Freetech A7F156 User manual

A7F156
MOTHER BOARD
USER’S MANUAL
DEC.10.2002
Ver. 1

i
Copyright Notice
©Copyright 2000
The information contained in this user’s manual and all
accompanying documentation is copyrighted and all rights are
reserved. This publication may not, in whole or in part, be
reproduced, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into
any language or computer language, or transmitted in any form
whatsoever without the prior written consent from the manufacturer,
except for copies retained by the purchasers for their personal
archival purposes.
The manufacturer reserves the right to revise this user’s manual and
all accompanying documentation and to make changes in the
content without obligation to notify any person or organization of the
revision or change.
IN NO EVENT WILL THE VENDOR BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT,
INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE
THIS PRODUCT OR DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN PARTICULAR, THE
VENDOR SHALL NOT HAVE LIABILITY FOR ANY HARDWARE,
SOFTWARE, OR DATA STORED OR USED WITH THE
PRODUCT, INCLUDING THE COSTS OF REPAIRING,
REPLACING, OR RECOVERING SUCH HARDWARE,
SOFTWARE, OR DATA.
All trademarks mentioned in this document are acknowledged.
The specifications in this manual are subject to change without
notice.

Perface
ii
Using This Manual
This manual is designed to help you build a reliable Personal
Computer based on the A7F156 platform.
Chapter 1—Quick Reference
This chapter is for advanced users who want to quickly assemble a system.
The mainboard layout along with jumper and switch settings, and memory
configuration are provided.
Chapter 2—Introduction
This chapter includes an introduction, a checklist of the items that ship with
this mainboard, and a summary of the principal features and components.
Chapter 3—Hardware Installation
This chapter explains how to prepare your mainboard for use and how to
make the various connections to other computer components and peripheral
items.
Chapter 4—BIOS Configuration
This chapter explains how to use the system setup utility that is stored in the
mainboard’s firmware.
Chapter 5—Driver and Utility
This chapter briefly describes the drivers and utility programs that are
packaged with the mainboard.

Perface
iii
Table of Contents
1. A7F156 QUICK REFERENCE ................................
...............
1.1. Mainboard Layout................................
..............................
1.2. I/O Ports................................................................
.............
1.3. Front Panel Connector ................................
......................
1.4. Jumpers................................................................
.............
1.5. PCI and AGP Frequency Settings
................................
1.6. Memory Installation................................
............................
1.7. Connectors................................................................
.........
2. INTRODUCTION................................
................................
2.1. Overview................................................................
............
2.2. Mainboard Specifications and Features
............................
2.2.1. Hardware................................................................
......................
2.2.2. Software................................................................
........................
2.3. Mainboard Layout................................
..............................
2.4. Microprocessor................................
................................
2.5. AC97 Codec................................
................................
2.6. Chipset................................................................
.............
2.7. RAID................................................................
.....................
3. HARDWARE INSTALLATION................................
...........
3.1. Unpacking................................................................
........
3.2. Installation................................................................
........
3.3. Safety Measures................................
..............................
3.4. Connector/Jumper Location................................
............
3.5. Attaching Connectors................................
......................
3.5.1. Front Panel Connectors (JP1) ................................
.................
1
1
2
2
3
3
3
4
5
5
6
6
8
9
11
11
12
12
13
13
14
14
15
16
16

Perface
iv
3.5.2. Audio CD-In Connector (CD1)................................
..............
3.5.3. Audio AUX-IN Connector (AUX1)
................................
3.5.4. Infrared Connector (IR)................................
...........................
3.5.5. LAN/Modem Wake up connectors (WOL1)
........................
3.5.6. Front USB Header (USB2~3)................................
.................
3.5.7. Floppy Drive Header (FDD1)................................
.................
3.5.8. IDE Connectors ................................
................................
3.5.9. Back Panel Connectors ................................
............................
3.5.10. Power Supply Connector (PW2)................................
............
3.5.11. CPU/System FAN Power Supplies
................................
3.5.12. PCI Connector (PCI1~PCI6)................................
......................
3.5.13. CPU Thermal Diode (D15) ................................
.......................
3.6. Installing the CPU................................
............................
3.6.1. Before You Begin................................
................................
3.6.2. Installation Procedure................................
...............................
3.6.3. Removing the Processor ................................
..........................
3.7. Installing System Memory................................
................................
3.8. Setting Jumpers................................................................
.........................
3.8.1. Clear CMOS Jumper (JBAT1) ................................
...............
3.8.2. CPU FSB (JCK1)................................
................................
3.8.3. DIMM Voltage (JV1)................................
................................
3.9. Auto Power On................................................................
.......................
4. BIOS CONFIGURATION ................................
.....................
4.1. Entering Setup................................
................................
4.2. Standard CMOS Features................................
...............
4.3. Advanced BIOS Features................................
................
4.4. Advanced Chipset Features................................
............
4.5. Integrated Peripherals ................................
.....................
4.6. Power Management Setup................................
..............
17
17
18
18
19
19
20
21
24
25
26
27
28
28
28
29
30
31
31
32
32
32
33
34
36
38
41
49
56

Perface
v
4.7. PnP/PCI Configurations................................
...................
4.8. PC Health Status Option ................................
.................
4.9. Frequency/Voltage Control................................
..............
4.10 . Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option................................
...........
4.11. Load Optimized Defaults Option
................................
4.12. Set Supervisor/User Password................................
.......
4.13. Save & Exit Setup................................
............................
4.14. Exit Without Saving................................
..........................
5. DRIVER AND UTILITY................................
........................
5.1. Flash Utility................................
................................
5.2 CD Driver Overview................................
.........................
5.2.1. VIA 4 In 1 driver................................
................................
5.2.2. AC97 Audio Driver................................
................................
5.3 Online Services................................................................
........................
62
64
66
68
68
68
69
69
70
71
72
72
72
73

1
This section is for users to get started using the mainboard straight away.
1.1.Mainboard Layout
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
CPU SOCKET462
ATX power connector (PW2)
184-pin DIMM DDR module sockets (DIMM1~3)
IDE connector (IDE1)
IDE connector (IDE2)
IDE connector (IDE3) [Optional]
IDE connector (IDE4) [Optional]
Floppy drive connect (FDD1)
PCI expansion connector (PCI 1 ~ PCI 6)
Accelerated Graphics Port slot (AGP1)
Front Panel connectors (JP1)
USB ports connector (USB2)
USB ports connector (USB3)
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
IR connector (IR)
Auxiliary-In connectors (AUX1)
CD-In connectors (CD1)
LAN/Modem Wake up Connector(WOL1)
SYSTEM FAN
CPU FAN
DIMM Voltage(JV1)
CPU FSB(JCK1)
CMOS Jumper (JBAT1)
CPU Thermal Diode (D15)
RTC Battery
Flash BIOS
1. A7F156 Quick Reference

Mainboard User’s Manual
I/O Port
2
1.2.I/O Ports
1.3. Front Panel Connector (JP1)
The following illustration shows the front panel connector pin
assignments:

A7F156 Quick Reference
Jumper 3
1.4. Jumper
1-2Normal Mode
JBAT1 2-3Clear CMOS
1-2100MHz FSB
Open 133MHz FSB
JCK1
(CPU FSB) 2-3166MHz FSB
Voltage 2.5V 2.6V 2.7V 2.8V
Pin 1-2ON OFF OFF OFF
Pin 3-4OFF ON OFF OFF
Pin 5-6OFF OFF ON OFF
JV1
(DIMM Voltage)
Pin 7-8OFF OFF OFF ON
1.5. PCI and AGP Frequency Setting
The PCI and AGP frequency settings are automatically set by the
system
1.6. Memory Installation
Note: This mainboard supports up to two double-sided or two
single-sided DIMMs when the DDR DRAM interface is
operating at 133 MHz. Installing DDR DIMM modules that
exceed these specifications requires that the BIOS
down-shifts the DRAM clocks to 100 MHz through a
two-wire interface of the system clock generator.
184-Pin DIMM DDR SDRAM Memory Configuration.
Each 184-pinDIMM bank can install from 64MB up to 1GB of
PC1600/PC2100/PC2700 compliant 2.5V single or double side
buffered with or without ECC DDR SDRAM modules.
Bank 0 (DIMM1) 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB
Bank 1 (DIMM2) 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB
Bank 2 (DIMM3) 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB
Total 3 GB

Mainboard User’s Manual
Connectors
4
1.7. Connectors
CPU FAN CPU FAN : This 3-
pin header is used for connecting
a CPU fan.
System FAN System FAN : This 3-pin header is for connecting
the case fan that keeps the system cool.
USB2~3 Front USB connector : This 10-pin header is used
connecting front panel USB port 3 or 4 or 5 or 6.
IR Infrared (IR) connector : This 5-
pin header is used
connect an IR port for use of IR devices.
WOL1 Wake On LAN Connector : This 3-pin header is
used for remote wake up of the computer through a
network card.
CD1 CD-IN connector : This 4-pin header is used for connecting the CD ROM audio input to the sound
card.
AUX1 Auxiliary-IN connector : This 4-pin header is an
auxiliary input connector.
PW2
ATX power connector : This 20-pin header is
connect the power supply plug to ATX power
connector to provide Pentium 4 standard power for
devices.

A7F156 Quick Reference
5
2.1. Overview
The high quality A7F156 is a high performance, enhanced function
mainboard that supports Socket-A(Socket-462) processors that
support a 333 MHz front side bus (FSB). This mainboard is designed
around the latest and fastest VIA KT400 chipset in a standard ATX
form factor.
The mainboard delivers workstation-level performance with an
integrated AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port), bus mastering EIDE
(Enhanced IDE) controller, and concurrent PCI bus. The mainboard
accommodates DDR SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) memory and
supports ATA33/66/100/133.
In addition to superior hardware capabilities, provided with this
platform are these features:
—Supports Socket 462 processors
—Supports a 66/100/133 memory bus
—Support for AGP 8X
—Supports up to 3 GB of PC1600/PC2100/PC2700 DDR SDRAM
—Advanced ECC memory controller
—Supports six USB2.0 ports accommodating Plug and Play devices
—Soft-off APM (Advanced Power Management)
—ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
—External modem ring on
—LAN wake up
—BIOS upgrade
2. Introduction

Mainboard User’s Manual
Mainboard Specification and Feature
6
2.2. Mainboard Specifications and Features
2.2.1. Hardware
CPU AMD Socket 462 processors package,
compatible Auto-detection CPU
VRM Onboard Voltage Regulator Module
Provides 1.05V to 1.825V operating voltage
Coprocessor
Speed CPU has built-in floating point unit 333/266/200 MHz FSB Athlon XP Socket-A
system
PCI bus clock 33 MHz
Chipset VIA KT400 supports
AGP 8X mode
PC1600/PC2100/PC2700 DDR SDRAM and
VT8235 (super-I/O integrated peripheral
controller) support Ultra ATA100/133
DRAM Three 184-pin DDR sockets, up to 3GB
Supports 64 MB to 1GB DDR SDRAM memory
types
EIDE
Controller Dual channel master mode hard disk controller supporting four Enhanced IDE devices
Transfer rate up to 133MB/sec to cover PIO
mode 4, multi-word DMA mode 2 drivers, and
UltraDMA-133 interface
Increased reliability using UltraDMA-
133/100/66
transfer protocols
Thirty-two levels (doublewords) of prefetch and
write buffers
Dual DMA engine for concurrent dual channel
operation
Support ATAPI compliant devices including DVD
device
Support PCI native and ATA compatibility modes

Introduction
Mainboard Specification and Feature 7
Complete software driver support
Sound Chip 1 stereo DirectSound channel with source /
volume control / mixer
AC97 2.2compliant
Enhanced I/O One floppy disk controller
One Standard/EPP/ECP parallel port connector
Two 16550 compatible serial port connectors
Two USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports
One audio port connector, include line-out, line-
in,
mic-in, and midi/game ports
I/O Options Two connectors for front panel USB ports 3/4, 5/6
One IrDA compatible infrared (IR) connector
Mouse PS/2 mouse connector
Keyboard PS/2 keyboard connector
Expansion
Slots One 32-bit 4X / 8XAGP slot Six 32-bit PCI slots
Power
Management Compliant with EPA, APM 1.2 and ACPI ATX soft-off power control
Power on by keyboard and mouse
Power on by external modem ring
Power on by alarm
Power on by LAN wake up
Fan off in sleep mode
System
Management CPU and system voltage detection
CPU and secondary fan RPM detection
Voltage
Regulator Switching regulator CPU voltage auto-detection
Form Factor ATX form factor
Board Size 23 cm x 30.5 cm (9.1 x 12-inch)

Mainboard User’s Manual
Mainboard Specification and Feature
8
2.2.2. Software
BIOS AWARD AGP/PCI BIOS
2M-bit Flash BIOS with ESCD (Extended
System Configuration Data) block
Supports APM, Plug and Play, Multi-Boot, DMI
and EIDE devices
Supports ACPI
Supports high-capacity LS-120 and ZIP
removable media drive
Driver and
Utility IDE Bus mastering Ultra DMA driver AC97 codec audio driver
Flash utility for BIOS upgrade
System Environment Monitoring Utility
Operating
System Operates with MS_DOS, Windows 3.x/9x/ME/XP/2000/NT, OS/2, Novell
NetWare/UnixWare, and SCO Unix

Introduction
Mainboard Layout 9
2.3. Mainboard Layout
Note: Because of optional items and design changes, your
mainboard may not be identical
to the one shown in the
illustration.

Mainboard User’s Manual
Mainboard Layout
10
Key to Mainboard Components
NO. Name Function
1Socket 462 CPU socket
2PW2 ATX standard power connector
3DIMM1~3 DDR SDRAM Memory module slots
4IDE1 IDE 1 connector (blue)
5IDE2 IDE 2 connector (blue)
6IDE3IDE 3connector (red) [Optional]
7IDE4IDE 4connector (red) [Optional]
8FDD1 Floppy drive connector
9PCI 1~6 32-bit PCI Slots
10 AGP1Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Slot
11 JP1 Front Panel Connector
12 USB2 Front USB Connector
13 USB3 Front USB Connector
14 IR IrDA compliant Infrared (IR) connector
15 AUX1 Audio AUX-In header
16 CD1 Audio CD-In header
17 WOL1 LAN/Modem Wake up Connector
18 System FAN System FAN Connector
19 CPU FAN CPU FAN Connector
20 JV1 DIMM Voltage 2.5V~2.8V
21 JCK1 CPU FSB Jumper
22 JBAT1 Clear CMOS
23 D15 CPU Thermal Diode
24 BAT1RTC battery
25 U19 Flash BIOS

Introduction
Microprocessor 11
2.4. Microprocessor
The mainboard is designed to operate with the following processor:
Processor Type Speed FSB
AMD XP1500+~XP2700+ 200 / 266 / 333 MHz
An onboard switching voltage regulator provides the required 1.05
to 1.825 volts for the processor. The processor sends five VID
(Voltage identification) signals to the switching voltage regulator.
The switching regulator generates the correct voltage for the
processor.
The mainboard’s CPU socket is a surface mount, Socket 462 type
ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) socket. The socket has 478 pins with 50
mil pin pitch.
Note: ZIF sockets are sockets designed for easy insertion of pin
grid array (PGA) chips. The chip is dropped into the
socket, and a lever is used to secure the chip in place.
2.5. AC 97 Codec
l18-bit ADC and 20-bit DAC resolution
lCompliant with AC’97 2.2 specifications
l18-bit stereo full-duplex CODEC with independent and
variable sampling rate
l3D Stereo enhancement
lNo external crystal/clock required
lPower supply digital: 3.3V; analog: 5V/3.3V
lStandard 48-pin LQFP package

Mainboard User’s Manual
Chipset
12
2.6. Chipset
The A7F156 supports the VIA KT400 chipset. The KT400 chipset is
optimized for the Pentium 4 processor.
In addition to future application support, the KT400 chipset was
designed with the following features:
lAdvanced packaging technology and industry leading electrical
design innovations ensure long-term system reliability over wide
operating conditions.
lThe AGP8X interface providing the most advanced graphics support
available, enabling graphics bandwidth of over 1GB/s.
lTwo USB controllers provide high-performance peripherals with 480
Mbps of bandwidth, while enabling support for up to sixUSB ports.
lAC97 (ALC201A) two channels of audio.(Optional)
lAC97(ALC650) implementation delivers six channels of audio for
enhanced sound quality and full surround sound capability.
lDual Ultra ATA/100/133 controllers support faster IDE transfers to
storage devices.
2.7. RAID (Optional)
Bus mastering design allows utilization of a RAID (Redundant
Array of Independent Disks). A RAID is a set of two or more hard
disks and a specialized disk controller, which controls the RAID
function. Using a RAID, the user can write and read to more than
one disk at the same time, that is, complete data duplication can be
achieved, or, excess data can be transferred to another disk. The
problems of disk failure are minimized with the use of a RAID.
This concludes Chapter 2. Chapter 3. covers hardware installation.