NEC VERSA 5060 - SERVICE User manual

First Printing — October 1997
Copyright 1997
NEC Computer Systems Division, Packard Bell NEC, Inc.
1414 Massachusetts Avenue
Boxborough, MA 01719
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 Computer Systems Division, Packard Bell NEC, Inc.
(NECCSD, PBNEC) and/or its licensors. NECCSD and/or its licensors, as appropriate, re-
serve all patent, copyright and other proprietary rights to this document, including all de-
sign, manufacturing, reproduction, use, and sales rights thereto, except to the extent said
rights are expressly granted to others.
The NECCSD 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 NECCSD.
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 approval of NECCSD is prohibited.
NEC is a registered trademark, Versa is a U.S. registered trademark, MiniDock, VersaBay, VersaGlide, and
PortBar are trademarks, and UltraCare is a U.S. registered service mark of NEC Corporation, used under
license.
FaxFlash is a service mark of NEC Computer Systems Division (NECCSD), Packard Bell NEC, Inc.
All other product, brand, or trade names used in this publication are the property of their respective owners.

xi
Preface
This service and reference manual contains the technical information necessary to set up and
maintain the NEC Versa®5060 and 5060X notebook computer.
The manual also provides hardware and interface information for users who need an over-
view of the system design. The manual is written for NEC-trained customer engineers, sys-
tem analysts, service center personnel, and dealers.
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 authorized service technician or dealer from
unpacking to setup and operation. The section includes a description of operating controls,
setting parameters and accessing the NECCSD bulletin board system (BBS).
Section 3  Troubleshooting, lists troubleshooting procedures as well as helpful
servicing hints.
Section 4  Field Service Guidelines,provides disassembly and assembly procedures,
and an exploded-view diagram of the NEC Versa system with 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.
Appendix B  Video Modes,lists NEC Versa supported video modes.
An Index is included for convenience.

xiii
Abbreviations
Aampere
AC alternating current
ACPI advanced control power
interface
APM advanced power management
AT advanced technology
(IBM PC)
BBS Bulletin Board System
BCD binary-coded decimal
BCU BIOS Customized Utility
BIOS basic input/output system
bit binary digit
bpi bits per inch
bps bits per second
BUD BIOS Upgrade Diskette
C Celsius or centigrade
Cache high-speed buffer storage
CAM constantly addressable memory
CAS column address strobe
CCFT cold cathode fluorescent tube
CD-ROM compact disk ROM
CGA Color Graphics Adapter
CGB Color Graphics Board
CH channel
clk clock
cm centimeter
CMOS complementary metal oxide
semiconductor
codec compressor/decompressor
COM communication
CONT contrast
CPGA ceramic pin grid array
CPU central processing unit
CRT cathode-ray tube
DAC digital-to-analog converter
DACK DMA acknowledge
DC direct current
DIMM dual-inline memory module
DIP dual in-line package
DLAB Divisor Latch Address bit
DMA direct memory access
DMAC DMA controller
DOS disk operating system
DRAM dynamic RAM
DTE data terminal equipment
ECC error checking and correction
ECP extended capabilities port
EDO enhanced date out
EDS error detecting system
EGA Enhanced Graphics Adapter
EMS Expanded Memory
Specification
EPP enhanced parallel port
EPROM erasable and programmable
ROM
EVGA Enhanced Video Graphics
Array
F Fahrenheit
FAX facsimile transmission
FCC Federal Communications
Commission
FDD floppy disk drive
FG frame ground
FIR fast infrared
FM frequency modulation
Fn Function
FPU floating-point unit
FRU field-replaceable unit
GB gigabyte
GND ground
GUI graphical user interface
HDD hard disk drive

xiv Abbreviations
HEX hexadecimal
HGA Hercules Graphics Adapter
Hz hertz
IC integrated circuit
ID identification
IDE intelligent device electronics
IDTR interrupt descriptor table
register
IMR Interrupt Mask register
in. inch
INTA interrupt acknowledge
IPB illustrated parts breakdown
IR infrared
IRR Interrupt Request register
ISA Industry Standard Architecture
ISR In Service register
I/O input/output
IPC integrated peripheral controller
ips inches per second
IRQ interrupt request
K kilo (1024)
k kilo (1000)
KB kilobyte
kg kilogram
kHz kilohertz
kV kilovolt
lb pound
LCD liquid crystal display
LDTR local descriptor table register
LED light-emitting diode
LSB least-significant bit
LSI large-scale integration
LVDS low voltage differential
signaling
Mmega
mA milliamps
max maximum
MB megabyte
MDA Monochrome Display Adapter
MFM modified frequency modulation
Mhz megahertz
mm millimeter
ms millisecond
MSB most-significant bit
NASC National Authorized Service
Center
NC not connected
NDP numeric data processor
NMI Non-maskable Interrupt
ns nanosecond
NSRC National Service Response
Center
NTFS NT file allocation
PAL programmable array logic
PC personal computer
PCB printed circuit board
PCI peripheral component
interconnect
PFP plastic flat package
PIO parallel input/output
pixel picture element
PJQFP plastic J-lead quad flat pack
PLCC plastic lead chip carrier
PLL phase lock loop
p-p peak-to-peak
PnP Plug and Play
PPI programmable peripheral
interface
PROM programmable ROM
QFP quad flat pack
RAM random-access memory
RAMDAC RAM digital-to-analog
RAS row address strobe
RGB red green blue
RGBI red green blue intensity
ROM read-only memory

Abbreviations xv
rpm revolutions per minute
R read
RTC real-time clock
R/W read/write
Sslave
SCSI Small Computer System
Interface
SDLC Synchronous Data Link
Control
SG signal ground
SIMM single inline memory module
SIR serial infrared
SOIC small outline integrated circuit
SQFP silver quad flat package
SVGA Super Video Graphics Array
SW switch
TCP thin chip package
TFT thin film transistor
TQFP thin-quad flat package
TSC Technical Support Center
TTL transistor/transistor logic
tpi tracks per inch
UART universal asynchronous
receiver/transmitter
USB Universal Serial Bus
Vvolt
Vdc volts, direct current
VESA Video Electronics Standards
Association
VFO variable frequency oscillator
VGA Video Graphics Array
VLSI very large-scale integration
VRAM virtual RAM
Wwatt
µf microfarad
µPD microprocessor
µs microsecond
Ωohm

iii
Contents
Preface......................................................................................................................... xi
Abbreviation................................................................................................................ xiii
Section 1 Technical Information
Hardware Overview—Front.........................................................................................1-2
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)................................................................................1-3
Power Button and Status LEDs.............................................................................1-4
Keyboard..............................................................................................................1-6
NEC VersaGlide...................................................................................................1-6
UltraSlim VersaBay ..............................................................................................1-7
Hardware Overview—Sides of the system....................................................................1-7
Around the Bottom of the System.........................................................................1-9
Around the Back of the System.............................................................................1-10
Hardware Overview—Internal Components.................................................................1-11
Battery Pack.........................................................................................................1-11
Hard Disk Drive....................................................................................................1-12
Diskette Drive.......................................................................................................1-12
20X CD-ROM Reader ..........................................................................................1-12
CPU Board...........................................................................................................1-12
Audio Board.........................................................................................................1-12
Main Board...........................................................................................................1-12
Bridge Battery......................................................................................................1-13
System Memory...........................................................................................................1-13
Memory Map........................................................................................................1-13
System Video...............................................................................................................1-14
Parallel Interface..........................................................................................................1-14
Serial Interface.............................................................................................................1-14
NEC Versa Chip Set....................................................................................................1-15
Intel Pentium P55CLM Microprocessor................................................................1-15
FireStar System Controllers ..................................................................................1-15
USB Controllers ...................................................................................................1-15
256K X Flash ROM..............................................................................................1-16
ROM BIOS....................................................................................................1-16
VGA Controller....................................................................................................1-16
Parallel Interface...................................................................................................1-17

iv Contents
Keyboard Controller .............................................................................................1-17
PC CardBus Controller.........................................................................................1-17
Sound Integrated Circuit.......................................................................................1-17
Interrupt Controllers.............................................................................................1-18
Power Management Overview .....................................................................................1-19
System Power Management ..................................................................................1-20
Local Power Management.....................................................................................1-20
Plug and Play...............................................................................................................1-21
Specifications...............................................................................................................1-22
Section 2 Setup and Operation
Unpacking the System..................................................................................................2-1
Hardware Setup...........................................................................................................2-1
Cable Connections ................................................................................................2-3
Power Sources.............................................................................................................2-4
Using the AC Adapter...........................................................................................2-4
Using the Main Battery Pack.................................................................................2-5
Checking Battery Power Levels......................................................................2-5
What to Do When Battery Power Gets Low...................................................2-5
When to Change the Battery ..........................................................................2-5
Battery Handling............................................................................................2-6
Replacing the Battery Pack ...................................................................................2-7
Battery Precautions........................................................................................2-10
Recharging Battery Precautions......................................................................2-11
Extending Battery Life..........................................................................................2-11
Operating Controls ......................................................................................................2-12
Power Button and Status LEDs......................................................................2-12
Function Keys (Fn Keys).......................................................................................2-14
Smart Power Switch .............................................................................................2-15
Power-on Self-Test (POST).........................................................................................2-16
POST Errors.........................................................................................................2-17
Setup Utility ................................................................................................................2-18
Accessing Setup....................................................................................................2-19
With an Error at POST ..................................................................................2-19
With No Errors at POST................................................................................2-19
Setup Utility Main Menu.......................................................................................2-19
How to Use Setup..........................................................................................2-19

Contents v
Looking at Screens ........................................................................................2-20
Using Keys.....................................................................................................2-20
Checking/Setting System Parameters..............................................................2-21
Setup Menus.........................................................................................................2-25
Main..............................................................................................................2-25
Advanced.......................................................................................................2-25
Security .........................................................................................................2-26
Power Savings...............................................................................................2-28
Exit................................................................................................................2-29
Using Power Management ....................................................................................2-29
Power Saving Modes .....................................................................................2-29
Power Management Settings..........................................................................2-30
Section 3 Troubleshooting
Quick Troubleshooting ................................................................................................3-1
Helpful Questions ........................................................................................................3-4
Section 4 Field Service Guidelines
Preventive Maintenance ...............................................................................................4-1
Cleaning the Notebook Exterior............................................................................4-1
Cleaning the Notebook Interior.............................................................................4-2
Protecting the Disk Drives ....................................................................................4-2
Handling the Battery Pack.....................................................................................4-3
Maintaining the LCD Quality................................................................................4-3
Disassembly and Reassembly........................................................................................4-3
Required Tools and Equipment .............................................................................4-4
Battery Pack.........................................................................................................4-5
UltraSlim VersaBay ..............................................................................................4-5
Removing the Hard Disk Drive .............................................................................4-8
Keyboard..............................................................................................................4-10
LCD and Top Cover Assembly.............................................................................4-10
Hinge covers..................................................................................................4-10
Bottom Assembly..................................................................................................4-11
Illustrated Parts Breakdown.........................................................................................4-12
Service Information......................................................................................................4-16
Technical Support........................................................................................................4-16
Product Information.....................................................................................................4-17

vi Contents
Ordering Information from Faxflash.............................................................................4-17
Appendix A Connector Locations and Pin Assignments
Appendix B Video Modes
Index
List of Figures
1-1 NEC Versa 5000 Notebook ........................................................................... 1-1
1-2 Location of Controls on the Front of the NEC Versa 5000............................. 1-2
1-3 LCD Status Bar and Button Locations........................................................... 1-4
1-4 Keyboard Layout ........................................................................................... 1-6
1-5 VersaGlide Location...................................................................................... 1-7
1-6 Left Side Features.......................................................................................... 1-8
1-7 Bottom of the System .................................................................................... 1-9
1-8 Back system features...................................................................................... 1-9
2-1 Connecting the AC Adapter ........................................................................... 2-1
2-2 Power and I/O Connector Locations .............................................................. 2-3
2-3 NEC Versa AC Adapter................................................................................. 2-4
2-4 Batter Release Latches................................................................................... 2-7
2-5 Sliding the Battery Release Latches................................................................ 2-8
2-6 Removing the Battery Pack............................................................................ 2-8
2-7 Installing the Battery Pack.............................................................................. 2-9
2-8 Replacing the Latch........................................................................................ 2-10
2-9 Power Button and Status LED Location ........................................................ 2-12
2-10 Setup Main Menu........................................................................................... 2-19
2-11 Password Override Switch............................................................................. 2-27
4-1 Releasing the Battery Pack............................................................................. 4-5
4-2 Release Lever Cover...................................................................................... 4-6
4-3 Opening the Cover......................................................................................... 4-6
4-4 Pressing the Release Lever............................................................................. 4-7
4-5 Removing the Device..................................................................................... 4-7
4-6 Releasing the Spacer...................................................................................... 4-8

Contents vii
4-7 Sliding the Drive Towards the Spacer............................................................. 4-9
4-8 Removing the Hard Drive............................................................................... 4-9
4-9 Top Cover Subassembly................................................................................. 4-11
4-10 NEC Versa Model 5000 Illustrated Parts Breakdown..................................... 4-15
A-1 CPU Board Layout ........................................................................................ A-1
A-2 I/O Board Layout........................................................................................... A-2
List of Tables
1-1 Model Configurations .................................................................................... 1-2
1-2 Memory Map................................................................................................. 1-13
1-3 NEC Versa Series Chip Types and Technologies............................................ 1-15
1-4 Interrupt Controllers...................................................................................... 1-18
1-5 Automatic Power-Saving Features ................................................................. 1-19
1-6 Maximum Performance Default Settings......................................................... 1-21
1-7 Specifications................................................................................................. 1-22
2-1 I/O Connector Descriptions............................................................................ 2-3
2-2 Control and Switch Functions ........................................................................ 2-12
2-3 Fn Key Operations......................................................................................... 2-14
2-4 POST Error Messages.................................................................................... 2-17
2-5 Setup Key Functions...................................................................................... 2-20
2-6 Setup Parameters........................................................................................... 2-21
2-7 Automatic Power-Saving Features ................................................................. 2-30
3-1 Quick Troubleshooting................................................................................... 3-1
4-1 NEC Versa 5000 Series Disassembly Sequence.............................................. 4-4
4-2 Top Cover Components................................................................................. 4-12
4-3 NEC Versa 5000 Series Field-Replaceable Parts............................................. 4-13
4-4 NEC Service and Information Telephone Numbers......................................... 4-16
A-1 CPU Board Connectors.................................................................................. A-2
A-2 Top Cover Subassembly................................................................................. A-3
A-3 Keyboard/Mouse Connectors......................................................................... A-3
A-4 Serial Port Connector Pin Assignments .......................................................... A-3
A-5 CRT Connector Pin Assignments................................................................... A-4

viii Contents
A-6 Parallel Printer Pin Assignments..................................................................... A-4
A-7 Power Connector........................................................................................... A-5
A-8 Hard Disk Drive Connector............................................................................ A-5
B-1 LCD Display Mode Setting (800x600 TFT Color LCD and
Simultaneous CRT Display) ....................................................................... B-1
B-2 LCD Display Mode Setting (800x600 TFT Color LCD and
Simultaneous CRT Display) ....................................................................... B-3
B-3 Panning Video Mode (800x600 TFT Color LCD and Simultaneous
CRT Display).............................................................................................. B-4

Section 1
Technical Information
The NEC Versa 5000 Series notebook computer is lightweight, compact, and fully IBM
compatible.
NOTE
This service manual covers only the NEC
Versa 5060 and 5060X models. All figures in this
manual reflect these models.
Figure 1-1 NEC Versa 5000 Series Notebook
This section of the manual provides system configuration information, including an over-
view of hardware and interface components. See the following table for a system-specific
breakdown of the hardware.

1-2 Technical Information
Table 1-1 Model Configurations
Feature NEC Versa 5060 NEC Versa 5060X
CPU Intel Pentium® with
MMX technology
P55CLM/166 MHz
Intel Pentium® with
MMX technology
P55CLM/166 MHz
On-Board DRAM 16-MB 16-MB + 16-MB
installed in slot
Video Memory 2-MB 2-MB
Hard Disk Drive 1.6 GB 2.1 or 3.2 GB
CD-ROM Reader 20X CD ROM Reader 20X CD ROM Reader
Color LCD 12.1” Super VGA
(SVGA),TFT Color
Display
13.3” Extended
Graphics Array
(XGA),TFT Color
Display
HARDWARE OVERVIEW—FRONT
Take a moment to become familiar with the location and function of controls located on
the front of the system.
Figure 1-2 Location of Controls on the Front of the NEC Versa 5000

Technical Information 1-3
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
The LCD operates with the NeoMagic NM2160 controller. The controller supports XGA
and SVGA, uses a 64-bit accelerator with a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) in-
terface. The LCD also supports VESA timing.
The NEC Versa 5060 LCD features the following:

12.1-inch Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA) TFT high-resolution active
matrix SVGA color display

0.3075 mm dot pitch

18-bit digital interface

800 x 600 resolution

65,536 colors.
The NEC Versa 5060X LCD features the following:

13.3-inch Extended Graphics Array (XGA) TFT high-resolution active ma-
trix XGA color display

0.264 mm dot pitch

18-bit digital interface with LVDS

1024 x 768 resolution

65,536 colors.
Additional LCD panel features:
Power LED that indicates the current power status. This LED is visible with the LCD
panel opened or closed.
Another video feature includes a CRT port on the system's rear panel that allows the user
to connect an optional monochrome or color external display to the system. The computer
can support the LCD and external display simultaneously.
Power-saving features for controlling the LCD's backlighting include the ROM-based hot
key combination Fn F5, and Auto Setup power management settings. See Section 2, Setup
and Operation, for information on using these settings. In addition, the automatic LCD
status feature conserves the backlight.

1-4 Technical Information
Power Button and Status LEDs
NEC Versa provides a Power button and LEDs to track system status. Descriptions of
these features follow the figure.
Figure 1-3 LCD Status Bar and Button Locations

Power Button — The Power button is located on the chassis just below the
LCD. It turns NEC Versa 5000 power on and off. Press the button to turn
power on; press it again to turn power off.
When power is on, the Power LED to the right of the Power button
lights. (The Power LED is the left-most LED in the row of LEDs.)
See “Setup Parameters” in Section 2 for information about defining
this button as a Suspend/Resume button.
If your system is in Suspend mode or has gone into Save to Disk
mode, pressing the Power button puts the system in Operation mode.
NOTE
After turning off the system, wait 5 seconds
before turning it back on. This gives system compo-
nents a chance to power down properly.

Technical Information 1-5

The Battery/Charging Status LED is located on the right-hand LCD
hinge and lights to indicate the following:
Green – the battery is fully charged and the system is connected to
AC power.
Amber – the battery is recharging.
Off – the AC adapter is disconnected or the battery is not installed.

A bank of status LEDs is located on the chassis at the top of the key-
board to the right of the Power button. These LEDs are identified by
icons and include the following (described from left to right):
The Power LED lights in the following sequence to indicate system
operation status.
– lights green when running on AC power.
– blinks green when the system is in Suspend mode.
– lights amber when running on battery power with
a charged battery.
The Power LED also warns you about a low battery state. The
system emits a beep and the Power LED behaves as follows:
– blinks amber when battery power is low.
– flashes amber when battery power is extremely
low.
The Power LED remains unlit under the following conditions:
– if the system is not connected to AC power and
the battery is not charged or installed.
– the system is not powered on.
– the system is in Save to Disk mode.
Hard Disk Drive – Lights when the NEC Versa 5000 writes data to
or retrieves data from the hard disk drive.
CD-ROM Reader – Lights when data is read from a compact disc in
the CD-ROM drive.
Diskette Drive – Lights when data is written to or retrieved from the
3.5-inch diskette drive.
Caps Lock – Lights when Caps Lock is on.
Num Lock – Lights when Num Lock mode is active.

1-6 Technical Information
Scroll Lock – Lights when the Scroll Lock is on.
Keyboard
The built-in, 85-key keyboard (U.S.) or 79-key keyboard (UK and Germany) uses the
standard QWERTY format. The keyboard provides 12 function keys and 7 cursor control
keys, with an Fn key for ROM-based key functions. The numeric keypad is embedded in
the standard key layout.
Figure 1-4 Keyboard 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, move your finger across the
NEC VersaGlide pad, and the cursor follows. The buttons below the NEC VersaGlide al-
low the user to select or deselect menu items. Tap and double-tap are supported on the
VersaGlide pad.

Technical Information 1-7
Figure 1-5 VersaGlide Location
UltraSlim VersaBay
A standard 1.44-MB diskette drive comes installed in the UltraSlim VersaBay slot on the
front of the computer. The UltraSlim VersaBay expansion slot lets the user replace the
standard diskette drive with the 20X CD-ROM reader that also ships with the system. In
addition to the CD-ROM reader, the UltraSlim VersaBay accepts NEC options including a
Weight Saving Module.
HARDWARE OVERVIEW—SIDES OF THE SYSTEM
Your NEC Versa 5000 comes with many features on the left side of the system. The right
side of the system features a port for securing the PortBar and air vents. Keep the air vents
clear to allow for proper air circulation.
!
CAUTION
Do not block the air vents. Doing so can damage the
system by causing it to overheat.

1-8 Technical Information
The features found on the left side of the system are shown in the following figure.
Descriptions follow the figure.
Figure 1-6 Left side features

PC Card Release Buttons — Press the Release button when you want to
remove an installed PC card.

Audio Ports — Use these ports to attach your external audio options, in-
cluding the following:
Microphone — Connects to an external microphone for monophonic
recording or amplification through the unit. Plugging in an external
microphone disables the built-in microphone.
Stereo Line In — Lets you use another audio system, like a home
stereo, as an input source. Use a cable to connect to the Line-Out port
on the other audio system to record or play.
Headphones — Lets you plug in stereo headphones or powered
speakers.

Volume Control Dial — Turn the volume control dial clockwise to in-
crease speaker volume, or counter-clockwise to decrease speaker vol-
ume.

Kensington Lock Port — Use this port for added security by attaching a
Kensington Lock.

Emergency Reset Switch — This recessed switch lets you restart your
system. Use a pointed object, like a straightened paper clip, to push in
the Reset switch. Do not use a pen or pencil to push the reset switch.
Use this button only if your system locks up, fails to respond to key-
strokes, or fails to respond to the power button.

PC Card Slots — Two PC card slots let you insert one or two Type II PC
cards, or one Type III PC card.

Technical Information 1-9

PortBar Port — Use these ports to secure the PortBar. A matching Port-
Bar port is located on the right side of the system. Two others are located
on the back.
Around the Bottom of the System
The bottom of the NEC Versa 5000 is the location of the system’s memory module sock-
ets, password override switch, battery pack release latches, VersaBay release lever and
hard disk drive bay, as described next.
Figure 1-7 Bottom of the system

Password Override Switch — This recessed switch removes any settings
that you made in the Setup utility, including your system password.
To remove your password, power on your system. Use a pointed object,
such as a straightened paper clip, to push in the switch. Power off, and
then power on to restart your computer. Go into the Setup utility and set
a new password. Reset any other system settings that you may have
changed.

VersaBay Release Lever Cover — Open the release lever cover to access
the VersaBay Release Lever. Pushing the lever towards the front of the
system releases the device currently installed in the VersaBay.