Mitsubishi Electric apricot FTs 486 User manual

apricot
FTs 486
ADD-ON INSTALLATION GUIDE
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC

80387DX is a trademark of Intel Corporation.
Microchannel is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
Information contained in this document is subject to change without notice and
does not represent a commitment on the part of Apricot Computers Limited. The
software described in this manual is furnished under a license agreement. The
software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of this
agreement.
It is against the law to copy any disk supplied for any purpose other than the
purchaserÕs personal use.
All rights reserved; no use or disclosure without written consent.
Copyright © Apricot Computers Limited 1992
Published by
Apricot Computers Limited
3500 Parkside
Birmingham Business Park
BIRMINGHAM B37 7YS
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC
Printed in the United Kingdom
Part no. 15033931

1
Contents
Introduction 2
Anti-static precautions 3
Power down procedure 4
Power up procedure 5
Removing the left side panel 6
Adapter cards 7
Installing memory modules 9
CPU module upgrade 14

2
Introduction
This guide contains instructions on installing expansion
cards and extra memory in your computer. This document
should be your only source of information when installing
either of these.
You should read this document before purchasing extra
memory. If, having read the relevant instructions, you are
not confident about installing the upgrade, you may wish to
have your supplier or service organisation install it for you.
Before you start installing the upgrade you should be
thoroughly familiar with all the relevant instructions in this
guide.
Warning
Never carry out any work on the equipment with power
applied. Always switch off at the mains, isolate the
batteries and remove the power lead from the equipment
before starting work.
At the rear of this guide is some information about CPU
module upgrades. These are not user installable items,
only competent service personnel may install them.

3
Anti-static precautions
All electronic components and equipments are sensitive to
static electricity. Even small electrostatic discharges can
render components useless or severely shorten their
working life, therefore you should always take preventative
measures.
No work should be carried on any item unless it is in a
Special Handling Area (SHA) as defined in BS CECC
00015:Part 1. In general this involves:
* a common earth point
* an earthed bench or bench mat
* an earthed wrist strap
Note
An anti-static stud is provided on the rear panel of the
Apricot FTs.

4
Power down procedure
If security is enabled a user of appropriate authority must
be logged on before the system can be powered down.
1. Push the STANDBY button
2. Confirm by pushing the button under the “Y” on the
LCD display.
3. Isolate the internal UPS battery by setting the
BATTERY ISOLATION switch to the “0” position.
4. Isolate the FTs from any auxiliary external battery
supply.
5. Unplug the mains power supply.

5
Power up procedure
1. Ensure that the battery isolation switch is in the “0”
position.
2. Connect the FTs to any auxiliary external battery
supply.
3. Plug in the mains power supply.
4. Set the BATTERY ISOLATION SWITCH to the “1”
position.
5. Push the POWER button.
6. Perform any required power-on security procedure.

6
Removing the left side panel
The left side panel (as viewed from the front) is located by
two pegs at the front, and secured by two thumbscrews
and a keylock at the rear.
The left side panel allows access to the electronics bay
where the motherboard and power distribution board are
located.
To remove the side panel:
CASING SCREWS
1. Power the system down.
2. Unlock the security lock on the rear panel.
3. Unscrew the two thumbscrews.
4. Swing the rear of the panel away from the system unit
until the rear flanges are clear of the system unit.
5. Support the front of the panel and pull it rearwards
to free it from the pegs.
Replacement is simply the reverse of removal.

7
Adapter cards
Eight 32-bit Micro Channel slots are available on the
system board for the installation of adapter cards. One slot
is always occupied by a hard disk controller. Each slot has
a blanking plate in the rear panel and a slot in the bridge
assembly at the front of the system unit.
The slot nearest the top of the system unit (labelled 6) is a
video slot suitable for use with video adapters that use only
the Micro Channel Video Extension. Six of the other seven
slots are standard 32-bit slots and include the Micro
Channel Matched Memory Extension.
The exception is slot 1. It includes the Matched Memory
extension, but is also fitted with an additional extension.
This is reserved for future use, and slot 1 must not be used
for an XGA card. If you wish to install an XGA card it
should be installed in slot 4, 5, 7 or 8.
In order to simplify cabling between drive controllers and
the drive bay, it is recommended that slot 6 is left
unoccupied (except for a video card), and slot 3 is left
unoccupied (except for a secondary drive controller). Any
other adapter cards should be fitted in slots 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8
working down the system unit. Only after all these slots are
full should cards other than video adapters or drive
controllers be fitted in slots 6 or 3.

8
To install an adapter card:
1. Power the system down.
2. Remove the left side panel of the system unit.
3. Loosen the thumbscrew at the bottom of the
blanking plate for the slot that the adapter is to
occupy, and remove the blanking plate.
Note
If the thumbscrew is tight it may be necessary to
use a screwdriver or coin to release the
thumbscrew.
4. Place the adapter card above the required
connector making sure that the front edge of the
card locates in the appropriate notch in the bridge
assembly. The following two illustrations show the
possible internal layouts.
5. Push the card firmly into the connector. Do not use
excessive force.
6. Secure the card by tightening the thumbscrew at the
bottom of the rear panel of the card.
7. Replace the left side panel.
8. Power the system up with the Reference diskette
and reconfigure for the new adapter.

9
Installing memory modules
A variety of memory configurations are possible in the
Apricot FTs. Two different capacities of Single Inline
Memory Modules (SIMMs) are available: 1 Mbyte and 2
Mbyte.
The following diagrams show the type of SIMM that should
be fitted in each slot for each possible memory capacity.
The memory sockets are labelled ‘MM1’ to ‘MM8’, note that
the sockets are not numbered in sequence.
TOWARDS REAR OF MACHINE
TOWARDS REAR OF MACHINE TOWARDS REAR OF MACHINE
1 MBYTE MODULES
2 MBYTE MODULES2 MBYTE MODULES
8 Mb
12 Mb 16 Mb
1 MBYTE MODULES
TOWARDS REAR OF MACHINE
1 MBYTE MODULES
4 Mb
4 8 3 7 2 6 1 5

10
Obtaining access
The SIMM sockets are accessible with the left side panel
removed. To obtain access:
1. Take suitable anti-static precautions.
2. Remove the left side panel.
3. Identify the SIMM sockets from the illustration
below.
SIMM
SOCKETS
SWITCHES

11
Installation
If you are fitting additional SIMMs remove those already
installed.
Removing SIMMs
Starting with the SIMM nearest the front of the system unit
and working towards the rear:
1. Note which socket the SIMM is in.
2. Lever the metal clips on each side of the socket
gently away from the SIMM using your thumbnails.
When the clips are far enough apart the top edge of
the SIMM will move forward until the SIMM is at an
angle of about 15°.
3. Taking care to avoid touching any of the
components on the SIMM grip the top corners of the
SIMM between thumb and first finger and carefully
pull the SIMM out of the socket.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for all the other SIMMs.

12
Inserting SIMMs
From the illustrations showing the possible SIMM
combinations decide which SIMM capacity will be installed
in each slot. Then, working from the socket nearest the
rear of the system unit towards the front, install the
SIMMs.
To fit a SIMM:
1. Hold the SIMM so that the memory chips are facing
the rear of the system unit with the metal connector
strip nearest the system board.
2. Position the SIMM above the socket at an angle of
about 15°.
3. Lower the SIMM towards the socket. The right edge
of the SIMM will be prevented from reaching the
connector by the securing clip.
4. Allow the left edge of the SIMM to drop into the
connector.
5. Push the SIMM gently to the right and lower the
right edge into the connector.
6. Ensure that the SIMM is properly located in the
connector.

13
7. Rotate the SIMM into the vertical position by
pushing gently on the top corners.
8. If the SIMM is properly located the SIMM should
remain in position held by the securing clips, and
with a small plastic lug through the holes on either
side of the SIMM.
Once all the SIMMs are installed reset the memory
configuration switches to the appropriate setting and
reassemble the computer. There is a label inside the
system unit identifying the switches and the appropriate
positions.
Reboot your computer with the Reference diskette and
reconfigure your system for the extra memory.
Warning
Always ensure that the system unit is fully reassembled
before powering it up.

14
CPU module upgrades
The add-ons described earlier may be installed by a
confident and competent user. The installation of a CPU
module upgrade is more complex, and should only be
carried out by competent service personnel.
A range of 80486 processors are available for the system
board fitted in the Apricot FTs. Depending on which
processor is installed in your system you may be able to
upgrade to a more powerful processor. Consult your
supplier.

apricot
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC
APRICOT COMPUTERS LIMITED
3500 PARKSIDE
BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS PARK
BIRMINGHAM B37 7YS.
Part No 15033931
Revision 01