Ampro

Ampro Computers, Inc., usually called Ampro, was an American computer systems manufacturer active from 1983 to 2008 and based in Silicon Valley.Ampro Computers Inc. 通常简称 Ampro，是一家美国计算机系统制造商，活跃于 1983 年至 2008 年，总部位于硅谷。

It was one of the first manufacturers of embedded systems based on the IBM Personal Computer architecture and the progenitor of the PC/104 embedded form factor.它是最早制造基于 IBM 个人计算机架构的嵌入式系统的厂商之一，也是 PC/104 嵌入式板卡规格的源头。

Ampro was founded in Mountain View, California, by Rick Lehrbaum and David Feldman, both former employees of the assistive-technology maker Telesensory Systems.Ampro 由 Rick Lehrbaum 与 David Feldman 在加利福尼亚州山景城创立，两人都曾任职于辅助技术制造商 Telesensory Systems。

The company was acquired in 2008 by ADLINK Technology of Taiwan, which absorbed its embedded computing products.公司于 2008 年被台湾的凌华科技收购，其嵌入式计算产品被并入后者。

History

• Ampro was founded in Mountain View, California, in 1983 by Rick Lehrbaum and David Feldman.Ampro 于 1983 年在加利福尼亚州山景城由 Rick Lehrbaum 与 David Feldman 创立。
• Both men had been working for Telesensory Systems, a manufacturer of assistive technology for blind and visually impaired people, when Feldman received a call from someone selling used microcomputer systems for less than 1,000 dollars each.两人当时都在为盲人与视障人士生产辅助技术的 Telesensory Systems 工作，Feldman 接到一位出售二手微型计算机系统的人的电话，对方每台要价不到 1000 美元。
• Believing that sub-1,000-dollar microcomputers were an untapped market, the two founded Ampro with their own capital.两人认为 1000 美元以下的微型计算机是一个尚未开发的市场，于是用自有资金创立了 Ampro。
• Lehrbaum became vice president of engineering and designed most of the company's hardware, while Feldman served as president and chairman and handled sales and finance.Lehrbaum 担任工程副总裁，设计了公司大部分硬件，Feldman 则担任总裁兼董事长，负责销售与财务。
• The first product, the Little Board, was a small single-board computer with a Zilog Z80A microprocessor and the supporting chips needed to run CP/M from ROM.第一款产品 Little Board 是一块小型单板计算机，采用 Zilog Z80A 微处理器，并配备从 ROM 运行 CP/M 所需的支持芯片。
• Customers had to supply their own power supply, floppy disk drives and terminal, which kept the Little Board small and inexpensive.客户需要自备电源、软盘驱动器与终端，这使 Little Board 保持小巧且价格低廉。
• Ampro later packaged the board in a cube-shaped chassis measuring 6.5 by 7 by 10.5 inches and sold it as the Bookshelf Series 100 with dual 5.25-inch floppy drives.Ampro 后来把该板卡装入尺寸为 6.5×7×10.5 英寸的立方体机箱，作为配备双 5.25 英寸软驱的 Bookshelf Series 100 销售。
• The original Little Board was first advertised in the back pages of Byte magazine and, according to Lehrbaum, took off like a rocket.最初的 Little Board 最早在《Byte》杂志的后页刊登广告，据 Lehrbaum 回忆，产品一经推出便迅速走红。
• As the Apple II and IBM Personal Computer absorbed sales of other microcomputer systems in the mid-1980s, Ampro concluded it could not compete in the self-contained personal computer market and pivoted to embedded single-board computers.20 世纪 80 年代中期，Apple II 与 IBM 个人计算机吞并了其他微型计算机系统的销量，Ampro 判断自己无法在整机个人计算机市场竞争，于是转向嵌入式单板计算机。
• In October 1985 Ampro introduced the Little Board/186, a single-board computer using the Intel 80186 that was roughly compatible with IBM PC software.1985 年 10 月，Ampro 推出 Little Board/186，这是一块使用英特尔 80186 的单板计算机，与 IBM PC 软件大致兼容。
• The Little Board/186 did not support applications that wrote directly to video memory, so output went through an ASCII remote terminal, and it included an on-board SCSI host adapter for storage and networking.Little Board/186 不支持直接写入显存的应用，因此输出通过 ASCII 远程终端完成，板上还集成了用于存储与网络的 SCSI 主机适配器。
• Later Little Boards used the Intel 80286 and 80386 processors and gained compatibility with software for the IBM PC AT and 386-based compatibles.后来的 Little Board 采用英特尔 80286 与 80386 处理器，并获得了对 IBM PC AT 与基于 386 的兼容机软件的兼容性。
• Ampro also introduced a mezzanine board system called MiniModule, which added capabilities such as graphical output and modem communication to the main single-board computer.Ampro 还推出了名为 MiniModule 的夹层板系统，为单板计算机增加图形输出与调制解调器通信等能力。
• With MiniModule boards, an Ampro system could reach feature parity with a full-sized IBM PC compatible while remaining in a small embedded format.借助 MiniModule 板卡，Ampro 系统可以在保持小型嵌入式规格的同时，达到与全尺寸 IBM PC 兼容机相当的功能。
• In January 1989 Ampro introduced the Embedded UNIX Platform, which it described as the first embedded system with Unix on ROM.1989 年 1 月，Ampro 推出 Embedded UNIX Platform，并将其描述为首个将 Unix 置于 ROM 的嵌入式系统。
• The platform was based on the PC AT-compatible Little Board 286 and shipped with either Unix System V or XENIX on ROM, targeting telecommunications, networking and government users.该平台基于兼容 PC AT 的 Little Board 286，提供内置 Unix System V 或 XENIX 的 ROM 版本，面向电信、网络与政府用户。
• In October 1990 Ampro introduced the CoreModule, a smaller single-board computer measuring 3.6 by 3.8 inches and available in PC XT and PC AT variants.1990 年 10 月，Ampro 推出 CoreModule，这是一块尺寸为 3.6×3.8 英寸的较小单板计算机，提供 PC XT 与 PC AT 两种版本。
• Sales of the PC-based Little Boards and CoreModules rose from 1.6 million dollars in 1986 to more than 14 million dollars in 1990.基于 PC 的 Little Board 与 CoreModule 销售额从 1986 年的 160 万美元增长到 1990 年的 1400 万美元以上。
• The CoreModule form factor and its MiniModule expansion system were codified in late 1991 as PC/104, named for IBM PC compatibility and the 104 pins of the original mezzanine connector.CoreModule 的板型及其 MiniModule 扩展系统于 1991 年末被确立为 PC/104，名称来自对 IBM PC 的兼容性以及原始夹层连接器的 104 个引脚。
• Ampro and eleven other manufacturers founded the PC/104 Consortium to standardise and develop the format, and by 2003 the consortium had more than 150 members.Ampro 与另外 11 家制造商共同创立 PC/104 Consortium，以标准化并发展该规格，到 2003 年该联盟已拥有 150 多家成员。
• Ampro's sales fell suddenly in 1991, a decline Feldman attributed to the Gulf War and the resulting drop in business deals among European countries, with sales down about 10 percent.Ampro 的销售额在 1991 年突然下滑，Feldman 将其归因于海湾战争以及由此导致的欧洲国家间商业交易减少，销售额下降约 10%。
• Layoffs followed, and the employee base shrank from 65 to 36 in 1992, with Feldman giving three months notice and ten days of severance despite the company having almost no cash reserves.随后公司进行裁员，员工人数在 1992 年从 65 人缩减到 36 人，Feldman 在几乎没有现金储备的情况下仍提供了三个月通知期与十天遣散费。
• The layoffs produced wrongful termination lawsuits, including one filed by Ampro's former chief financial officer.裁员引发了不当解雇诉讼，其中包括公司前首席财务官提起的诉讼。
• Feldman left Ampro in 1995 and founded the system-on-a-chip startup ZF Micro Devices with John Lio in Grass Valley, California, while Lehrbaum replaced him as president.Feldman 于 1995 年离开 Ampro，与 John Lio 在加利福尼亚州草谷创立系统级芯片初创公司 ZF Micro Devices，Lehrbaum 接任总裁。
• In 2008 Ampro was acquired by ADLINK Technology Inc. of Taiwan, ending its existence as an independent company.2008 年，Ampro 被台湾的凌华科技收购，结束了其作为独立公司的历史。

Business and products

• The Little Board was the company's original product, a compact single-board computer that replaced a full chassis with a single card.Little Board 是公司最初的产品，一块紧凑型单板计算机，用单张板卡取代完整机箱。
• The Bookshelf Series 100 turned the Little Board into a complete cube-shaped computer with dual floppy drives for customers that wanted a ready-made system.Bookshelf Series 100 把 Little Board 变成带双软驱的完整立方体计算机，面向希望直接获得整机的客户。
• The Little Board/186 brought Intel 80186 performance and PC software compatibility to embedded applications that did not need a video display.Little Board/186 把英特尔 80186 性能与 PC 软件兼容性带给不需要视频显示的嵌入式应用。
• Little Boards based on the 80286 and 80386 extended the same concept to AT-class and 386-class software.基于 80286 与 80386 的 Little Board 把同一理念延伸到 AT 级与 386 级软件。
• MiniModule mezzanine boards added graphics, modems and other functions without increasing the footprint of the main board.MiniModule 夹层板在不增加主板占位的情况下增加了图形、调制解调器等功能。
• The CoreModule reduced the single-board computer to a module measuring 3.6 by 3.8 inches, with an expansion system for stacking additional functions.CoreModule 把单板计算机缩小为 3.6×3.8 英寸的模块，并提供用于叠加附加功能的扩展系统。
• The Embedded UNIX Platform packaged Unix System V or XENIX in ROM for telecommunications and networking equipment that needed a reliable operating system without a disk.Embedded UNIX Platform 把 Unix System V 或 XENIX 封装在 ROM 中，面向需要无盘可靠操作系统的电信与网络设备。
• PC/104 became the company's most influential product standard, defining a compact mezzanine bus that other manufacturers could build around.PC/104 成为公司最具影响力的产品标准，定义了其他制造商可以围绕其构建的紧凑夹层总线。
• Ampro co-developed the EPIC and XTX board standards, extending its influence beyond PC/104 into other embedded form factors.Ampro 参与共同开发了 EPIC 与 XTX 板卡标准，将其影响力从 PC/104 扩展到其他嵌入式板型。
• Its customers were mainly telecommunications, networking, industrial and government equipment makers that needed PC-compatible computing in a small package.其客户主要是电信、网络、工业与政府设备制造商，这些客户需要在小尺寸封装内获得兼容 PC 的计算能力。
• The PC/104 Consortium gave the format a public specification, which encouraged third-party boards and made the standard more durable than a single company's product line.PC/104 Consortium 为该规格提供了公开规范，鼓励第三方板卡出现，并使该标准比单一公司的产品线更具持久性。

Organization and governance

• Ampro was based in Mountain View, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley, and remained a relatively small company throughout its independent life.Ampro 总部位于硅谷核心的加利福尼亚州山景城，在独立经营期间一直是一家规模相对较小的公司。
• Lehrbaum led engineering and product design, while Feldman handled the presidency, sales and finance, a division that shaped the company's engineering-led culture.Lehrbaum 负责工程与产品设计，Feldman 负责总裁职责、销售与财务，这种分工塑造了公司以工程为主导的文化。
• The company employed 65 people before the 1991 downturn and 36 after the layoffs of 1992.公司在 1991 年衰退前拥有 65 名员工，1992 年裁员后剩下 36 人。
• Ampro was a founding member of the PC/104 Consortium, alongside eleven other manufacturers.Ampro 是与另外 11 家制造商共同创立 PC/104 Consortium 的成员。
• After the 2008 acquisition, Ampro's products became part of ADLINK Technology's embedded computing portfolio.2008 年被收购后，Ampro 的产品成为凌华科技嵌入式计算产品组合的一部分。
• The company's structure remained simple, with hardware design, sales and finance concentrated among a small group of managers.公司的结构保持简单，硬件设计、销售与财务集中在少数管理者手中。

Financials

• Ampro was founded with the founders' own capital rather than venture funding, which kept ownership concentrated but limited its early resources.Ampro 依靠创始人的自有资金而非风险投资创立，这使股权保持集中，但也限制了早期资源。
• Sales grew from 1.6 million dollars in 1986 to more than 14 million dollars in 1990 as Little Boards and CoreModules found industrial customers.随着 Little Board 与 CoreModule 赢得工业客户，销售额从 1986 年的 160 万美元增长到 1990 年的 1400 万美元以上。
• The 1991 decline cut sales by about 10 percent, a modest figure that nevertheless forced a major reduction in staff.1991 年的下滑使销售额减少约 10%，幅度不算大，却迫使公司大幅裁减员工。
• Despite almost no cash reserves, Feldman provided three months notice and ten days of severance to laid-off employees, an unusual choice for a small company.尽管几乎没有现金储备，Feldman 仍向被裁员工提供三个月通知期与十天遣散费，这对小公司而言并不常见。
• The layoffs and subsequent lawsuits added legal costs at a time when the company could least afford them.裁员及随后的诉讼在公司最无力承担的时候增加了法律成本。
• The 2008 acquisition by ADLINK ended Ampro as an independent entity, and the purchase price was not widely disclosed.2008 年被凌华科技收购后，Ampro 不再作为独立实体存在，收购价格也未广泛披露。

Reception

• The Little Board's advertising in Byte magazine helped the company reach hobbyists and engineers who were beginning to build embedded systems around PC hardware.Little Board 在《Byte》杂志上的广告帮助公司接触到开始围绕 PC 硬件构建嵌入式系统的爱好者与工程师。
• PC/104 became a widely adopted standard, and the consortium's growth to more than 150 members by 2003 showed that other manufacturers valued the format.PC/104 成为被广泛采用的标准，联盟到 2003 年发展到 150 多家成员，表明其他制造商认可这一规格。
• Ampro's role in co-developing EPIC and XTX extended its reputation beyond PC/104 into other embedded board standards.Ampro 在共同开发 EPIC 与 XTX 中的角色，使其声誉从 PC/104 扩展到其他嵌入式板卡标准。
• The wrongful termination lawsuits that followed the 1992 layoffs are a reminder that the company's cost-cutting period was contentious.1992 年裁员后出现的不当解雇诉讼提醒人们，公司的削减成本时期充满争议。
• Ampro is remembered in the embedded computing industry as one of the companies that brought IBM PC architecture into industrial control and telecommunications equipment.在嵌入式计算行业，Ampro 被视为把 IBM PC 架构引入工业控制与电信设备的企业之一。
• The acquisition by ADLINK gave the product line a larger parent with access to Asian manufacturing and a broader industrial customer base.被凌华科技收购后，该产品线获得了一个更大的母公司，能够接触亚洲制造能力与更广泛的工业客户群。

Notable people

• Rick Lehrbaum was a co-founder, vice president of engineering and later president, and designed much of Ampro's hardware.Rick Lehrbaum 是联合创始人、工程副总裁兼后来的总裁，设计了 Ampro 的大部分硬件。
• David Feldman was the other co-founder, serving as president and chairman and managing sales, finance and the company's layoffs.David Feldman 是另一位联合创始人，担任总裁兼董事长，负责销售、财务以及公司的裁员事务。
• John Lio co-founded ZF Micro Devices with Feldman after Feldman left Ampro in 1995.John Lio 在 Feldman 于 1995 年离开 Ampro 后，与其共同创立了 ZF Micro Devices。
• The company did not become associated with a single celebrity executive, and its reputation rested on the PC/104 standard and its engineering team.公司并未与某位明星高管紧密绑定，其声誉主要建立在 PC/104 标准与工程团队之上。