NEC VERSA 4000 BATTERY CHARGER WITH AC ADAPTER User manual

First Printing — August 1995
Copyright 1995 Copyright 1995
NEC Technologies, Inc. NEC Corporation
1414 Massachusetts Avenue 7-1 Shiba 5-Chome, Minato-Ku
Boxborough, MA 01719 Tokyo 108-01, Japan
All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved
PROPRIETARY NOTICE AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
The information disclosed in this document, including all designs and related materials, is
the valuable property of NEC Corporation (NEC) and/or its licensors. NEC and/or its licen-
sors, as appropriate, reserve all patent, copyright and other proprietary rights to this docu-
ment, including all design, manufacturing, reproduction, use, and sales rights thereto, except
to the extent said rights are expressly granted to others.
The NEC product(s) discussed in this document are warranted in accordance with the terms
of the Warranty Statement accompanying each product. However, actual performance of
each such product is dependent upon factors such as system configuration, customer data,
and operator control. Since implementation by customers of each product may vary, the
suitability of specific product configurations and applications must be determined by the
customer and is not warranted by NEC.
To allow for design and specification improvements, the information in this document is
subject to change at any time, without notice. Reproduction of this document or portions
thereof without prior written approvalof NEC is prohibited.
FastFacts, and NEC SVGA, are U.S. trademarks of NEC Technologies, Inc.
All other product, brand, or trade names used in this publication are the trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

vii
Preface
This service and reference manual contains the technical information necessary to set up,
and maintain the NEC Versa™ 4000 Series notebook systems. It also provides hardware
and interface information for users who need an overview of the computer system design.
The manual is written for NEC-trained customer engineers, system analysts, service center
personnel, and dealers.
Please refer to the training module provided on CD-ROM for system disassembly/assembly
procedures.
The manual is organized as follows:
Section 1 Technical Information, provides an overview of the hardware and interface
components. System specifications are listed including computer dimensions, weight, envi-
ronment, safety compliance, power consumption, and system memory specifications.
Section 2  Setup and Operation,takes the user from unpacking to setup and operation.
The section includes a description of operating controls, setting parameters and accessing
the NEC bulletin board system (BBS).
Section 3  Illustrated Parts Breakdown (IPB),provides an exploded-view diagram of
the NEC Versa 4000 series system and part numbers.
Appendix A  Connector Locations and Pin Assignments,provides a list of the main
board internal connector pin assignments and a list of external pin assignments.
An Index is included for convenience.

iii
Contents
Preface.........................................................................................................................vii
Abbreviations............................................................................................................... ix
Section 1 Technical Information
Hardware Overview..................................................................................................... 1-2
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)................................................................................ 1-2
CPU Board........................................................................................................... 1-3
I/O Board ............................................................................................................. 1-3
Sound Board......................................................................................................... 1-3
Infrared (IR) Front Assembly, Rear Assembly....................................................... 1-4
Battery Pack......................................................................................................... 1-4
CMOS Battery...................................................................................................... 1-4
Bridge Battery...................................................................................................... 1-4
PCMCIA Slots...................................................................................................... 1-4
Diskette Drive and the NEC VersaBay II .............................................................. 1-5
Keyboard.............................................................................................................. 1-5
NEC VersaGlide................................................................................................... 1-5
System Memory........................................................................................................... 1-5
Memory Map........................................................................................................ 1-6
System Video............................................................................................................... 1-7
Parallel Interface.......................................................................................................... 1-11
Serial Interface............................................................................................................. 1-12
NEC Versa 4000 Series Chip Set................................................................................. 1-12
Intel Pentium P54LM............................................................................................ 1-12
Cache Controller, Address Logic, Data Controller................................................. 1-13
System Logic, IDE Interface, Peripheral Controller............................................... 1-13
Flash ROM........................................................................................................... 1-13
ROM BIOS.................................................................................................... 1-14
VGA Controller.................................................................................................... 1-14
Video Controller Architecture........................................................................ 1-15
Diskette Controller, Serial Interface, Parallel Interface .......................................... 1-15
Keyboard Controller ............................................................................................. 1-15
PCMCIA Controller.............................................................................................. 1-15
Interrupt Controllers............................................................................................. 1-16

iv Contents
Power Management Overview ..................................................................................... 1-17
System Power Management .................................................................................. 1-17
Local Power Management..................................................................................... 1-18
Plug and Play............................................................................................................... 1-18
Specifications............................................................................................................... 1-19
Section 2 Setup and Operation
Unpacking the System.................................................................................................. 2-1
Hardware Setup........................................................................................................... 2-1
Cable Connections................................................................................................ 2-2
Operating Controls ...................................................................................................... 2-3
Status Bar............................................................................................................. 2-4
Status Icons................................................................................................... 2-5
Battery Status................................................................................................ 2-5
Function Keys (Fn Keys)....................................................................................... 2-6
Smart Power Switch ............................................................................................. 2-6
Dip Switch............................................................................................................ 2-7
Power-on Self-Test (Post)............................................................................................ 2-8
POST Errors......................................................................................................... 2-9
Setup Utility ................................................................................................................ 2-10
Accessing Setup.................................................................................................... 2-10
With an Error at POST .................................................................................. 2-10
With No Errors at POST................................................................................ 2-10
Setup Screen......................................................................................................... 2-11
Setup Keys..................................................................................................... 2-11
Changing/Setting Parameter Settings............................................................................ 2-11
Parameter Options....................................................................................................... 2-13
Parameter Descriptions......................................................................................... 2-14
Time/Date...................................................................................................... 2-14
Drives............................................................................................................ 2-14
Peripherals..................................................................................................... 2-14
Security ......................................................................................................... 2-15
Power Savings............................................................................................... 2-15
Security Options.......................................................................................................... 2-16
System Password.................................................................................................. 2-16
Using the System Password............................................................................ 2-16
Keyboard Lock Hotkey......................................................................................... 2-17

Contents v
BIOS Update Utility (BUU)......................................................................................... 2-17
Precautions........................................................................................................... 2-17
Downloading the Update Utility............................................................................ 2-17
Using the Update Utility........................................................................................ 2-18
Menu Functions.................................................................................................... 2-20
Power Sources............................................................................................................. 2-23
AC Adapter .......................................................................................................... 2-23
Battery Power....................................................................................................... 2-24
Recharging the Battery Pack.......................................................................... 2-24
Replacing the Battery Pack .......................................................................................... 2-24
Saving Battery Power ........................................................................................... 2-26
Automatic Power-Saving Features............................................................................... 2-27
Section 3 Illustrated Parts Breakdown
Appendix A Connector Locations and Pin Assignments
List of Figures
1-1 NEC Versa 4000 Series System Features ....................................................... 1-1
1-2 NEC Versa 4000 Series (Rear View).............................................................. 1-2
2-1 Power and I/O Connector Locations .............................................................. 2-2
2-2 Keyboard Panel Controls................................................................................ 2-3
2-3 Right Side Panel Controls .............................................................................. 2-3
2-4 Status Bar Location ....................................................................................... 2-4
2-5 Status Bar Icons............................................................................................. 2-5
2-6 Dip Switch Location...................................................................................... 2-7
2-7 Dip Switch Settings........................................................................................ 2-7
2-8 Connecting the AC Adapter ........................................................................... 2-23
2-9 Battery Cover Latch Location........................................................................ 2-25
2-10 Battery Pack Replacement.............................................................................. 2-25
2-11 Battery Bay Cover Replacement..................................................................... 2-26
3-1 NEC Versa 4000 Series Illustrated Parts Breakdown...................................... 3-3
A-1 System Board Connector Locations ............................................................... A-1

vi Contents
List of Tables
1-1 NEC Versa 4000 Series System Memory Map ............................................... 1-6
1-2 CRT Display Mode (CRT only)...................................................................... 1-7
1-3 LCD Display Modes (640 x 480 TFT, Simultaneous CRT)............................. 1-9
1-4 LCD Display Modes (640 x 480 DSTN, Simultaneous CRT) ......................... 1-10
1-5 NEC Versa 4000 Series Chip Types and Technologies................................... 1-12
1-6 NEC Versa 4000 Series Interrupt Level Assignments..................................... 1-16
1-7 Maximum Performance Default Settings......................................................... 1-18
1-8 Specifications................................................................................................. 1-19
2-1 I/O Connector Descriptions............................................................................ 2-2
2-2 Control and Switch Functions ........................................................................ 2-4
2-3 FnKey Operations.......................................................................................... 2-6
2-4 POST Error Messages.................................................................................... 2-9
2-5 Setup Key Functions...................................................................................... 2-11
2-6 System Parameter Settings............................................................................. 2-13
2-7 Automatic Power-Saving Features ................................................................. 2-27
3-1 NEC Versa 4000 Series Field-Replaceable Parts............................................. 3-1
3-2 Option and Documentation Part Numbers...................................................... 3-4
A-1 CPU Board Connectors.................................................................................. A-1
A-2 Keyboard/Mouse Connector Pin Assignments ................................................ A-1
A-3 Serial Port Connector Pin Assignments .......................................................... A-2
A-4 CRT Connector Pin Assignments................................................................... A-2
A-5 Parallel Printer Pin Assignments..................................................................... A-3
A-6 Expansion Connector Pin Assignments........................................................... A-4
A-7 Power Connector........................................................................................... A-8
A-8 Hard Disk Drive Connector............................................................................ A-9
A-9 Diskette Drive Connector...............................................................................A-10

Section 1
Technical Information
The NEC Versa 4000 series computers integrate the Intel®Pentium-75 MHz, or 90-MHz
chips. The systems offer a unique transportable unit in the following configurations:
 NEC Versa 4000D 75-MHz CPU, 540-MB hard disk drive, 10.4-inch Dual-
Scan Super Twisted Nematic (DSTN) color LCD, 8-MB standard RAM, 1-MB
video memory, 256-KB ROM
 NEC Versa 4000C 75-MHz CPU, 540-MB hard disk drive, 10.1-inch thin-film
transistor (TFT) color LCD, 8-MB standard RAM, 1-MB video memory, 256-KB
ROM
 NEC Versa 4000H 75-MHz CPU, 810-MB hard disk drive, 10.4-inch, high
resolution, thin-film transistor (TFT) color LCD, 8-MB standard RAM, 1-MB
video memory, 256-KB ROM
 NEC Versa 4050C 90-MHz CPU, 810-MB hard disk drive, 10.1-inch thin-film
transistor (TFT) color LCD, 8-MB standard RAM, 1-MB video memory, 256-KB
ROM
 NEC Versa 4050H 90-MHz CPU, 810-MB hard disk drive, 10.4-inch, high
resolution, thin-film transistor (TFT) color LCD, 8-MB standard RAM, 1-MB
video memory, 256-KB ROM
 NEC Versa 4000 120-MHz CPU, 1 gigabyte (GB) hard disk drive, 10.4-inch
Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA) color LCD, 8-MB standard RAM, 1-MB
video memory, 256-KB ROM
Figure Section 1-1 shows system features.
Figure Section 1-1 NEC Versa 4000 Series System Features
LCD
Keyboard
PCMCIA
Slots
Diskette Drive/
VersaBay II

1-2 Technical Information
HARDWARE OVERVIEW
The base unit includes a color LCD panel, a 2 1/2-inch 540-MB, or 810-MB hard disk
drive, a 3 1/2-inch, 1.44-MB diskette drive, a battery pack, and a PS/2 compatible 83-key
keyboard. A 79-key keyboard is used for U.K. and Germany. The NEC VersaGlide touch-
pad is positioned at the front of the keyboard, and takes the place of a mouse.
Multimedia features include built-in stereo speakers and a built-in microphone. Multimedia
ports include line-in, line-out, headphone and external microphone.
One memory card slot is available for the addition of a 4-, 8- , 16-, or 32-MB capacity
memory card. Two Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA)
card slots, supported by the Cirrus Logic PD6722 PCMCIA controller, allow for the addi-
tion of either two PCMCIA Type 1/Type II cards or one PCMCIA Type III card.
Figure Section 1-2 shows the standard I/O interface ports on the system's rear panel. These
include one 6-pin shared PS/2-style keyboard/mouse port, one 9-pin (RS-232C) serial port,
one 25-pin enhanced printer (parallel) port, one 15-pin Super VGA CRT port, one Infrared
(IR) port, one expansion connector, and one 4-pin power connector port.
Figure Section 1-2 NEC Versa 4000 Series (Rear View)
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
The system integrates a built-in LCD. The LCD supports VESA Local (VL) bus video. The
LCD operates with the Chips & Technologies 65545B1-5 VGA controller. The controller
supports Super VGA. For more information on the 65545B1-5 or 65545B2-H VGA con-
troller, read the description provided in the NEC Versa 4000 Series Chip Set subsection.
Mouse/
Keyboard Port
Serial Port
Enhanced
Parallel Port
CRT Port IR Port
Expansion Port
Power Port

Technical Information 1-3
The NEC Versa 4000 series system features the following types of LCDs.

TFT — 10.1-inch thin-film transistor backlit color LCD, 0.32 mm dot pitch, 18-
bit digital interface, 640 x 480 resolution, 256,000 colors.

DSTN — 10.4-inch dual-scan super twisted nematic color LCD, 0.33 mm dot
pitch, 16-bit digital interface, 600 x 480 resolution, 256,000 colors, (64K colors
on an external CRT).

High Resolution TFT — 10.4-inch thin film transistor color LCD, 0.26 mm dot
pitch, 18-bit digital interface, 800 x 600 resolution, 256,000 colors, (64K colors
on an external CRT).
In addition, the CRT port on the system's rear panel allows the user to connect an optional
monochrome or color external display to the system. The computer supports the LCD and
external display simultaneously.
Power-saving features for controlling the LCD's backlighting include the ROM-based hot
key Fn F5, and Auto Setup power management settings. See Section 2, Setup and Opera-
tion, for information on using these settings. In addition, the automatic LCD status sense
feature conserves the backlight. When the LCD is closed the backlight shuts off, saving
battery power.
CPU Board
The CPU board (75 Mhz, 90 MHz or 120 MHz) CPU board is an L-shaped board situated
next to the audio ports. In addition to the CPU, this board houses the bridge battery and
speaker. It controls important functions including power management, direct drive bus in-
terface and memory management.
I/O Board
The I/O board (G8TUP) contains peripheral subsystems including serial, parallel and video
ports. It is located underneath the sound board.
I/O board specifications are listed in Table Section 1-8 at the end of this section.
Sound Board
The sound board (G8UNA) provides the NEC Versa 4000 series system with its audio ca-
pabilities via line-in/line-out jacks, and headphone/microphone jacks. It is situated on top of
the I/O board.

1-4 Technical Information
Infrared (IR) Front Assembly, Rear Assembly
Two IR assemblies are connected to the I/O board via connectors P10 and P11 respectively.
One is located on the front of the NEC Versa, the second one is located on the rear of the
NEC Versa.
Each IR assembly consists of a small board with infrared LEDs. The board allows the NEC
Versa 4000 series computer to communicate with other infrared-ready computers. For ex-
ample, the infrared ports allow the user to transfer files between the NEC Versa and an IR-
equipped desktop, or print to an IR-equipped printer without using cables.
The NEC Versa 4000 series system ships with the rear IR assembly disabled and the front
IR assembly disabled. When the NEC Versa 4000 is docked to the optional NEC Versa
Docking Station 4000, the rear IR assembly is automatically disabled, and the front enabled.
Battery Pack
The system uses a rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ION) battery as its transient power source.
The battery pack installs in the compartment next to the standard diskette drive on the bot-
tom of the Versa 4000. The battery uses 10.8 volts with a 2500 mAh capacity.
The battery pack powers the NEC Versa 4000 for approximately 5 hours with Power Man-
agement or 2.5 hours without Power management. In addition, the battery pack lets the
user know how much battery power is available via the LEDs on the front of the system, or
the battery gas gauge in the power panel.
When battery power is getting low, connect the AC adapter to a wall outlet and recharge
the battery. It takes 2.5 hours to recharge the battery pack when the system is powered off,
(Quick Charge). It takes 2.5 hours to recharge the battery while the system is powered on,
(Normal Charge).
CMOS Battery
The lithium battery (3.0 Volts, 280 mAh capacity) is attached to connector P12 on the CPU
board. It provides battery backup and prevents data loss in the system’s complementary
metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) RAM. This memory area contains information on the
system’s configuration like date, time, drives, and memory. The CMOS battery lasts ap-
proximately two years.
Bridge Battery
The bridge battery saves the memory contents and system status for up to 5 minutes while
in Suspend mode. It is connected to the CPU board via P8. The AC adapter maintains volt-
age in the bridge battery when the system is powered on or off. The bridge battery provides
6 Volts, 60 mAH.

Technical Information 1-5
PCMCIA Slots
The Versa 4000 provides a 5 volt, or 3.3 volt interface for either two Type I/Type II
PCMCIA cards, or one Type III PCMCIA card.
Diskette Drive and the NEC VersaBay II
A standard 1.44-MB diskette drive comes installed in the VersaBay II slot on the front of
the system. The VersaBay II expansion slot allows the user to replace the standard diskette
drive with a number of different NEC options including a CD-ROM reader, a second bat-
tery pack, or an additional hard disk drive using the release latches on the bottom of the
unit.
Keyboard
The built-in, 83-key keyboard (U.S) or 79-key keyboard (UK and Germany) uses the stan-
dard QWERTY format. The keyboard provides 12 function keys and 8 cursor control keys,
with an Fn key for ROM-based key functions. The numeric keypad is embedded in the stan-
dard key layout.
NEC VersaGlide
The NEC VersaGlide is a built-in mechanism that functions as the system’s mouse. It con-
trols the on-screen pointer (cursor). To use the VersaGlide, glide your finger across the
NEC VersaGlide pad, and the cursor follows. The buttons on either side of the NEC Ver-
saGlide allow the user to select or deselect menu items. Tap and double-tap are supported
on the VersaGlide pad.
The NEC VersaGlide is the system's default pointing device unless a PS/2 mouse is in-
stalled. If an external mouse is installed, then the NEC VersaGlide is deactivated. A serial
mouse is not supported.
SYSTEM MEMORY
The system board provides 8-MB of standard random access memory (RAM).The NEC
Versa 4000 operates with 4 banks. Banks 0 to 1 are used for the standard 8-MB (with in-
terleaved access support). Banks 2 to 4 are used for memory expansion (without interleaved
access support).
Optional memory cards with a value of 4-, 8-, 16-, or 32-MB can be added to increase sys-
tem memory up to a maximum of 40-MB. In addition, 256 KB of read-only memory
(ROM), 1 x 28F020, enables the system BIOS to be flashed.
Cache RAM is available with L1 write-back access support providing 8 KB for code, 8 KB
for data. L2 write-through access support providing 256 KB.

1-6 Technical Information
Memory Map
The system supports system and video shadowing, both controlled through complementary
metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The system supports BIOS as a cacheable area with
write protection. Table Section 1-1 lists the system's memory map.
To view a more complete breakdown, and to determine available space for the addition of
drivers etc., type MSD at the DOS prompt and press Enter.
Table Section 1-1 NEC Versa 4000 Series System Memory Map
Memory Space Size Function
0027FFFFh-
00C0000h 40 MB Reserved for Extended Memory
000BFFFFh-
00010000h
8 MB Base Memory
000FFFFFh-
000F0000h 64 KB ROM BIOS
000EFFFFh-
000CA000h 152 KB Upper Memory Block (UMB)
000C9FFFh-
000C0000h 40 KB Video ROM BIOS
000BFFFFh-
000A0000h 128 KB Video Memory
0009FFFFh-
0000000h 640 KB Conventional Memory

Technical Information 1-7
SYSTEM VIDEO
The system's LCD operates using the Chips and Technologies 65545B1-5 or 65545B2-H
VGA Controller. Video signals travel from the controller through the system's 15-pin D-
SUB connector using 5 volts.
System video integrates a 32-bit VL-bus interface using local bus video. The system ships
with 1 MB Video RAM (VRAM). It also supports video modes up to 1024 x 768 with 256
colors in CRT mode.
Table Section 1-2 lists CRT display modes..
NOTE: Interlaced video modes are represented
with the letter I in the table below.
Table Section 1-2 CRT Display Mode (CRT only)
Mode
(Hex) Display Mode Colors Text Display Resolution Font Refresh Rate
0, 1 Text 16 40x25 320x200 8x8 70
0*, 1* Text 16 40x25 320x200 8x14 70
0**, 1** Text 16 40x25 360x400 9x16 70
2, 3 Text 16 80x25 640x200 8x8 70
2*, 3* Text 16 80x25 640x350 8x14 70
2**, 3** Text 16 80x25 720x400 9x16 70
4,5* Graphics 440x25 320x200 8x8 70
6Graphics 280x25 640x200 8x8 70
7* Text Mono 80x25 720x350 9x14 70
7** Text Mono 80x25 720x400 9x16 70
DPlanar 16 40x25 320x200 8x8 70
EPlanar 16 80x25 640x200 8x8 70
FPlanar Mono 80x25 640x350 8x14 70
10 Planar 16 80x25 640x350 8x14 70
11 Planar 280x30 6400x480 8x16 60
12 Planar 16 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
12*** Planar 16 80x30 640x480 8x16 74
13 Packed
Pixel 256 40x25 320x200 8x8 70
20 4-bit linear 16 80x30 640x480 8x16 60

1-8 Technical Information
Table Section 1-2 CRT Display Mode (CRT only)
Mode
(Hex) Display Mode Colors Text Display Resolution Font Refresh Rate
22 4-bit linear 16 100x37 800x600 8x16 60
24 4-bit linear 16 128x48 1024x768 8x16 60
24I 4-bit linear 16 128x48 1024x768 8x16 43
30 8-bit linear 256 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
30*** 8-bit linear 256 80x30 640x480 8x16 74
32 8-bit linear 256 100x37 800x600 8x16 60
32*** 8-bit linear 256 100x37 800x600 8x16 74
34 8-bit linear 256 128x48 1024x768 8x16 60
34I 8-bit linear 256 128x48 1024x768 8x16 43
40 15-bit
linear 32K 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
41 16-bit
linear 64K 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
50 24-bit
linear 16 80x30 640x480 8x16 55
60 Text 16 132x25 1056x400 8x16 68
61 Text 16 132x50 1056x400 8x16 68
6A, 70 Planar 16 100x37 800x600 8x16 60
6A***
70*** Planar 16 100x37 800x600 8x16 74
72, 75 Planar 16 128x48 1024x768 8x16 60
72I, 75I Planar 16 128x48 1024x768 8x16 43
78 Packed
Pixel 256 80x25 640x400 8x16 70
79 Packed
Pixel 256 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
79*** Packed
Pixel 256 80x30 640x480 8x16 74
7C Packed
Pixel 256 100x37 800x600 8x16 60
7C*** Packed
Pixel 256 100x37 800x600 8x16 74

Technical Information 1-9
Table Section 1-2 CRT Display Mode (CRT only)
Mode
(Hex) Display Mode Colors Text Display Resolution Font Refresh Rate
7E1 Packed
Pixel 256 128x48 1024x768 8x16 43
7E1 Packed
Pixel 256 128x48 1024x768 8x16 60
*EGA Extension
**VGA Extension
***High Refresh Modes
Table Section 1-3 lists 640 x 480, TFT simultaneous LCD/CRT display modes.
Table Section 1-3 LCD Display Modes (640 x 480 TFT, Simultaneous CRT)
Mode
(Hex) Display Mode Colors Text Display Resolution Font Refresh Rate
0,1 Text 16 40x25 320x200 8x8 60
2,3 Text 16 80x25 640x200 8x8 60
0*, 1* Text 16 40x25 320x350 8x14 60
2*, 3* Text 16 80x25 640x350 8x14 60
0**, 1** Text 16 40x25 320x400 8x16 60
2**, 3** Text 16 80x25 640x400 8x16 60
4, 5 Graphics 440x25 320x200 8x8 60
6Graphics 280x25 640x200 8x8 60
7* Text Mono 80x25 640x350 8x14 60
7** Text Mono 80x25 640x400 8x16 60
DPlanar 16 40x25 320x200 8x8 60
EPlanar 16 80x25 640x200 8x8 60
FPlanar Mono 80x25 640x350 8x14 60
10 Planar 16 80x25 640x350 8x14 60
11 Planar 280x30 640x480 8x16 60
12 Planar 16 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
13 Packed
Pixel 256 40x25 320x200 8x8 60
20 4-bit
linear 16 80x30 640x480 8x16 60

1-10 Technical Information
Table Section 1-3 LCD Display Modes (640 x 480 TFT, Simultaneous CRT)
Mode
(Hex) Display Mode Colors Text Display Resolution Font Refresh Rate
30 8-bit
linear 256 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
40 15-bit
linear 32K 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
50 24-bit
linear 16 M 80x30 640x480 8x16 55
41 16-bit
linear 64K 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
78 Packed
Pixel 256 80x25 640x400 8x16 60
79 Packed
Pixel 256 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
*EGA Extension
**VGA Extension
Table Section 1-4 lists LCD display modes, 640 x 480 DSTN, simultaneous CRT display
modes.
Table Section 1-4 LCD Display Mode (640 x 480 DSTN, Simultaneous CRT
Display)
Mode
(Hex) Display Mode Colors Text Display Resolution Font Refesh Rate
0, 1 Text 16 40x25 320x200 8x8 60
2, 3 Text 16 80x25 640x200 8x8 60
0*, 1* Text 16 40x25 320x350 8x14 60
2*, 3* Text 16 80x25 640x350 8x14 60
0**, 1** Text 16 40x25 320x400 8x16 60
2**, 3** Text 16 80x25 640x400 8x16 60
4,5 Graphics 440x25 320x200 8x8 60
6Graphics 280x25 640x200 8x8 60
7* Text Mono 80x25 640x350 8x14 60
7** Text Mono 80x25 640x400 8x16 60
DPlanar 16 40x25 320x200 8x8 60
EPlanar 16 80x25 640x200 8x8 60

Technical Information 1-11
Table Section 1-4 LCD Display Mode (640 x 480 DSTN, Simultaneous CRT
Display)
Mode
(Hex) Display Mode Colors Text Display Resolution Font Refesh Rate
FPlanar Mono 80x25 640x350 8x14 60
10 Planar 16 80x25 640x350 8x14 60
11 Planar 280x30 640x480 8x16 60
12 Planar 16 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
13 Packed
Pixel 256 40x25 320x200 8x8 60
20 4-bit
linear 16 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
30 8-bit
linear 256 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
78 Packed
Pixel 256 80x25 640x400 8x16 60
79 Packed
Pixel 256 80x30 640x480 8x16 60
*EGA Extension
**VGA Extension
PARALLEL INTERFACE
The system's parallel interface integrates National Semiconductor’s PC87334 chip. It uses a
25-pin D-subconnector. The port is located on the system's rear panel.
The modes of operation available for a PC87334 chip are

compatibility mode

nibble mode

byte mode

Enhanced Capabilitied Port (ECP)

Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP).
The user selects between three parallel interface modes using Auto Setup. These include
unidirectional, bidirectional or enhanced. Unidirectional mode sends data output from the
standard ISA port only. Bidirectional mode sends data using the standard ISA port or PS/2
technology. Enhanced mode enables high speed data transmission to occur using either the
unidirectional or bidirectional modes.

1-12 Technical Information
The parallel port address is 378h and the interrupt level is IRQ07. Pin locations for the par-
allel interface are listed in Appendix A.
SERIAL INTERFACE
The RS-232C serial port is a 9-pin connector on the system’s rear panel. The serial port
consists of a 16550 compatible serial port controller with a programmable baud rate up to
115,200 bps. The serial port connects an RS-232C device or an external modem. The serial
port address is 3F8h and the interrupt level is IRQ04.
NEC VERSA 4000 SERIES CHIP SET
Refer to Table Section 1-5 for a quick summary of the chip types used in the system. See
the Abbreviations section at the beginning of this manual for a translation of chip technolo-
gies.
Table Section 1-5 NEC Versa 4000 Series Chip Types and Technologies
Chip Manufacturer Description Technology
Intel Pentium P54LM Intel 75 MHz, 90-MHz, 120-MHz
CPU 320-pin TCP
PT80C732 or
PT80C733 Pico Power Cache Controller, Address Logic and Data Controller 176-pin TQFP and 144-pin TQFP
PT86C718 Pico Power System Logic AT Base,
IDE Interface, Peripheral 176-pin TQFP
N28F020-150 Intel 256k x 8 Flash ROM 32-pin PLCC
C&T65545B1-5 Chips &
Technologies VGA Controller 208-pin QFP
PC87334 National
Semiconductor Diskette Controller, IDE, Parallel Interface 100-pin FQFP
M38813E4HP Mitsubishi Keyboard Controller 64-pin TQFP
PD6722 Cirrus Logic PCMCIA Controller 208-pin TQFP
ES688S ESS Technology Sound Integrated Circuit 100-pin TQFP
Intel Pentium P54LM
The 75 MHz, 90 MHz or 120 MHz Intel Pentium microprocessor used in the NEC Versa
4000 series computer is built on Intel’s advanced 3.3V BiCMOS silicon technology. The
CPU has on-chip dual-processing, a local multiprocessor interrupt controller, and power
management features. NEC adopted the chip specifically for its pipelined Floating Point
Unit (FPU), and local interrupt management.

Technical Information 1-13
Cache Controller, Address Logic, Data Controller
The Golden Gate PT80C732 and PT80C733 Pico Power controller provides a dual-chip
structure that connect the Pentium processor to the industry-standard 486 bus. The chip in-
creases data reliability by integrating the following:

8-level write buffer

extends battery life and efficient thermal management

improved performance for DRAM and VL bus peripherals.
System Logic, IDE Interface, Peripheral Controller
The PT86C718 Pico Power chip consists of a 176-pin thin-quad flat-package. This chip
controller supports fast graphics and I/O processing. The system logic controller adds the
following features:

built-in level 2 cache controller

integrated active power management

integrated battery management

high performance DRAM controller.
Flash ROM
The N28F020 flash ROM is a 32-pin, plastic lead chip carrier (PLCC). The chip allows easy
updates to the system's BIOS if needed. More specifically, the ROM is flashed electroni-
cally, installing the latest BIOS revisions to the system. It is possible to reprogram the BIOS
up to 100,000 times. See Section 2, Setup and Operation, for BIOS update procedures.
The N28F020 provides the system upgrade capability as well as the following:

256 KB memory

Quick-Pulse Programming Algorithm

150 nanoseconds (ns) maximum access time

ETOX Nonvolatile flash technology

CMOS low power consumption

1-14 Technical Information
ROM BIOS
The system uses a Flash ROM known as the system's ROM BIOS to store machine lan-
guage programs. The BIOS size is 256 KB, consisting of the system utility (PCMCIA, Auto
Setup), system BIOS, video BIOS, and power management.
The BIOS programs execute the power-on self-test (POST), initialize CPU controllers, and
interact with the LCD indicator panel, diskette drive, hard drive, communication devices
and peripherals. The system BIOS also contains Auto Setup and provides VGA controller
support. The ROM BIOS is copied into RAM (shadowing) for optimum performance.
The ROM BIOS contains both the system and video BIOS. The system BIOS is located in
the upper portion of the device, video BIOS is located in the lower portion. System BIOS is
located between F000h-FFFFh.
The BIOS often changes after the product release to provide enhanced features or bug
fixes. To acquire the latest BIOS release, the ROM is flashed electronically allowing the
BIOS update to occur without removing the ROM. See Section 2, Setup and Operation, for
BIOS upgrade procedures.
VGA Controller
The video architecture is maintained using the C&T65545B1-5 or C&T65545B2-H Con-
troller and support logic. The controller supports video standards including EGA and CGA.
This powerful circuitry provides the following features for the system via the controller and
LCD:

1-MB VRAM

true-color and high-color display capability with 640 x 480 resolution

supports external CRT resolutions up to 1024 x 768

hardware windows acceleration

bit boundary block transfer

simultaneous LCD/CRT display in 640 x 480 VGA display mode

optional frame memory

high resolution graphics support.