Flashlite 186

I have not actually used this product - but it sounds interesting, so I decided to include it.

It uses an Intel 80186 CPU running at 33mhz. The 80186 was used in a handful of PC Compatibles back in the 80's (remember the Tandy 2000?).

It has 512k of RAM and 512k of ROM space which can be used as a disk drive. This is monster computing power compared to the various Basic Stamps (and clones) at roughly the same price (when you factor in that the development board is included).

Programs can be uploaded to the system via serial port.

You can use all your old favorite DOS development platforms. Borland C is included with the complete development kit ($129).

If you ever wanted to program a robot in QuickBasic - this is your opportunity.

Code samples are available in both Borland C and QuickBasic on how to do things like access low-level IO.

There are also higher end versions of the board that include faster CPU's and an ethernet port. They might even make a reasonable platform for an anti-spam appliance.

It ships with a free version of embedded DOS, but can also run a number of different UNIX-like operating systems. It does not run Linux or Windows.

The board itself is probably a bit large (4.2" x 3.6") for an antweight (1lbs) autonomous bot - but could probably work for a beetleweight (3lbs).