Diamond Systems Athena IIII User manual

Athena IIII User Manual
High Integration PC/104 SBC with Gigabit Ethernet and Data Acquisition
Rev A.00: December 2012
Revision
Date
Comment
A.00
12/6/2012
Initial version
Copyright 2012
FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT Diamond Systems Corporation
PLEASE CONTACT: 555 Ellis Street
Mountain View, CA 94043 USA
[e-mail] Tel [phone]
Fax [phone]
www.diamondsystems.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. IMPORTANT SAFE HANDLING INFORMATION ..............................................................................................................5
2. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................................7
2.1 FUNCTIONS......................................................................................................................................................................7
2.2 DATA ACQUISITION ...........................................................................................................................................................8
2.3 EXPANSION OPTIONS.........................................................................................................................................................8
2.4 OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORT.............................................................................................................................................8
2.5 MECHANICAL,ELECTRICAL,ENVIRONMENTAL.........................................................................................................................8
3. GETTING STARTED .......................................................................................................................................................9
3.1 INTRODUCING THE ATHENA III DEVELOPMENT KIT...................................................................................................................9
3.1.1 Athena III Cable Kit.............................................................................................................................................10
3.2 SYSTEM SETUP ...............................................................................................................................................................11
3.2.1 Unpacking ..........................................................................................................................................................11
3.2.2 Mounting Kit ......................................................................................................................................................11
3.2.3 Keyboard and Mouse .........................................................................................................................................11
3.2.4 USB Flashdisk Socket..........................................................................................................................................11
3.2.5 Mass Storage Devices ........................................................................................................................................11
3.2.6 Connecting Power ..............................................................................................................................................11
3.2.7 Display................................................................................................................................................................11
3.3 BOOTING THE SYSTEM .....................................................................................................................................................12
3.3.1 BIOS Setup..........................................................................................................................................................12
3.3.2 Operating System Drivers ..................................................................................................................................12
4. FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................................13
4.1 FUNCTIONAL BLOCK DIAGRAM ..........................................................................................................................................13
4.2 FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW...................................................................................................................................................13
4.2.1 CPU Core ............................................................................................................................................................13
4.2.2 Video ..................................................................................................................................................................14
4.2.3 Ethernet .............................................................................................................................................................14
4.2.4 USB.....................................................................................................................................................................14
4.2.5 USB Solid State Storage......................................................................................................................................14
4.2.6 Serial Ports .........................................................................................................................................................14
4.2.7 Data Acquisition.................................................................................................................................................14
4.2.8 PC/104 Expansion Bus........................................................................................................................................14
4.2.9 Power Supply......................................................................................................................................................15
4.2.10 Battery Backup...................................................................................................................................................15
4.2.11 Watchdog Timer ................................................................................................................................................15
4.2.12 BIOS....................................................................................................................................................................15
5. BOARD DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................................................. 16
5.1 CONNECTOR SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................................17
5.1.1 Jumper Summary ...............................................................................................................................................17
6. CONNECTORS.............................................................................................................................................................18
6.1 EXTERNAL BATTERY (J2)...................................................................................................................................................18
6.2 SATA (J3) ....................................................................................................................................................................18
6.3 ETHERNET (J4)...............................................................................................................................................................19
6.4 VGA (J5)......................................................................................................................................................................19
6.5 LCD PANEL,LVDS INTERFACE (J7) ....................................................................................................................................20
6.6 LCD BACKLIGHT (J8).......................................................................................................................................................21
6.7 PC/104 ISA BUS (J10, J11)............................................................................................................................................22

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6.8 USB FLASHDISK (J14) .....................................................................................................................................................23
6.9 USB (J15, J16) .............................................................................................................................................................23
6.10 MAIN I/O (J18).............................................................................................................................................................24
6.11 INPUT POWER (J21)........................................................................................................................................................27
6.12 DATA ACQUISITION I/O (J23)...........................................................................................................................................28
7. JUMPER CONFIGURATION.......................................................................................................................................... 29
7.1 LCD SCAN AND FRAME RATE SETTINGS (JP4) ......................................................................................................................29
7.2 LCD PANEL VOLTAGE SELECT (JP5) ...................................................................................................................................30
7.3 SYSTEM CONFIGURATION SETTINGS (JP6) ...........................................................................................................................30
7.4 RS-232/422/485 TERMINATION SELECT (JP7) ..................................................................................................................31
7.5 DATA ACQUISITION CONFIGURATION (JP26) .......................................................................................................................32
7.5.1 Single-Ended/Differential Input Settings............................................................................................................32
7.5.2 Unipolar/Bipolar Input Settings .........................................................................................................................33
7.5.3 Analog Output Configuration Settings...............................................................................................................33
8. SYSTEM OPERATION ..................................................................................................................................................34
8.1 SYSTEM RESOURCES ........................................................................................................................................................34
8.2 CONSOLE REDIRECTION TO A SERIAL PORT ...........................................................................................................................34
8.3 FLASH MEMORY .............................................................................................................................................................35
8.4 BACKUP BATTERY............................................................................................................................................................35
8.5 SYSTEM RESET................................................................................................................................................................35
9. BIOS ...........................................................................................................................................................................36
9.1 BIOS SETTINGS ..............................................................................................................................................................36
9.1.1 Serial Ports .........................................................................................................................................................36
9.1.2 Parallel Port .......................................................................................................................................................36
9.1.3 LCD Video Settings .............................................................................................................................................36
9.1.4 Miscellaneous Settings.......................................................................................................................................36
9.2 BIOS CONSOLE REDIRECTION SETTINGS ..............................................................................................................................37
10. SYSTEM I/O ............................................................................................................................................................38
10.1 ETHERNET .....................................................................................................................................................................38
10.2 SERIAL PORTS.................................................................................................................................................................38
10.3 USB PORTS ...................................................................................................................................................................39
11. NOTES ON OPERATING SYSTEMS AND BOOTING PROCEDURES .............................................................................39
11.1 WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM INSTALLATION ISSUES ...........................................................................................................39
11.1.1 Driver Installation...............................................................................................................................................39
11.1.2 BIOS Setting for Windows ..................................................................................................................................39
11.2 DOS OPERATING SYSTEMS INSTALLATION ISSUES..................................................................................................................39
12. DATA ACQUISITION CIRCUIT...................................................................................................................................40
12.1 DATA ACQUISITION CIRCUITRY I/O MAP .............................................................................................................................41
12.1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................................................41
12.1.2 Register Map Page Summary.............................................................................................................................41
12.1.3 Register Map Bit Summary ................................................................................................................................42
12.2 MAIN REGISTERS ............................................................................................................................................................44
12.2.1 Page 0: Counter / Timer Control ........................................................................................................................54
12.3 PAGE 1REGISTER DEFINITIONS..........................................................................................................................................56
12.4 PAGE 2REGISTER DEFINITIONS..........................................................................................................................................57
13. ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL INPUT RANGES AND RESOLUTION ........................................................................................59
13.1 OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................................................................................59
13.1.1 Input Range Selection ........................................................................................................................................59
13.1.2 Input Range Table ..............................................................................................................................................59

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14. PERFORMING AN A/D CONVERSION ...................................................................................................................... 60
14.1 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................................................60
14.2 SELECT THE INPUT CHANNEL .............................................................................................................................................60
14.3 SELECT THE INPUT RANGE.................................................................................................................................................60
14.4 WAIT FOR ANALOG INPUT CIRCUIT TO SETTLE ......................................................................................................................60
14.5 PERFORM AN A/D CONVERSION ON THE CURRENT CHANNEL ..................................................................................................60
14.6 WAIT FOR THE CONVERSION TO FINISH ...............................................................................................................................61
14.7 READ THE DATA FROM THE BOARD.....................................................................................................................................61
14.8 CONVERT THE NUMERICAL DATA TO A MEANINGFUL VALUE .....................................................................................................62
14.8.1 Conversion Formula for Bipolar Input Ranges ...................................................................................................62
14.8.2 Conversion Formula for Unipolar Input Ranges .................................................................................................63
15. A/D SCAN, INTERRUPT AND FIFO OPERATION........................................................................................................64
16. DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG OUTPUT RANGES AND RESOLUTION ....................................................................................66
16.1 DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................................................................66
16.2 RESOLUTION ..................................................................................................................................................................66
16.3 OUTPUT RANGE SELECTION ..............................................................................................................................................66
16.4 D/A CONVERSION FORMULAS AND TABLES..........................................................................................................................67
16.4.1 D/A Conversion Formulas for Unipolar Output Ranges .....................................................................................67
16.4.2 D/A Conversion Formulas for Bipolar Output Ranges........................................................................................68
17. GENERATING AN ANALOG OUTPUT........................................................................................................................69
17.1 COMPUTE THE D/A CODE FOR THE DESIRED OUTPUT VOLTAGE...............................................................................................69
17.2 WRITE THE VALUE TO THE SELECTED OUTPUT CHANNEL REGISTERS..........................................................................................69
17.3 WAIT FOR THE D/A TO UPDATE.........................................................................................................................................69
18. ANALOG CIRCUIT CALIBRATION .............................................................................................................................70
19. DIGITAL I/O OPERATION ........................................................................................................................................71
20. COUNTER/TIMER OPERATION................................................................................................................................ 72
20.1 COUNTER 0–A/D SAMPLE CONTROL ................................................................................................................................72
20.2 COUNTER 1–COUNTING/TOTALIZING FUNCTIONS................................................................................................................72
20.3 COMMAND SEQUENCES ...................................................................................................................................................73
20.3.1 Load and Enable (Run) a Counter Sequence ......................................................................................................73
20.3.2 Read a Counter Sequence ..................................................................................................................................73
20.3.3 Disabling the Counter Gate Command...............................................................................................................74
20.3.4 Clearing a Counter Sequence .............................................................................................................................74
21. USB FLASHDISK MODULE .......................................................................................................................................75
21.1 INSTALLING THE FLASHDISK MODULE ..................................................................................................................................75
22. BIOS OPTION LISTING .............................................................................................................................................76
22.1 VIEWING AND MODIFYING THE BIOS SETTINGS ....................................................................................................................76
22.2 BIOS SCREEN DESCRIPTIONS.............................................................................................................................................77
23. SPECIFICATIONS ..................................................................................................................................................... 80
23.1 CPU.............................................................................................................................................................................80
23.2 DATA ACQUISITION CIRCUITRY ..........................................................................................................................................80
23.3 POWER SUPPLY ..............................................................................................................................................................81
23.4 GENERAL.......................................................................................................................................................................81

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1. IMPORTANT SAFE HANDLING INFORMATION
WARNING!
ESD-Sensitive Electronic Equipment
Observe ESD-safe handling procedures when working with this product.
Always use this product in a properly grounded work area and wear appropriate
ESD-preventive clothing and/or accessories.
Always store this product in ESD-protective packaging when not in use.
Safe Handling Precautions
The Helios board contains a high number of I/O connectors with connection to sensitive electronic components.
This creates many opportunities for accidental damage during handling, installation and connection to other
equipment. The list here describes common causes of failure found on boards returned to Diamond Systems for
repair. This information is provided as a source of advice to help you prevent damaging your Diamond (or any
vendor’s) embedded computer boards.
ESD damage –This type of damage is usually almost impossible to detect, because there is no visual sign of
failure or damage. The symptom is that the board eventually simply stops working, because some component
becomes defective. Usually the failure can be identified and the chip can be replaced.
To prevent ESD damage, always follow proper ESD-prevention practices when handling computer boards.
Damage during handling or storage –On some boards we have noticed physical damage from mishandling. A
common observation is that a screwdriver slipped while installing the board, causing a gouge in the PCB surface
and cutting signal traces or damaging components.
Another common observation is damaged board corners, indicating the board was dropped. This may or may not
cause damage to the circuitry, depending on what is near the corner. Most of our boards are designed with at
least 25 mils clearance between the board edge and any component pad, and ground / power planes are at least
20 mils from the edge to avoid possible shorting from this type of damage. However these design rules are not
sufficient to prevent damage in all situations.
A third cause of failure is when a metal screwdriver tip slips, or a screw drops onto the board while it is powered
on, causing a short between a power pin and a signal pin on a component. This can cause overvoltage / power
supply problems described below. To avoid this type of failure, only perform assembly operations when the
system is powered off.
Sometimes boards are stored in racks with slots that grip the edge of the board. This is a common practice for
board manufacturers. However our boards are generally very dense, and if the board has components very close
to the board edge, they can be damaged or even knocked off the board when the board tilts back in the rack.
Diamond recommends that all our boards be stored only in individual ESD-safe packaging. If multiple boards are
stored together, they should be contained in bins with dividers between boards. Do not pile boards on top of each
other or cram too many boards into a small location. This can cause damage to connector pins or fragile
components.
Power supply wired backwards –Our power supplies and boards are not designed to withstand a reverse power
supply connection. This will destroy each IC that is connected to the power supply (i.e. almost all ICs). In this
case, the board will most likely cannot be repaired and must be replaced. A chip destroyed by reverse power or
by excessive power will often have a visible hole on the top or show some deformation on the top surface due to
vaporization inside the package. Check twice before applying power!
Board not installed properly in PC/104 stack –A common error is to install a PC/104 board accidentally shifted by
1 row or 1 column. If the board is installed incorrectly, it is possible for power and ground signals on the bus to
make contact with the wrong pins on the board, which can damage the board. For example, this can damage
components attached to the data bus, because it puts the 12V power supply lines directly on data bus lines.

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Overvoltage on analog input –If a voltage applied to an analog input exceeds the design specification of the
board, the input multiplexor and/or parts behind it can be damaged. Most of our boards will withstand an
erroneous connection of up to 35V on the analog inputs, even when the board is powered off, but not all boards,
and not in all conditions.
Overvoltage on analog output –If an analog output is accidentally connected to another output signal or a power
supply voltage, the output can be damaged. On most of our boards, a short circuit to ground on an analog output
will not cause trouble.
Overvoltage on digital I/O line –If a digital I/O signal is connected to a voltage above the maximum specified
voltage, the digital circuitry can be damaged. On most of our boards the acceptable range of voltages connected
to digital I/O signals is 0-5V, and they can withstand about 0.5V beyond that (-0.5 to 5.5V) before being damaged.
However logic signals at 12V and even 24V are common, and if one of these is connected to a 5V logic chip, the
chip will be damaged, and the damage could even extend past that chip to others in the circuit.
Bent connector pins –This type of problem is often only a cosmetic issue and is easily fixed by bending the pins
back to their proper shape one at a time with needle-nose pliers. The most common cause of bent connector pins
is when a PC/104 board is pulled off the stack by rocking it back and forth left to right, from one end of the
connector to the other. As the board is rocked back and forth it pulls out suddenly, and the pins at the end get
bent significantly. The same situation can occur when pulling a ribbon cable off of a pin header. If the pins are
bent too severely, bending them back can cause them to weaken unacceptably or even break, and the connector
must be replaced.

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2. INTRODUCTION
Athena III is an embedded single-board computer (SBC) in a custom PC/104 small form factor that integrates a
complete embedded PC and data acquisition circuitry into a single board.
The Athena III SBC is based on an Intel E-Series CPU with onboard central processing, memory and memory
management devices and I/O management for specific functions. The board is larger than the PC/104 PCB
format on three sides but uses the PC/104 mounting method and interface specification. The Athena III SBC
includes the following additional features.
Communicates externally over the ISA bus and I/O ports
Generates on-board RGB video for CRT display systems
Contains LVDS formatting to drive a flat panel
Is powered from an externally regulated +5VDC supply
Two standard models of Athena III are available as shown in the following table.
Model
Processor Speed
RAM Size
Data Acquisition
ATHE1000A-1G
1GHz
1GB
Yes
ATHE1000D-1G
1GHz
1GB
DIO only
The Athena III SBC uses the ISA bus, internally, to connect serial ports 1 through 4 and the data acquisition
circuit to the processor. The ISA bus is brought out to an expansion connector to mate with add-on boards.
Diamond Systems manufactures a wide variety of compatible PC/104 add-on boards for analog I/O, digital I/O,
counter/timer functions, serial ports and power supplies.
Description and Features
The Athena III single board computer includes the following key system and data acquisition features.
2.1 Functions
The functions listed below are applicable for all models.
Intel Atom E6xx “Tunnel Creek” processors (Queensbay platform), clocked at 1.0GHz standard
1GB soldered DDR2 DRAM on 8 devices (533 or higher speed)
1 Gigabit Ethernet port on pin header, with on-board magnetics
4 USB 2.0 ports on headers
4 serial ports, all with RS-232/422/485 capability. COM1/COM2 and COM3/COM4 are always set to
the same protocol in pairs. Individual protocol selection for each port is not available.
USB flashdisk mounting location
USB client
LVDS flat panel interface
VGA or LVDS interface up to 1280 x 768 maximum
1 SATA port
24 digital I/O lines ( provided by LPC-ISA FPGA )
Programmable blue LED on board to indicate system status

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2.2 Data Acquisition
The functions listed below are applicable to the DAQ version only.
16 channel 16-bit A/D, 150KHz maximum sample rate
Programmable input ranges +/-10V, +/-5V, +/-2.5V, +/-1.25V, 0-10V, 0-5V, 0-2.5V
Interrupt-based sampling with 2048-sample programmable FIFO
4 12-bit D/A channels
Jumper-selectable output ranges: +/-10V, +/-5V, 0-10V, 0-5V
24 digital I/O in 3 8-bit ports with programmable direction and buffered outputs
1 32-bit and 1 16-bit counter/timer for A/D sample rate control, event counting, and programmable
interrupts
Auto-calibration with Universal Driver software support
2.3 Expansion Options
USB flash-disk mounting capability
PC/104 expansion connector
2.4 Operating System Support
Windows Embedded Standard 7
Linux 2.6
Windows CE 6
2.5 Mechanical, Electrical, Environmental
Expanded PC/104 form factor, 4.125”W x 4.475”H with custom corners, identical to Athena II
Fanless heat sink on top side
-40°C to +85°C ambient operating temperature without a fan
MIL-STD-202G compatible
Power input requirements: +5VDC +/- 5%
Optional +12VDC to pass through to expansion buses and LCD backlight ONLY. No on-board
circuits depend on +12VDC.

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Important Safe-Handling Information
WARNING: ESD-Sensitive Electronic Equipment!
Observe ESD-safe handling procedures when working
with this product.
Always use this product in a properly grounded work area
and wear appropriate ESD-preventive clothing and/or
accessories.
Always store this product in ESD-protective packaging
when not in use.
Please refer to page 5 of this manual (“Important Safe-Handling Information”) for further
details.
3. GETTING STARTED
First-time Athena III SBC users normally receive the product as part of Diamond’s Athena III Development Kit,
which provides everything needed to ensure rapid application development. This section of the Athena III User
Manual covers basic hardware setup, power connection, system boot-up, and initial software configuration. After
Athena III is up and running, refer to the later sections of this manual for the detailed hardware and software
reference information needed to adapt the product to specific applications.
3.1 Introducing the Athena III Development Kit
The Athena III Development Kit (DK-ATHE1000A-01) provides everything required for Athena III based rapid
application development. The table on the next page lists the boards, cables, and other items included.

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Item
Diamond P/N
Description
1
ATHE1000A-1G
Athena III SBC, 1.0GHz Atom E640T CPU, 1GB SDRAM, Data Acquisition
2
8891650
4GB USB flashdisk with bootable Linux pre-loaded
3
C-ATHE-KIT
Athena III Cable Kit
4
PS-5V-04
5V AC Power Adapter
5
7460651
Athena III Quick Start Guide (not shown)
6
6710010
Diamond Systems Software and Documentation CD
7
DOC-PKG
Diamond Systems Document Package (not shown)
8
MTG104
PC/104 Mounting Hardware Kit (not shown)
3.1.1 Athena III Cable Kit
The Athena III Cable Kit (number C-ATHE-KIT) provides convenient access to most of Athena III’s I/O features.
The kit’s cable assemblies are shown in the photo below, and identified in the table that follows.
Item
Qty
Description
Diamond P/N
Connects to…
1
1
Power input cable
6981506
J21
2
1
External battery cable
6981011
J2
3
2
Dual USB cable
6981012
J15 and J16
4
1
VGA cable
6981030
J5
5
1
Audio cable
6981031
J9
6
1
Gigabit Ethernet cable
6981080
J4
7
1
Data Acquisition cable
C-50-18
J23
8
1
Main I/O cable
C-PRZ-01
J14
Note: On each interface cable, the end of the cable connector that has a red wire going to it
should be oriented toward the end of the board connector that is labeled “pin 1” (typically the pin
with a square pad on the PCB).

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Caution! Be sure the PS-5V-04 AC power adapter is disconnected from
its AC power source prior to performing the following step.
3.2 System Setup
This section outlines a simple process for preparing Athena III for first-time operation using the Athena III
Development Kit. Additional details regarding Athena III’s interface functions and connections may be found in
Section 6 of this document (Connectors).
3.2.1 Unpacking
Unpack and remove the Athena III single board computer from its packaging.
3.2.2 Mounting Kit
Install the four standoffs found in the mounting kit (MTG104) into the four PC/104 mounting holes located at each
corner of the board. This ensures that the board will not touch the surface beneath it, and helps redistribute the
force when you push connectors onto the board.
3.2.3 Keyboard and Mouse
Athena III supports operation using a PS/2-based keyboard and mouse devices. Plug the keyboard and mouse
connectors into the appropriate connectors on the Main I/O cable in the Athena III Cable Kit (cable number C-
PRZ-01). Connect the end of the cable into connector J14 on Athena III.
3.2.4 USB Flashdisk Socket
Athena III provides a location for on-board installation of an optional USB flashdisk on connector J14. Plug the
USB flashdisk module in the Development Kit into connector J14 on Athena III. Remove the screw from the
mounting stand-off before installing the flashdisk. Secure the flashdisk to Athena III with the screw once the
flashdisk is installed.
3.2.5 Mass Storage Devices
If desired, connect SATA hard drives to Athena III by connecting a SATA cable to SATA connector J3 and then to
the SATA drive. Athena III can operate with a combination of SATA and CD-ROM drives, and can boot from
either of them.
3.2.6 Connecting Power
Connect cable 6981506 to the PS-5V-04 AC power adapter or an ATX power supply. Connect the other end of
the 6981506 cable to connector J21 on the Athena III SBC.
3.2.7 Display
Athena III provides interfaces for both LVDS flat panel displays and VGA output. Connect the VGA cable,
6981030, between the VGA connector, J5, and a VGA-compatible display.

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3.3 Booting the System
Power-up the VGA video monitor. Then plug the PS-5V-04 AC power adapter to an AC outlet. Athena III should
begin its boot-up sequence immediately, as evidenced by BIOS messages on the connected VGA display. You
can run the BIOS Setup utility and proceed to install an operating system on the boot drive just as you would on a
normal desktop PC.
3.3.1 BIOS Setup
Athena III’s BIOS provides a wide range of configuration options. When you power up Athena III for the first time,
you should immediately enter the BIOS “Setup” utility in order to adjust BIOS settings to match your system’s
peripheral devices and other requirements, and to configure various other hardware and software parameters.
Options configurable via Setup typically include:
Number and type of mass storage devices
Boot device priority
Video display type and resolution
IDA, SATA, serial, and parallel interface modes and protocols
PCI and PnP configuration
Power management setup
Automatic power-up after LAN connection, RTC alarm, power resumption, etc.
System monitoring and security functions
3.3.2 Operating System Drivers
Athena III will boot and run a Linux 2.6 operating system from the USB flashdisk. Athena III should now be fully
operational.
If you desire to run a different operating system, depending on the operating system to be installed, it may be
necessary to install software drivers for on-board interface controllers. Drivers for Windows Embedded Standard
7, Windows Embedded CE, and Linux 2.6, if required, are included on the Software and Documentation CD that
is included in the Athena III Development Kit.

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4. FUNCTIONAL OVERVIEW
4.1 Functional Block Diagram
4.2 Functional Overview
This section describes the major Athena III subsystems.
4.2.1 CPU Core
Athena III’s core embedded computer circuit features the ultra low power Intel Atom “Queensbay” extended
temperature platform, consisting of an Atom processor (“Tunnel Creek”) with I/O Hub (“Topcliff”). The rest of the
circuit consists of 1GB of soldered DRAM memory using 8 chips, a display controller with LVDS and onboard
VGA/ DVI converter, plus SATA, USB, serial port and LAN interfaces. The ISA is available for stackable I/O
expansion.

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4.2.2 Video
LVDS and SDVO from the chipset are provided on I/O connectors. LCD power may be jumper-selected for
+3.3VDC or +5VDC. Backlight power may be jumper-selected for +5VDC or +12VDC. The +12VDC is routed from
the input power connector and is only available if supplied by the customer; it is not generated on board.
An SDVO to VGA converter circuit is provided on the board to offer video display directly on-board. There is only
one SDVO channel available.
4.2.3 Ethernet
Athena III provides a Gigabit Ethernet port derived from an Intel 82574ITMAC/PHY connected via PCIe from
Tunnel Creek. A gigabit magnetic chip and header complete the circuit.
4.2.4 USB
Athena III offers five user accessible USB 2.0 ports. All ports have minimum 500mA per port drive capability with
short circuit / over current and ESD protection on each port. Ports 1-4 are brought out to I/O connectors for user
access, and port 5 is used for a board-mountable USB flashdisk. One USB client port will be available via a utility
connector.
4.2.5 USB Solid State Storage
A separate USB connector is provided for mounting a solid state bootable USB flashdisk module with capacity up
to 8GB.
4.2.6 Serial Ports
Athena III provides four serial ports with varying protocols and signal availability. The SCH3114 provides two of
the serial ports. The other two serial ports are derived from the 16C2850 UART and provide 128 byte transmit /
receive buffers. To maintain Athena II compatibility the 16C2950 ports are assigned to COM3, COM4. The BIOS
supports serial console on COM ports 1 or 2.
4.2.7 Data Acquisition
The board provides the following data acquisition capabilities.
Type of I/O
Characteristics
Analog Input
16 single-ended/8 differential inputs, 16-bit resolution
150KHz maximum aggregate A/D sampling rate
Programmable input ranges/gains:
+/-10V, +/-5V, +/-2.5V, +/-1.25V, 0-10V, 0-5V, 0-2.5V
A/D FIFO for reliable high-speed sampling and scan operation
Analog Output
Four analog outputs, 12-bit resolution
±10V and 0-10V output ranges
Indefinite short circuit protection on outputs
Digital I/O
24 programmable digital I/O, 3.3V and 5V logic compatible
Counter/Timers
One 32-bit counter/timer for A/D sampling rate control
One 16-bit counter/timer for user counting and timing functions
On board I2C flash EEROM is provided for auto-calibration value storage.
4.2.8 PC/104 Expansion Bus
The PC/104 expansion bus enables installation of additional I/O boards. It consists of two stack-through
connectors press-fit onto the board, enabling expansion both above and below the board.

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4.2.9 Power Supply
Athena III runs on a fixed input of +5 VDC +/-5%. In addition, a pin is available for users to attach +12VDC;
however this voltage is routed only to the LCD backlight connector and the PC/104 expansion bus connectors. No
on-board circuit connects to +12V. Every circuit connects to +5V or to supplies derived from +5V.
4.2.10 Battery Backup
Athena III includes a backup battery for CMOS RAM and real-time clock backup. The battery is mounted on the
top side of the board. The battery provides a minimum of 3 years backup capability at 25oC with the system
powered off.
A connector is provided to disable the on-board battery and enable use of an external battery instead. External
battery voltage requirement is 3.3V +/- 10%.
4.2.11 Watchdog Timer
A programmable watchdog timer (WDT) is included to provide an automatic reset in case of system hang. The
WDT may be retriggered either by a software command or a digital input. The system will reset when the WDT is
enabled and expires.
The WDT circuitry is integrated into the SCH31121 SIO chip.
4.2.12 BIOS
The AMI BIOS includes the following key features:
Boot from LAN (PXE) and USB as well as C: and D:
User selectable Master boot device selection
Free boot sequence configuration
Support for various LCD configurations supported by the video chipset
Console (display and keyboard) redirection to serial port
BIOS recovery through USB attached storage or other means
Configurable default settings in battery-less configurations
Initialize USB keyboard & mouse
Customizable splash screen

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5. BOARD DESCRIPTION
The figure below shows the Athena III board layout, including connectors, jumper blocks and mounting holes.

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5.1 Connector Summary
The following table lists the connectors on the Athena III SBC.
Connector
Description
J2
External Battery
J3
SATA
J4
Ethernet
J5
VGA
J7
LVDS LCD
J8
LCD Backlight Power
J9
Audio I/O
J10
PC/104, ISA bus A,B
J11
PC/104, ISA bus C,D
J14
USB flashdisk
J15
USB 0/1
J16
USB 2/3
J17
USB Client Port & Utility
J18
Main I/O (serial ports, PS/2 keyboard/mouse, parallel port, utility)
J21
Input Power
J23
Data Acquisition I/O
5.1.1 Jumper Summary
The following table lists the jumpers on the Athena III SBC.
Jumper Block
Description
JP4
LCD scan direction and frame rate setting
JP5
LCD panel voltage select
JP6
System configuration settings
JP7
RS-232/422/485 termination select
JP26
Data acquisition configuration settings

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6. CONNECTORS
This section describes the on-board Athena III connectors.
Note: All cables mentioned in this chapter are included in Diamond Systems’ cable kit C-ATHE-KIT.
Some cables are also available individually.
6.1 External Battery (J2)
Connector J2 is used to connect an external battery for maintaining the Real-Time Clock and the CMOS settings
(BIOS settings for various system configurations). The battery voltage for this input should be 3-3.6VDC. The
current draw averages under 4µA at 3V.
1
Battery input (+)
2
Ground
Connector on board: Tyco 640457-2 right-angle friction lock pin header or equivalent
6.2 SATA (J3)
The SATA connector is an industry-standard right-angle connector. It is mounted flush with the edge of the board
so as to plug the SATA cable to an external hard drive.
1
Ground
2
Transmit+
3
Transmit-
4
Ground
5
Receive-
6
Receive+
7
Ground
Connector type: SAMTEC
J2 External Battery Connector (end view)

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6.3 Ethernet (J4)
Athena III provides 1 Gigabit Ethernet port. The I/O connector pinout is designed so that the left column matches
the 10/100 Ethernet pinout on Athena II for backward compatibility with existing Athena II mating cables and
applications. For Gigabit operation all 12 pins are used.
NC
1
2
Key / Cut
DA+
3
4
DA-
DB+
5
6
DB-
DC+
7
8
DC-
DD+
9
10
DD-
Connector type: Standard 2mm dual row straight pin header with gold flash plating
Connector on board: Molex 87758-1016 or equivalent
6.4 VGA (J5)
Connector J5 is a 2x4-pin header for connecting a VGA monitor.
Green
1
2
Red
Blue
3
4
Ground
HSYNCE
5
6
DDC data
VSYNC
7
8
DDC clock
Signal
Definition
Ground
Ground return
Red
RED signal (positive, 0.7Vpp into 75 Ohm load)
Green
GREEN signal (positive, 0.7Vpp into 75 Ohm load)
Blue
BLUE signal (positive, 0.7Vpp into 75 Ohm load)
DDC clock/data
Digital serial I/O signals used for monitor detection (DDC1 specification)
HSYNC
Horizontal sync
VSYNC
Vertical sync
Note: While the DDC serial detection pins are present, a 5V power supply is not provided (the old
“Monitor ID” pins are also not used).
Diamond Systems cable number 6981030 provides a female DB15 connection to interface with a standard RGB
monitor.
J5 VGA Connector (end view)
J4 Ethernet Connector (end view)

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6.5 LCD Panel, LVDS Interface (J7)
Connector J7 provides access to the internal LVDS LCD display drivers. Note that the LCD also requires the
backlight to be connected (J28, below) to function correctly. The LCD panel power is jumper-selectable for 3.3V
(default) or 5V. The Intel Atom E-Series CPU has maximum allowable LCD support of 1280 x 768.
Ground
1
2
Ground
LVDS clock-
3
4
LVDS clock+
5
6
Ground
7
8
Ground
LVDS data 0-
9
10
LVDS data 3+
LVDS data 0+
11
12
LVDS data 3-
Ground
13
14
Ground
LVDS data 2-
15
16
LVDS data 2+
17
18
Ground
19
20
Ground
LVDS data 1+
21
22
Scan Direction
LVDS data 1-
23
24
LVDS Map
Ground
25
26
Ground
VDD (LCD display)
27
28
VDD (LCD display)
VDD (LCD display)
29
30
VDD (LCD display)
Signal
Definition
LVDS Data 0-2 +/-
Primary Data Channel, bits 0-2 (LVDS Differential signaling)
LVDS Clock +/-
Primary Data Channel, Clock (LVDS Differential signaling)
LVDS Data 0-2 +/-
Secondary Data Channel, bits 0-2 (LVDS Differential signaling)
LVDS Clock +/-
Secondary Data Channel, Clock (LVDS Differential signaling)
VDD
+3.3V Switched Power Supply for LCD display
(only powered up when LCD display is active)
Ground
Power Ground, 0V
Connector on board: JST model number BM30B-SRDS-G-TF or equivalent
Mating cable connector: JST model number SHDR-30V-S-B or equivalent
Terminals: JST model number SSH-003GA-P0.2 or equivalent
J7 LCD Panel Connector (end view)