DFI G486-EVB User Manual

G486-EVB

Rev. C
System Board
User’s Manual

- D24350415 -

v Copyright 1995 by DFI, Inc.

All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be copied or reproduced

in any form or by any means without the prior written
consent of DFI, Inc.

DFI, Inc. makes no warranties with respect to this
documentation and disclaims any implied warranties of
merchantability, quality, or fitness for any particular
purpose. The information in this document is subject to
change without notice. DFI, Inc. reserves the right to
make revisions to this publication and to make changes
to any and/or all parts of its content, at any time,
without obligation to notify any person or entity of such
changes. Further, DFI, Inc. assumes no responsibility
for any errors that may appear in this document.

DFI is a registered trademark, and G486-EVB is a
trademark of Diamond Flower, Inc. All other product
names mentioned are trademarks or registered trade­marks of their respective companies.

v FCC Statement on Class B

This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interfer­ence when the equipment is operated in a residential
installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy, and if not installed and
used in accordance with the instruction manual may
cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will
not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment off and on. The user is encouraged to try to
correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna,

• Increase the separation between the equipment and
the receiver,

• Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit
different from that to which the receiver is
connected, or

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV
technician for help.

Notice:

1. Any changes or modifications not expressly approved
by the party responsible for compliance could void the
user’s authority to operate the equipment.

2. Shielded interface cables must be used in order to
comply with the emission limits.

v Table of Contents v

Introduction .................................................................................

Features and Specifications .................................................

Installation Overview .................................................................

Preparing the Area ................................................................

Handling the System Board ..................................................

Tips in Handling the System Board ...............................

Hardware Installation .............................................................

Memory Installation .........................................................

Installing the Modules ..............................................

Board Configuration ...............................................................

Jumper Settings ..............................................................

Locations of Jumpers JP3 and JP15 .......................

Jumper Settings for VL-Bus Add-on Boards ..........

Jumper Settings for Light and Deep Green ...........

Cache Configuration .......................................................

Jumper Settings for Cache Memory .......................

CPU Installation and Upgrade .......................................

Jumper Settings for CPUs ......................................

Write-Back CPUs Special Notice ............................

Installing Upgrade CPUs .........................................

Installing the System Board ..................................................

Initial Setup Program .................................................................

Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility ..........................................

Standard CMOS Setup ...................................................

BIOS Features Setup .....................................................

Chipset Features Setup .................................................

Power Management Setup ............................................

Load BIOS Defaults ........................................................

Load Setup Defaults .......................................................

Password Setting ............................................................

IDE HDD Auto Detection ................................................

Save and Exit Setup .......................................................

Exit Without Saving ........................................................

1-1

1-1

2-1

2-1
2-2
2-2
2-3
2-3
2-5
2-6
2-7

2-7
2-10
2-11
2-12
2-14
2-15
2-16
2-17
2-50
2-55

3-1

3-2

3-2

3-5

3-7

3-8

3-9

3-9
3-10
3-11
3-14
3-14

Troubleshooting ...........................................................................

4-1

Appendix A: Types of Modules .................................................

Appendix B: System Error Report ............................................

Appendix C: Memory and I/O Maps ..........................................

Appendix D: 16-Bit ISA I/O Pin Assignments ..........................

Appendix E: VL-Bus I/O Pin Assignments ...............................

Appendix F: Connector Pin Assignments ...............................

Appendix G: Award BIOS Hard Disk Table .............................

A-1
B-1
C-1
D-1
E-1

F-1

G-1

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

v Introduction

The G486-EVB is a green system board that meets the
Environmental Protection Agency’s Green PC require­ments. It reduces energy consumption to 15 Watts or
less by automatically turning off peripherals or the entire
system, when not in use.

The G486-EVB may be equipped with 5V or 3.3V CPU.
It accommodates all of the Intel 486 family of CPUs
including the energy saving SL Enhanced CPUs. It will
also support the AMD and Cyrix CPUs.

The G486-EVB uses 256KB x 36, 1MB x 36 and 4MB
x 36 HSIM modules. The memory can be configured to
six different sizes from 1MB to 64MB. In addition, the
G486-EVB is equipped with three 32-bit VL-Bus, and
six 16-bit and one 8-bit ISA expansion slots.

Features and Specifications

Processor

Intel 486SX/SX-S/DX/DX2/DX-S/DX2-S/DX4 (full

series) and Pentium OverDrive

AMD 486DX/DX2/DXL/DXL2 (full series) /

DX2 NV8T/DX4 NV8T/DX2 SV8B/
DX4 SV8B

Cyrix 486S/DX/DX2 (full series) /DX2V/

DX4V/M1SC

1-1 u Introduction

G486-EVB

Chipset

• EFAR - EC802GL: system and cache controller
EC100G: data buffer

Architecture

• VLB/ISA

Energy Efficient Design

• Supports 3.3V/3.45V/3.6V/4V/5V CPUs (jumper

selectable)

• Ready for Intel SL Enhanced CPUs

• Supports system power management

• Supports CPU stopped clock

• Supports optional external power management

switch

• Supports power saving video mode

• Four power-saving stages: Ready, Doze, Standby

and Suspend

• Built-in hardware auto-transition mechanism

• Microsoft APM supported

BIOS

• Award system BIOS

• Supports IDE HDDs larger than 528MB under DOS

(LBA mode only)

• Flash EPROM (option)

Cache Memory

• 128KB, 256KB or 512KB direct map write-back or

write-through cache subsystem

• Uses 32KBx8, 64KBx8 or 128KBx8 SRAM

Introduction u 1-2

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

Memory Onboard

• Up to 64MB

• Four 72-pin SIMM sockets

• Supports single and/or double density SIMMs

• Supports 256KBx36, 512KBx36, 1MBx36,
2MBx36, 4MBx36 or 8MBx36 SIMMs

Expansion Slots

• Three VESA VL-Bus slots

• Six 16-bit ISA slots

• One 8-bit ISA slot

Slot Limitations:

Due to the height of the heat sink, once the
processor is in place, you cannot install full-length
add-in cards in ISA slot connectors J4/J10, J5/J11
and J6/J12. You may still install half-length or
shorter cards in those slots.

ZIF Socket

• 237-pin ZIF socket (Intel Socket 3)

Board Dimensions

• 22cm (8.58") x 25cm (9.75")
Baby AT form factor

Package Checklist

The G486-EVB package contains the following items:

• The G486-EVB system board

• One G486-EVB user’s manual

If either of these items is missing or damaged, please
contact your dealer or sales representative for assistance.

1-3 u Introduction

v Installation Overview

This chapter summarizes the steps in installing the
G486-EVB system board into your system unit. It also
includes a description of the area in which you must
work and directions for memory installation. Before
installing the system board, obtain the memory you plan
to install. Please refer to the memory chart on page 2-3
for the number and type of High Density Single In-line
Memory (HSIM) modules needed.

Preparing the Area

Before unpacking the system board, make sure the
location you have selected is relatively free of dust and
static. Excessive exposure to dust, static electricity,
direct sunlight, excessive humidity, extreme cold and
water can damage the operational capabilities of your
system board. Avoid placing the unit on soft surfaces
such as beds and carpeted floors which can hinder air
circulation. These areas also attract static electricity
which can damage some circuits on your system board.

G486-EVB

Be sure that the power source has a properly grounded,
three-pronged socket. It is essential that the power
connection be properly grounded for correct functioning
of your system board. For further protection, we recom­mend that you use a surge protection socket. This will
protect the system board from damage that may result
from a power surge on the line.

Move items that generate magnetic fields away from your
system board, since magnetic fields can also damage your
system board. Once you have selected the ideal location,
unpack the G486-EVB system board carefully.

Installation Overview u 2-1

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

Handling the System Board

It is quite easy to inadvertently damage your system
board even before installing it in your system unit.
Static electrical discharge can damage computer compo­nents without causing any signs of physical damage.
You must take extra care in handling the system board
to ensure that no static build-up is present.

Tips in Handling the System Board

1) To prevent electrostatic build-up, leave the board in
its anti-static bag until you are ready to install it.

2) Do all preparation work on a static-free surface with
components facing up.

3) Hold the system board by its edges only. Be careful
not to touch any of the components, contacts or
connections, especially gold contacts on the board.

4) Avoid touching the pins or contacts on all modules
and connectors. Hold modules and connectors by
their edges.

Warning:

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your upgrade
processor, disk drives, add-in boards, and other
components. Perform the upgrade instruction
procedures described at an ESD workstation only. If
such a station is not available, you can provide some
ESD protection by wearing an antistatic wrist strap and
attaching it to a metal part of the system chassis. If a
wrist strap is unavailable, establish and maintain
contact with the system chassis throughout any
procedures requiring ESD protection.

2-2 u Installation Overview

Hardware Installation

Memory Installation

The G486-EVB system board can support 1MB to
64MB of memory using HSIMM. HSIMM is an acro­nym for High Density Single In-line Memory Module.

A HSIMM consists of RAM chips soldered onto a small
circuit board. A HSIMM connects to the system board
via a 72-pin card-edge connector.

The HSIMM sockets are divided into four banks on the
system board. The G486-EVB system board uses
256K x 36, 512K x 36, 1M x 36, 2M x 36, 4M x 36 and
8M x 36 HSIM modules.

A list of tested memory brands and speeds is given in
Appendix A.

You will need 1 to 4 pieces of HSIM modules, depend­ing on the amount of memory you intend to install.
Your system board can be configured with 1MB, 4MB,
8MB, 16MB, 32MB or 64MB of onboard memory.

G486-EVB

Installation Overview u 2-3

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

When installing the HSIM modules, populate Bank 0
first followed by Bank 1 and so on. Failure to do so will
cause the system board to work improperly.

The following table summarizes the bank locations and
modules needed for the corresponding memory sizes.
Each bank consists of one HSIMM socket.

Memory Size

1MB
2MB
4MB
4MB
4MB
8MB

8MB
16MB
16MB
16MB
32MB
64MB

Bank 0

256K x 36
512K x 36
256K x 36
512K x 36
1M x 36
1M x 36
2M x 36
1M x 36
2M x 36
4M x 36
4M x 36
4M x 36

Bank 1

-

-

256K x 36

-

-

1M x 36

-

1M x 36

-

­4M x 36
4M x 36

Bank 2

-

­256K x 36
512K x 36

-

-

­1M x 36
2M x 36

-

­4M x 36

Bank 3

-

-

256K x 36

-

-

-

-

1M x 36

-

-

-

4M x 36

2-4 u Installation Overview

G486-EVB

Bank 3
Bank 2
Bank 1
Bank 0

EC100G

Pin 1 of the HSIMM socket

EC802G

Locations of the HSIMM Sockets on the G486-EVB System Board

Installing the Modules

HSIMMs simply snap into a socket on the system board.
Pin 1 of the HSIMM must correspond with Pin 1 of the
socket.

Installation Overview u 2-5

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

1. Position the HSIM module above the socket with the
“notch” in the module aligned with the “key” on the
socket.

2. Seat the module at an angle into the bank. Make
sure it is completely seated. Tilt the module upright
until it locks in place in the socket.

Board Configuration

The G486-EVB is designed with jumpers to configure
the board. Make sure that the jumpers are set correctly
before installing the system board into your system unit.

JP5

JP8

JP2

JP1

JP16

JP15

JP14

Locations of Jumpers and Connectors

on the G486-EVB System Board

2-6 u Installation Overview

JP17
JP18

JP22
JP21
JP20

EC100G

JP19

JP23
JP24

EC802G

JP41-JP43

JP25
JP26
JP27

JP29

JP28

JP30

JP44
JP45
JP46
JP47

S1

S2

S3

JP31

JP32

JP34

JP33

JP35

JP36

JP37

JP38
JP39
JP40

D6

Jumper Settings

Jumper Settings for Flash EPROM and Internal Battery

G486-EVB

JP8

JP1

EC100G

EC802G

Locations of Jumpers JP1 and JP8

on the G486-EVB System Board

Jumper JP1

EPROM Type

Jumper JP1 should be set to match the type of EPROM
installed on the G486-EVB system board.

Installation Overview u 2-7

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

On: Flash EPROM 28F010

Off: EPROM 27512

(Default)

Jumper JP8

Internal Battery Select

The G486-EVB comes with an internal battery. If you
wish to install an external battery, set JP8 pins 1 and 2
to On.

321

1-2 On:

External Battery Enabled

Internal Battery Enabled

321

2-3 On:

(Default)

Note:

If you enable the external battery, you must connect an
external battery to connector JP2 or your system will
lose its CMOS settings when powered off.

The jumper below is for factory testing only and should
always be set to its default configuration. Reconfiguring
this jumper will cause problems with your G486-EVB
system board.

2-8 u Installation Overview

Jumper JP14 - On

Jumper Settings for VL-Bus Add-in Boards

G486-EVB

EC100G

EC802G

JP41,JP42

Locations of Jumpers JP41 and JP42

on the G486-EVB System Board

Installation Overview u 2-9

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

Jumper JP41

High Speed Mode for VL-Bus Board

Set Jumper JP41 to Off only if the VESA VL-Bus
add-on board(s) installed in the VL-Bus slots support
Zero Wait State. If you are not sure that your add-on
board(s) support Zero Wait State, set JP41 to On;
otherwise, a system error may occur.

On: Write One Wait State

Off: Write Zero Wait State

(Default)

Jumper JP42

CPU Speed for VL-Bus Board

If a VL-Bus board is installed in the G486-EVB system
board, Jumper JP42 must be set to On if the CPU speed
is greater than 33MHz. Set JP42 to Off if the CPU
speed is less than or equal to 33MHz.

On: CPU Speed > 33MHz

Off: CPU Speed <= 33MHz

(Default)

2-10 u Installation Overview

Jumper Settings for Light and Deep Green

G486-EVB

EC100G

EC802G

JP35

Location of Jumper JP35 on the G486-EVB System Board

Jumper JP35

Light/Deep Green Select

The different types of CPUs supported by the
G486-EVB allow you to select from two different
energy saving modes. If you have a standard Intel
486DX, SX, OverDrive Processor or AMD 486DXL,
the G486-EVB will run in Light Green mode. If you
have an energy saving SL Enhanced Intel 486DX,
486DX4 or Cyrix Cx486S/Cx486S2 CPU, then the
G486-EVB will run in Deep Green mode. Set Jumper
JP35 according to the type of CPU installed on the
board.

Installation Overview u 2-11

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

On: Light Green
486DX, 486SX,
Intel486TM OverDrive
Processor, AMD 486DXL

Off: Deep Green
SL Enhanced Intel486TM DX,
486DX4, Cyrix Cx486S/Cx486S2
(Default)

Cache Configuration

The G486-EVB system board can be configured to three
different cache sizes: 128KB, 256KB and 512KB.
128KB of cache memory is the default size. Either
32K x 8 (20ns) or 128K x 8 (20ns) SRAM chips are
used for cache depending on the size of cache desired.
One 8K x 8 or 32K x 8 (20ns) SRAM is needed for tag
RAM to store the cacheable addresses (refer to the table
below). The location of the SRAM sockets on the
system board is shown on the next page.

Cache Size U15/U17/U19/U21 U16/U18/U20/U22 U23

128KB* 32K x 8 (20ns) None 8K x 8 (20ns)
256KB 32K x 8 (20ns) 32K x 8 (20ns) 32K x 8 (20ns)
512KB 128K x 8 (20ns) None 32K x 8 (20ns)

* Default setting

2-12 u Installation Overview

G486-EVB

Note:

When the G486-EVB is equipped with 128KB cache,
cacheable memory is limited to 32MB. Any memory
over 32MB will be non-cacheable.

U15 U16
U17
U19
U21
U23

U18
U20
U22

EC100G

EC802G

Locations of the SRAMs on the G486-EVB System Board

Installation Overview u 2-13

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

Jumper Settings for Cache Memory

JP22
JP21
JP20

EC100G

Locations of Jumpers JP19-JP21 and JP25-JP27

on the G486-EVB System Board

JP19

EC802G

JP25
JP26
JP27

Jumpers

JP19
JP20
JP21
JP25
JP26
JP27

128KB* 512KB256KB

Off
2-3 On
2-3 On

On

On

Off

* Default setting

2-14 u Installation Overview

Cache Memory Size

Off
1-2 On
1-2 On

On

On

On

On
2-3 On
1-2 On

On

On

On

JP19

G486-EVB

On

1

JP20 or JP21

2
3

1-2: On

JP25, JP26 or JP27

On

CPU Installation and Upgrade

The G486-EVB is equipped with a 237-pin Zero
Insertion Force (ZIF) socket at location U29 of the
system board, to make upgrading flexible and easy.
Make sure the jumpers are set correctly before applying
power, or you may damage the CPU or system board.

Off

1
2
3

2-3: On

Off

The G486-EVB system board supports three VESA
VL-Bus slots. VESA-1 and VESA-2 are master slots
and VESA-3 is a slave slot with all CPUs except Cyrix.
When the system board is equipped with a Cyrix CPU,
VESA-1 is the only master slot and VESA-2 becomes a
second slave slot.

Installation Overview u 2-15

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

Note:

Level 1 write-back requires VL-Bus mastering cards to
comply with VESA specification version 2.0.

Jumper Settings for CPUs

JP16

JP15

JP17
JP18

JP22

EC100G

JP23
JP24

EC802G

ZIF

Socket

JP29

JP28

JP30

JP44
JP45
JP46
JP47

S1

S2

S3

JP33

JP32

JP34

JP36

Locations of Jumpers JP15-JP18, JP22-JP24, JP28-JP30,

JP32-JP34, JP36, JP44-47, S1, S2 and S3 on the G486-EVB

System Board

Caution:

You will need to change the CPU-type jumper settings.
(Please refer to the following pages of the manual.)

Before proceeding with the upgrade, take note of the
following: The microprocessor and heat sink may be hot
if the system has been running. To avoid the possibility
of a burn, power the system off and let the processor
and heat sink cool for 10 minutes.

2-16 u Installation Overview

G486-EVB

Write-Back CPUs Special Notice

The following CPUs support Internal Cache Write-Back
Mode: Intel Write-Back CPU, Intel Pentium OverDrive
and Cyrix CPU. If your CPU is not a Write-Back CPU,
you may skip over this part of the manual.

Before proceeding with the following installation, make
sure your CPU is a Write-Back CPU. Please follow
through the steps below:

Step 1: Adjust the jumper settings by the type of your

CPU (refer to the pages between page 2-18 and
page 2-49).

Step 2: Complete the hardware installation (refer to the

pages from page 2-50 through page 2-55).

Step 3: Power up your system, enter the CMOS Setup

Utility by pressing <Del> (refer to page 3-1 and
page 3-2).

Step 4: Use arrow keys to highlight the item "CHIPSET

FEATURES SETUP" (refer to page 3-7).

Step 5: Select the item "CPU Inter. Cache Policy", and

change it to "WRITE-BK".

Step 6: Save all your changes and exit Setup Utility

(refer to page 3-14).

Step 7: Reboot your system.

Installation Overview u 2-17

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

Warning:

Most of these Write-Back CPUs can be set as Internal
Cache Write-Back Mode or Internal Cache Write­Through Mode. If you adjust the CPU jumper settings to
Write-Through Mode (WT), you must change the "CPU
Inter. Cache Policy" to WRITE-TH at the same time. If
you adjust the CPU jumper settings to Write-Back Mode
(WB), you also must change the "CPU Inter. Cache
Policy" to WRITE-BK at the same time. Both the system
board and CPU will be damaged if you fail to do so.

2-18 u Installation Overview

G486-EVB

Jumpers JP15-JP18, JP22-JP24, JP28-JP30, JP32-JP34, JP36 and
JP44-47

CPU Type Select

Intel 486SX

JP15

Off

JP24

2

1

Off

1

2
3

4
5

JP16

Off

JP28

2-3 On

8
7

JP17

1-2 On

1
2

3

2

4
6

8

1
2

3

JP29

Off

JP18

1-2 On

1
2

3
4

1

3
5

7

1

1
2

3

2
3

4

JP22

Off

JP30

Off

1
2

3
4

JP32

Off

JP45

JP44

1
2

3
4

JP23

Off

1
2

3
4

5

JP47

JP46

JP33

1-2, 3-4 On (5V)

Installation Overview u 2-19

JP34

Off

JP36

Off

JP44-47

Off

Green 486 VL-Bus System Board

Intel 486SX-S

JP15

Off

JP24

1-2 On

2

1

1
2

3
4

5

JP16

Off

JP28

2-3 On

8
7

JP17

1-2 On

1

2
3

2
4

6
8

1
2

3

JP29

Off

JP18

1-2 On

1
2

3
4

1
3

5
7

1

1

2
3

2
3

4

JP22

1-2 On

JP30

Off

1
2

3
4

JP32

Off

JP45

JP44

1
2

3
4

JP23

1-2 On

1
2

3
4

5

JP47

JP46

JP33

JP34

1-2, 3-4 On (5V)

2-20 u Installation Overview

Off

JP36

Off

JP44-47

Off

Intel 486DX/DX2

G486-EVB

JP15

Off

JP24

2

1

Off

1

2
3

4
5

JP16

Off

JP28

1-2 On

8
7

JP17

1-2 On

1
2

3

2

4
6

8

1
2

3

JP29

3-4 On

JP18

1-2 On

1
2

3
4

1

3
5

7

1

1
2

3

2
3

4

JP22

Off

JP30

On

1
2

3
4

JP32

Off

JP45

JP44

1
2

3
4

JP23

Off

1
2

3
4

5

JP47

JP46

JP33

1-2, 3-4 On (5V)

Installation Overview u 2-21

JP34

Off

JP36

Off

JP44-47

Off