AST RESEARCH AST-3G plus II User manual

I
Graphics Products
AST-3G plus IIT M
Users Manual

FCC WARNING
This equipment has been certified to comply with the limits for
a Class B computing device, pursuant to Subpart J of Part
15
of FCC Rules. Only peripherals (computer input/output
devices, terminals, printers, etc.) certified to comply with the
Class B limits may
be attached to a computer that complies
with Class B limits. Operation with non-certified peripherals
is
likely to result in interference to radio and TV reception. When
connecting to a peripheral device, a shielded
1/0 cable is
required to ensure compliance with FCC rules.
Instructions to User
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy
and if not installed and used properly, that
is, in strict
accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, may cause
interference to radio and television reception.
It has been type
tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B
.~, computing device in accordance with the specifications in
Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to
provide reasonable protection against such interference
in a
residential installation. However, there
is no guarantee that
interference will not occur
in a particular installation. If this
equipment does cause 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 the receiving antenna.
• Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver.
• Move the computer away from the receiver.
• Plug the computer into a different outlet so that
computer and receiver are
on different branch
circuits.
• Ensure that board slot covers are
in place when no
board
is installed.
• Ensure that all brackets are fastened securely to the
PC chassis.

FCC Warning
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an
experienced radio/television technician for additional
suggestions. The user may find the following booklet prepared
by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) helpful:
"How to Identify and Resolve Radio.:rV Interference /"""..
Problems." This booklet
is available from the U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington,
DC 20402. Stock No.
004-000-00345-4.
,,......,,,

AST-3G Plus IITM
Enhanced Graphics Adapter
for the
AST Premium/286 ™Personal Computer,
IBM® Personal Computer,
IBM PC XT, PC XT Model 286,
PC
Al®, and
Other IBM-Compatible Machines
User's Manual
000457-001 A
July 1987
AST RESEARCH, INC.
Irvine, California
[phone]

First Edition (July 1987)
AST Research is a registered trademark of AST Research, Inc, AST·3G Plus II is a
trademark of
AST Research, Inc.
IBM and
AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation. HerclJles
is a trademark of Hercules Computer Technology, Inc.
MultiSync is a trademark of NEC Home Electronics (U.S.A.) Inc.
In view of demonstrated product reliability and comprehensive warranty policies,
AST Research, Inc. does not normally provide schematics or material lists. AST
recognizes that some customers with a large installed base of AST products
want supportive documentation for their own service organizations.
In such
cases, customers should contact
AST Research corporate offices to consider an
appropriate nondisclosure agreement to obtain this documentation.
Changes are periodically made
to the information contained in this manual;
these changes will
be incorporated into new editions.
A Product Comment Form
is provided at the back of this publication. If this form
has been removed, please address your comments to:
AST Research, Inc., Attn:
Product Marketing,
2121 Alton Ave., Irvine, CA 92714. AST Research may use or
distribute any
of the information you supply in any way it deems appropriate
without incurring any obligations whatsoever.
Copyright 1987
AST Research, Inc. All rights are reserved, including those to
reproduce this book or parts thereof
in any form without permission in writing
from
AST Research, Inc.
WARNING
This manual is protected by United States Copyright law
(Title
17 United States Code). Unauthorized reproduction
and/or sales may result in imprisonment
of up to one year
and fines of up to $10,000 (17
USC 506). Copyright
infringers may be subject to civil liability.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCING AST-3G PLUS 11... ••.......•••••••..••••.•..............•••• vii
ABOUT THIS MANUAL............................................................
xi
How to Find What You're Looking For................................ xi
Format Notation .................................................................. xii
Related Documentation ..................................................... xiv
PART 1. GETTING STARTED
1. BEFORE YOU BEGIN ........................................................ 1-1
1.1 Checking the Contents......................................................1-2
1.2 Compatibility and System Requirements .........................1-2
1.2.1 ROM Module Requirement .......................................1-3
1.3 What You Need
to Know Before You Start....................... 1-4
1.3.1 Configuration Checklist.............................................1-5
2. OVERVIEW........................................................................2-1
2.1 Some Terms You Should Know........................................ 2-1
2.2 Versatility of the AST -3G Graphics Display Adapter ........2-2
2.3 Monitors Used with
AST -3G ..............................................2-2
2.3.1 IBM 5151 Monochrome Display Monitor..................2-3
2.3.2 IBM 5153 Color Display Monitor...............................2-3
2.3.3 IBM 5154 Enhanced Color Display Monitor.............2-3
2.3.4 NEC MultiSync Monitor.............................................2-4
2.3.3
AST Premium Display ...............................................2-4
2.4 AST-3G Graphics and Text Operating Modes..................2-4
iii

AST-3G
2.5 Using Two Display Adapters.............................................2-7
PART II. BASIC INSTALLATION
3. CONFIGURATION AND INSTALLATION ...........................3-1
3.1 Quick Installation Procedure............................................. 3-1
3.2 Complete Configuration and Installation Overview..........3-3
3.3 Check
ROM Module Date..................................................3-4
3.4 AST-3G Default Configuration...........................................3-5
3.5 Changing the Factory Configuration ................................3-7
3.5.1 SW1 Switch ...............................................................3-8
3.5.2 Auto Emulation .........................................................3-8
3.5.3 Auto Monitor..............................................................3-9
3.5.4
SW1 Switch Setting Tables.......................................3-9 r--...
3.6 Installing your AST -3G .....................................................3-12
3.7 The EMUL Program.........................................................3-17
PART III. APPENDICES
A. FEATURE CONNECTOR.................................................. A-1
B. LIGHT PEN INTERFACE .................................................. B-1
FIGURES
Figure
1-1. Installation Overview .................................................. 1-1
Figure 3-1. Configuration and Installation....................................3-4
Figure 3-2.
AST -3G Display Adapter Layout (Default
Configuration)...............................................3-6
Figure 3-3. Removing the
PC Cover...........................................3-13
Figure 3-4. Removing the PC-AT Cover.....................................3-14
Figure 3-5. System Board
SW1 (PC and PC-XT only)...............3-15
Figure 3-6. Installing the AST-3G Adapter..................................3-16
iv

CONTENTS
Figure A-1. Feature Connector Layout........................................ A-3
~ Figure 8-1. Light Pen Interface Connector ................................. 8-2
TABLES
Table 2-1. AST-3G Graphics Modes.............................................2-5
Table 2-2. AST-3G Text Modes.....................................................2-6
Table 3-1. AST
-3G Default Configuration.....................................3-7
Table 3-2.
SW1 Settings with AST-3G Used at Powerup Time .. 3-11
Table 3-3. SW1 Settings with AST-3G as Secondary Adapter .. 3-12
Table A-1. Feature Connector Inputs and Outputs.....................
A-1
Table 8-1. Light Pen Interface Pinouts........................................ 8-1
v

AST-3G
NOTES
vi

INTRODUCING AST-3G PLUS II
The AST -3G Plus IITM graphics display adapter (hereafter referred
to as AST-3G) provides advanced color and high-resolution
graphics capabilities for the
AST Premium/286, IB~Personal
Computer (PC), PC XT, PC AT, and most IBM-compatibles. AST-
3G, AST's third-generation graphics product, can perform the
Functions
of four different display adapter cards. It is compatible
with the AST Premium Display, three IBM PC display monitors
(and equivalents), and the
NEC™ MultiSync.
You can emulate the Hercules™ Graphics Card (HGC) and the
AST Preview™ card. You will also have far greater compatibility
with software designed for use with the IBM Color/Graphics
Adapter (CGA), and the IBM Monochrome Display/Printer Adapter
(MDA).
Basic
AST -3G features include:
• Compatibility with the following monitors:
IBM
5151 Monochrome Display (MD).
IBM 5153 Color Display (CD).
IBM 5154 Enhanced Color Display (ECD).
NEC MultiSync™.
AST Premium Display (monochrome and color).
• Compatibility with the IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter
(EGA). Includes operational characteristics of the IBM
CGAand MDA.
• Can coexist with the MDA, HGC, AST Preview,
or the
CGA. (Refer
to Section 2.5.)
vii

Introducing AST-3G
• Using EGA capabilities, can provide 640 x 350 pixel
resolution, with use of
16 colors simultaneously from a
color palette of
64 different colors.
• Using CGA capabilities, provides 640 x 200 and 320 x 200
pixel resolutions, 4-color graphics and 16-colortext.
Provides
640 x 400 pixel resolutions if MultiSync monitor
is attached.
• Using
MOA capabilities, provides a 9 x 14 pixel character
box for high-quality monochrome text.
• Random access memory (RAM)-based, loadable
character generator capable of generating up
to 512
displayable characters for use in any application (such as
scientific notation and foreign language character sets).
• Supports up to
43 lines of 80-column text.
• Supports 132-column x 25-line text.
• 256
KB of on-board graphics memory supports up to
eight graphics pages
in 320 x 200 pixel, 16-color mode.
• Designed using advanced very large scale integration
(VLSI) technology for speed, reliability, and compatibility.
• Provides a standard IBM-compatible feature connector.
• Includes a standard IBM-EGA-compatible light pen
interface.
• Performs the functions of the HGC or the
AST Preview
adapter. Compatible with HGC/Preview hardware (mode
registers). Using HGC capabilities, provides
720 x 348
pixel resolution monochrome graphics and a 9 x
14 pixel
character box for high-quality text characters.
viii

Introducing AST-3G
• Compatible with software designed for the IBM CGA and
MDA. In addition to EGA compatibility, has CGA and
MDA hardware compatibility (mode and color registers).
• Automatically adjusts to monitor type.
• Automatically adjusts
to CGA/MDA/EGA modes as
required by your application software, if the appropriate
monitor
is connected.
ix

Introducing AST-3G
NOTES
x

ABOUT THIS MANUAL
This manual is divided into three parts to make it easy to find the
information you need. Part
I, "Getting Started", offers information
you need to know before you install AST-3G. Part
II, "Basic
Installation", shows you how to configure and install AST-3G. Part
III, "Appendices", provides information about the feature
connector and the light pen interface.
How to Find What You're Looking For
For information on compatibility and system requirements:
Section 1 provides important considerations for installing
AST-3G.
r". For information on graphics and text capabilities:
Section 2 defines some basic graphics terms, describes
the different monitors you can use with
AST -3G and lists
the graphics and text capabilities available with AST-3G.
To configure and install the AST-3G board in your PC:
Section 3 shows you how to configure and install AST -3G
on your PC board.
For information on the feature connector:
Appendix A describes feature connector inputs and
outputs.
For information on the /ig/7t pen interface:
Appendix B shows light pen pinouts.
xi

Getting Started
Format Notation
This manual uses the following format notation:
• Uppercase characters indicate items that you enter
exactly
as shown. However, you can enter those Items In
any combination of upper- or lowercase letters.
• Boldface indicates the information that you enter, as
contrasted with system prompts or messages (which are
shown in regular typeface). A boldface entry can be a
parameter such as a file name or a key
to press.
• Square brackets ([ J) indicate an optional term you can
include or omit at your discretion. The brackets are not
entered.
• Lowercase letters identify variable information (such as
filenames) that you must supply.
• Angle brackets « » tell you to press a key. For
example, < Esc> tells you to press the "Esc" key. You do
not have to press the < Enter> key unless you are
specifically told to
do so.
• Numbers on the numeric keypad are abbreviated as
< Num Key>. For example, < Num Key 5> means to
press the 5 key on the numeric keypad. Do not press the
5 key on the main keyboard.
• When you see two keys joined by a dash, « Alt > -<
F1 > )
press those two keys simultaneously. < Ctrl > -< Alt > -
< Del> instructs you to press and hold the Ctrl and Alt
keys while pressing the Del key (the reboot sequence).
You then release the keys simultaneously.
• System prompts and messages are shown
in color.
xii

About This Manual
• Hexadecimal numbers are indicated with a leading zero
(0) and a trailing "h" (for example, 0207h).
xiii

Getting Started
Related Documentation
This manual assumes you are familiar with DOS, the AST
Premium/286, the IBM PC, PC XT, or the PC AT. If you are not,
please read your computer's user manuals before proceeding.
For more information. you may refer
to the following publications:
For the
AST Premium/286:
• AST Premium/286 User's Manual
• AST Premium/286 MS-DOS Manual
• AST Premium Display Supplement
• AST Premium/286 Utility Software Manual
For the IBM PC and PC XT :
• IBM Disk Operating System (DOS) Manual.
• IBM PC Guide to Operations
• IBM
PC Technical Reference Manual.
For the IBM PC AT:
• IBM PC AT Guide to Operations
• IBM PC AT Technical Reference Manual.
• IBM PC AT Instal/ation and Setup Manual.
xiv

PART I. GETTING STARTED
1. Before You Begin ...
2. Overview

NOTES

1
BEFORE YOU BEGIN ...
This section presents information you'll need to know before you
install
AST-3G. Figure 1-1 shows an overview of the steps to take
when you install the AST-3G board.
Check package contents and system
requirements (Section
1).
Check monitor requirements (Section 2).
Configure AST-3G (Section 3).
Install AST-3G in your PC (Section 3).
Figure 1-1. Installation Overview.
1-1