AST Ascentia J Series
The Ascentia J is a series of Pentium laptops released by AST in 1996. I've found references to several sub-models, including the J10, J20, J30, J40, J50, and the J55. I'm not sure of all the differences, but I believe they were just different spec configurations.
These laptops were made by Compal.
Specifications
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Pentium @75, 100, or 133MHz |
| RAM | - 8MB Standard - 40MB Maximum |
| Hard Disk | 2.5" IDE - 500MB, 800MB, or 1.0GB Standard |
| Display Options | - 10.4" Passive Matrix Color @800x600 - 10.4" Active Matrix Color @800x600 - 11.3" Active Matrix Color @800x600 |
| Graphics Chipset | Chips & Technologies 65548 - 1MB VRAM |
| Audio | ESS (specific model unknown) |
| Main Battery | Lithium Ion |
| CMOS Battery | Soldered 3-cell Varta NiMH |
| Power Supply | Barrel Jack, 18V 1.9A |
| Disk Drives | 3.5" 1.44MB Floppy Drive |
| PC Cards | 2x PCMCIA slots |
| Networking | Modem |
| Other I/O | - 1x Serial - 1x Parallel - 1x VGA Out - 1x PS/2 - 1x Line In - 1x Mic In - Line Out - Infrared |
| BIOS | Phoenix |
| Pointing Device | TrackPoint |
Resources
 Brochure |
|---|
Common Faults & Maintenance
- The Ascentia J's CMOS battery is highly prone to leaking and should be removed. A leak from this battery is the likely cause of a dead laptop.
- The plastics on the Ascentia J are very brittle and prone to cracking, especially around the hinges at the display assembly. They mount to a metal sub-frame at the base, so they shouldn't break there.
Gallery
If you own this laptop and want to help the site, send in some photos!
Page last updated (MM/DD/YYYY): 09/18/2024
Update Reason: pages consolidated
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