Mylex MAE486 User manual

PREFACE
Thank you for your choice of a Mylex 486/EISA System Board
product. With proper installation and care, your Mylex System
Board will operate for years without any service requirement. This
manual will guide you in the installation process. The information
contained herein is subject to change without notice.
Mylex Corporation shall not be held liable for technical or editorial
omissions or errors made herein; nor for incidental or consequential
damages resulting from the furnishing, performance, or use of this
material.
This document contains proprietary information protected by
copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be
photocopied or reproduced by mechanical, electronic, or other
means in any form without prior written permission of Mylex
Corporation.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation.
Copyright 1990
by
Mylex Corporation
47650 Westinghouse Drive
Fremont, California 94539
Revision 1.0
Written and typeset by High-Tech Publications
Marc H. Fishel, wrltlng consultant
8780486005

Preface
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate
radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions manual,
may cause interference to radio communications.
It has been tested and found to comply with the
limits for a Class Acomputing device pursuant to
Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are
designed to provide reasonable protection
against such interference when operated in a
commercial environment.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area
is likely to cause interference, in which case the
user, at his own expense, will be required to take
whatever measures may be required to correct
the interference.
Installation and Operation Guide
Ill

Table of Contents
Introduction I-l
Precautions
.....................
Handling the system board
.....
Unpacking and installing
......
Unpacking your components
...
What else you need
..............
Using this Guide .............
Conventions ..............
Contents .................
. . . .
. . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
................
I-l
................ I-l
................I-l
................
I-2
................
I-2
................
I-3
................
I-3
................
I-3
Chapter 1, Product overview
MAE486 features .................
Microprocessor .............
BUS architecture
..........
On-board memory
..........
Memory cache .............
Shadow RAM ..............
Nonvolatile RAM
...........
Math coprocessor
...........
Jumpers ..................
Connectors ................
MBE486 features .................
Microprocessor .............
BUS architecture
..........
On-board memory
..........
Shadow RAM.. ............
Nonvolatile RAM
...........
Math coprocessor
...........
Jumpers ..................
Connectors ................
......................
l-l
...................... l-l
...................... l-l
...................... l-2
...................... l-2
...................... l-2
...................... l-2
...................... l-2
...................... l-3
...................... l-3
...................... l-4
...................... l-4
...................... l-4
...................... l-4
...................... l-4
......................
1-5
......................
1-5
......................
1-5
......................
1-5
Installation and Operation Guide

Table of Contents
Chapter 2, Configuring the MAE486
Jumper locations
.............................
Summary of jumper settings
...................
Jumper functions
.............................
External cache (Jl)
........................
Operating speed (521
......................
On-board system memory (53 through 512)
...
SIMM sockets NJ96 through U103)
..........
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
. . .
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
.2-l
.2-3
.2-4
.2-4
.2-4
.2-5
.2-6
Chapter 3, Connectors
Connector locations
...................
Connectors and pin assignments
........
Turbo light connector
.................
Keyboard IocWpower light connector
.....
Reset switch connector
................
Speaker connector
....................
. . . .
. . .
. . . .
. . . .
. . .
. . . .
. . . .
3-l
3-4
3-5
3-6
3-7
3-8
Chapter 4, Installation
Building a complete system
............................... .4-l
Precautions..............................................4- 2
Handling the system board
.........................
.4-2
Installing the system board
.........................
.4-2
Power supply
.....................................
.4-3
Uninstalled components
............................ .4-3
Installing system board components
........................
.4-3
Installing BIOS chips
.................................
.4-6
Installing a math coprocessor in the MAE486 ............. .4-7
Installing SIMM memory
.............................. .4-8
MAE486 memory configurations
.....................
.4-8
MBE486 memory configurations
..................... .4-8
Installing SIMMs
................................. .4-9
Installing the system board
..............................
.4-13
vi Installation and Operation Guide

Table of Contents
Appendix A, Specifications
Appendix B, Bank and bit locations
Memory organization ..................................... B-l
Diagnostic information ................................... B-l
SIMM locations ......................................... B-2
Appendix C, Quick reference
Warrantv and service
Installation and Operation Guide
vii

Introduction
This Installation and Operation Guide describes
how to configure and install the MAE486 and
MBE486 system boards. Any information that
pertains to one system board, but not the other,
will be clearly identified.
Precautions
Before you unpack your components, observe the
following precautions:
Handling the
c;ystem board
Use extreme care when handling the system
board. Your system board contains very sensitive
components that are prone to damage from elec-
trostatic charge. The charge that every human
body carries will discharge when you touch the
metal of the system board and may damage the
components. Avoid touching any of the system
board metal leads. Before touching the system
board or its components, all of the electrostatic
charges must be discharged from your body to
earth ground.
Unpacking and
installing
All unpacking and installation should be done on
an antistatic mat connected to earth ground
through a one MegOhm resistor. You should wear
an antistatic wristband connected through a one
MegOhm resistor to earth ground at the same
point as the antistatic mat.
Storing the
system board
If you will be storing the system board, use an
antistatic bag and an antistatic mat. This should
protect your system board and its components
until you are ready to use it.
Installation and Operation Guide I-1

Introduction Unpacking your components
Unpacking your components
After reading the precautions on page I-l, ma1
sure you received the following components:
One MAE486 or MBE486 system board.
One diskette that contains the configuration
utility for configuring and testing the system
board.
This Installation and Operation Guide.
A BIOS User’s Manual for the appropriate
BIOS on the system board.
A warranty registration card.
If any components are missing or damaged, con-
tact your dealer immediately.
Please complete the warranty registration car
and return it to Mylex Corporation. This will
protect your system board if it ever needs service.
What else YOU need
You will need the following items to configure
and install the MAE486 and MBE486 system
boards:
l A large, clear, flat surface that provides easy
access to the system board.
l An industry-compatible enclosure with a
power supply sufficient to drive all compo-
nents in your system. (If you are upgrading a.
existing system, the enclosure and power sup
ply must be industry standard.) Make sure
you check the power output capacity of the
l-2 Installation and Operation Guide

What else you need Introduction
power supply to make sure it can drive all the
componets in your system.
l A small Phillips screwdriver.
l A flat-blade screwdriver.
lA small pair of scissors or diagonal cutter.
l A ballpoint pen.
l An ashtray or other receptacle to hold loose
screws.
l A grounded (3-prong) AC power outlet.
Using this Guide
This Installation and Operation Guide contains
all the information you need to set up and install
your MAE486 and MBE486 system boards.
Conventions
In this Guide, any steps you are to perform are
prefaced by an arrow. Any result that occurs will
appear in italics after the step. For example:
l Press CTRL-ALT-DEL.
The system resets.
Contents
This Installation and Operation Guide is organ-
ized to let you configure and install your system
board in the shortest possible time. Here is a
summary of the contents in this Guide.
Chapter 1, Product overview - provides an
overview of the MAE486 and MBE486 system
boards and describes their features.
Chapter 2, Configuring the MAE486 - describes
how to use the on-board jumpers to configure the
MAE486 system board. If you have the MBE486
system board, you can skip this chapter; the
Installation and Operation Guide
l-3

Introduction What else you need
MBE486 system board has no user-configurable
jumpers.
Chapter 3, Connectors - describes the pin a?
signments for the MAE486 and MBE486 systt
board connectors.
Chapter 4, Installation -describes how to install
components onto the system boards and how to
install the system boards into a system chassis.
Appendix A, Specifications - lists specifka-
tions for the MAE486 and MBE486 system
boards.
Appendix 8, Bank and bit locations-shows the
memory organization as laid out on the system
boards.
Appendix C, Quick reference - shows the lay-
out of the MAE486 and MBE486 system boards,
summarizes the jumper settings for the MAE486
system board, and lists the connectors found c
both the MAE486 and MBE486 system boards.
The Warranty and Index appear at the end of this
Guide.
l-4
Installation and Operation Guide

Chapter 1, Product overview
The MAE486 and MBE486 system boards are
ideal for building advanced personal computer
systems or workstations. Both the MAE486 and
MBE486 system boards provide high-perfor-
mance 80486 processing capabilities, fast 25MHz
operation, and an Extended Industry Standard
Architecture (EISA) bus.
This chapter describes the features of the
MAE486 and MBE486 system boards.
MAE486 features
Microprocessor
INTEL 25MHz 80486 microprocessor.
BUS
architecture
The MAE486 supports the EISA specification.
The MAE486 provides two files of nonvolatile
RAM. A standard 128-byte RAM in the Dallas
DS1287 part provides standard SETUP informa-
tion found in all ISA-compatible systems. An ad-
ditional 8K-byte RAM is also included in a Dallas
l$W$5 part, which is required for EISA compat-
The MAE486 system board is a high-perfor-
mance system board that offers the following
features:
The MAE486 bus provides six slots for bus mas-
ter devices. These are the six slots closest to the
power supply connector. The remaining two slots
are designed to accept EISA devices other than
bus master devices.
Installation and Operation Guide l-l

Product overview MAE466 features
On-board
memory
Memory cache
Shadow RAM
Nonvolatile RAM
Math
coprocessor
The MAE486 provides two SIMM memory
banks. Each bank provides four SIMM sockets,
which can accommodate standard, g-bit single
in-line memory modules (SIMMs). Possibl-
memory configurations using combinations
256KI3, 1024KI3, and 4096KB DRAM memory
modules include~,,_8,,16,.~nd.,32 Megabytes.
-. .
For added performance in multitasking environ-
ments, the MAE486 provides 128KB of write-
back cache in addition to the 8KB internal cache
of the 80486.
Shadow RAM provides much faster RAM access
to the information normally stored in ROM. The
MAE486 supports shadow RAM for both system
BIOS and video BIOS.
Of the total system memory installed, 128KB is
reserved for shadow RAM purposes, regardless
of whether this feature is used. For lMB, 2MB,
and 4MB configurations, the total amount
memory available to the user will be the actu
amount of memory installed minus 128KB. For
configurations of 8MB and above, the total
amount of memory available will be the actual
amount of memory installed minus 384KB.
The SETUP utility provided by the BIOS has two
entries that can be used to enable this feature.
(For more information, refer to the manual for
the BIOS installed in the system.)
This memory is programmed by the EISA config-
uration utility and is used by the EISA Power On
Self Test (POST) routine of the BIOS. If the
configuration memory has not been pro-
grammed, the POST routine will indicate an
error. This is correct operation and does not indi-
cate a board defect.
A socket is available for the Weitek 4167 math
coprocessor (untested as of 5/4/901.
l-2 Installation and Operation Guide

MAE466 features Product overview
Jumpers
There are 14 BERG option jumpers on the
MAE486 system board, 10 of which are used for
setting the memory size, and four set perma-
nently at the factory. For more information, refer
to Chapter 2.
Connectors
The MAE486 provides a connector for the turbo
light, keyboard lock/power, reset, and speaker.
No external battery is required. The basic
(
SETUP and EISA databases are stored in non-
volatile RAM modules. For more information,
refer to Chapter 2.
B
0
Installation and Operation Guide 1-3

Product overview MBE488 features
MBE486 features
The MBE486 system board is a cost-effectiy
system board designed for entry-level worh
stations. The MBE486 provides the following
features:
Microprocessor
INTEL 25MHz 80486 microprocessor.
BUS
architecture
The MBE486 supports the EISA specification.
The MBE486 provides two files of nonvolatile
RAM. A standard 128-byte RAM in the Dallas
DS1287 part provides standard SETUP informa-
tion found in all ISA-compatible systems. An ad-
ditional 8K-byte RAM is also included in a Dallas
DS8825 part, which is required for EISA corn- 2
patibility.
On-board
memory
The MBE486 provides two SIMM memory
banks. Each bank provides four SIMM socket,
which can accommodate standard, g-bit singk
in-line memory modules (SIMMs). Possible
memory configurations using combinations of
256Kl3, 1024Kl3, and 4096KB DRAM memory
modules include 2,8, andmzabytes.
Shadow RAM
Memory addresses between 640KB (AOOOOH)
and 1024KB (FFFFFH) are reserved by DOS for
read-only memory (ROM), video RAM, and other
special uses (such as network management and
LIM/EMS page frames). The information in this
range can be copied into RAM on the MBE486
using the same addresses. This 32-bit shadow
RAM provides much faster RAM access to the
information normally stored in ROM.
Note that of the total system memory installed,
384KB is reserved for shadow RAM purpose
(both system BIOS and video BIOS), regardles.
of whether this feature is used. The total amount
of memory available to the user (as reported by
1-4 Installation and Operation Guide

ME488 features
Product overview
Nonvolatile RAM
Math
coprocessor
Jumpers
Connectors
the POST memory count) will be the actual
amount of memory installed minus 384KB.
The configuration of the shadow BAM is achieved
by the BIOS installed on the MBE486 or by other
user-supplied sbfiware. The shadow BAM must
be enabled by the system SETUP program for the
BIOS. The SETUP utility provided by Phoenix
BIOS, for example, has two entries that can be
used to enable this feature; some earlier versions
of the Phoenix BIOS always keep the video
shadow BAM enabled, regardless of the option
selected. (For more information, refer to the
manual for the BIOS installed in the system.)
This memory is programmed by the EISA con-
figuration utility and is used by the EISA Power
On Self Test (POST) routine of the BIOS. If the
configuration memory has not been pro-
grammed, the POST routine will indicate an
error. This is correct operation and does not in-
dicate a board defect.
The MBE486 doesnot_mquire ,an external math
coprocessor. The 80486 provides all of the
functions of the Intel 80387.
The MBE486 automatically senses the presence
of the memory installed. There are no user-cqn-
figurable_.&apers that _rezp&_. setting. by__the
“Sey,..
The MBE486 provides a connector for the turbo
light, keyboard lock/power, reset, and speaker.
No external battery is required. The basic
SETUP and EISA databases are stored in non-
volatile BAM modules. For more information,
refer to Chapter 2.
Installation and Operation Guide
l-5

Chapter 2, Configuring the MAE486
This chapter describes the functions of the jump-
ers found on the MAE486 system board.
The MAE486 system board has several user-con-
figurable jumpers. Before you install the
MAE486 system board into a computer chassis,
set all on-board jumpers to the configuration you
desire.
Note: If you have the MBE486 system board, you
can skip this chapter and proceed to Chapter 3.
The MBE486 system board has no user-configur-
able jumpers.
Jumper locations
The MAE486 system board has 14 BERG-type
jumpers, 10 of which are setable by the user.
Figure 2-l shows the jumper locations on the
MAE486 system board.
Installation and Operation Guide
2-1

Configuring the MAE466 Jumper locations
J15 JZ
Figure 2-1. Jumper locations on the MAE486
system board
Note: Earlier revision boards have different locations for option jumpers. How-
ever, the number assigned to each jumper will be the same.
2-2 Installation and Operation Guide

Summary of jumper settings Configuring the MAE466
Summary of jumper settings
Jumper
Jl
(factory use
only)
52
(factory use
only)
515
(factory use
only)
J16
(factory use
only)
53 through
512
U96 through
u103
___~_
Table 2-l lists the jumpers on the MAE486 sys-
tem board, their function, and the page to turn
to for more information about them.
Table 2-1. MAE486 jumper summary
Function
l-2 - Enable external cache (default)
OPEN - Disable external cache
l-2 - 25MHz operation (default)
2-3 - 33MH.z operation
l-2 - Factory setting (default)
l-2 - Factory setting (default)
Specifies the amount of on-board
memory (see Table 2-2).
Accept SIMM memory modules.
Refer to
Page
2-4
2-4
NIA
N/A
2-5
2-6
.
.
f
.
.
.
Installation and Operation Guide
2-3

Configuring the MAE466 Jumper functions
Jumper functions
The following sections describe the functions
the jumpers found on the MAE486 system boarL.
External cache (Jl)
l-2 - enable external cache (default)
OPEN - disable external cache
Jumper Jl is a reserved jumper, intended to be
used only at the factory. It determines whether
the MAE486 external cache is enabled or dis-
abled. This jumper does not affect the internal
8K cache of the 80486.
The default setting (l-2) enables the external
cache. If you use this setting, the power-on se’
test (POST) routine in the BIOS, or othc
software, must also enable the external cache for
the cache to operate.
‘lb disable the external cache, remove the jumper
from pins l-2 at location Jl on the system board.
Operating speed (52)
l-2 - 25MHz operation (default)
2-3 - 33MHz operation
Jumper 52 determines the operating speed of the
microprocessor. The default setting (l-2) selects
an operating speed of 25MHz.
If you set the jumper to pins 2-3 at location 52 01.
the system board, you specify an operating speed
of 33MHz.
2-4
Installation and Operation Guide

Jumper functions Configuring the MAE486
Note: The MAE486 is not upgradeable from 25
MHz to 33 MHz. This jumper is intended to be
used only at the factory.
On-board system memory (53 through 512)
Jumpers 53 through 512 define the amount of
on-board memory installed on the MAE486 sys-
tem board, as shown in Table 2-2.
Table 2-2. Jumper settings for on-board mem-
orY
Installation and Operation Guide
2-5