Dual SKD-4000 III (SKD 3)
The Dual SKD-4000 III is a 486-based generic/ODM laptop that was released around November 1994. The SKD-4000 has a very modular design. The top right of the system has an expansion bay that could fit several modules, a trackball being the most common.
This laptop was sold under many names, but Dual Technology Corporation is the original manufacturer.
"SKD" stands for System Knock Down.
There were many hardware revisions of this laptop. This page covers the third revision, which added on-board sound, a built-in TrackPoint, and other improvements. If you have an SKD-4000 that lacks the TrackPoint and audio jacks, you have either an SKD-4000 I or an SKD-4000 II.
There is substantial model naming confusing surrounding this revision. Some of these have the model number SKD-4000 printed on the bottom, along with the original 1993 SKD-4000 FCC ID. According to a Dual webpage though, some are labelled as SKD-4003, and have a newer FCC ID with a February 1995 date, which is after this laptop actually released (based on the date of its first BIOS revision). I have seen an SKD-4003 unit on eBay and it had a more traditionally located TrackPoint that's in the center of the keyboard rather than inside of the space bar. While that Dual webpage doesn't mention any hardware differences between SKD-4000 and SKD-4003 labelled units, I feel like there must be something different about them due to the change in FCC ID. To add further confusion, the Dual web page also mentions that the SKD-5, which lacks the SKD-4000 expansion bay, is also labelled SKD-4003. Confused? So am I!
Specifications
The specs below were based off a unit that was labelled as SKD-4000. If you have one labelled SKD-4003 and find any differing specs, please reach out!
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | CPU Type: Socket 486 Up to Intel 486DX4 @100MHz |
| Chipset | ACC MIcro 2066 |
| RAM | Type: Standard (72-pin) RAM Slot Standard: Unknown Maximum: Unknown |
| Storage | 2.5" IDE Requires Adapter: Yes Standard: N/A |
| Display Options | - Passive Matrix Grayscale @640x480 - (probably) Passive Matrix Color @640x480 - Active Matrix Color @640x480 |
| Graphics Chipset | Chips & Technologies VRAM: 1MB |
| Audio | Analog Devices AD1848 SoundPort (Optional) - Stereo Speakers |
| Main Battery | Unknown |
| CMOS Battery | Soldered 2330 Lithium |
| Power Supply | 4-pin Micro-DIN - Alitech AD-850-12 |
| Media Drives | Modular bay supporting the following: - 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive - 2nd Battery |
| PC Cards | Expansion Bay holds one of the following modules: - Trackball Module - PCMCIA Module - SCSI Module - Modem Module - LAN Module (Ethernet) - Media Module - Securedata Module - Scanner Module - Serial II Module |
| Networking | Modem (Optional, in expansion bay) |
| Other I/O | - 1x Parallel - 1x Serial - 1x VGA Out - 2x PS/2 - 1x Dock Connector - 1x External CD-ROM Connector - 1x Mic In - 1x Line In - 1x Headphone Out |
| BIOS | AMI (GUI) |
| Pointing Device | - TrackPoint Standard - Optional Trackball (in expansion bay) |
Resources
BIOS Files
| File/Link | Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 306a.zip | 3.0.6A | 1995/06/21 | Latest BIOS for the SKD-4000 III - Solve Cardsoft 3.1 FaxModem driver COM port duplication problem. - Solve ORION Mone LCD Ripple problem. - Support PC-Video/MPEG running 640x480x16/256 color. |
CPU Switch Settings
These are only for the SKD 3. If you have a different revision of the SKD-4000, see their respective pages for their switch settings.
Page last updated (MM/DD/YYYY): 03/04/2025
Update Reason: added bios update
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