Diamond Systems Hercules II Guide

Diamond Systems
Hercules II Single Board Computer
FastStart Guide
DSC Document #7460001 Rev A
Diamond Systems Corp.
[phone]
www.diamondsystems.com
This document describes a series of quick steps to bring up and verify correct operation of your new Hercules II
EBX Single Board Computer. All the elements you will need to complete this assembly are provided in the
Hercules II Development Kit (Diamond Systems #DK-HRC-02). Once you have your Hercules II board up and
running, you can make further adjustments using additional elements that you supply.
The set of steps involve unpacking and identifying each part in the Hercules II Development Kit, attaching a
minimum subset of cables required to verify operation, and powering the board.
Quick List of Assembly Steps
1. Install the IDE FlashDisk Drive with bootable Linux binary on primary IDE connector J16
2. Install the Utility Board (#8611002) on connector J7
3. Install the VGA cable (#6981024) and monitor on connector J25
4. Install either the PS/2 keyboard / mouse cable (#6981022) on connector J6 or one USB
cable (#6081012) on connector J21 or J22 and the keyboard / mouse
5. Connect the AC Adapter to the power connector J29
6. Turn on the monitor and plug in the AC Adapter. The Hercules II board will boot to a
Linux prompt.
Hercules II Fast Start Guide DSC #7460001A, Page 1 of 8

The Hercules II EBX Development Kit
The Hercules II Development Kit contains all the pieces necessary to bring up and verify correct operation of your
Hercules II EBX Single Board Computer. The following table lists the elements of the Hercules II Development Kit.
Each of the elements is shown in the picture in Figure 1. It is suggested that you unpack and identify each item at
this time. If any item is missing, please contact Diamond Systems Technical Support.
Photo No. DSC Number Description
1 HRC800-5A512 Hercules II SBC, 800MHz, 512MB RAM, w/ data acquisition
2 C-HRCEBX-KIT Hercules II Cable Kit
3 DK-LINUX-HRC512 512MB FlashDisk with bootable Linux, CD
4 PS-12V-01 AC Adapter, 100-240VAC in, 12VDC / 4A out
5 6710010 Diamond Systems CD with driver software and manuals
6 MTG104 PC/104 Mounting Hardware
7 ACC-IDEEXT FlashDisk Programmer Board with 40-pin and 44-pin IDE Cables (not
shown)
8 Hercules II FastStart Guide (this manual)
Figure 1. Hercules II Development Kit
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Hercules II Cable Kit
Photo No. DSC No. Description
1 C-PRZ-02 Alternate 6-wire Ethernet cable with panel-mount RJ-45 connector
2 6981022 PS/2 Connector for Mouse and Keyboard
3 6981025 Audio I/O Cable (for line-level and microphone audio)
4 6981017 TV out cable (S-Video mini-DIN and Composite RCA jack output)
NTSC-only
5 6981018 Amplified audio output (Speaker out), with volume control signals
with stripped/tinned leads
6 6981024 VGA Ribbon cable to VGA Female DB15 for monitor out
7 C-20-18 18-inch ribbon cable for “Utility” connections (includes power and
reset contacts)
8 C-40-18 40-wire data acquisition ribbon cable (Analog I/O)
9 C-50-18 50-wire data acquisition ribbon cable (Digital I/O)
10 C-DB9M-4 40-pin ribbon cable to 4-serial port male DE-9 connectors
11 6981026 UDMA/ATA-100 cable for 1 or 2 IDE drives
12 6981004 44-wire IDE cable for 1 or 2 laptop-style drives
13 6981015 Standard (low-voltage) input power cable with stripped/tinned leads
for connection to external power source
14 6981016 Alternate High-Voltage DC power input cable
15 6981001 External (3V) Battery power cable
16 6981006 4-wire output power cable for external drives
17 6981012 Dual USB cable
18 8611002 Utility Board (used instead of C-20-18 for development)
Figure 2. Hercules II Cable Kit
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Other Development Kit Contents
512MB FlashDisk with bootable Linux
The Hercules II Development Kit contains a 512MB IDE FlashDisk with a bootable Linux binary. Diamond
Systems’ Flash Linux provides a quick-boot compact Linux environment based on the Slackware 2.4 kernel. It is
preconfigured for Hercules II and includes our Universal Driver for the Hercules II data acquisition features. Flash
Linux utilizes the Minix file system for enhanced file protection during power loss or improper shutdown, and the
Lilo bootloader for a quick 15 second boot time.
The Hercules II Development Kit also includes a CD which provides a binary image of the FlashDisk files that you
may copy freely for use on Hercules II CPUs.
Diamond Systems Linux is also available on a 20GB hard drive (DSC# DK-LINUX-HD20) which includes all the
features of the CD plus a current desktop Linux distribution, including a full set of software development tools ready
to run. This can be used to create an instant development system running on the target CPU, so you can develop
application code and run it immediately on the same system. Please contact your Diamond Systems
representative for more information and a price quotation.
ACC-IDEEXT FlashDisk Programmer Board
In the event that you wish to connect both a FlashDisk and an IDE hard disk drive or CD-ROM drive to your
Hercules II board, the Hercules II Development Kit comes with a FlashDisk Programmer board. When connected
directly to the Hercules II board, the FlashDisk occupies the primary IDE interface connector which does not allow
for a second drive to be attached to the primary IDE connector. The FlashDisk Programmer Board enables both
the connection of the FlashDisk drive and a second, slave IDE device, using either a 40-pin or 44-pin IDE
connector.
PS-12V-01 AC Power Adapter
To enable your immediate use of the Hercules II board, the Hercules II Development Kit contains an AC Adapter
with a connector that plugs directly into the power input connector of the Hercules II board. Operating with 110VAC
to 240VAC input current, the AC Adapter provides sufficient current at 12VDC to power the Hercules II board.
Diamond Systems Software and Documentation CD
The Hercules II Development Kit contains the Diamond Systems Software and Documentation CD which provides
Hercules II manuals (including this manual) and software. Software includes drivers for components specific to the
Hercules II board for Windows XP and Linux along with a demonstration binary of Windows CE and Wind River’s
VxWorks Operating System. The CD also contains full documentation and software for Diamond Systems
Universal Driver Software that supports the analog and digital I/O capabilities of Hercules II. This Universal Driver
Software will operate under DOS, Windows XP/2000, Linux, Windows CE, VxWorks and QNX.
Assembling your Hercules II System
Install the FlashDisk
The flashdisk module installs directly on the IDE connector J16 and is held down with a spacer and two screws
onto a mounting hole on the board. Mounting hardware is provided in the Hercules II Development Kit in the packet
marked with DSC #6801008.
1. The FlashDisk module contains a jumper to determine master or slave mode. The FlashDisk must be in
master mode for the BIOS to automatically detect the FlashDisk at boot time. Insure that the jumper is over
pins 3-4 to set master mode (See Figure 3).
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Jumper Pins 3-4
for Master mode
(as shown)
Figure 3. Layout of FlashDisk Module showing Master/Slave jumper
2. Connect round spacer DSC# 6841002 to the FlashDisk module using one 2-56x pan head screw and one
#2 flat washer. The spacer should be on the side of the FlashDisk module with the female IDE connector.
The washer should be on the top of the spacer. See Figure 4.
3. Attach the female IDE connector on the FlashDisk to the IDE connector J16 on the Hercules II board.
4. Fasten the FlashDisk in place by inserting one 2-56x pan head screw from the solder side of the Hercules II
board into the round spacer.
Figure 5 shows the appearance of the Hercules II board with the FlashDisk attached.
Washer goes
between FlashDisk
board and spacer
Figure 4. FlashDisk Installation Figure 5. FlashDisk Installed on Hercules II
Install the Utility Board for Reset and Power Buttons, LEDs and PC Speaker
The Hercules II Development Kit provides a Utility Board accessing the reset and power button signals as well as
activity LEDs and the PC Speaker supported on the Hercules II connector J7. The Utility Board is shown in Figure
6. Install the Utility Board directly onto connector J7. Be sure to match pin 1 on the Utility Board female connector
with pin one on connector J7 on the Hercules II board. The Utility Board should hang outside the footprint of the
Hercules II board. NOTE: This is not a rugged interface and is recommended for development purposes only!
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Figure 6 : Utility Board (for J7)
Install the Video Display
Hercules II SBC supports both a VGA Monitor and an LVDS flat panel interface. Because of the complexities
required in interfacing the flat panel, this FastStart Guide will assume usage of a VGA-compatible Monitor.
1. Connect the video cable (DSC #6981024) provided in the Hercules II Cable Kit to the VGA connector J25
on the Hercules II board.
2. Connect a VGA-compatible CRT display to the female DB15 connector at the other end of the video cable.
Install the Keyboard and Mouse
The Hercules II SBC supports either a legacy PS/2 keyboard and mouse interface or a USB keyboard and mouse
interface. For the PS/2 interface, connect the PS/2 Keyboard / Mouse cable (DSC #6981022) provided in the
Hercules II Cable Kit to the Keyboard / Mouse connector J6 on the Hercules II board. Connect a PS/2 keyboard to
the mini-DIN connector with KB labeled on the connector. Connect a PS/2 mouse to the mini-DIN connector with
MS labeled on the connector.
For the USB interface, connect one of the two USB cables (DSC#6981012) provided in the Hercules II Cable Kit to
one of the two USB connectors (either J21 or J22) on the Hercules II board. Connect a USB keyboard to one of the
Type A USB connectors at the other end of the USB cable. Connect a USB mouse to one of the Type A USB
connectors at the other end of the USB cable.
Note that a mouse is NOT required to prove correct operation of the Hercules II board.
Connect Power
Connect the PS-12V-01 AC Adapter provided in the Hercules II Development Kit to connector J29 on the Hercules
II Board
When the FlashDisk, all cables and the AC Adapter are connected as required, your set up should appear as
shown in Figure 7.
Hercules II Fast Start Guide DSC #7460001A, Page 6 of 8

.
FlashDisk
USB
VGA CRT
Keyboard /
Mouse
Power
Figure 7. Hercules II with all cables installed
Apply Power to Boot the Board
Plug in the video monitor and turn it on.
Attach the power cord provided to the PS-12V-01 AC Adapter and plug the power cord into the wall. The Hercules
II Board will power up immediately. After the BIOS information display, you should see the Diamond Systems Linux
information display and receive a prompt.
Demonstrate Data Acquisition Operation
The Diamond Systems Linux installed on the FlashDisk contains a software demonstration program for Hercules II
Data Acquisition features. You may run this program by typing
>Demo
Follow the instructions on the screen to execute parts of the demo.
Adding an IDE Hard Disk Drive or CD-ROM to your system
There are two methods to attach an additional IDE device such as a hard disk drive or CD-ROM to your system
while continuing to use the provided FlashDisk as a primary boot device.
1. Attach the IDE device to the secondary IDE controller J17. This is a 40-pin interface and does not provide
power to the IDE device. You can power the device by using the Auxiliary Power Cable (DSC #6981006)
provided in the Hercules II Cable Kit connected to the External Power Connector (J15) on the Hercules II
Board. You may configure the device as either master or slave. You may need to make changes to the
BIOS setup to access this device.
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2. Attach the IDE device to the primary IDE controller using the FlashDisk Programmer Board to provide a
simultaneous connection of both the FlashDisk module and the IDE device. Instructions are provided
below to install and use of the FlashDisk Programmer Board.
Install the FlashDisk Programmer Board (FDPB)
The Flash Disk Programmer Board (DSC# ACC-IDEEXT) provided with the Hercules II Development Kit enables
the simultaneous connection of both a FlashDisk module and a standard IDE hard drive or CD-ROM drive to the
primary IDE connector on the Hercules II board.
1. Install the FlashDisk to connector J2 on the FlashDisk Programmer Board using the instructions provided
above.
2. Connect the J1 connector on the FDPB to the primary IDE connector (J16) on the Hercules II SBC with a
44-pin ribbon cable (DSC#6981004) provided in the Hercules II Cable Kit.
3. Connect your IDE device to either the 40-pin .1” spacing J4 connector on the FDPB or the 44-pin 2mm
spacing J3 connector on the FDPB. A FlashDisk and any second IDE device (i.e. HDD or CD-ROM) may
be connected simultaneously using this board with proper master / slave jumper configurations on both the
FlashDisk and the IDE device. To boot from the FlashDisk, insure that your IDE device is configured as a
slave.
Note: The 44-pin connectors (J1, J2, and J3) and mating cables carry power, but the 40-pin connector (J4) and
mating cable do not. J5 and J6 on the FDPB or J15 on the Hercules II may be used to provide power to an IDE
device when the device is attached to the 40-pin J4 connector on the FDPB using the Auxiliary Power Cable
(DSC#6981006) provided with the Hercules II Cable Kit.
Figure 8 : ACC-IDEEXT FlashDisk Programmer Board
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