American Megatrends Apollo III User Manual

Apollo III PCI Pentium

ISA Motherboard

User's Guide

MAN-752

12/6/96

© Copyright 1996 American Megatrends, Inc.
All rights reserved.
American Megatrends, Inc.
6145F Northbelt Parkway
Norcross, GA 30071

This publication contains proprietary information which is protected by copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transcribed,
stored in a retrieval system, translated into any language or computer language, or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the prior written
consent of the publisher, American Megatrends, Inc.

Limited Warranty

Buyer agrees if this product proves to be defective, that American Megatrends, Inc. is only obligated to replace or refund the purchase price of
this product at American Megatrends’ discretion according to the terms and conditions on the motherboard warranty card. American Megatrends
shall not be liable in tort or contract for any loss or damage, direct, incidental or consequential. Please see the Warranty Registration Card
shipped with this product for full warranty details.

Limitations of Liability

In no event shall American Megatrends be held liable for any loss, expenses, or damages of any kind whatsoever, whether direct, indirect,
incidental, or consequential, arising from the design or use of this product or the support materials provided with the product.

Trademarks

Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
MS-DOS, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
SMC is a registered trademark of Standard Microsystems Corporation.
IBM, AT, VGA, PS/2, OS/2, and EGA are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. XT and CGA are trademarks
of International Business Machines Corporation.
Fujitsu is a registered trademark of Fujitsu America, Inc.
Motorola is a registered trademark of Motorola Corporation.
Hitachi is a registered trademark of Hitachi America, Ltd.
PNY is a registered trademark of PNY Corporation.
Oki is a registered trademark of Oki America, Inc.
NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation.
Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Corporation.
Siemens is a trademark of Siemens Corporation.
Mitsubishi is a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Electronics of America.
Micron is a registered trademark of Micron Corporation.
SCO, UnixWare, and Unix are registered trademarks of The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Toshiba is a registered trademark of Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba.
VESA is a trademark of the Video Electronics Standards Association.
All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Revision History

7/28/96 Initial release.
12/6/96 Updated manual for new version of BIOS.

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

ii

Preface

To the OEM Thank you for purchasing the high performance American Megatrends

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA motherboard. This product is a state of the art
motherboard that includes the famous AMIBIOS. It is assumed that you have
also licensed the rights to use the American Megatrends documentation for
the American Megatrends Apollo III motherboard

This manual was written for the OEM to assist in the proper installation and
operation of this motherboard. This manual describes the specifications and
features of the Apollo III motherboard. It explains how to assemble a system
based on the Apollo III motherboard and how to use the AMIBIOS that is
specifically designed for this motherboard.

This manual is not meant to be read by the computer owner who purchases a
computer with this motherboard. It is assumed that you, the computer
manufacturer, will use this manual as a sourcebook of information, and that
parts of this manual will be included in the computer owner's manual.

Preface iii

Packing List

You should have received the following:

• an Apollo III Pentium PCI ISA motherboard,

• an optional USB cable and mounting bracket,

• two serial cables,

• one parallel cable,

• a Warranty Card, and

• the American Megatrends Apollo III Pentium ISA Motherboard User's

Guide.

Static Electricity

The Apollo III motherboard can easily be damaged by static electricity. Make
sure you take appropriate precautions against static electric discharge:

• wear a properly-grounded wristband while handling the Apollo III

motherboard or any other electrical component,

• touch a grounded anti-static surface or a grounded metal fixture before

handling the Apollo III motherboard,

• handle system components by the mounting bracket, if possible.

Batteries Make sure you dispose of used batteries according to the battery

manufacturer’s instructions. Improper use of batteries may cause an
explosion. Make sure you follow the battery manufacturer’s instructions about
using the battery.

Replace used batteries with the same type of battery or an equivalent
recommended by the battery manufacturer.

Preface iv

1 Hardware Installation

Overview

The American Megatrends Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA motherboard includes
the following features.

CPU The motherboard supports an Intel® Pentium™ 75, 90, 100, 120, 133, 150,

166, 180, 200 MHz or higher speed CPU operating at Standard, VR, or VRE
voltages. The CPU speed and voltage are set via jumpers.

Upgrade CPU You can install an Intel P54C series, P54CT, or P55C CPU.

Chipset The Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA motherboard uses an Intel 82430HX,

including CPU interface controller, advanced cache controller, integrated
DRAM controller, synchronous ISA bus controller, PCI local bus interface,
and integrated power management unit.

Expansion slots The motherboard includes three 16-bit ISA expansion slots and four 32-bit

PCI expansion slots. The PCI local bus throughput can be up to 132
megabytes per second.

L1 Internal Cache The Intel Pentium on the motherboard has an 8 KB data cache and an 8

KB instruction cache.

L2 Secondary Cache The motherboard has either 256 KB or 512 KB of synchronous

PBSRAM, direct-mapped, write-back. L2 secondary cache memory.

Cont’d

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

1

Overview, Continued

DRAM Cached If 256 KB of L2 secondary cache memory is installed on the motherboard, up

to 128 MB of system memory can be cached.
If 512 KB of L2 secondary cache memory is installed on the motherboard, up

to 256 MB of system memory can be cached.

System Memory The motherboard supports up to 256 MB of system memory mounted on the

motherboard in two banks of 72-pin 4 MB, 8 MB, or 16 MB SIMMs.
Use Fast Page Mode or Extended Data Out (EDO) SIMMs operating at 60 ns.

Fast ATA The motherboard supports the Fast ATA specification using PIO mode 4 and

multiword DMA mode 2.

System BIOS This motherboard has a 128 KB AMIBIOS system BIOS on a Flash ROM

with built-in WINBIOS Setup.

BIOS Shadowing The system BIOS is always copied from ROM to RAM for faster execution.

The end user can shadow 16 KB ROM segments from C0000h – DCFFFh.

Motherboard Size The Apollo III Pentium PCI ISA motherboard is 10 inches by 8.625

inches.

Cont’d

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

2

Overview, Continued

AMIBIOS Features AMIBIOS features include:

• IDE block mode support,

• IDE 32-bit data transfer support,

• IDE Programmed I/O mode 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 support,

• IDE LBA mode support,

• APM (Advanced Power Management) and Flash BIOS hooks,

• EPA Green PC-compliant,

• PCI and Plug and Play (PnP) support, and

• DIM (Device Initialization Manager) support,

• DMI (Desktop Management Interface) support,

• ATAPI support,

• can boot from a CD-ROM drive,

• automatically detects system memory, cache memory, and IDE drive

parameters,

• Intel NSP-compliant,

• Fast ATA IDE mode programming,

• Boot sector virus protection,

• instant-on support,

• automatically configures PnP and PCI devices.

IDE The Apollo III motherboard has two 40-pin IDE connectors onboard that

support up to four IDE drives. The IDE controller is on the PCI local bus.

Floppy The Apollo III motherboard has an onboard floppy controller that supports up

to two 360 KB, 720 KB, 1.2 MB, 1.44 MB, or 2.88 MB floppy drives.

Parallel Port The Apollo III motherboard has an onboard ECP and EPP-capable parallel

port connector.

Serial Ports The Apollo III motherboard has two onboard serial port connectors and two

16550 UART serial ports.

Keyboard The Apollo III motherboard Includes a standard miniDIN keyboard

connector.

Cont’d

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

3

Overview, Continued

Mouse The Apollo III motherboard includes a 5-pin berg mouse connector.

USB The Apollo III motherboard has two 4-pin USB connectors. USB allows

future generations of USB-compliant peripheral devices to be automatically
detected and configured through a single port. The AMIBIOS on the Apollo
III motherboard provides complete USB system BIOS support.

Infrared A 10-pin infrared connector is provided on the motherboard. The

motherboard and AMIBIOS comply with the IrDA SIR infrared device
standards and specifications.

Power Connectors The Apollo III motherboard has three power supply connectors.

RTC/CMOS RAM A real time clock and 128 bytes of CMOS RAM with a battery backup is

provided on the motherboard.

Power Management Power management services include:

• Green PC LED,

• power management signal to Green PC-aware power supplies,

• automatic IDE and video power down,

• monitor blanking,

• SMI (System Management Interrupt) support,

• APM, and

• system stop clock.

Cont’d

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

4

Overview, Continued

PCI Slots The motherboard conforms to the PCI Version 2.1 specification. The PCI

slots are automatically configured by the AMIBIOS. The PCI slots operate
synchronously with the CPU clock, as follows:

CPU External Clock Frequency PCI Expansion Slot Frequency

66 MHz 33 MHz
60 MHz 30 MHz
50 MHz 25 MHz

Onboard I/O The Apollo III Pentium ISA motherboard includes:

• two 40-pin IDE connectors on the PCI bus that support up to four IDE drives,

• a 34-pin floppy drive connector,

• two 10-pin serial port connectors (with 16550 UARTs),

• a 26-pin parallel port connector with ECP and EPP support,

• an infrared connectors,

• two USB connectors,

• a keyboard connector, and

• a PS/2 mouse connector.

Apollo III Dimensions

Expansion

Slots

0.62"

Keyboard

Connector

0.85"

Power Connectors

2.0"

CPU Heat Sink

1.75"

10"

SIMM

Sockets

2.5"

8.625"

Heat Sink

1.5"

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

5

Installation Steps

Step Action

1 Unpack the motherboard.
2 Configure the CPU.

3 Install memory.

4 Install the motherboard.
5 Attach cables to connectors.

6 Connect onboard I/O.

7 Connect floppy drive(s).
8 Connect the IDE drive(s).
9 Test and configure.

Select the CPU voltage.
Select the CPU speed.
Install the CPU.

Install system memory.

Connect the power supply.
Attach the keyboard cable.
Connect the mouse cable.
Attach cables.

Connect the serial ports.
Connect the parallel port.

Warning

This motherboard contains sensitive electronic

components that can be easily damaged by static

electricity. Follow the instructions carefully to

ensure correct installation and to avoid static

damage.

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

6

Apollo III Motherboard Layout

USB1

USB2

VR1

EP3
EP2

EP1

PS/2 Mouse

RPW_CON

IR

PCI SLOT 4

PCI SLOT 3

PCI SLOT 2

PCI SLOT 1

COM1

COM2

Keyboard

Power Supply

Floppy

LPT1

AMIBIOS

CPS

IDE2

IDE1

CLK1

CLK2

M2

Bank0

M1

Bank1

VR2

Fan

The connectors in this Block
Header are detailed below.

FREQ2

Spe aker IDE

PWR
LED

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

FREQ1

Kbd
Lock

M4

A Square Pad identifies Pin 1
in Jumpers and Connectors.

M3

Re mote
Powe r

LED

Turbo
LED

Sw itch

Susp.
Mo de

Reset

Susp.
LED

Switch

M6

M5

Tag RAM

7

Step 1 Unpack the Motherboard

Step Action

1 Inspect the cardboard carton for obvious damage. If damaged,

call 770-246-8645. Leave the motherboard in its original
packing.

2 Perform all unpacking and installation procedures on a ground-

connected anti-static mat. Wear an anti-static wristband
grounded at the same point as the anti-static mat. Or use a
sheet of conductive aluminum foil grounded through a 1
megohm resistor instead of the anti-static mat. Similarly, a
strip of conductive aluminum foil wrapped around the wrist
and grounded through a 1 megohm resistor serves the same
purpose as the wristband.

3 Inside the carton, the motherboard is packed in an anti-static

bag, and sandwiched between sheets of sponge. Remove the
sponge and the anti-static bag. Place the motherboard on a
grounded anti-static surface component side up. Save the
original packing material.

4 Inspect the motherboard for damage. Press down on all ICs

mounted in sockets to verify proper seating. Do not apply
power to the motherboard if it has been damaged.

5 If the motherboard is undamaged, it is ready to be installed.

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

8

Set Jumpers

Set all jumpers and install the CPU before placing the motherboard in the
chassis. Set jumpers by placing a shunt (shorting bridge) on the designated
pins of the jumper. A shunt and jumpers are shown below:

3-dimensional view of motherboard jumpers and a shunt.

Shunt

In this manual, jumpers are shown in two -dimensions,
as if viewed from directly above, as shown below:

1

3

5

3-pin Berg

The placement of shunts is
indicated by a solid line

2

between pins, as shown
between Pins 1-2

4

to the right:

6

2-pin Berg

Avoid Static Electricity

Static electricity can damage the motherboard and other computer
components. Keep the motherboard in the anti-static bag until it is to be
installed. Wear an anti-static wrist grounding strap before handling the
motherboard. Make sure you stand on an anti-static mat when handling the
motherboard.

Avoid contact with any component or connector on any adapter card, printed
circuit board, or memory module. Handle these components by the mounting
bracket.

1

3

5

2

4

6

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

9

Step 2 Configure CPU

Important

Perform the following steps to configure the

motherboard before installing a CPU.

External and Internal CPU Clock CLK1, CLK2, FREQ1, and FREQ2 are 3-pin bergs that set

the CPU external and internal clock frequencies. FREQ1 and FREQ2 are next
to the CPU. CLK1 and CLK2 are towards the middle of the motherboard.

External Internal CLK1 CLK2 FREQ1 FREQ2

66 MHz 166 MHz Short Pins

1-2

60 MHz 150 MHz Short Pins

2-3

66 MHz 133 MHz Short Pins

1-2

60 MHz 120 MHz Short Pins

2-3

66 MHz 100 MHz Short Pins

1-2

60 MHz 90 MHz Short Pins

2-3

50 MHz 75 MHz Short Pins

2-3

60 MHz 180 MHz Short Pins

2-3

66 MHz 200 MHz Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

1-2

Short Pins

2-3

Short Pins

2-3

Important

Please contact American Megatrends technical

support at 770-246-8645 if you need to support a

CPU running at a higher speed.

Cont’d

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

10

Step 2 Configure CPU, Continued

JVR Set CPU Voltage Install Intel Pentium CPUs that adhere to either the standard or VRE

voltage specifications. VR1 and VR2 are 6-pin bergs that set CPU voltage.
VR1 is near the top of the CPU socket. VR2 is next to the CPU, near the edge
of the motherboard.

Standard and VRE Voltage This is the factory setting.

3.49V Standard and VRE
for Intel P54C CPU s

Pins 7 5 3 1

Pins 7 5 3 1

Standard Voltage

Mixed Voltage

Pins 8 6 4 2

VR1

3.3V Standard
for Intel P54C CPUs

Pins 7 5 3 1

Pins 8 6 4 2

VR1 VR2

2.8V and 3.3V
for Intel P55C CPUs

Pins 7 5 3 1

Pins 8 6 4 2

VR1

Pins 8 6 4 2

VR2

Pins 7 5 3 1

Pins 8 6 4 2

Pins 7 5 3 1

Pins 8 6 4 2

VR2

Cont’d

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

11

Step 2 Configure CPU, Continued

Important

If you are not sure about the voltage specification

for the CPU that will be installed in this

motherboard, please call Intel and make sure that

you set the voltage jumpers correctly. Selecting the

wrong voltage may damage the CPU.

Install CPU Install the CPU in the ZIF (zero insertion force) socket by performing the

following steps. The CPU socket is near one edge of the motherboard.

Warning

Improper CPU installation can damage the CPU

and the motherboard. You must follow the
procedures in this section exactly as documented.
Make sure you wear an antistatic wristband while

installing the CPU.

Step Action

1 Lift the lever on the ZIF socket. The empty CPU socket

looks like this.

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

12

Step Action

2 Check for bent pins on the CPU. Gently straighten any bent

pins with pliers. Place the CPU in the middle of the socket,
as shown below. Make sure that pin 1 of the CPU is aligned
with pin 1 of the socket. Make sure you are properly

grounded while handling the CPU.

3 Complete installation by lifting the ZIF lever to the other

side of the socket, as shown below.

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

13

Step 3 Install Memory

System Memory The motherboard has four 32-bit SIMM – Single Inline Memory Module)

sockets. You can use Fast Page Mode or EDO (Extended Data Out) SIMMs.
Memory must be populated one bank at a time. Each bank has two sockets.
Each bank must be populated with the same type of SIMM. If a 1 MB SIMM
is installed in the first socket in Bank0, then the same type of 1 MB SIMM
must be installed in the second Bank0 SIMM socket. Each socket can hold
one 72-pin SIMM. You can use:

• 1 MB x 36,

• 4 MB x 36,

• 8 MB x 36, or

• 16 MB x 36 SIMMs.

The motherboard supports banks of fast page mode and EDO (Extended Data
Out) memory together operating at 60 ns (RAS access time).

Memory Display System memory is reported by AMIBIOS as it boots and again when

the AMIBIOS System Configuration Screen is displayed just before the
operating system boots. The memory displayed by AMIBIOS on the System
Configuration Screen is 384 KB less than the total memory installed.

SIMM Part Numbers

Type Manufacturer Part Number

4 MB x 36 Micron MT12D436M-6

“ Mitsubishi MH4M36SAJ-6
“ Motorola MCM36400S-60
“ PNY P364000-60
“ Samsung KMM5364100-6

8 MB x 36 Motorola MCM36800S-60

“ PNY P368000-60
“ Samsung KMM5368100-6

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

14

Cont’d

Step 3 Install Memory, Continued

DRAM Configurations Valid memory configurations include:

Total RAM Bank0 Bank0 Bank1 Bank1

8 MB 4 MB 4 MB None None
16 MB 8 MB 8 MB None None
24 MB 8 MB 8 MB 4 MB 4 MB
32 MB 8 MB 8 MB 8 MB 8 MB
40 MB 16 MB 16 MB 4 MB 4 MB
48 MB 16 MB 16 MB 8 MB 8 MB
64 MB 16 MB 16 MB 16 MB 16 MB
64 MB 32 MB 32 MB None None
72 MB 32 MB 32 MB 4 MB 4 MB
80 MB 32 MB 32 MB 8 MB 8 MB
96 MB 32 MB 32 MB 16 MB 16 MB

128 MB 32 MB 32 MB 32 MB 32 MB
136 MB 64 MB 64 MB 4 MB 4 MB
144 MB 64 MB 64 MB 8 MB 8 MB
160 MB 64 MB 64 MB 16 MB 16 MB
192 MB 64 MB 64 MB 32 MB 32 MB
256 MB 64 MB 64 MB 64 MB 64 MB

Cont’d

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

15

Step 3 Install Memory, Continued

Installing SIMMs The motherboard has four x 36 SIMM sockets. These sockets can be filled

with either 1 MB x 36, 4 MB x 36, 8 MB x 36, or 16 MB x 36 SIMMs.
Place the motherboard on an anti-static mat. With the component side of the

SIMM facing you, firmly push the SIMM into the socket at an angle, then
push it up. When properly inserted, the SIMM clicks into place as the
latching pins engage. The SIMM installation process is shown below:

Cont’d

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

16

Step 3 Install Memory, Continued

Configure Cache Memory The motherboard supports 256 KB or 512 KB of L2 3V Pipeline

Burst SRAM secondary cache memory. Either 256 KB or 512 KB of Pipeline
Burst Mode Static RAM L2 secondary cache memory is mounted on the
motherboard. You cannot upgrade L2 secondary cache memory.

L2 Cache Size Cache DIP Type Tag RAM Type

256 KB 32 KB x 32 (M2 and M4) 8 KB x 8 (M5)
512 KB 32 KB x 32 (M1, M2, M3,

and M4)

Flash ROM Type You must specify the type of flash EPROM installed on the motherboard, as

follows. EP1, EP2, and EP3 are next to the BIOS ROM between the ISA and
PCI expansion slots.

Flash ROM Type EP1 EP2 EP3

Intel 28F010 Short Pins 1-2 Short Pins 2-3 OPEN

Intel 28F001BX-T Short Pins 1-2 Short Pins 1-2 OPEN

SST 29EE010

(factory setting)

AMD28F020 OPEN Short Pins 1-2 Short Pins 2-3
SST29EE020 OPEN Short Pins 2-3 Short Pins 2-3

Short Pins 2-3 Short Pins 2-3 OPEN

16 KB x 8 (M5, M6)

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

17

Step 4 Install the Motherboard

The motherboard mounting hole pattern is the same as the mounting hole
pattern on the standard baby AT motherboard. Standoffs and mounting
screws are not supplied with the motherboard. The chassis manufacturer
should supply these parts.

Step Action

1 Place the chassis on an anti-static mat. Connect the chassis to

ground to avoid static damage during installation. Connect an
alligator clip with a wire lead to any unpainted part of the chassis.
Ground the other end of the lead at the same point as the mat and
the wristband.

2 Rotate the chassis so the front is to the right, and the rear is to the

left. The side facing you is where the motherboard is mounted.
The power supply is mounted at the far end of the chassis.

3 Hold the motherboard, component-side up, with the edge with the

SIMM sockets toward you and the edge with the power supply
connector away from you. The keyboard, mouse, and video
connectors should be to the left.

4 Carefully slide the motherboard into the chassis. Make certain the

edge connectors fit the ports in the rear of the chassis. The
motherboard should rest level with the chassis.

5 Place the mounting screws in the holes provided and tighten them.

If necessary, shift the motherboard slightly to align the mounting
holes on the motherboard with the holes on the chassis. See the
drawing on the next screen.

Warning

If using metallic screws, make sure you use them

only in the plated mounting holes.

If using metallic screws, make sure the head of

the screw fits completely inside the plated

mounting holes.

See the graphic on the following screen.

Cont’d

Apollo III PCI Pentium ISA Motherboard User’s Guide

18

Step 4 Install Motherboard, Continued

Chapter 1 Hardware Installation

19