The Curious Engineer

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X86.FR

x86.fr

Doc TB's R&D blog featuring some interesting useless (and sometimes explosive) experiences. Home of the Universal Chip Analyzer and the ATX2AT Smart Adapter. Electronic stuff from ATMega to FPGA. No Ads but ASM code snippets!

CPU / microarchitectureElectronicsRetro computingDOS / vintage PC

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’26
Posts
61 from 18 Dec 2017 to 21 Jun 2026
Posting
monthly (7 in the last year)
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personal blog
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2026 7

  1. [VIA’s Graveyard] Exhuming the VT5329E (PN133 Development Board)
  2. [VIA’s Graveyard] Reviving the VT5910A (Early C7-M + Unknown CN900 chipset)
  3. [VIA’s Graveyard] Autopsy of the VT5426D (First step to Mini-ITX!)
  4. [VIA’s Graveyard] Booting the VT5292A (Apollo PLE133 Reference Board)
  5. [VIA’s Graveyard] Resurrecting the VT5182E (Apollo MVP4 Reference Board)
  6. Intel Xpress Resurrection: Reviving a Forgotten EISA Beast
  7. Intel “Bong” DAT Master – A piece of audio history!

2025 1

  1. The Limitations of Basic CPU Testers

2024 8

  1. Final Update for the UCA: Power Supply Overhaul
  2. Major Upgrade for the final DIP40 Adapter!
  3. The UCA now supports Intel 8008
  4. EPROMSDB.com – The Vintage ROMs collection
  5. The UCA now supports ROMs & (E)EPROMs
  6. Investigating SSMEC’s (State Micro) 486s with the UCA
  7. Designing a benchmark for the UCA – Part #1
  8. Final Universal Chip Analyzer disclosed!

2022 4

  1. UCA now able to test early DRAMs!
  2. All PGA 386s benchmarked with the UCA
  3. The UCA now supports C&T Super386!
  4. UCA production postponed due to IC shortage

2021 4

  1. Experimental Pentium Overdrive testing with the UCA
  2. ATX2AT Smart Converter – Firmware 1.21 released
  3. Universal Chip Analyzer v2 disclosed!
  4. The UCA now supports Intel 487 SX

2020 20

  1. The UCA now supports 8087 FPUs
  2. The UCA now supports Intel 80186 & 80188
  3. JTAG Support Added to the UCA 486 Adapter
  4. The Universal Chip Analyzer now supports Intel 286
  5. The UCA 386 Adapter supports Ti & Cyrix 486s
  6. The UCA 386 Adapter now supports Intel RapidCAD
  7. The Odd Story of Factory-Downgraded 486s
  8. The UCA 386 Adapter now supports AMD & IBM 386s
  9. [Guide] Am486 Die & Packaging
  10. The Universal Chip Analyzer now supports Intel 386 !
  11. [UCA CPU Analysis] Prototype UMC Green CPU U5S-SUPER33
  12. Identifying “blank” 486s with the UCA #1
  13. [UCA CPU Analysis] Intel 486 DX2-66 SYE36 ES
  14. The UCA 486 Adapter now supports UMC 486s!
  15. The UCA now supports Ti486s (featuring the interesting Ti486SXL)
  16. Spotting Counterfeit Am486 with the UCA
  17. The UCA 486 Adapter now supports Cyrix/IBM/ST 486s & 586s
  18. The UCA 486 Adapter now supports AMD 486 & 5×86
  19. The Universal Chip Analyzer, ready for up to 486!
  20. ATX2AT Smart Converter – Negative Rails

2019 5

  1. ATX2AT Smart Converter – Live On Kickstarter!
  2. Investigating the HCF (Halt & Catch Fire) instruction on Motorola 6800
  3. The U.C.A. now supports Motorola 6800!
  4. U.C.A. Test & Calibration Adapter
  5. The U.C.A. now supports MOS 6502!

2018 8

  1. Pace è Salute !
  2. The U.C.A. now supports Intel 8080 !
  3. UCA progress & Xeon ID UCAS (Early prototype)
  4. Introducing the ATX2AT Smart Converter
  5. The U.C.A. now supports Signetics 2650
  6. The U.C.A. now supports RCA/CDP 1802 “COSMAC” CPUs !
  7. UCA : Advanced Tethered Mode in alpha stage !
  8. The U.C.A. now supports NSC800 CPUs

2017 4

  1. The U.C.A. now supports Zilog Z80s
  2. The U.C.A. now supports MCS-48 MCUs
  3. The U.C.A. now supports MCS-51 MCUs
  4. Introducing the U.C.A. (Universal Chip Analyzer)