WinBook XP & XPC

The WinBook XP is a 486-based laptop that was released in May 1994. It was WinBook's second generation laptop. The first WinBooks stayed out of the high end market - the XP didn't. While it could be configured with low end parts, it was also sold with DX4-100 processors, Active Matrix displays, and internal sound.

The XP was manufactured for WinBook by ASE Technologies, but I am fairly certain that it was designed in-house by WinBook, unlike later models which were customized generic laptops. I've never seen this laptop branded under any other name. The model number "ANL-4" that is printed on the bottom label of the WinBook XP is from ASE, and WinBook doesn't refer to ANL-4 anywhere in documentation.

Being custom-designed seems to have been to the XP's benefit. It was very well received by the tech press, and it went on to win over 17 awards, including PC Magazine's Editor's Choice, and PC World's Best Buy award - which it won 13 separate times. It was mainly recognized as an excellent value option, offering some of the best features in the industry at great prices compared to comparable systems.

Input Devices

The WinBook XP's input device options were perhaps its most unique feature. Where most other laptops offered a single input option, the WinBook XP offered three. The laptop came standard with a TrackPoint, but could be optioned with a trackball for $30. A trackpad option was later made available as an $80 option - WinBook says in October 1994, but a January 1995 issue of PC Mag wrote that the module was not yet out, and was planned to be released in the first quarter of 1995. The input devices were also designed to be replaceable by the end-user. Just slide out a retention bar above the keyboard, lift up the keyboard, pull out the module, and replace it. Completely toolless.

The keyboard was a high-quality Lexmark "buckling sleeve" unit - that's the same mechanism that ThinkPads of the time used. The TrackPoint was a Lexmark design as well. The trackball was made by Logitech, and I'm fairly certain the trackpad was made by Alps.

Sound

The WinBook XP could optionally be configured with a sound card. Sound cards in laptops in 1994 weren't that common, but they weren't rare either. Most high end laptops were starting to come with them. Still, it's a plus. The XP could be configured with one of two cards - the 8-bit ESS 488, or the 16-bit ESS 688. Like the input modules, the sound cards were designed to be installable by the end user. They were installed under a door on the bottom that was simply clipped in place - no screws!

The XP also supports an ESS 1688 module. This card shipped with the WinBook XP5, the successor to the XP, but is compatible with the XP, and appeared to have been sold as an aftermarket upgrade by WinBook.

WinBook XPC

Models shipped with the 66MHz Cyrix DX2 were known to WinBook as the XPC instead of the XP. The model badge on the lid of an XPC will say "WinBook XPC", but all other labels on the laptop remain as just "WinBook XP".

Specifications

Spec	Details
CPU	CPU Type: Socket 3 - Intel 486SX @33MHz - Intel 486DX2 @50 or 66MHz - Intel 486DX4 @75 or 100MHz - Cyrix 486DX2 @66MHz
Chipset	ACC Micro 2066
RAM	Type: WinBook XP Proprietary Standard: 4, 8, or 16MB Maximum: 32MB
Storage	2.5" IDE Requires Adapter: Yes Standard: 120, 260, 340, 520, or 810MB
Display Options	- 9.4" Passive Matrix Grayscale LCD @640x480 - 9.4" Passive Matrix Color LCD @640x480 - 10.3" Passive Matrix Color LCD @640x480 - 9.4" Active Matrix Color LCD @640x480 - 10.3" Active Matrix Color LCD @640x480
Graphics Chipset	Western Digital WD90C24 VRAM: 1MB
Audio	Optional sound, one of the following cards if present: - ESS AudioDrive 488 - ESS AudioDrive 688 - ESS AudioDrive 1688 (Aftermarket Upgrade) - Mono Speaker - Microphone
Main Battery	NiMH (10 cell, 2500 or 3000mAH)
CMOS Battery	Varta 3/V60H (NiMH, Soldered)
Power Supply	Barrel Jack - 19V 1.5A - Delta Electronics ADP-30DB-1
Media Drives	3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive (Citizen W1D)
PC Cards	2x PCMCIA Slots (2x Type II/1x Type III) - Vadem VG-468 Controller
Networking	Optional Modem (14.4 or 33.6)
Other I/O	- 1x Parallel - 1x Serial - 1x VGA Out - 1x PS/2 - 1x Dock Connector - 1x Line In - 1x Line Out
BIOS	Phoenix
Pointing Device	- TrackPoint (Standard) - Optional Trackball or Trackpad

Resources

Drivers	User Manual	Docking Station Manual	Read Me First	Questions & Answers	Audio Hardware Installation Guide	Archived Support Pages	Older FAQ

Common Faults & Maintenance

The ravages of time have unfortunately gotten to these laptops pretty well. The vast majority will no longer start due to a leaky CMOS battery, and ones that may still work will be falling victim to hinge issues and failing floppy drives.

CMOS Battery Leaks

The WinBook XP's CMOS battery is a 3-cell Varta 3/60H NiMH battery that is soldered to the motherboard, directly next to the CPU. By this point, practically all of these have started to leak - even a working XP will likely have corrosion starting to sprew from that battery. In a few more years, any XP that has the original battery installed will have likely been damaged beyond repair. Remove it ASAP.

Not totally positive on this, but I think the XP is one of those laptops that needs a working battery installed to work properly. Your mileage may vary.

Brittle Plastics and Hinge Issues

The WinBook XP has a terrible hinge mounting design and very brittle plastic. The majority of units today will have damaged plastic near the hinges, and an intact one will break within a few uses of the hinge.

You can prevent an intact XP from having the hinges explode depending on which hinges your unit has. Some XPs shipped with a hinges that have an adjustment nut on them, and others shipped with a different style of hinge that doesn't have them. If you have an adjustable hinge, you can keep the hinges functional and intact.

To fix the hinges, you'll need to reinforce the weak hinge mounts at both the base and the display with original formula JB Weld. At the display side, coat the hinge mounts in a layer of JB Weld - you won't be able to add too much though, there isn't much space. At the base, you'll need to completely bury the hinge mounts and the hinge itself in JB Weld, effectively sealing it in place. This is the only way to keep the plastic from breaking, as there just isn't enough space to reinforce if you don't do this. Once the hinges have been completely burried and covered in JB Weld (being very careful not to block the power switch and suspend button), leave for 24 hours to cure. Then, loosen both hinges to the point where they can only *just* keep the display up - they should still have some tention, but as little as possible while keeping them functional. With all of this careful work put together, the plastics should stay intact no problem. I've tested my fix with probably over 100 hinge uses, and it's still perfectly solid.

You can certainly attempt this fix with the other type of hinge, but if the hinge is still the normal level of tightness, I'd expect the plastics will probably still break.

Floppy Drive Failure

This laptop uses the Citizen W1D floppy drive, which is belt-driven. The best falls apart with age basically 100% of the time, so you will need to replace the belt if you want a working floppy drive.

Recapping

The XP has a few electrolytic caps scattered throughout it, and I did find a couple that were *just* starting to leak in my unit. So, I would definitely recommend recapping yours if you have a working one. There are electrolytics on the backlight inverter board, the display interconnect board, the floppy drive, and the DC/DC power board.

General motherboard unreliability

I spoke with ajacocks (of VCF) who worked IT in the 1990s at a company that had a whole fleet of WinBook XPs and XP5s. He said that they did suffer from hinge failure even back then, which doesn't surprise me at all given how terrible the hinge mount design is. More interestingly though, he said they suffered from motherboard failure - around 25% of units (both XPs and XP5s) eventually developed bad motherboards, per his memory. This goes in line with my experience - I have an XP and XP5 board that both have motherboard issues (XP board is completely dead, XP5 works but is extremely unstable). Both suffered battery leaks but neither have any bad connections. I hope to someday figure out what part of the motherboard goes bad, but as of yet have not.

Gallery

Photos of my WinBook XP - a rare working example. This is an early production unit (May 1994), and for some reason does not have the "ANL-4" model number printed on the bottom label. This XP is configured with a DX4-75, the 9.4" TFT LCD, and has a rare 32MB RAM expansion module! The LCD is unfortunately suffering a form of pixel rot around the edges that I call "subpixel disease". It normally happens on IBM LCDs from the mid-late 90s, but this affected panel was made by Hitachi. Like the IBM panels with the same fault, this display looks perfectly normal when first powered on, then the affected subpixels stop working over the course of the next 20 or so seconds, after which it stabilizes. See the last two photos for a look at the damage.

Click on an image below to view the full-size version.