 pin ones?
EDIT:Looking at the PCB file for the mainboard, the connectors used between the PCBs is a through hole 2mm pitch part, which should be much more DIY friendly than the tiny SMD ones used in the pocket 386

Awesome. I have been finding the Pocket just a little too fiddly to use very seriously. Whereas I manage okay with small netbooks.

By eyeball off the picture, I make it to be about 8" x 6" x 3/4+1/4 +/- about 10% .. more hardback novel size, vs tall paperback "pocketbook" novel size.

The VGA is a little disappointing, but they can only get what they can get in decent quantities for reasonable prices, and I would make the assumption that if other chips become available there might be another version to swap in. I would speculate the screen res as 640x480.

I am feeling like the gameport addition more than anything else is very helpful to actually enjoy it for gaming.

Do I "gotta" get one? Not sure yet, will await developments.

Edit: AliExpress store mentions TVGA9000 and Chips options for VGA.

Yeah I think you've prob got the size right - assuming its the same keyboard as the pocket386...
It looks like its a much more friendly design in terms of adding on different graphics cards and audio card designs of your own
& the unused jack connector on the audio one does make me wonder if the intention was to have an input - like on the early soundblaster...
Maybe more cards will follow????
I may have another look at my cut down soundblaster to see if it looks viable, but i doubt it... maybe if I had time to re-do the glue logic in a PLD(s) of some sort(like the creative did in the early days , I think on the V2.0?) it might fit....
But nicking an ESS chip from an ISA card and using that would be a much easier route!
I guess similarly one could re-spin an early s3 video card into this physical format.... but obv more care is needed in some of the layout, given the video signal frequencies etc
It looks like an additional chip has been used on the existing video card to give and LVD LCD interface, presumably for the internal display...

Looking at the schematics Im hoping that they have ironed out some of the issues with the pocket - it looks as if they have....

It does look like a very nice little retro-flavor system. Might be exactly what I've been looking for!

javispedro1 wrote on 2026-07-24, 10:38:

... It does change the form-factor a lot to be a lot larger ...

In "super portable" stuff, sometimes a "little bigger" is ok.

I use DOS a lot, and have quite a few laptops where I use it (on the newer/bigger ones it's usually DosBox) Finding a good super-portable one can be quite a challenge:

Most DOS = PoquetPC - 8088, very slow/limited

Smallest = "Digital2" 7" tablet - Intel(mumbke}dual-core, 1G, Win8 even with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse it's not super comfortable to use. Charge/power from USB - the one I take when I have "no space".

Next up = Acer Aspire One - IntelAtomN270, WinXP, 1G, 8.9" screen, Atom is a bit limiting, but being XP/32 it can run most DOS software directly.
I find it a bit small/fiddly to call it "comfortable", and XP makes it not super great for internet/networking to "new" stuff.

Prob my most powerful = Msi SteelSeries - I7, 8G ... but it's HUGE - 15.9" screen and prob a couple inches think - it also has a massive "brick" (It's technically a gaming laptop - I got it free because the separate very power hungry video card had died - fortunately it was easy to remove it and enable the Intel chipset video) - *way* to big to travel with!

My favorite travel = Acer Aspire 1410 - IntelU4100Dual-core, 3G, 11.9" screen, less than 1" thick, Win7/32 (can run most DOS stuff directly) - Tiny "brick" - whole system easily fits in a pocket of backpack/carry-on suitcase.

Ethernet I just don't understand, but hey..

It says it's a Realtek NE2000 compatible - what I use in many of my DOS/older systems - perfectly "understandable" (at least to me 😀 )

-- I know that this one will be even less usable on intenet etc. than the AspireOne - but the truth is that lately when I travel, I tend to do all internet stuff through my phone (also with bluetooth keyboard/mouse)

I also really like that it has a "real" serial port (I make stuff that I "talk to" via serial a lot)

Ive found the re-done PWG circuit, its no longer just an RC time constant, it also uses a max809 supply monitor chip (designed exactly for this kind of thing) .
As such I would expect that this WILL NOT have the BIOS resetting on a power cycle issue of the pocket386!
I wonder if the designer reads this forum? 😉

Jules_nerd wrote on 2026-07-24, 16:34:

Ive found the re-done PWG circuit, its no longer just an RC time constant, it also uses a max809 supply monitor chip (designed exactly for this kind of thing) .
As such I would expect that this WILL NOT have the BIOS resetting on a power cycle issue of the pocket386!
I wonder if the designer reads this forum? 😉

Many people did complain about the battery/RTC/BIOS issues everywhere, so I suspect they reach the designer somehow. I remember when I complained about the RTC issue his reaction was something like "what do you want the RTC for?". But eventually fixed the hw without saying anything...

Btw I see his tindie store also has it in stock: https://www.tindie.com/stores/cycle/
This one does ship to EU albeit you have to deal with horrible 4PX.
Note: he reuses product IDs -- e.g. the product id for the orig pocket386 now points to the gamepad, may be a tindie issue -- so do not trust product-specific reviews too much.
But it seems to hint the book386 has been available since june and no one pointed it out 😁 .

Edit! removing my comments on the cost from various sources!

Yep, the issue of Bios reset & RTC on power on was all over the web... but I hadn't seen anyone else work out it was down to the power on reset circuit until I posted it on here.... 😁
loads of workarounds all over the net for sure... I hadn't realized the designer had sorted it before...
other suggestions Ive put on here about the ADC battery monitor and protecting the ADC input are also included 😀 of course If i can come up with an idea... so can others... 😀

Anyway.. you just reminded me to look a the RTC crystal circuit to see if there are any changes there.. there is still a resistor in parallel with the crystal - now R2 upped to 20M, if it is actually fitted....
That still seems odd to me, however.... as Ive said here before, without a datasheet for the M6117 you cant calculate the correct capacitor loading for a given crystal.... so I understand..
And at the end of the day a resistor in parallel with the crystal will just reduce the Q, so the RTC may run a tiny bit slower or faster than ideal... which is a bit of a non issue to me....
lets face it no crystal that you are going to put into a product like this is going to be mega accurate....

Just ordered a BOOK386 on tindie. Only 9 left in stock at this moment.

It's pretty cheap (around 171 Euro). But I guess there will be another 60 Euro or so for import taxes etc.

Anyone has any experience with 4PX shipping? Curious how long it will take to ship to Europe.