Blue Chip Technology Neutron User Manual

Neutron

Single Board PC

User Manual

NEUTRON

User Manual

Document Part N° 0127-1031
Document Reference NEUTRON\..\01271031.doc
Document Issue Level 2.0

Manual covers PCBs with the following Issue 1.x & 2.x (x is any alpha/digit)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied,
recorded or otherwise, without the prior permission, in writing, from the publisher. For
permission in the UK contact Blue Chip Technology.

Information offered in this manual is believed to be correct at the time of printing. Blue Chip
Technology accepts no responsibility for any inaccuracies. The information contained herein
is subject to change without notice. There are no express or implied licences granted herein to
any intellectual property rights of Blue Chip Technology Ltd.

All trademarks and registered names acknowledged.

Blue Chip Technology Limited,

Chowley Oak, Tattenhall,

Chester, Cheshire,

CH3 9EX, UK

Telephone: [phone]

Facsimile: [phone]

Website: http://www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk

Amendment History

Issue
Level

0.1 29/10/99 EW First draft

0.2 6/01/00 PMD BIOS settings updated

1.0 1/09/00 EGW Revised format

2.0 14/12/00 EGW ECN 2000/151: include E2 and Dig

Issue

Date

Author Amendment Details

I/O options in one build. Were 2
builds.

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

COMPANY PROFILE 1

INTRODUCTION 1

MANUAL OBJECTIVES 1
LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY 1
PRECAUTIONS 2

Electro-Static Discharges 2
Off-Board Battery 2

RELATED PUBLICATIONS 3
TRADEMARKS 3

USER GUIDE 4

OVERVIEW 4

Board Level Features 5
CPU 5
Bus Expansion Slots 5
Electromagnetic Compatibility 6

SPECIFICATION 7

Cooling 7

HARDWARE DESCRIPTION 8

CHIPSET 8
M1489 CACHE MEMORY PCI CONTROLLER (CMP) 8

IDE Support 8

M1487 ISA BRIDGE CONTROLLER (IBC) 8

Real Time Clock, CMOS RAM and Battery 8

VIDEO: CHIPS & TECHNOLOGIES 69000 8
SMC 37C665 SUPER I/O CONTROLLER 9

Floppy Controller 9

WATCHDOG FUNCTION 9
PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL INPUT/OUTPUTS 9
USER EEPROM 9
SOLID STATE DISK SUPPORT 10
BIOS 11

System Setup Utility 11
PCI Support 11
ISA Plug and Play 11
Auto-Configuration Capabilities 11
Advanced Power Management 12
Sleep mode Support 12
Security features 12

CLEARING CMOS MEMORY 13
CONNECTORS 13
JUMPERS 13

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031

CONTENTS

SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION 14

BIOS SETUP 14
OVERVIEW OF THE SETUP MENU SCREENS 14

Main Screen 14
Overview of the Setup Keys 16
Standard Setup 16
Advanced CMOS Setup 19
Advanced Chipset Setup 21
Power Management Setup 22
PCI / plug and play Setup 24
Peripheral Setup 26

ADDRESS MAPS 28

Memory Map 28
I/O Map 29
Interrupts & DMA Channels 30

USING THE ADDITIONAL IO FUNCTIONS 31

Watchdog Timer Operation 31
EEPROM Access and Control 33
Programmable Digital Input/Outputs 34
Accessing INT 50h Functions 35

DISK-ON-CHIP SUPPORT 36

Installing the Disk-On-Chip 36
Configuring the Disk-On-Chip as the Boot device 37
Configuring the Disk-On-Chip as the first drive 37

CONNECTORS 38
ERROR MESSAGES 45

AMIBIOS Error Beep Codes 45
AMIBIOS Error Codes on the POST display 46
AMIBIOS Error Messages 51
ISA NMI Messages 53
PCI Configuration Error Messages 54

BOARD LAYOUT 55

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031

PHOTON USER MANUAL COMPANY PROFILE

COMPANY PROFILE

Blue Chip Technology is the leading specialist PC product manufacturer in UK/Europe.
Blue Chip Technology provides innovation with quality design and manufacturing from a

single source.
Based in the Northwest, our purpose built complex contains one of the most advanced

research and development facility, engineering workshop and production lines.
Specialising in the provision of industrial computing and electronic solutions for a wide range

of UK and European organisations, Blue Chip Technology has one of the UK's largest
portfolios of industrial PCs, peripherals and data acquisition cards. This extensive range of
products, coupled with our experience and expertise, enables Blue Chip Technology to offer
an industrial processing solution for any application. The PHOTON Single Board PC is one
of the latest additions to our portfolio, providing a cost effective product development and
volume production tool for OEMs.

A unique customisation and specialised system integration service is also available, delivering
innovative solutions to customers problems. The company's success and reputation in this
area has led to a number of large design and manufacturing projects for companies such as
BNFL, Aston Martin, JaguarSport and British Gas.

British Standards Institute approval (BS EN ISO9001) means that all of Blue Chip
Technology's design and manufacturing procedures are strictly controlled, ensuring the
highest levels of quality, reliability and performance.

Blue Chip Technology are also committed to the single European market and continue to
invest in the latest technology and skills to provide high performance computer and
electronic solutions for a world-wide customer base.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031

NEUTRON USER MANUAL INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

MANUAL OBJECTIVES

This manual describes in detail the Blue Chip Technology NEUTRON PC104 Single Board
Processor Card (SBPC).

We have tried to include as much information as possible but we have not duplicated
information that is provided in the standard IBM Technical References, unless it proved to be
necessary to aid in the understanding of the NEUTRON.

The manual is sectioned and includes a User Guide that will help the non-technical user to
get the unit up and running. We strongly recommend that you study this manual carefully
before attempting to interface with NEUTRON or change the standard configurations.
Whilst all the necessary information is available in this manual we would recommend that
unless you are confident, you contact your supplier for guidance.

Please be aware that it is possible to create configurations within the CMOS RAM that make
booting impossible. If this should happen, clear the CMOS settings by powering the system
down and disconnecting the external lithium battery (if used).

If you have any suggestions or find any errors concerning this manual and want to inform us
of these, please contact our Customer Support department with the relevant details.

LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

In no event shall Blue Chip Technology 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 supplied with this product. If this
product proves to be defective, Blue Chip Technology is only obliged to replace or refund
the purchase price at Blue Chip Technology's discretion according to their Terms and
Conditions of Sale.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 1

NEUTRON USER MANUAL INTRODUCTION

PRECAUTIONS

It is imperative that precautions are taken to avoid electro-static discharges, or any
maltreatment of the off-board lithium battery.

ELECTRO-STATIC DISCHARGES

The devices on this card can be totally destroyed by static electricity. Ensure that you take
necessary static precautions, ideally wear an approved wrist strap or touch a suitable
ground to discharge any static build up. This should be repeated if the handling is for any
length of time.

When carrying the board around, please place it into the non-conductive bag in which it
came. This will prevent any static electricity build up.

OFF-BOARD BATTERY

This board supports an off board a Lithium battery. Great care should be taken with this
type of battery. Under NO circumstances should:

• the outputs be shorted

• be exposed to temperatures in excess of 100°C

• be burnt

• be immersed in water

• be unsoldered

• be recharged

• be disassembled

IF THE BATTERY IS MISTREATED IN ANY WAY THERE IS A

VERY REAL POSSIBILITY OF FIRE, EXPLOSION AND HARM.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 2

NEUTRON USER MANUAL INTRODUCTION

RELATED PUBLICATIONS

The following publications will provide useful information related to the Standard Personal

Computer and can be used in conjunction with this manual.

• IBM Personal Computer AT Technical Reference, 1502494, IBM, 1984.

• IBM Personal System/2 & Personal Computer BIOS Interface Technical Reference,

15F0306, IBM, 1987.

• The Programmers PC Sourcebook, Microsoft

• The Winn L. Rosch Hardware Bible, Brady

• PC104 Consortium Technical Specification

TRADEMARKS

IBM, PC, AT and PS/2 are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation

(IBM).

AMI Hi-Flex BIOS is a trademark of American Megatrends Inc.
Intel is a registered trademark of the Intel Corporation.
All 80x86 and Pentium processors are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation.
MSDOS and WINDOWS are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.
PC/104-plus and PC/104 are registered trademarks of the PC/104 Consortium.
Finali is a registered Trademark of Acer Labs Incorporated

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 3

NEUTRON USER MANUAL USER GUIDE

USER GUIDE
OVERVIEW

The Blue Chip Technology NEUTRON single board PC sets new standards for integration

of the latest advances in processor, memory, and I/O technologies. The NEUTRON
complies with the PC104 interface requirements. NEUTRON is an ideal platform for the
increasing requirements of today and tomorrow's embedded applications.

The design is based on the AMD Am5x86-P75 running at an internal clock rate of 133MHz

providing an equivalent performance to a P75. The memory sub-system supports 16MB of
on-board DRAM.

The NEUTRON single board PC utilises the ALI Finali PCI chipset to provide increased

integration and performance over other single board PC designs. The Finali PCIset contains
an integrated PCI Bus EIDE controller with a high performance IDE interface allowing up to
two IDE devices (such as hard drives, CD-ROM readers, etc.). A Chips & Technologies
69000 video controller supports both CRT and LCD displays, simultaneously if required.
The SMC 37C665 Super I/O controller integrates the standard PC I/O functions: floppy
interface, two FIFO serial ports and one EPP/ECP capable parallel port.

In addition to superior hardware capabilities, a full set of software drivers and utilities are

available to allow advanced operating systems such as Windows 95/98 to take full advantage
of the hardware capabilities. Features such as Windows 95/98-ready Plug and Play (PnP),
PCI EIDE and Advanced Power Management (APM) are available for NEUTRON.

A standard set of cables to cover most common applications is available separately.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 4

NEUTRON USER MANUAL USER GUIDE

BOARD LEVEL FEATURES

• AMD 5x86-P75 133MHz CPU

• On-board 3.3 V CPU voltage regulator

• ALI Finali PCI chipset:

M1489 Cache Memory PCI Controller (CMP)
Also providing dual PCI IDE interface
M1487 ISA bridge Controller (IBC)

• 16MByte of DRAM on-board

• Chips & Technologies 69000 video controller with 2MB of video DRAM

• PC104 (ISA) expansion bus

• SMC 37C665 I/O controller providing:

Dual floppy interface
EPP/ECP bi-directional parallel interface

Dual RS232 serial ports.

• Real-time clock with support for off-board Lithium battery

• PS/2 keyboard support.

• 3 programmable digital input/output lines.

• 128 bytes user EEPROM.

• +5v only operation.

• Optional socketed Solid State Disk -

2-288 MByte Flash expansion using Disk On Chip (DOC)

CPU

The NEUTRON PC104 single board PC is designed to operate with AMD Am5x86-P75

CPU running at 3.3 Volts. An on-board voltage regulator circuit provides the required
voltage for the processor from the 5V output of a standard PC power supply.

The Am5x86-P75 processor maintains full backward compatibility with the 8x86

architecture processors. It supports burst mode bus cycles, and includes an integrated
unified 16KB on-chip cache which employs a write-back policy. Also integrated into the
processor is an advanced numeric co-processor which significantly increases the speed of
floating point operations, whilst maintaining backward compatibility with 8x87 math
coprocessor and complying with ANSI/IEEE standard 754-1985.

BUS EXPANSION SLOTS

NEUTRON is designed for use in an embedded application and provides ISA expansion via

the standard PC/104 (ISA) connector. There may be up to four PC/104 bus expansion
cards.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 5

NEUTRON USER MANUAL USER GUIDE

ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY

This product meets the requirements of the European EMC Directive (89/336/EEC) and is

eligible to bear the CE mark. However, because the board can be installed in a variety of
computers and enclosures, certain conditions have to be applied to ensure that the
compatibility is maintained. Subject to those conditions, it meets the requirements for an
industrial environment (Class A product).

• The board must be installed in a computer system chassis that provides screening

suitable for an industrial environment.

• Any recommendations made by the computer system manufacturer/supplier must be

complied with regarding earthing and the installation of boards.

• The board must be installed with any bulkhead plates securely screwed to the chassis of

the computer to ensure good metal-to-metal (i.e. earth) contact.

• Most EMC problems are caused by cabling external to the board. It is imperative that

any external cabling to the board is totally screened, and that the screen of the cable
connects to the metal enclosure and hence to earth. It is recommended that round
screened cables with a braided wire screen are used in preference to those with a foil
screen and drain wire. Use metal connector shells that connect around the full
circumference of the screen: they are far superior to those that earth the screen by a
simple “pig-tail”.

• The keyboard and mouse will play an important part in the compatibility of the

processor card since it is a port into the board. Similarly, they will affect the
compatibility of the complete system. A fully compatible keyboard and/or mouse must
be used otherwise the complete system could be degraded. The keyboard/mouse
themselves may radiate or behave as if keys are pressed when subject to interference.
Under these circumstances it may be beneficial to add a ferrite clamp on the
keyboard/mouse lead as close as possible to the connector. A suitable type is the
Chomerics type H8FE-1004-AS.

• Ensure that the screens of any external cables are bonded to a good RF earth at the

remote end of the cable.

Failure to observe these recommendations may invalidate the EMC compliance.

Warning

This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause
radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate
measures.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 6

NEUTRON USER MANUAL USER GUIDE

SPECIFICATION

NEUTRON Power Requirement +5 V ± 5% Required for processor operation.

+12 V ± 5%  Not required for board operation.

-5 V ± 5%  The PC/104 voltage rails

-12 V ± 5%  are linked on board.

Typical System Consumption 8 Watts Am5x86-P75 16 MB RAM
Temperature Non-Operating -40°C to +80°C

Operating +0°C to +40°C (min. airflow of 15 m3/hour)

+0°C to +50°C (min. airflow of 45 m3/hour)
+0°C to +60°C (min. airflow of 66 m3/hour)

Humidity Operating 10 % to 90 % RH, non-condensing

EMC Emissions EN55022 (A)

Immunity EN50082-1 in a Blue Chip ICON Industrial PC Chassis

MTBF Estimated 100,000 Hrs

Dimensions Board only 108 x 96 mm

Power Consumption figures given are for a typical configuration. This information is
provided only as a guide to calculating approximate total power usage for a system.

COOLING

Efficient cooling is essential for long and reliable operation. The greater the volume of air,
the greater the cooling effect and the lower the temperature rise above the ambient air
temperature. However, the volume produced by any fan will vary with the pressure against
which it has to work. The resistance to airflow (the back-pressure on the fan) will depend
upon the enclosure, the mounting and restrictions. Therefore, when mounting and cabling
the board, it is essential that the free circulation of the cooling airflow is not impeded.

The calculation of airflow through an enclosure is not straightforward, and depends on
many factors. The method of meeting the cooling requirements will be specific for each
system. Consequently, the system builder is responsible for ensuring adequate cooling.
However, interpreting airflow volumes is not intuitive. As an aid to selecting suitable
cooling, the following example is offered. A 60 mm axial fan (such as a Papst type
612NGH) blowing over the board can supply up to 46 m3/hour when unrestricted.
Restrictions to the airflow will reduce this volume.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 7

NEUTRON USER MANUAL HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

CHIPSET

The Ali Finali PCI Chipset consists of the M1489 Cache Memory PCI controller (CMP)
and the M1487 ISA Bridge Controller (IBC).

M1489 CACHE MEMORY PCI CONTROLLER (CMP)

The M1489 provides all control signals necessary to drive a second level cache (not
implemented) and the DRAM array, including multiplexed address signals. The CMP
provides access to memory and generates snoop controls to maintain cache coherency.
The CMP also integrates an intelligent Host to PCI interface buffer to improve system
performance. The high performance Local bus EIDE interface is also provided by the
CMP. The CMP comes in a 208-pin PQFP package.

IDE SUPPORT

The NEUTRON single board PC provides one high performance PCI IDE interfaces
capable of supporting PIO Mode 3 and Mode 4 devices. The system BIOS supports
Logical Block Addressing (LBA) and Extended Cylinder Head Sector (ECHS) translation
modes as well as ATAPI (e.g. CD-ROM) devices. Detection of IDE device transfer rate
and translation mode capability is automatically determined by the system BIOS.

M1487 ISA BRIDGE CONTROLLER (IBC)

The M1487 provides the bridge between the ISA bus, PCI bus and Host Bus. It integrates
the standard PC peripherals such as DMA Interrupt controllers, keyboard, RTC and Timer
functions. The IBC is packaged in a 160 pin PQFP

REAL TIME CLOCK, CMOS RAM AND BATTERY

The integrated Real Time Clock (RTC) is both DS1287 and MC146818 compatible. It
provides a time of day clock and a 100-year calendar with alarm features. The RTC can be
set via the BIOS SETUP program. The RTC also supports128 bytes of battery-backed
CMOS RAM which is reserved for BIOS use. The CMOS RAM can be set to specific
values or cleared to the system default values using the BIOS SETUP program.

A battery is required to maintain the RTC and CMOS memory whilst the power is switched
off. NEUTRON is fitted with a connector to allow the use of an off-board 3.7V Lithium
battery. The CMOS RAM values can be cleared to the system defaults by disconnecting
the external Lithium battery.

VIDEO: CHIPS & TECHNOLOGIES 69000

The NEUTRON provides the latest technology integrated PCI video sub-system. The board
is fitted with a 10-way header providing standard VGA signals, dual headers to interface to a
wide range of LCD panels of up to 36 bits, and a dedicated connector for popular LCDs.
The 69000 integrates 2MB of video memory and DAC into a single BGA device. All the
necessary drivers for most popular operating systems are supplied on a utilities disk.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 8

NEUTRON USER MANUAL HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

SMC 37C665 SUPER I/O CONTROLLER

Control for the integrated serial ports, parallel port and floppy drive controller is
incorporated into a single component, the SMC 37C665. This component provides:

• Two NS16C550-compatible UARTs with send/receive 16 byte FIFO

• Multi-mode bi-directional parallel port

- Standard mode; IBM and Centronics compatible

- Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) with BIOS support

- High Speed mode; Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) compatible

• Industry standard floppy controller with 16 byte data FIFO (2.88 MB floppy support)

The 37C665 is normally configured by the BIOS automatically, however configuration of
these interfaces is possible via the CMOS Setup program that can be invoked during boot­up. The serial ports can be enabled as COM1, COM2, or disabled. The parallel port can be
configured as normal, extended, EPP/ECP, or disabled. The floppy interface is configurable.

Header connectors allow cabling to use these interfaces.

FLOPPY CONTROLLER

The 37C665 is software compatible with the DP8473 and 82077 floppy disk controllers.
The floppy interface can be configured for 360 KB or 1.2 MB 5¼" media or for 720 KB,

1.44 MB, or 2.88 MB 3½" media in the BIOS Setup. By default, the Floppy A interface is
configured for 1.44 MB and Floppy B is disabled.

WATCHDOG FUNCTION

NEUTRON provides both hardware and software watchdog functions.
The hardware watchdog will trigger a reset if the +5V supply drops below 4.6V.
When enabled the software watchdog will trigger a reset if there is a ½ second gap between

reads from I/O port 101h. The software watchdog is enabled by writing 1 to bit 0 of I/O
port101h.

PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL INPUT/OUTPUTS

NEUTRON provides for three programmable, TTL-compatible digital input/output lines.
They are selected as a BIOS option to the User EEPROM. Digital I/O is not available if the
user EEPROM option is selected.

See the section “Using the Additional IO Functions” on the use of the I/O lines.

USER EEPROM

NEUTRON provides 128 bytes of user accessible non-volatile memory in the form of an
EEPROM. This is selected as an option to the digital I/O function in the BIOS. The
EEPROM is not available if the Digital I/O option is specified.

See the section “Using the Additional IO Functions” on the use of the EEPROM.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 9

NEUTRON USER MANUAL HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

SOLID STATE DISK SUPPORT

NEUTRON supports the use of Solid State Disks using a Disk-on-Chip module fitted into
the 32-pin DIL socket. This permits Hard disk read/write emulation with disk capacities
currently ranging from 2 M to 288 MBytes. See the section “Disk-On-Chip Support” under
Software Description for installation details.

Please contact Blue Chip Technology’s Sales Department for details.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 10

NEUTRON USER MANUAL HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

BIOS

The NEUTRON single board PC uses an AMI system BIOS, which is stored in EPROM. In
addition to the System BIOS, the EPROM also contains the Setup utility, Power-On Self
Test (POST), and the PCI auto-configuration utility. This single board PC supports system
BIOS shadowing, allowing the BIOS to execute from 32-bit on-board write-protected
DRAM.

The BIOS displays a sign-on message during POST identifying the type of BIOS and a
revision code.

Note that the user-configurable parameters are stored in CMOS memory. In order to
maintain the parameters whilst the power is switched off, a battery must be connected to the
board.

SYSTEM SETUP UTILITY

The EPROM-based Setup utility allows the configuration to be modified without opening
the system for most basic changes. The Setup utility is accessible only during the Power­On Self Test (POST) by pressing the <DEL> key after the POST memory test has started
and before boot begins. A prompt may be enabled that informs users to press the <DEL>
key to access Setup.

PCI SUPPORT

The Neutron board supports Version 2.0 of the PCI BIOS specification for the on-board
PCI devices.

ISA PLUG AND PLAY

The AMI BIOS incorporates ISA Plug and Play capabilities as defined by the Plug and Play
Release 1.0A specification (Plug and Play BIOS Version 1.0A, ESCD Version 1.02). This
allows auto-configuration of Plug and Play ISA cards, and resource management for non­Plug and Play (or legacy) ISA cards, when used in conjunction with Plug and Play aware
operating systems (such as Windows 95/98).

AUTO-CONFIGURATION CAPABILITIES

The auto-configuration utility operates in conjunction with the system Setup utility to allow
the insertion and removal of ISA Plug and Play cards to the system without user
intervention of the BIOS settings (Plug & Play). When the system is turned on after
adding an ISA Plug and Play card, the BIOS automatically configures interrupts, DMA
channels, I/O space, and memory space. The user does not have to configure jumpers or
worry about potential resource conflicts. Because ISA Plug and Play cards use the same
interrupt resources as ISA cards, the user can specify the interrupts used by ISA add-in
cards in the Setup utility. If using Windows 95/98, the auto-configuration utility only
initialises the devices required to boot up, Windows 95/98 initialises all the other devices
since it is a Plug and Play aware operating system.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 11

NEUTRON USER MANUAL HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

ADVANCED POWER MANAGEMENT

The NEUTRON AMI BIOS supports power management through System Management
Mode (SMM) interrupts to the CPU and Advanced Power Management (APM Version

1.1). In general, power management capabilities will allow the system to be put into a
power managed, Stand-by mode either by entering a user configurable hot-key sequence on
the keyboard, or by the expiration of a hardware timer which detects system inactivity for a
user-configurable time. When in the Stand-by mode, the NEUTRON single board PC
reduces power consumption by using the power saving capabilities of the Am5x86-P75
processor and also running down hard drives and turning off DPMS compliant monitors.
Add-in cards supplied with APM-aware drivers can also be put into a power managed state
for further energy savings. The ability to respond to external interrupts is fully maintained
while in Stand-by mode, allowing the system to service requests (such as in-coming Fax’s
or network messages) while unattended, albeit slowly until the system wakes up.

SLEEP MODE SUPPORT

When Advanced Power Management (APM) is activated in the System BIOS and the
Operating System’s APM driver is loaded, Sleep mode (Stand-By) can be entered in one of
three ways.

Sleep/Resume may be activated by using either a momentary-action sleep switch in the
UTILS header (‘external SMI’ input), a keyboard hot-key sequence, or by a time-out of
the system inactivity timer. Both the keyboard hot-key and the inactivity timer are
programmable in the BIOS setup (timer is set to 10 minutes by default). To re-activate the
system, or “Resume”, the user simply uses the keyboard or mouse, or presses the sleep
switch. Note that mouse activity will only “wake up” the system if a mouse driver is
loaded. While the system is in Stand-By or “Sleep” mode it is fully capable of responding
to, and servicing external interrupts. Once in Sleep or Stand-By mode, the monitor will
only turn on if a user interrupt occurs as defined above.

SECURITY FEATURES

Note that the security features are only supported when an off-board battery supports the
CMOS RAM.

SUPERVISOR PASSWORD

If enabled, the supervisor password protects all sensitive Setup options from being
changed by a user unless the password is entered (see appendix).

If the password is forgotten, it may be cleared by turning off the system and clearing the
CMOS RAM by disconnecting the battery (if used).

USER PASSWORD

The User Password feature provides access to all setup options that do not require the
supervisor password. The User Password feature also provides security during the boot
process. The User Password can be enabled using the Setup utility. (At boot-up, the
system will complete the operating system boot up process, but keyboard and mouse
operation will be locked until the User Password is entered.)

If the password is lost, it may be reset by clearing the CMOS RAM, (see below).

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 12

NEUTRON USER MANUAL HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

CLEARING CMOS MEMORY

This should be required under exceptional circumstances such as losing the password, or
setting incompatible parameters in the BIOS.

Switch off the system and disconnect the off-board battery from the NEUTRON. Wait for
two minutes to allow the decoupling capacitor to discharge, and then reconnect the battery.
Switch on the system, enter the BIOS setup and set as required.

CONNECTORS

Various connectors are incorporated on the NEUTRON PC board. These provide
connectivity to external peripherals (serial, parallel, keyboard, etc.), in-chassis peripherals
(disk drives, etc.), and bus devices. A complete table of the available connectors and their
pin-outs is given in the appendices.

An optional cable set is available to simplify setting up common applications. The cables
included in the standard cable set are indicated against each connector. For the other
connectors, suitable mating parts are given. The PC board layout at the end of the manual
shows their positions.

ON-BOARD CONNECTORS

There are connectors on-board for Floppy Disk Drive, IDE, LCD, video, sound, serial and
parallel ports, PC/104, digital inputs and utilities. There are also connectors for Power
supply and external battery.

UTILITY CONNECTOR

The NEUTRON PC board provides a connector to support functions such as reset
switch, speaker, Turbo LED, Power LED, keyboard, and external SMI to invoke the
power saving mode of the NEUTRON.

BUS CONNECTORS

The board incorporates the PC/104 bus connector for expansion. See the appendices for
the pin-out details.

JUMPERS

Jumpers are used on the board to select options. Some of the jumpers are factory set to suit
particular semiconductor options. These must not be disturbed, or damage to the board may
ensue.

JUMPER AREA OF INFLUENCE LINK ACTION

J1

J2

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 13

DRAM voltage N/A Hardwired in manufacture to

suit DRAMs fitted.

LCD Panel Power Supply
Note: your LCD may be
damaged if set incorrectly

1-2 +3.3 volts selected
2-3 +5 volts selected

NEUTRON USER MANUAL SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

BIOS SETUP

This section details the BIOS CMOS Setup Utility. The parameters described below are
based on BIOS version 1.00; other BIOS versions may differ from the description below as
new features are added. The BIOS Setup is entered by pressing the <DEL> key during the
Power On Self Test (POST).

OVERVIEW OF THE SETUP MENU SCREENS

The Setup program initially displays the Main menu screen. In each screen there are options
for modifying the system configuration. Select a sub-menu screen by pressing the up <↑> or
down <↓> arrow keys, followed by <Enter>. Within the menu use the up <↑> or down <↓>
keys to select an item, then use <PgUp> or <PgDn> to modify it. Pressing <Enter> may
bring up a sub-screen. After you have selected an item, use the <PgUp> or <PgDn> keys to
modify the setting.

MAIN SCREEN

Shows the following menu:

Auto Configuration with Optimal Settings

Auto Configuration with Fail Safe Settings

Their operation is as follows:

STANDARD CMOS SETUP

Standard CMOS Setup

Advanced CMOS Setup

Advanced Chipset Setup

Power Management Setup

PCI / Plug and Play Setup

Peripheral Setup

Auto Detect Hard Disk

Change User Password

Change Supervisor Password

Save Settings and Exit

Exit without Saving

For setting up and modifying basic items such as floppy disk drives, hard drives, and
system time & date.

ADVANCED CMOS SETUP

Use to modify the more advanced features of the PC (e.g. system bootup options).

ADVANCED CHIPSET SETUP

Use to modify hardware level options.

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POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP

For specifying the “Green PC” features such as IDE and VGA timeouts.

PCI / PLUG AND PLAY SETUP

For specifying Plug and Play options (e.g. IRQ assignments).

PERIPHERAL SETUP

For specifying the system peripheral options such as serial and parallel port modes.

AUTO DETECT HARD DISK

Automatically determines the parameters of any IDE devices connected, and sets up the
parameters for “USER DEFINED” drives.

CHANGE USER PASSWORD

Allows the password for the user level options to be set or changed. This option cannot
be changed unless a supervisor password has been set.

CHANGE SUPERVISOR PASSWORD

Allows the password for the supervisor level options to be changed.

AUTO CONFIGURATION WITH OPTIMAL SETTINGS

Resets the CMOS setup options to a high performance configuration. The optimal
default settings are best case values and should optimise the system performance. If
CMOS RAM is corrupted, the optimal settings are loaded automatically.

AUTO CONFIGURATION WITH FAIL SAFE SETTINGS

Resets the CMOS setup options to a lower performance but guaranteed working
configuration. The fail safe settings provide far from optimal system performance, but
are the most stable settings. Use these settings as a diagnostics aid if the system is
performing erratically.

SAVE SETTINGS AND EXIT

When selected, this allows you to save the change to CMOS and exit the Setup program.
You can also press the <F10> key anywhere in the Setup program to do this. Note that
unless an off-board battery is connected to the NEUTRON board, the CMOS settings
will be lost when power is removed from the board.

EXIT WITHOUT SAVING

When selected, this allows you to exit the Setup program without saving any changes.
This means that any changes made while in the Setup program will be discarded and
NOT SAVED. Pressing the <Esc> key in any of the four main screens will do this.

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OVERVIEW OF THE SETUP KEYS

SETUP

KEY

<Esc> Pressing the <Esc> key takes you back to the previous screen.

Pressing it in the Main, Advanced, Security, or Exit screen allows you

to Exit Discarding Changes (see later in this chapter).
<PgUp>
<PgDn>

< ↑ > Pressing the up < ↑ > key changes the selection to the previous item

< ↓ > Pressing the down < ↓ > key changes the selection the to the next item

< ← > <

→ >

<F10> Pressing the <F10> key allows you to Exit Saving Changes (see later

Pressing either key moves the selection of the current item up or down

the available options.

or option.

or option.

Pressing the left < ← > or right < → > keys in the Main, Advanced,

Security, or Exit menu screens changes the menu screen. Pressing

either key in a subscreen does nothing.

in this chapter).

DESCRIPTION

STANDARD SETUP

This section describes the Setup options found on the standard setup screen.

SYSTEM DATE

When selected, this allows you to set the current date by specifying a date, month and
year.

SYSTEM TIME

When selected, this allows you to set the current time by entering values for hours,
minutes and seconds..

FLOPPY A: TYPE

When selected, this allows you to cycle through the available options to specify the
physical size and capacity of the diskette drive. The options are Not Installed; 360 KB,

5.25-inch; 1.2 MB, 5.25-inch; 720 KB, 3.5-inch; 1.44 MB, 3.5-inch; 2.88 MB, 3.5-inch.
The default is 1.44 MB, 3.5-inch.

FLOPPY B: TYPE

When selected, this allows you to cycle through the available options to specify the
physical size and capacity of the diskette drive. The options are Not Installed, 360 KB,

5.25-inch; 1.2 MB, 5.25-inch; 720 KB, 3.5-inch; 1.44/1.25 MB, 3.5-inch; 2.88 MB, 3.5­inch. The default is Not Installed.

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PRIMARY IDE MASTER

This reports if a primary master IDE hard disk is connected to the system and allows for
the configuration of drive parameters.

This allows for the manual configuration of the hard drive or, to have the system auto
configure the drive. The options are Auto Configured, User Definable and Disabled.
There are also options for IDE CD-ROM and 46 predefined hard drive types. If you
select User Definable then the Number of Cylinders, Number of Heads, and Number of
Sectors can each be modified. The default for this is Auto.

PRIMARY IDE SLAVE

This reports if a primary slave IDE hard disk is connected to the system. It is configured
exactly as described under Primary IDE Master above. The default is “Not Installed”.

SECONDARY IDE MASTER

This reports if a secondary master IDE hard disk is connected to the system. It is
configured exactly as described under Primary IDE Master above. The default is “Not
Installed”. (Note: Neutron does not support an on board secondary IDE channel).

SECONDARY IDE SLAVE

This reports if a secondary slave IDE hard disk is connected to the system. It is
configured exactly as described under Primary IDE Master above. The default is “Not
Installed”. (Note: Neutron does not support an on board secondary IDE channel).

NUMBER OF CYLINDERS

If Hard Disk Type is set to User Definable, you must type the correct number of
cylinders for your hard disk. If Hard Disk Type is set to Auto Configured, this reports
the number of cylinders for your hard disk and cannot be modified.

NUMBER OF HEADS

If Hard Disk Type is set to User Definable, you must type the correct number of heads
for your hard disk. If Hard Disk Type is set to Auto Configured, this reports the
number of heads for your hard disk and cannot be modified.

NUMBER OF SECTORS

If Hard Disk Type is set to User Definable, you must type the correct number of
sectors for your hard disk. If Hard Disk Type is set to Auto Configured, this reports
the number of sectors for your hard disk and cannot be modified.

LBA MODE

Selects Logical Block Addressing mode for large capacity drives. Options are On or
Off. The default is On.

BLOCK MODE

Permits multi-sector transfers. Options are On or Off. The default if On.

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PIO MODE

Selects an Advanced PIO mode of operation for faster transfers. Options are 0, 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, or Auto. The default is Auto.

32-BIT MODE

Selects 32-bit transfer mode. The options are On or Off. The default is Off.

BOOT SECTOR VIRUS PROTECTION

Detects if software tries to write to the boot sector. Options are Enabled or Disabled.
The default is Disabled.

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ADVANCED CMOS SETUP

BOOTUP SEQUENCE

This option specifies the sequence of the boot drives. The options are:

A:, C:, CDROM
C:, A:, CDROM ( Default)
CDROM, C:, A:

PARITY CHECK

This option specifies the type of memory installed i.e. parity or non parity. When this
option is set to Enabled a parity test is performed on all accesses to system DRAM. The
Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Disabled.

OS/2 COMPATIBLE MODE

Set this option to Yes to permit AMIBIOS to run with IBM OS/2. The settings are
Enabled or Disabled. The default setting is Disabled.

WAIT FOR ‘F1’ IF ERROR

AMIBIOS POST error messages are followed by:

Press <F1> to continue

If this option is set to Disabled, AMIBIOS does not wait for you to press the <F1> key
after an error message. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe
default settings are Disabled.

HIT ‘DEL’ MESSAGE DISPLAY

Set this option to Disabled to prevent the

Hit <DEL> if you want to run Setup

message from appearing on the first AMIBIOS screen when the computer boots. The
settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are
Disabled.

INTERNAL CACHE

This option specifies whether or not the L1 internal cache memory is enabled. The
settings are Disabled or WriteBack. If WriteBack is selected, the write-back caching
algorithm is used. The default is WriteBack.

SYSTEM BIOS SHADOW CACHEABLE

When this option is set to Enabled, the contents of the F0000h system memory segment
can be read from or written to L1 cache memory. The contents of the F0000h memory
segment are always copied from the BIOS ROM to system RAM for faster execution.

The settings are Enabled or Disabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are
Enabled.

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C000, 16K Shadow
C400, 16K Shadow
C800, 16K Shadow
CC00, 16K Shadow
D000, 16K Shadow
D400, 16K Shadow
D800, 16K Shadow
DC00, 16K Shadow

These options control the location of the contents of the 16KB blocks of ROM beginning
at the specified memory location. If no adapter ROM is using the named ROM area, this
area is made available to the local bus. The settings are:

SETTING DESCRIPTION

Enabled The contents of the named ROM area (e.g. C0000h - C3FFFh)

are written to the same address in system memory (RAM) for
faster execution.

Cache The contents of the named ROM area are written to the same

address in system memory (RAM) for faster execution, if an
adapter ROM will be using the named ROM area.
In addition, the contents of the RAM area can be read from and
written to cache memory.

Disabled The ROM is not copied to RAM. The contents of the ROM cannot

be read from or written to cache memory.

The default settings are Cached for C000 and C400; Disabled for the remainder.
In the AMIBIOS for the ALI Finali chipset, the E000h page is used as ROM during

POST and shadowing is enabled for this region. Thus the E000h page is not available on
the local bus.

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ADVANCED CHIPSET SETUP

AUTO CONFIG FUNCTION

When set to enabled, this option allows the BIOS to automatically determine the best
system timing settings for the AT Bus and the DRAM and cache etc. The default
settings are Enabled and it is strongly recommended that these values are not changed
unless the user is fully aware of the system parameter timings. Changing these values to
an incorrect setting can cause system instability or even prevent the Neutron board from
booting. The options are Enabled or Disabled. The default setting is Enabled.

AT BUS CLOCK

This option is only available when the Auto Config Function is enabled. The options
are 7.16 MHz, Clk/3, Clk/4, Clk/5, Clk/8.

DRAM READ TIMING

This option is only available when the Auto Config Function is enabled. The options
are Slow, Normal, Faster, Fastest.

DRAM WRITE TIMING

Slow, Normal, Faster, Fastest.

SRAM READ TIMING

This option is only available when the Auto Config Function is enabled. The options
are 2-1-1-1, 3-1-1-1, 3-2-2-2, 4-2-2-2.

SRAM WRITE TIMING

This option is only available when the Auto Config Function is enabled. The options
are 0 wait states or 1 wait state.

HIDDEN REFRESH

This option enables or disables ISA refresh cycles. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default
settings are Disabled.

ISA I/O RECOVERY

This option specifies whether or not an additional delay is inserted between consecutive
I/O operations. The settings are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default
settings are Disabled.

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POWER MANAGEMENT SETUP

POWER MANAGEMENT / APM

Set this option to Enabled to enable the power management and APM (advanced Power
Management) features.

The settings are Enabled, Disabled or Inst-On. The default settings are Disabled.
Note: The following options are only available if Power Management/APM is enabled.

INSTANT ON SUPPORT

If this option is set in Power Management / APM it allows the computer to go to full
power on mode when leaving a power-conserving state. AMIBIOS uses the RTC Alarm
function to wake the computer at a pre-specified time. The settings are Enabled or
Disabled. The default settings are Disabled.

GREEN PC MONITOR POWER STATE

This option specifies the power management state that the Green PC-compliant video
monitor enters after the specified period of display inactivity has expired. The settings
are, Disabled, Standby, Suspend or Off. The default settings are Disabled.

VIDEO POWER DOWN MODE

This option specifies the power management state that the video subsystem enters after
the specified period of display inactivity has expired. The settings are Disabled, Standby
or Suspend. The default settings are Disabled.

HARD DISK POWER DOWN MODE

This option specifies the power management state that the hard disk drive enters after the
specified period of display inactivity has expired. The settings are Disabled, Standby, or
Suspend. The default settings are Disabled.

HARD DISK TIME OUT (MINUTE)

This option specifies the duration of hard disk inactivity. When this period expires, the
hard disk drive enters the power-conserving mode specified in the Hard Disk Power
Down Mode option described above. The settings are Disabled, 1 (minutes), and all one
minute intervals up to and including 14. The default settings are Disabled.

STANDBY TIME OUT (MINUTE)

This option specifies the duration of system inactivity when the computer is in Full-On
mode before the computer is placed in Standby mode. In Standby mode, the power use
is reduced. The settings are Disabled, 1 (minutes), and all one minute intervals up to and
including 14. The default settings are Disabled.

SUSPEND TIME OUT (MINUTE)

This option specifies the duration of system inactivity when the computer is already in
Standby mode before the computer is placed in Suspend mode. In Suspend mode, the
power use is minimised. The settings are Disabled, 1 (minute), and all one minute
intervals up to and including 14. The default settings are Disabled.

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DISPLAY ACTIVITY

This option specifies if AMIBIOS is to monitor activity on the display monitor for power
conservation purposes. When this option is set to Monitor and there is no display
activity for the length of time specified in the value in the (full on to) Standby Timeout
(Minute) option, the computer enters a power saving state. The settings are Monitor or
Ignore. The default settings are Ignore.

IRQ 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

These options enable event monitoring. When the computer is in a power saving mode,
activity on the named interrupt request line is monitored by AMIBIOS. When any
activity occurs, the computer enters Full On mode.

Each of these options can be set to Monitor or Ignore. The default settings are Ignore.

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PCI / PLUG AND PLAY SETUP

PLUG AND PLAY AWARE O/S

AMIBIOS only detects and enables PnP ISA adapter cards that are required for system
boot. Set this option to Yes if the operating system installed in the computer is Plug and
Play-aware. Windows 95/98 is PnP-aware. Windows 95/98 detects and enables all other
PnP-aware adapter cards. Set this option to No if the operating system (such as DOS,
OS/2, Windows 3.x) does not use PnP.

Note: You must set this option correctly or PnP-aware adapter cards installed in your
computer will not be configured properly. The settings are No or Yes. The Optimal and
Fail-Safe default settings are No.

PCI LATENCY TIMER (PCI CLOCKS)

This option sets latency of all PCI devices on the PCI bus. The settings are in PCI clock
units. The settings are 32, 64, 96, 128, 160, 192, 224, or 248. The Optimal and
Fail-Safe default settings are 192.

CPU TO PCI WRITE BUFFER

This option enables or disables a 4-layer double word buffer between the CPU and the
PCI bus. When enabled it significantly improves the system performance. The settings
are Disabled or Enabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Enabled.

BYTE MERGE

This option is only available when the CPU to PCI Write Buffer is enabled. It allows
Neutron to use the 32-bit PCI bus more effectively. When enabled, this feature merges
bytes or words to double words. When enabled it improves the system performance in
non-32-bit applications or transfers. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are
Enabled.

FAST BACK TO BACK

This option is only available when the CPU to PCI Write Buffer is enabled. When
enabled, it improves the CPU to Write Buffer performance. The options are Enabled
or Disabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Enabled.

PCI TO DRAM BUFFER

This option enables or disables a 2 line double word buffer to improve the transfer
performance of a PCI master device. The options are Enabled or Disabled. The default
settings are Enabled

DMA CHANNELS 0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7

These options specify the bus to which the DMA channel is allocated.
The options determine if AMIBIOS should remove a DMA channel from the available

pool passed to BIOS configurable devices. The available pool is determined by reading
the ESCD NVRAM. If more DMA channels must be removed from the pool, the end
user can use these PCI/PnP Setup options to remove the channel by selecting the
ISA/EISA setting. Onboard I/O is configured by AMIBIOS. The DMA channels used

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by onboard I/O are configured as PnP. The options are PnP or ISA/EISA.
The default settings for all channels are PnP in both Optimal and Fail-Safe modes.

IRQ 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15

These options specify the bus on which the named interrupt request lines (IRQs) are
used. These options allow you to specify IRQs for use by legacy ISA adapter cards.

The options determine if AMIBIOS should remove an IRQ from the pool of available
IRQs passed to BIOS configurable devices. The available IRQ pool is determined by
reading the ESCD NVRAM. If more IRQs must be removed from the pool, the user can
remove the IRQ by selecting the ISA/EISA setting. Onboard I/O IRQs are configured by
AMIBIOS as PCI/PnP.

The options are PCI/PnP or ISA/EISA. The optimal and fail-safe settings for all
available IRQs are PCI/PnP.

RESERVED MEMORY SIZE

This option specifies the size of the memory area reserved for legacy ISA adapter cards.
The settings are Disabled, 16K, 32K, or 64K. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings

are Disabled.

RESERVED MEMORY ADDRESS

This option specifies the starting address (in hex) of the reserved memory area. The
specified ROM memory area is reserved for use by legacy ISA adapter cards.

The settings are C0000, C4000, C8000, CC000, D0000, D4000, D8000, DC000. The
Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are CC000.

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PERIPHERAL SETUP

ONBOARD FDC

This option enables the floppy drive controller on the PC board. The settings are Auto,
Enabled or Disabled. The default setting is Auto.

ONBOARD SERIAL PORT1

This option enables serial port 1 on the board and specifies the base I/O port address for
serial port 1.

The settings are Auto, 3F8h, 3E8h, 2F8h, 2E8h, or Disabled. The default is Auto.

ONBOARD SERIAL PORT2

This option enables serial port 2 on the board and specifies the base I/O port address.
The settings are Auto, 3F8h, 3E8h, 2F8h, 2E8h, or Disabled. The default is Auto.

ONBOARD PARALLEL PORT

This option enables the parallel port on the board and specifies the base I/O port address.
The settings are Auto, 378h, 278h, 3BCh, or Disabled. The default setting is Auto.

PARALLEL PORT MODE

This option specifies the parallel port mode. ECP and EPP are both bi-directional data
transfer schemes that adhere to the IEEE P1284 specifications. The options are :

SETTING DESCRIPTION

Normal The normal parallel port mode is used. This is the default setting.

EPP The parallel port can be used with devices that adhere to the

Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) specification. EPP uses the existing
parallel port signals to provide asymmetric bi-directional data transfer
driven by the host device.

ECP The parallel port can be used with devices that adhere to the

Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) specification. ECP uses the DMA
protocol to achieve transfer rates of approximately 2.5Mbs. ECP
provides symmetric bi-directional communications.

PARALLEL PORT DMA

This option is only available if the setting for the Parallel Port Mode option is ECP.
The settings are 0, 1, or 3. The default setting is 3.

PARALLEL PORT IRQ

Selects which IRQ is assigned to the parallel port. Options are 5 or 7. The default is 7.

ONBOARD IDE

This option specifies the onboard IDE controller channels that will be used. The settings
are Primary, Both or Disabled. The Optimal and Fail-Safe default settings are Primary.

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HARDWARE IO PORT BASE ADDRESS

The NEUTRON has additional IO functions (watchdog timer, three TTL-compatible,
programmable digital input/output lines, and a user-accessible EEPROM). This menu
option specifies the base address of the control registers for these options. The
permissible values are:

100 hex (default) up to 300 hex, and 8000 hex up to 8300 hex, in increments of 100 hex.

EEPROM OR USER IO

The user EEPROM and User IO are mutually exclusive. This option selects one or the
other. The default setting is User IO.

IO LINE 0

This option is only valid if User IO has been selected. It sets the IO line as either an
input or an output. The default setting is as input.

Note that the setting may also be changed under program control (see the section "Using
the Additional IO Functions".

IO LINE 1

This option is only valid if User IO has been selected. It sets the IO line as either an
input or an output. The default setting is as input.

Note that the setting may also be changed under program control (see the section "Using
the Additional IO Functions".

IO LINE 2

This option is only valid if User IO has been selected. It sets the IO line as either an
input or an output. The default setting is as input.

Note that the setting may also be changed under program control (see the section "Using
the Additional IO Functions".

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ADDRESS MAPS

MEMORY MAP

ADDRESS

RANGE

ADDRESS

RANGE

(DECIMAL)

0K –

00000 -

511K

512K –

80000 ­638K
639K 9FC00 -

640K –

A0000 –

799K

800K –

C8000 –

847K

848K –

879K

880K –

D4000 –

DBFFF

DC000 –

895K

896K –

E0000 –

1023K

1024K -

131072K

100000 –

8000000

(HEX)
7FFFF
9FBFF
9FFFF

C7FFF
D3FFF

DFFFF
FFFFF

SIZE DESCRIPTION

512K Conventional
127K Extended conventional

1K Extended BIOS Data

(moveable by QEMM, 386MAX)

160K Video memory and BIOS ( if fitted)

48K Available HI DOS memory

(open to ISA and PCI bus)

32K BIOS Extensions
16K Solid State Disk Pages

128K AMI System BIOS

(not available for UMB)

127M Extended Memory

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I/O MAP

The following table lists the I/O addresses used by single board PC devices. Some of these
devices (e.g. graphics) may not be present in all configurations. Some devices (serial ports,
parallel ports etc.) may be configured for various addresses or disabled. These I/O
locations are listed in the Variable Resources column.

ADDRESS

(HEX)

0000 - 000F 16 DMA 1
0020 - 0021 2 Interrupt Controller 1
002E - 002F 2 Ultra I/O configuration registers
0040 - 0043 4 Timer 1
0060 1 Keyboard Controller Data Byte
0061 1 NMI, speaker control
0064 1 KBD Controller, CMD/STAT Byte
0070, bit 7 1 bit Enable NMI
0070, bits 6:0 7 bits RTC, Address
0071 1 RTC, Data
0080 - 008F 16 DMA Page Register
00A0 - 00A1 2 PIIIX - Interrupt Controller 2
00B2 - 00B3 2 APM Control / Status Interrupt Controller

00C0 - 00DE 31 DMA 2
00F0 1 Reset Numeric Error
0100 # 1 EEPROM and Digital IO Register
0101 # 1 Watchdog
0102 – 0107 # 6 Reserved for Board Configuration
0170 - 0177 8
01F0 - 01F7 8 Primary IDE Channel
0278 - 027B 4 Parallel Port 2
02E8 - 02EF 8 Serial Port 4
02F8 - 02FF 8 Serial Port 2
0376 1
0377 1
0378 - 037F 8 Parallel Port 1
03B0 - 03BB 4 Video controller
03BC - 03BF 4 Parallel Port 3
03C0 - 03DF 16 Video controller
03E8 - 03EF 8 Serial Port 3
03F0 - 03F5 6 Floppy Channel 1
03F6 1 Pri IDE Chan Cmnd Port
03F7 (Write) 1 Floppy Chan 1 Cmd
03F7, bit 7 1 bit Floppy Disk Chg Chan 1
03F7, bits 6:0 7 bits Pri IDE Chan Status Port
03F8 - 03FF 8 Serial Port 1
LPT + 400h 3 ECP regs, LPT base + 400h
04D0 - 04D1 2 Edge/Level INTR Control Reg.
0CF8 - 0CFC* 4 PCI Config Address Reg.
0CF9 1 Turbo & Reset control Reg.
0CFC - 0CFF 4 PCI Config Data Register
FFA0 - FFA7 8 1ary Bus Master IDE regs
FFA8 - FFAF 8 2ary Bus Master IDE regs
FF00-FF07 8 IDE Bus Master Reg.

SIZE

Bytes

FIXED RESOURCES VARIABLE RESOURCES

2

* only accessible by DWORD accesses.
# alternatively based at 100h boundaries up to and including 300h, or 8000h to 8300h.

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INTERRUPTS & DMA CHANNELS

The following tables list the Interrupt and DMA Channel configuration options for on­board devices. The serial ports, parallel ports, and IDE controller can be configured using
SETUP, or any other Plug and Play resource manager (such as the Windows 95/98 Device
Manager). The Graphics interrupt is assigned by the auto-configure utility during boot up.

IRQ RESERVED INTERRUPTS

NMI I/O Channel Check

0 Interval Timer
1 Keyboard buffer full
2 Cascade interrupt from slave PIC
3 Serial 2 (COM2)
4 Serial 1 (COM1)
5 Parallel 2 (LPT2)
6 Floppy Controller
7 Parallel (LPT1)
8 Real time clock

9
10
11
12
13 Math co-processor
14 Primary E-IDE
15

DMA RESERVED

0

1

2 Floppy

3

4 Cascade channel

5

6

7

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USING THE ADDITIONAL IO FUNCTIONS

NEUTRON provides as standard a watchdog timer, and depending upon the BIOS settings,
either three programmable digital input/outputs or a user EEPROM. The board
configuration registers for these functions are located at the IO base address set by the
BIOS. (See “Software Description - BIOS Setup – Peripheral Setup – Hardware IO Port
Base Address”).

WATCHDOG TIMER OPERATION

NEUTRON includes a watchdog timer circuit, which may be used to monitor software or
processor hardware failure. The time-out period of the watchdog is fixed at 500
milliseconds. It may be enabled or disabled by using the software interrupt at INT 50h, or
by writing individual bits to the Watchdog Timer Register directly.

The Watchdog Timer Register is located at the IO Base Address +01h. Setting bit 0 of the
register enables the timer. When enabled, the watchdog will generate a hardware reset if it
is not refreshed every 500 msecs or more frequently. Reading the register refreshes the
timer. The data returned by the read operation is not meaningful.

Note that the watchdog is disabled following a power on or a reset sequence.

WATCHDOG TIMER – Base Address +01h

BIT FUNCTION

0 0=Disabled(default), 1=Enabled

When enabled reading the port address
refreshes the watchdog timer.

1-7 Reserved

The following code demonstrates the control of the watchdog timer.

ENABLE/DISABLE WATCHDOG

EITHER use the software interrupt as follows:

Calling Registers: AH = 05

AL = 01 to enable, 00 to disable

Perform INT 50h.

Return Registers: AH = 00, and Carry flag is clear if successful

AH = 02, and Carry flag is set if function valid but disabled
AH = FF, and Carry flag set if function failed

OR execute the following code:

mov dx,101h ;assumes base address is 100h (the default)
mov al,1h ;enable watchdog
out dx,al

mov dx,101h ;assumes base address is 100h (the default)
mov al,0h ;disable watchdog
out dx,al

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REFRESH WATCHDOG

EITHER use the software interrupt as follows at least once every 500 milliseconds:

Calling Registers: AH = 06

Perform INT 50h

Return Registers: Carry flag clear

OR execute the following code at least once every 500 milliseconds:

mov dx,101h ;assumes base address is 100h (the default)
in al, dx ;refresh timer

EEPROM ACCESS AND CONTROL

The EEPROM on the NEUTRON unit is a NM93C46 serially programmed device that is
accessed through a single register at IO Base Address +00h. It comprises 128 bytes of
user programmable memory, organised as 64 x 16 bit words. The EEPROM does not have
to be completely erased before writing to a single location.

Access to the EEPROM is by reading and writing individual bits in the control register.
The bits are arranged thus:

EEPROM CONTROL – IO Base Address +00h

BIT FUNCTION

0 Write – Chip Select

Read – Data

1 Write – Clock

Read – N/A

2 Write – Data

Read – N/A

3-7 Reserved

The EEPROM may be controlled directly by program, or through the BIOS. The BIOS
provides two functions to simplify user access to the EEPROM memory, available through
a software interrupt (INT 50h):

WRITE TO SINGLE EEPROM LOCATION

Calling Registers: AH = 03

BL = Location (0 – 63)
DX = Write data (16-bit value)

Perform INT 50h

Return Registers: AH = 00, and Carry flag is clear if successful

AH = 02, and Carry flag is set if function valid but disabled
AH = FF, and Carry flag set if function failed

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

READ SINGLE EEPROM LOCATION

Calling Registers: AH = 04

BL = Location (0 – 63)

Perform INT 50h

Return Registers: DX = EEPROM Data

AH = 00, and Carry flag is clear if successful
AH = 02, and Carry flag is set if function valid but disabled
AH = FF, and Carry flag set if function failed

PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL INPUT/OUTPUTS

NEUTRON provides three TTL-compatible programmable digital input/output lines as a
BIOS-selected option. These lines occupy the lower 3 bits of the byte located at the IO
Base Address +00h. They are individually selectable as input or output in the BIOS, or
under program control by writing to the IO Base Address +05h.

IO DIRECTION CONTROL REGISTER - IO Base Address +05h

BIT FUNCTION

0 Write, 1=Output, 0=Input
1 Write, 1=Output, 0=Input
2 Write, 1=Output, 0=Input

3-7 Reserved

The inputs are available by a simple read operation at IO Base Address +00h. As inputs,
they are non-inverting, and are pulled high by on-board resistors. Bits 3 to 7 are undefined.
Outputs are available by writing to the same address.

Alternatively the direction control and data may be handled using the software interrupt
function (Int 50h):-

SET USER IO LINE CONTROL

Calling Registers: AH = 17 (hex)

DL (bits 2-0) = IO Line Mask (0=input, 1=output)

Perform INT 50h

Return Registers: Carry Flag is clear, and AH=00 if successful

Carry flag is set, and AH=02 if not enabled in BIOS setup.

WRITE USER IO LINES

Calling Registers: AH = 16 (hex)

DL (bits 2-0) = IO Line data

Perform INT 50h

Return Registers: Carry Flag is clear, and AH=00 if successful

Carry flag is set, and AH=02 if not enabled in BIOS setup.

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

READ USER IO LINES

Calling Registers: AH = 15 (hex)

Perform INT 50h

Return Registers: DL (bits 2-0) = IO Line data (bits 7-3 = 0)

Carry Flag is clear, and AH=00 if successful
Carry flag is set, and AH=02 if not enabled in BIOS setup.

ACCESSING INT 50H FUNCTIONS

Most high level languages allow access to software interrupts through a particular function
call. The user loads a particular function code into the AH register followed by a specific
set of parameters in the other registers before executing the interrupt.

For example, in C :-

#include <stdio.h>
#include <dos.h>

#define PHOTON 0x50

void main(void)
{

union REGS regs;
regs.x.ax = 0x0400; /* read eeprom data */
regs.x.bx = 0x31; /* from address 0x31 */
int86(PHOTON, ®s, ®s);
printf("EEPROM Address 0x31 contains %x\n",regs.x.dx);

}

and similarly in Quick Basic

'Read EEPROM Data via interrupt 50 call
$include:'QB.BI'

DIM INARY%(7), OUTARY%(7)
CONST AX=0,BX=1,CX=2,DX=3,BP=4,SI=5,DI=6,FL=7

INARY%(AX) = &H0400 ' Read e2 data
INARY%(BX) = &H31 ' address &H31
CALL INT86OLD(&H50,INARY%(),OUTARY%()) ' Call the Int50h service
PRINT "EEPROM ADDRESS &H31 CONTAINS: ";OUTARY%(DX)

Note that only the functions listed in the sections above are valid. On return, the contents
of register AH may contain a value indicating the status:

AH = 00h - Function successful, Carry flag cleared
AH = 01h - Function invalid, Carry flag set
AH = 02h - Function valid but disabled, Carry flag set
AH = 03h - Function failed, Carry flag set

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

DISK-ON-CHIP SUPPORT

The NEUTRON supports the use of M-Systems’ DiskOnChip 2000 or DiskOnChip
Millennium Flash Modules as solid-state disks. The notes below detail the use of the device
with MS-DOS. If support is required for other operating systems, please consult Blue Chip
Technology Technical Services, or M-Systems web-site at www.m-sys.com, for drivers and
application notes.

The DiskOnChip 2000 and Millennium contain a built-in copy of the M-Systems industry­standard TrueFFS software, which allows the DiskOnChip to operate as a standard disk
drive. The DiskOnChip may also contain the operating system thereby permitting systems to
boot without a hard disk. The DiskOnChip may also be configured as the boot device in
systems with a hard disk (see the section “Configuring the DiskOnChip as the First Drive”).

The DiskOnChip is a self-contained device, the installation of which does not necessarily
require any software installation. The basic design of the DiskOnChip allows for full upward
and downward compatibility by supporting an unlimited capacity. Future DiskOnChip
devices with higher densities will be fully compatible with today’s capacities of 2 to 288
MBytes, and the standard DiskOnChip socket.

INSTALLING THE DISK-ON-CHIP

Before installing or removing the DiskOnChip, please read the section on Electro-Static
Discharges at the beginning of this manual. It is essential that you discharge any static
electricity from your body before touching the board or DiskOnChip module. Use the
following procedure to install the DiskOnChip:

• Align pin 1 on the DiskOnChip with pin 1 of the socket (adjacent to the battery).

• Push the DiskOnChip into the socket carefully until it is fully seated.

• Check that the DiskOnChip is installed securely, and that there are no bent pins.

Caution: The DiskOnChip may be permanently damaged if installed incorrectly!

To install the DiskOnChip as drive C on a system without a hard disk, set the CMOS setup
of drive C to “not installed” (indicating that no physical magnetic disk is installed), and
reboot the computer. The DiskOnChip will install as drive C. The DiskOnChip should
then be formatted with the System files in order for it to be a bootable drive. See
“Configuring the DiskOnChip as the BOOT device” below.

To install the DiskOnChip as drive D on a system with a hard disk, reboot the system, and
the DiskOnChip will automatically install as drive D.

To install the DiskOnChip as Drive C on a system with a hard disk, see below
“Configuring the DiskOnChip as the First Drive”.

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

CONFIGURING THE DISK-ON-CHIP AS THE BOOT DEVICE

To configure the DiskOnChip as the boot device, the operating system files have to be
copied to it. Copying the operating system files into DiskOnChip is done in exactly the
same way as any other hard disk. The following is an example of a typical initialisation
process:

• Set the DiskOnChip as a regular drive in your system (not a boot drive).

• Install a bootable floppy diskette in drive A and boot the system.

• At the DOS prompt, type SYS C: to transfer the DOS system files to the

DiskOnChip (assuming the DiskOnChip is installed as drive C).

• Copy any files needed into the DiskOnChip.

• Remove the floppy diskette and reboot the system.

The system will boot from the DiskOnChip, and will allow you to run and access any files
that have been copied into the DiskOnChip.

CONFIGURING THE DISK-ON-CHIP AS THE FIRST DRIVE

The DiskOnChip can be configured to be installed as the last drive (default), or as the first
drive in the system. When configured as the last drive, the DiskOnChip is installed as disk
D if there is one other hard drive installed, and as drive C if no other hard disk is installed.
When configured as the first drive, the DiskOnChip is always installed as drive C. The
DiskOnChip is shipped from the factory, configured to install as the last drive. To
configure the DiskOnChip to be installed as the first drive, proceed as follows:

• Boot the system and make sure the DiskOnChip is installed correctly as drive D

• At the DOS prompt type: DUPDATE D: /FIRST /S:DOC123.EXB

After re-booting the system, the DiskOnChip will appear as drive C:

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL CONNECTORS

CONNECTORS

E-IDE CONNECTOR P1

40-way 2 mm pin header. Mating connector: 40-way 2 mm (IDC) socket.

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 -Reset 2 Ground
3 Data bit 7 (HD) 4 Data bit 8 (HD)
5 Data bit 6 (HD) 6 Data bit 9 (HD)
7 Data bit 5 (HD) 8 Data bit 10 (HD)

9 Data bit 4 (HD) 10 Data bit 11 (HD)
11 Data bit 3 (HD) 12 Data bit 12 (HD)
13 Data bit 2 (HD) 14 Data bit 13 (HD)
15 Data bit 1 (HD) 16 Data bit 14 (HD)
17 Data bit 0 (HD) 18 Data bit 15 (HD)
19 Ground 20 Not used
21 Drive Request 22 Ground
23 -IO Write (HD) 24 Ground
25 -IO Read (HD) 26 Ground
27 Drive Ready 28 Not Used
29 Drive Acknowledge 30 Ground
31 IRQ14 32 HDIOCS16
33 Address 1 (HD) 34 Not Used
35 Address 0 (HD) 36 Address 2 (HD)
37 -Chip Select 0 (HD) 38 -Chip Select 1 (HD)
39 Not Used 40 Ground

VGA CONNECTOR P2

10-way pin header. Mating connector: 10-way 0.1” (IDC) socket.

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 Red 2 Ground

3 Green 4 Ground

5 Blue 6 Ground

7 Hsync 8 Ground

9 Vsync 10 Ground

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL CONNECTORS

RS-232 SERIAL PORT 1 P4 AND PORT 2 P3

10-way pin headers. Mating connector: 10-way 0.1” (IDC) socket.

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 -Data Carrier Detect 2 -Data Set Ready

3 Receive Data 4 -Ready To Send

5 Transmit Data 6 -Clear To Send

7 -Data Terminal Ready 8 -Ring Indicator

9 Ground 10 NC

PROPRIETARY LCD CONNECTOR P5

20-way 2 mm pin header. Mating connector: 20-way 2 mm (IDC) socket.

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 Panel Data 0 2 Switched +5 volts
3 Panel Data 1 4 Switched +5 volts
5 Panel Data 2 6 FLM

(LCD equivalent of VSYNC)
7 Ground 8 Line Clock
9 Panel Data 3 10 MOD

11 Panel Data 4 12 Ground
13 Panel Data 5 14 Switched VEE
15 Panel Data 6 16 Ground
17 Ground 18 Shift Clock
19 Panel Data 7 20 Ground

ECP/EPP PARALLEL PORT P6

26-way pin header. Mating connector: 26-way 0.1” (IDC) socket

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 -Strobe 2 -Auto Feed XT
3 Data bit 0 4 -Error
5 Data bit 1 6 -Initialise
7 Data bit 2 8 -Select (input)
9 Data bit 3 10 Ground

11 Data bit 4 12 Ground
13 Data bit 5 14 Ground
15 Data bit 6 16 Ground
17 Data bit 7 18 Ground
19 -Acknowledge 20 Ground
21 Busy 22 Ground
23 Paper Empty 24 Ground
25 Select (Output) 26 NC

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL CONNECTORS

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE CONNECTOR P7

34-way pin header. Mating connector: 34-way 0.1” IDC socket.

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 Ground 2 +RPM/Low Current
3 Ground 4 Not used
5 Ground 6 Not used
7 Ground 8 -Index
9 Ground 10 -Motor 0

11 Ground 12 -Drive select 1
13 Ground 14 -Drive select 0
15 Ground 16 -Motor 1
17 Ground 18 +Direction
19 Ground 20 -Step
21 Ground 22 -Write Data
23 Ground 24 -Write Gate
25 Ground 26 -Track 0
27 Ground 28 -Write Protect
29 Ground 30 -Read Data
31 Ground 32 +Head Select
33 Ground 34 +Disk Change

LCD SECONDARY CONNECTOR FOR 36 BIT PANELS P8

20-way 2mm header. Mating connector: 20-way 2 mm (IDC) socket.

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 Ground 2 Panel Data 35
3 Panel Data 24 4 Ground
5 Panel Data 25 6 Panel Data 34
7 Ground 8 Panel Data 33
9 Panel Data 26 10 Ground

11 Panel Data 27 12 Panel Data 32
13 Ground 14 Panel Data 31
15 Panel Data 28 16 Ground
17 Panel Data 29 18 Panel Data 30
19 Ground 20 Ground

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL CONNECTORS

LCD CONNECTOR P9

50-way 2mm header. Mating connector: 50-way 2 mm (IDC) socket

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 5V/3V3 Link (J15) 2 Vertical Sync
3 Switched +12 volts 4 Ground
5 Switched VEE 6 Horizontal Sync
7 Switched +5 volts 8 Ground
9 Switched +5 volts 10 General Purpose 1

11 Shift Clock 12 Ground
13 Line Clock 14 General Purpose 0
15 MOD 16 Ground
17 FLM

(LCD equivalent of SYNC)
19 Panel Data 0 20 Ground
21 Panel Data 1 22 Panel Data 23
23 Panel Data 2 24 Ground
25 Panel Data 3 26 Panel Data 22
27 Panel Data 4 28 Ground
29 Panel Data 5 30 Panel Data 21
31 Panel Data 6 32 Ground
33 Panel Data 7 34 Panel Data 20
35 Panel Data 8 36 Ground
37 Panel Data 9 38 Panel Data 19
39 Panel Data 10 40 Ground
41 Panel Data 11 42 Panel Data 18
43 Panel Data 12 44 Ground
45 Panel Data 13 46 Panel Data 17
47 Panel Data 14 48 Ground
49 Panel Data 15 50 Panel Data 16

18 Ground

BATTERY CONNECTOR P10

4-way 0.1” pin header. Mating connector: 4-way Molex KK-type socket (housing 22-01-

3047, crimp 97-00-0445).

PIN NO SIGNAL

1 +3.7 Volts DC
2 Not used (key)
3 Ground
4 Ground

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL CONNECTORS

DIGITAL INPUT/OUTPUTS P11

5-way 0.1” pin header. Mating connector: 5-way JST connector (housing EHR-5, crimp

BEH-001T-PP0.6).

PIN NO SIGNAL

1 Input/Output Line bit 0
2 Input/Output Line bit 1
3 Input/Output Line bit 2
4 Reserved
5 Ground

These three IO lines are connected to bits 0-2 of port 100h (default address). Bits 0-2 are
normally high, and can be pulled low by connecting them to ground.

AUXILIARY POWER CONNECTOR P12

3-way 0.1” pin header. Mating connector: 3-way Molex KK-type socket (housing 22-01-

3037, crimp 97-00-0445)

PIN NO SIGNAL

1 -12 Volts DC
2 Ground
3 -5 Volts DC

UTILITY CONNECTOR P13

20-way 0.1” pin header. Mating connector: 20-way 0.1” (IDC) connector.

PIN NO SIGNAL PIN NO SIGNAL

1 Speaker +ve 2 Speaker –ve
3 Reset +ve 4 Reset -ve (Ground)
5 Turbo LED +ve 6 Turbo LED –ve
7 Turbo switch +ve 8 Turbo switch -ve (Ground)

9 Power LED +ve 10 Power Led -ve ( Ground)
11 Reserved 12 Reserved
13 External SMI +ve 14 External SMI -ve (Ground)
15 +5V (fused) 16 0 Volts (Ground)
17 External +3.6 Volt

Battery

19 Keyboard Data 20 Keyboard Clock

18 0 Volts Battery (Ground)

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL CONNECTORS

PC104 PC/XT CONNECTOR P14

64-way socket mates to PC104 add-in boards.

SIDE A SIGNAL SIDE B SIGNAL

1 -IOCHCK 1 Ground

2 SD7 2 Resetdrv

3 SD6 3 +5 Volts

4 SD5 4 IRQ9

5 SD4 5 -5 Volts

6 SD3 6 DREQ2

7 SD2 7 -12 Volts

8 SD1 8 -0WS

9 SD0 9 +12 Volts
10 IOCHRDY 10 Ground
11 AEN 11 -SMEMW
12 SA19 12 -SMEMR
13 SA18 13 -IOW
14 SA17 14 -IOR
15 SA16 15 -DACK3
16 SA15 16 DREQ3
17 SA14 17 -DACK1
18 SA13 18 DREQ1
19 SA12 19 -REF
20 SA11 20 CLK
21 SA10 21 IRQ7
22 SA9 22 IRQ6
23 SA8 23 IRQ5
24 SA7 24 IRQ4
25 SA6 25 IRQ3
26 SA5 26 -DACK2
27 SA4 27 T/C
28 SA3 28 BALE
29 SA2 29 +5 Volts
30 SA1 30 OSC
31 SA0 31 Ground
32 Ground 32 Ground

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL CONNECTORS

PC104 PC/AT CONNECTOR P15

40-way socket mates to PC104 add-in boards.

SIDE C SIGNAL SIDE D SIGNAL

1 Ground 1 Ground

2 -SBHE 2 -MEMCS16

3 LA23 3 -IOCS16

4 LA22 4 IRQ10

5 LA21 5 IRQ11

6 LA20 6 IRQ12

7 LA19 7 IRQ15

8 LA18 8 IRQ14

9 LA17 9 -DACK0
10 -MEMR 10 DREQ0
11 -MEMW 11 -DACK5
12 SD8 12 DREQ5
13 SD9 13 -DACK6
14 SD10 14 DREQ6
15 SD11 15 -DACK7
16 SD12 16 DREQ7
17 SD13 17 +5 Volts
18 SD14 18 -Master
19 SD15 19 Ground
20 No Connection 20 Ground

POWER CONNECTOR P16

3-way screw terminal block.

TERMINAL SIGNAL

1 +5v
2 Ground
3 +12V

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

ERROR MESSAGES

AMIBIOS ERROR BEEP CODES

The BIOS performs a Power On Self Test (POST) after a reset or reboot. If errors occur
during the POST, the microprocessor indicates the status of the test by writing codes to the
I/O port at address 80 Hex. If the BIOS cannot find and configure the display controller
then the errors are communicated through a series of audible beeps (by the speaker drive
circuit). Fatal errors, which prevent the system from continuing the boot process, will
produce beep codes.

Other errors are displayed textually. For these see AMIBIOS Error Messages, in the
following subsection.

BEEPS ERROR

MESSAGE

1long,

3 short

1 Refresh Failure The memory refresh circuitry on the single board
2 Parity Error Parity is not supported on this product, will not
3 Base 64 KB
4 Timer Not
5 Processor Error The CPU on the single board PC generated an
6 8042 - Gate A20
7 Processor

8 Display Memory
9 ROM Checksum

10 CMOS Shutdown

11 Cache Error /

Video failure A connection to a monitor was not detected.

PC is faulty.
occur.

Memory failure in the first 64 KB.

Memory Failure

Memory failure in the first 64 KB of memory, or

Operational

Failure
Exception

Interrupt Error
Read/Write Error
Error
Register Rd/Wrt

Error
External Cache

Bad

Timer 1 on the single board PC is not functioning.
error.

The keyboard controller (8042) may be bad. The
BIOS cannot switch to protected mode.
The CPU generated an exception interrupt.

System video adapter is either missing or its
memory is faulty. This is not a fatal error.
ROM checksum value does not match the value
encoded in BIOS.
The shutdown register for CMOS RAM failed.

The external cache is faulty.

DESCRIPTION

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

AMIBIOS ERROR CODES ON THE POST DISPLAY

As the BIOS performs the POST after a reset or reboot, the microprocessor indicates the
status of the test by writing codes to the I/O port at address 80 Hex. The following codes
indicate the progress of the microprocessor during the power on test.

UNCOMPRESSED INIT CODE CHECKPOINTS

CODE

(HEX)

D0 NMI is Disabled. CPU ID saved. Init code Checksum verification starting.
D1 To do DMA init, Keyboard controller BAT test, start memory refresh and

going to 4GB flat mode.
D3 To start Memory sizing.
D4 To come back to real mode. Execute OEM patch. Set stack.
D5 E000 ROM enabled. Init code is copied to segment 0 and control to be

transferred to segment 0.
D6 Control is in segment 0. To check <CTRL><HOME> key and verify main

BIOS checksum. If either <CTRL><HOME> is pressed or main BIOS

checksum is bad, go to check point E0 else go to check point D7.
D7 Main BIOS runtime code is to be decompressed and control to be

passed to main BIOS in shadow RAM.

DESCRIPTION

BOOT BLOCK RECOVERY CODE CHECKPOINTS

CODE

(HEX)

E0 On-Board Floppy Controller (if any) is initialised. To start base 512K

memory test.
E1 To initialise interrupt vector table.
E2 To initialise DMA and interrupt controllers.
E6 To enable floppy and timer IRQ, enable internal cache.
ED Initialise floppy drive.
EE Start looking for a diskette in drive A: and read 1st sector of the diskette.
EF Floppy read error.

F0 Start searching ‘AMIBOOT.ROM’ file in root directory.
F1 ‘AMIBOOT.ROM’ file not present in root directory.
F2 Start reading FAT table and analyse FAT to find the clusters occupied

by ‘AMIBOOT.ROM’ file..

F3 Start reading ‘AMIBOOT.ROM’ file cluster by cluster.
F4 ‘AMIBOOT.ROM’ file not of proper size.

F5 Disable internal cache.
FB Detect Flash type present.
FC Erase Flash.
FD Program Flash.
FF Flash program successful. BIOS is going to restart.

DESCRIPTION

These Checkpoints are only utilised when the NEUTRON is fitted with a Flash BIOS

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

RUNTIME CODE

(Uncompressed in F000 shadow RAM)

CODE

DESCRIPTION

(HEX)

03 NMI is Disabled. To check soft reset/power-on.
05 BIOS stack set. Going to disable Cache if any.
06 POST code to be uncompressed.
07 CPU init and CPU data area init to be done.
08 CMOS checksum calculation to be done next.
0B Any initialisation before keyboard BAT to be done next.
0C KB controller I/B free. To issue the BAT command to keyboard

controller.
0E Any initialisation after KB controller BAT to be done next.
0F Keyboard command byte to be written.
10 Going to issue Pin-23,24 blocking/unblocking command.
11 Going to check pressing of <INS> , <END> key during power-on.
12 To init CMOS if “Init CMOS in every boot” is set or <END> key is

pressed. Going to disable DMA and Interrupt controllers.
13 Video display is disabled and port-B is initialised. Chipset init about to

begin.
14 8254 timer test about to start.
19 About to start memory refresh test.
1A Memory Refresh line is toggling. Going to check 15us ON/OFF time.
23 To read 8042 input port and disable Megakey GreenPC feature. Make

BIOS code segment writeable.
24 To do any setup before Int vector init.
25 Interrupt vector initialisation about to begin. To clear password if

necessary.
27 Any initialisation before setting video mode to be done.
28 Going for monochrome mode and colour mode setting.
2A Different BUSes init (system, static, output devices) to start if present.
2B To give control for any setup required before optional video ROM check.
2C To look for optional video ROM and give control.
2D To give control to do any processing after video ROM returns control.
2E If EGA/VGA not found then do display memory R/W test.
2F EGA/VGA not found. Display memory R/W test about to begin.
30 Display memory R/W test passed. About to look for the retrace

checking.
31 Display memory R/W test or retrace checking failed. To do alternate

Display memory R/W test.
32 Alternate Display memory R/W test passed. To look for the alternate

display retrace checking.
34 Video display checking over. Display mode to be set next.
37 Display mode set. Going to display the power on message.
38 Different BUSes init (input, IPL, general devices) to start if present.
39 Display different BUSes initialisation error messages.
3A New cursor position read and saved. To display the Hit <DEL>

message.
40 To prepare the descriptor tables.

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

42 To enter in virtual mode for memory test.
43 To enable interrupts for diagnostics mode.
44 To Initialise data to check memory wrap around at 0:0.

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

45 Data initialised. Going to check for memory wrap around at 0:0 and

finding the total system memory size.
46 Memory wrap around test done. Memory size calculation over. About to

go for writing patterns to test memory.
47 Pattern to be tested written in extended memory. Going to write

patterns in base 640k memory.
48 Patterns written in base memory. Going to find out amount of memory

below 1M memory.
49 Amount of memory below 1M found and verified. Going to find out

amount of memory above 1M memory.
4B Amount of memory above 1M found and verified. Check for soft reset

and going to clear memory below 1M for soft reset. (If power on, go to

check point# 4Eh).
4C Memory below 1M cleared. (SOFT RESET) Going to clear memory

above 1M.
4D Memory above 1M cleared. (SOFT RESET) Going to save the memory

size. (Go to check point# 52h).
4E Memory test started. (NOT SOFT RESET) About to display the first 64k

memory size.
4F Memory size display started. This will be updated during memory test.

Going for sequential and random memory test.
50 Memory testing/initialisation below 1M complete. Going to adjust

displayed memory size for relocation/ shadow.
51 Memory size display adjusted due to relocation/ shadow. Memory test

above 1M to follow.
52 Memory testing/initialisation above 1M complete. Going to save memory

size information.
53 Memory size information is saved. CPU registers are saved. Going to

enter in real mode.
54 Shutdown successful, CPU in real mode. Going to disable gate A20 line

and disable parity/NMI.
57 A20 address line, parity/NMI disable successful. Going to adjust

memory size depending on relocation/shadow.
58 Memory size adjusted for relocation/shadow. Going to clear Hit <DEL>

message.
59 Hit <DEL> message cleared. <WAIT...> message displayed. About to

start DMA and interrupt controller test.
60 DMA page register test passed. To do DMA#1 base register test.
62 DMA#1 base register test passed. To do DMA#2 base register test.
65 DMA#2 base register test passed. To program DMA unit 1 and 2.
66 DMA unit 1 and 2 programming over. To Initialise 8259 interrupt

controller.
7F Extended NMI sources enabling is in progress.
80 Keyboard test started. clearing output buffer, checking for stuck key, to

issue keyboard reset command.
81 Kb reset error/stuck key found. To issue kb controller test command.
82 Keyboard controller interface test over. To write command byte and init

circular buffer.
83 Command byte written, Global data init done. To check for lock-key.
84 Lock-key checking over. To check for memory size mismatch with

CMOS.

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NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

85 Memory size check done. To display soft error and check for password

or bypass setup.
86 Password checked. About to do programming before setup.
87 Programming before setup complete. To uncompress SETUP code and

execute CMOS setup.
88 Returned from CMOS setup program and screen is cleared. About to

do programming after setup.
89 Programming after setup complete. Going to display power on screen

message.
8B First screen message displayed. <WAIT...> message displayed. PS/2

Mouse check and extended BIOS data area allocation to be done.
8C Setup options programming after CMOS setup about to start.
8D Going for hard disk controller reset.
8F Hard disk controller reset done. Floppy setup to be done next.
91 Floppy setup complete. Hard disk setup to be done next.
95 Init of different BUSes optional ROMs from C800 to start.
96 Going to do any init before C800 optional ROM control.
97 Any init before C800 optional ROM control is over. Optional ROM check

and control will be done next.
98 Optional ROM control is done. About to give control to do any required

processing after optional ROM returns control and enable external

cache.
99 Any initialisation required after optional ROM test over. Going to setup

timer data area and printer base address.
9A Return after setting timer and printer base address. Going to set the

RS-232 base address.
9B Returned after RS-232 base address. Going to do any initialisation

before Coprocessor test
9C Required initialisation before Coprocessor is over. Going to Initialise the

Coprocessor next.
9D Coprocessor initialised. Going to do any initialisation after Coprocessor

test.
9E Initialisation after Coprocessor test is complete. Going to check extd

keyboard, keyboard ID and num-lock. Keyboard ID command to be
A2 Going to display any soft errors.
A3 Soft error display complete. Going to set keyboard typematic rate.
A4 Keyboard typematic rate set. To program memory wait states.
A5 Going to enable parity/NMI.
A7 NMI and parity enabled. Going to do any initialisation required before

giving control to optional ROM at E000.
A8 Initialisation before E000 ROM control over. E000 ROM to get control

next.
A9 Returned from E000 ROM control. Going to do any initialisation

required after E000 optional ROM control.

AA Initialisation after E000 optional ROM control is over. Going to display

the system configuration.

AB To uncompress DMI data and execute DMI POST init.

B0 System configuration is displayed.
B1 Going to copy any code to specific area.
00 Copying of code to specific area done. Going to give control to INT-19

boot loader.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 50

NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

AMIBIOS ERROR MESSAGES

Textual error messages are displayed in the following format:

ERROR Message Line 1
ERROR Message Line 2

For most displayed error messages, there is only one message. If a second message
appears, it is "RUN SETUP". If this message occurs, press <F1> to run Setup Utility.

ERROR MESSAGE EXPLANATION

8042 Gate - A20 Error Gate A20 on the keyboard controller (8042) is not working. Replace

the 8042.
Address Line Short! Error in the address decoding circuitry on the single board PC.
Cache Memory Bad,
Do Not Enable Cache!
CH-2 Timer Error Most AT systems include two timers. There is an error in timer 2.
CMOS Battery State
Low
CMOS Checksum
Failure

CMOS System Options
Not Set
CMOS Display Type
Mismatch
CMOS Memory Size
Mismatch
CMOS Time and Date
Not Set
Diskette Boot Failure The boot disk in floppy drive A: is corrupt. It cannot be used to boot

Display Switch Not
Proper
DMA Error Error in the DMA controller.
DMA #1 Error Error in the first DMA channel.
DMA #2 Error Error in the second DMA channel.
FDD Controller Failure The BIOS cannot communicate with the floppy disk drive controller.

HDD Controller Failure The BIOS cannot communicate with the hard disk drive controller.
INTR #1 Error Interrupt channel 1 failed POST.

INTR #2 Error Interrupt channel 2 failed POST.
Invalid Boot Diskette The BIOS can read the disk in floppy drive A:, but cannot boot the

Keyboard Is
Locked...Unlock It
Keyboard Error There is a timing problem with the keyboard. Set the Keyboard option

KB/Interface Error There is an error in the keyboard connector.
Off Board Parity Error Parity error in memory installed in an expansion slot. The format is:

On Board Parity Error Parity is not supported on this product, this error will not occur.
Parity Error ???? Parity error in system memory at an unknown address.

Cache memory is defective. Replace it.

CMOS RAM is powered by a battery. The battery power is low.

Replace the battery.

After CMOS RAM values are saved, a checksum value is generated

for error checking. The previous value is different from the current

value. Run AMIBIOS Setup.

The values stored in CMOS RAM are either corrupt or non-existent.

Run Setup.

The video type in CMOS RAM does not match the type detected by

the BIOS. Run AMIBIOS Setup.

The amount of memory on the single board PC is different than the

amount in CMOS RAM. Run AMIBIOS Setup.

Run Standard CMOS Setup to set the date and time in CMOS RAM.

the system. Use another boot disk and follow the screen instructions.

The display jumper is not implemented on this product, this error will

not occur.

Check all appropriate connections after the system is powered down.

Check all appropriate connections after the system is powered down.

system. Use another boot disk.

The keyboard lock on the system is engaged. The system must be

unlocked to continue.

in Standard CMOS Setup to Not Installed to skip the keyboard POST

routines.

OFF BOARD PARITY ERROR ADDR (HEX) = (XXXX)

Where “XXXX” is the hex address where the error occurred.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 51

NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 52

NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

ISA NMI MESSAGES

ISA NMI MESSAGE EXPLANATION

Memory Parity Error at
XXXXX

I/O Card Parity Error
at XXXXX

DMA Bus Time-out A device has driven the bus signal for more than

Memory failed.
If the memory location can be determined, it is displayed
as XXXXX. If not, the message is Memory Parity Error
????.
An expansion card failed.
If the address can be determined, it is displayed as
XXXXX.
If not, the message is I/O Card Parity Error ????.

7.8 microseconds.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 53

NEUTRON USER MANUAL ERROR MESSAGES

PCI CONFIGURATION ERROR MESSAGES

The following PCI messages are displayed as a group with bus, device and function
information.

<'NVRAM Checksum Error, NVRAM Cleared'>, \ ; String
<'System Board Device Resource Conflict'>, \ ; String
<'Primary Output Device Not Found'>, \ ; String
<'Primary Input Device Not Found'>, \ ; String
<'Primary Boot Device Not Found'>, \ ; String
<'NVRAM Cleared By Jumper'>, \ ; String
<'NVRAM Data Invalid, NVRAM Cleared'>, \ ; String
<'Static Device Resource Conflict'>, \ ; String

The following messages chain together to give a message such as:

"PCI I/O Port Conflict: Bus: 00, Device 0D, Function: 01".

<'PCI I/O Port Conflict:'>, \ ; String
<'PCI Memory Conflict: '>, \ ; String
<'PCI IRQ Conflict: '>, \ ; String
<' Bus '>, \ ; String
<', Device '>, \ ; String
<', Function '>, \ ; String
<'PCI Error Log is Full.'>, \ ; String
<'Floppy Disk Controller Resource Conflict '>, \ ; Text
<'Primary IDE Controller Resource Conflict '>, \ ; Text
<'Secondary IDE Controller Resource Conflict '>, \ ; Text
<'Parallel Port Resource Conflict '>, \ ; Text
<'Serial Port 1 Resource Conflict '>, \ ; Text
<'Serial Port 2 Resource Conflict '>, \ ; Text

If more than 15 PCI conflict errors are detected, the “log full” message is displayed.

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 54

NEUTRON USER MANUAL BOARD LAYOUT

BOARD LAYOUT

Blue Chip Technology Ltd. 01271031 Page 55