Page 1
Chapter 2
Hardware Installation
This chapter gives you a step-by-step procedure on how to install your system.
Follow each section accordingly.
Caution: Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can
damage your processor, disk drives, expansion
boards, and other components. Always
observe the following precautions before you
install a system component.
1. Do not remove a component from its
protective packaging until you are ready
to install it.
2. Wear a wrist ground strap and attach it to
a metal part of the system unit before
handling a component. If a wrist strap is
not available, maintain contact with the
system unit throughout any procedure
requiring ESD protection.
2-1
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Hardware Installation
1
2
JP14
FAN
CPU FAN
PWR2
COM1
PRINTER
COM2
JP23
JP28
2.1 Jumper and Connector Locations
The following figure shows the locations of the jumpers and connectors on the
system board:
IrDA
I
S
A
PANEL
I
S
A
Modem-WKUP
BIOS
P
C
I
5
C
C
I
I
3
4
C
C
I
I
1
2
P
P
P
P
FDC
A
G
P
CPU SLOT 1
IDE2
IDE1
USB
DIMM1
DIMM2
DIMM3
KB
PS/2
2-2
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Hardware Installation
Jumpers:
JP14: Clear CMOS
JP23: AGP Ratio
JP28: Keyboard/Mouse Wake Up
Connectors:
PS2: PS/2 mouse connector
KB: PS/2 keyboard connector
COM1: COM1 connector
COM2: COM2 connector
PRINTER: Printer connector
PWR2: ATX power connector
USB: USB connector
FDC: Floppy drive connector
IDE1: IDE1 primary channel
IDE2: IDE2 secondary channel
CPUFAN: CPU Fan connector
FAN: Housing Fan connector
IrDA: IrDA (Infrared) connector
PANEL: Front panel (Multifunction) connector
WOM: Wake On Modem connector
WOL: Wake On LAN connector
SB-LINK: Sound Blaster Link connector
Warning: This motherboard supports 4 PCI master card, so you
can only install PCI slave card on PCI 5, for example, a PCI VGA
card.
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Hardware Installation
2.2 Jumpers
With the help of Pentium II / Pentium III / Celeron VID signal and SMbus, this
motherboard is jumper-less design.
2.2.1 Selecting the CPU Frequency
Pentium II / Pentium III / Celeron VID signal and the SMbus clock generator
provide CPU voltage auto-detection and allow the user to set CPU frequency
through the CMOS setup, no jumpers or switches are needed. The correct CPU
information is saved into the EEPROM. With these technologies, the
disadvantages of the Pentium based jumper-less design are eliminated. There
will be no worry of wrong CPU voltage detection and no need to re-open the
housing if the CMOS battery is lost.
The CPU frequency selection is set by going into:
BOIS Setup à Chipset Features Setup à CPU Clock Frequency
(The possible setting is 66.8, 68.5, 75, 83.3, 100, 103, 112, 117, 124, 129,
133.3, 138, 143, 148 and 153 MHz)
BOIS Setup à Chipset Features Setup à CPU Clock Ratio
(The possible setting is 1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3x, 3.5x, 4x, 4.5x, 5x, 5.5x, 6x, 6.5x, 7x,
7.5x, and 8x)
Core frequency = Ratio * External bus clock
INTEL Pentium II CPU Core Frequency Ratio External Bus Clock
Pentium II - 233 233MHz = 3.5x 66MHz
Pentium II - 266 266MHz = 4x 66MHz
Pentium II - 300 300MHz = 4.5x 66MHz
Pentium II - 333 333MHz = 5x 66MHz
Pentium II - 350 350MHz = 3.5x 100MHz
Pentium II - 400 400MHz = 4x 100MHz
Pentium II - 450 450MHz = 4.5x 100MHz
Pentium III - 450 450MHz = 4.5x 100MHz
Pentium III - 500 500MHz = 5x 100MHz
Pentium III - 550 550MHz = 5.5x 100MHz
Celeron 266 266MHz = 4x 66MHz
Celeron 300 300MHz = 4.5x 66MHz
Celeron 300A 300MHz = 4.5x 66MHz
2-4
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Hardware Installation
1 2 3
INTEL Pentium II CPU Core Frequency Ratio External Bus Clock
Celeron 333 333MHz = 5x 66MHz
Celeron 366 366MHz = 5.5x 66MHz
Celeron 400 400MHz = 6x 66MHz
Celeron 433 433MHz = 6.5x 66MHz
Celeron 466 466MHz = 7x 66MHz
Warning: The INTEL 440ZX chipset supports a maximum of
100MHz FSB clock, the higher clock settings are for internal test
only. These settings exceed the specification of the ZX chipset,
which may cause serious system damage.
2.2.2 Setting the CPU Voltage
This motherboard supports Pentium II / Pentium III / Celeron VID function, the
CPU core voltage is automatically detected, the range is from 1.3V to 3.5V.
For overclocking, the CPU voltage also can be adjusted in the BIOS Setup. The
CPU voltage is adjustable by going into:
Chipset Features à CPU Voltage Set to
However, note that enlarging the core voltage is probably harmful to your CPU.
2.2.3 Clearing the CMOS
JP14
1-2
2-3
Clear CMOS
Normal operation
(default)
Clear CMOS
You need to clear the CMOS if you forget
your system password. To clear the CMOS,
follow the procedure below:
JP14
1 2 3
Normal Operation
(default)
JP14
Clear CMOS
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Hardware Installation
The procedure to clear CMOS:
1. Turn off the system and unplug the AC power.
2. Remove ATX power cable from connector PWR2.
3. Locate JP14 and short pins 2-3 for a few seconds.
4. Return JP14 to its normal setting by shorting pins 1-2.
5. Connect ATX power cable back to connector PWR2.
6. Turn on the system power.
7. Press during bootup to enter the BIOS Setup Utility and specify a
new password, if needed.
Tip: If your system hangs or fails to boot because of overclocking, please clear the CMOS and the system will go back
to its default setting (233MHz).
Tip: If your system hangs or fails to boot because of overclocking, simply use the <Home> key to restore the default
setting (233MHz). By this smart design, it would be more
convenient to clear CPU frequency setting. For using this
function, you just need to press the <Home> key first and
then press the Power button at the same time. Note: do not
release the <Home> key until the POST screen appears.
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Page 7
2.2.4 AGP Ratio
1 3 5
2 4 6
2 4 6
Hardware Installation
JP23
1-2
3-4
5-6
AGP Ratio
Auto (default)
2/3
1/1
To improve system performance, AX6BC Pro has
implemented this jumper for AGP to synchronize the
CPU 100Mhz (or above) external frequency. We
recommend choosing a better AGP card for
overclocking. Some AGP cards can not take 100MHz
bus frequency and may cause overclocking failure.
JP23
Auto
(Default)
JP23
1 3 5
2/3
JP23
2 4 6
1 3 5
1/1
There is a "66/100" signal pin from CPU for ZX chipset to automatically identify
AGP clock, this is important for jumperless design. When a 66MHz Pentium II
CPU is used, the north bridge will synchronize the CPU external frequency and
the AGP bus frequency. Therefore, when you set the CPU external frequency to
100MHz, the AGP bus will also runs at 100MHz.
With 100MHz Pentium II CPU, the north bridge automatically set AGP frequency
to 2/3 AGP frequency. In other words, the AGP card will still runs at 66MHz while
the CPU is running at 100MHz external frequency.
Except Auto setting, you may also set this jumper to 2/3 or 1/1. Below is a table
for better understanding:
CPU Type 66/100 signal Bus clock AGP clock JP23
66MHz Low 66MHz 66MHz 1-2
66MHz Low 100MHz 100MHz 1-2
66MHz Low 100MHz 66MHz 3-4
100MHz High 100MHz 66MHz 1-2
100MHz High 100MHz 66MHz 3-4
100MHz High 100MHz 100MHz 5-6
100MHz High 133MHz 88.6MHz 1-2
100MHz High 133MHz 88.6MHz 3-4
100MHz High 133MHz 133MHz 5-6
Warning: The specification of AGP is maximum 66Mhz
clock. If the bus clock is larger than 66MHz, setting this
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Hardware Installation
3
3
item to Enabled may cause serious system damage.
2.2.5 KB/MS WKUP
JP28
1-2
2-3
KB/MS WKUP
Disabled
Enabled
This jumper is used to enable or disable the
Keyboard/Mouse Power ON function. If you
select Enabled, you may choose the wakeup
mode from the BIOS Setup. To implement this
function, the 5V Stand By current must be
greater than 800mA.
Note that only PS/2 mouse supports the Wake
On Mouse function.
JP28
1
2
Disabled
JP28
1
2
Enabled
2-8
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Hardware Installation
5V SB
GND
2.3 Connectors
2.3.1 Power Cable
The ATX power supply uses a 20-pin connector as shown below. Make sure
you plug in the cable in the right direction.
Caution: Make sure that the power supply is
off before connecting or disconnecting the
power cable.
+5V
3.3V
3.3V
+5V
PWR2
2.3.2 Fan
Plug in the fan cable to the 3-pin fan connector onboard. The fan connector is
marked CPUFAN1 and FAN1 on the system board.
+12V
CPUFAN1
Note: Attach the fan cable to either the CPU FAN
connector or the FAN connector. Both of these two fan
connectors can support the hardware monitoring
function. However, you can only use the CPU FAN
connector to control the fan power ON/OFF.
SENSE
FAN1
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Hardware Installation
PS/2 Mouse
PS/2 KB
COM1
COM2
2.3.3 PS/2 Mouse
The onboard PS/2 mouse connector is a 6-pin Mini-Din connector marked
PS2. The view angle of drawing shown here is from the back panel of the
housing.
PCB
2.3.4 Keyboard
The onboard PS/2 keyboard connector is a 6-pin Mini-Din connector marked
KB2. The view angle of drawing shown here is from the back panel of the
housing.
PCB
2.3.5 Serial Devices (COM1/COM2)
The onboard serial connectors are 9-pin D-type connectors on the back panel
of motherboard. The serial port 1 connector is marked as COM1 and the serial
port 2 connector is marked as COM2.
PCB
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Hardware Installation
PRINTER
USB
2.3.6 Printer
The onboard printer connector is a 25-pin D-type connector marked PRINTER.
The view angle of the drawing shown here is from the back panel of the
housing.
PCB
2.3.7 USB Device
You can attach USB devices to the USB connector. The motherboard
contains two USB connectors, which are marked as USB.
PCB
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Hardware Installation
34
33
1
40
2
39
1
40
2
39
2.3.8 Floppy Drive
Connect the 34-pin floppy drive cable to the floppy drive connector marked as
FDC on the system board.
2
1
FDC
2.3.9 IDE Hard Disk and CD ROM
This motherboard supports two 40 pin IDE connectors marked as IDE1 and
IDE2. IDE1 is also known as the primary channel and IDE2 as the secondary
channel. Each channel supports two IDE devices that make a total of four
devices.
In order to work together, the two devices on each channel must be set
differently to master and slave mode. Either one can be the hard disk or the
CDROM. The setting as master or slave mode depends on the jumper on your
IDE device, so please refer to your hard disk and CDROM manual accordingly.
Connect your first IDE hard disk to master mode of the primary channel. If you
have second IDE device to install in your system, connect it as slave mode on
the same channel, and the third and fourth device can be connected on
secondary channel as master and slave mode respectively.
2-12
IDE2
IDE1
Page 13
Hardware Installation
(3rd)
(4th)
Caution: The specification of the IDE cable is
a maximum of 46cm (18 inches), make sure
your cable does not exceed this length.
Caution: For better signal quality, it is
recommended to set the far end side device to
master mode and follow the suggested
sequence to install your new device. Please
refer to the following figure.
IDE2 (Secondary Channel)
2.3.10 Panel Connector
The Panel (multifunction) connector is a
20-pin connector marked as PANEL on
the board. Attach the power LED,
keylock, speaker, SPWR, IDE LED and
reset switch to the corresponding pins as
shown in the figure.
If your ATX housing supports ACPI
specification, the ACPI & Power the LED
will keep flashing if you have enabled
“suspend mode” item in the BIOS Setup.
Slave
IDE1 (Primary Channel)
Slave
(2nd)
GND
KEYLOCK
+5V
IDE LED
IDE LED
+5V
+5V
GND
NC
SPEAKER
Master
Master
(1st)
1
11
SPWR
GND
ACPI & POWER LED
GND
+5V
NC
NC
GND
RESET
GND
10 20
PANEL
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Hardware Installation
1
11
10
20
+++
+
+
+
1
2
3
4
5
6
Keylock
IDE LED
Speaker
SPWR
ACPI &
Power LED
Reset
PANEL
2.3.11 IrDA Connector
The IrDA connector can be configured to support wireless infrared module,
with this module and application software such as Laplink or Win95 Direct
Cable Connection, the user can transfer files to or from laptops, notebooks,
PDA devices and printers. This connector supports HPSIR (115.2Kbps, 2
meters) and ASK-IR (56Kbps).
Install the infrared module onto the IrDA
connector and enable the infrared
function from the BIOS setup, make sure
to have the correct orientation when you
plug in the IrDA connector.
Pin
1
2
3
4
5
6
Description
+5V
NC
IRRX
GND
IRTX
NC
IrDA
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Hardware Installation
1 2 3 4
2.3.12 Wake on Modem Connector
This motherboard implements special circuit to support
Wake On Modem, both Internal Modem Card (AOpen
MP56) and external box Modem are supported. Since
Internal Modem card consumes no power when system
power is off, it is recommended to use an internal
modem. To use AOpen MP56, connect 4-pin cable
from RING connector of MP56 to the WOM connector
on the motherboard.
WOM
2.3.13 Wake on LAN Connector
This motherboard implements a WOL connector. To
use Wake On LAN function, you need a network card
that supports this feature. In addition, you also need to
install network management software.
Pin
1
2
3
4
Pin
1
2
3
Description
+5V SB
NC
RING
GND
Description
+5V SB
GND
LID
1
2
3
WOL
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Hardware Installation
2.3.14 Sound Blaster LINK
SB-LINK is used to connect Creative PCI sound
card. If you have a Creative PCI sound card
installed, it is necessary to link the card to this
connector for compatibility issue under DOS
environment.
SB-LINK
1 2
5 6
Pin
1
2
3
4
5
6
Description
GNT#
GND
NC
REQ#
GND
SIRQ#
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Hardware Installation
Pin1
168
2.4 Configuring the System Memory
The DIMM types supported are SDRAM
(Synchronous DRAM) only. This
motherboard has three 168 pin DIMM
sockets (Dual-in-line Memory Module)
that allow you to install system memory
up to 512MB.
In case you install SDRAMs on DIMM2
and DIMM3 at the same time, it is
crucial to identify single/double side.
For this configuration, only single side
SDRAMs are acceptable.
Warning: This motherboard does not support Registered
SDRAMs and EDO DRAMs.
Warning: If you install two double-side SDRAMs, the possible
combinations are DIMM1&DIMM2 or DIMM1&DIMM3.
DIMM modules can be identified by the following factors:
I. Size: single side, 1Mx64 (8MB), 2Mx64 (16MB), 4Mx64 (32MB), 8Mx64
(64MB), 16Mx64 (128MB), and double side, 1Mx64x2 (16MB), 2Mx64x2
(32MB), 4Mx64x2 (64MB), 8Mx64x2 (128MB).
Tip: Here is a trick to check if your DIMM is single-side or
double-side -- if there are traces connected to golden finger
pin 114 and pin 129 of the DIMM, the DIMM is probably
double-side; otherwise, it is single-side. The following figure
is for your reference.
Pin 129
Pin 114
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Hardware Installation
II. Speed: Normally marked as -12, which means the clock cycle time is 12ns
and the maximum clock of this SDRAM is 83MHz. Sometimes you can also
find the SDRAM marked as -67, which means maximum clock is 67MHz.
Caution: Some SDRAMs marked as -10 may
work fine with 100 MHz CPU clock, but not all
of these kinds of modules can work properly
under 100MHz external clock. We suggest you
choose and install SDRAMs that match PC 100
specification if 100MHz or above CPU clock is
selected.
III. Buffered and non-buffered: This motherboard supports non-buffered
DIMMs only. You can identify non-buffered DIMMs and buffered DIMMs
according to the position of the notch. The following figure is for your
reference:
Reserved
non-buffered
buffered
Because the positions are different, only non-buffered DIMMs can be
inserted into the DIMM sockets on this motherboard. Although most DIMMs
available in the current market are non-buffered, we still recommend you
ask your dealer for the correct type.
IV. 2-clock and 4-clock signals: Although both 2-clock and 4-clock signals
are supported by this motherboard, we strongly recommend choosing 4clock SDRAM for its reliability.
Tip: To identify 2-clock and 4-clock SDRAM, you
may check if there are traces connected to the
golden finger pins 79 and 163 of the SDRAM. If
there are traces, the SDRAM is probably 4-clock;
Otherwise, it is 2-clock.
V. Parity: This motherboard supports standard 64 bit wide (without parity)
DIMM modules.
VI. SPD support: The BIOS will automatically detect DIMMs with SPD, and set
to the appropriate timing. DIMMs without SPD are still able to work fine on
this board, but the BIOS POST screen will give you a warning message that
you use a DIMM without SPD.
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Hardware Installation
There is no jumper setting required for the memory size or type. It is
automatically detected by the system BIOS, and the total memory size is all of
them added together.
Total Memory Size = Size of DIMM1 + Size of DIMM2 + Size of DIMM3
The following table lists the recommended SDRAM combinations of DIMM:
DIMM
Data chip
1M by 16 1Mx64 x1 4 8MB Yes
1M by 16 1Mx64 x2 8 16MB Yes
2M by 8 2Mx64 x1 8 16MB Yes
2M by 8 2Mx64 x2 16 32MB Yes
4M by 16 4Mx64 x1 4 32MB Yes
4M by 16 4Mx64 x2 8 64MB Yes
8M by 8 8Mx64 x1 8 64MB Yes.
8M by 8 8Mx64 x2 16 128MB Yes.
DIMM
Data chip
2M by 32 2Mx64 x1 2 16MB Yes, but not tested.
2M by 32 2Mx64 x2 4 32MB Yes, but not tested.
Bit size
per side
Bit size
per side
Single/
Double side
Single/
Double side
Chip
count
Chip
count
DIMM size Recommended
DIMM size Recommended
The following table lists possible SDRAM combinations that is NOT
recommended:
DIMM
Data chip
4M by 4 4Mx64 x1 16 32MB No
4M by 4 4Mx64 x2 32 64MB No
16M by 4 16Mx64 x1 16 128MB No
Bit size
per side
Single/
Double side
Chip
count
DIMM size Recommended
2-19
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