Octagon Systems XE-700 User manual

XE–700 Single Board Computer
Reference manual
Manual part #6835, rev. A05
CONTACT INFORMATION
Front Desk: 303–430–1500
Technical Support: 303–426–4521
[e-mail]
www.octagonsystems.com
1

Copyright
OS Embedder™ is a trademark, and Octagon Systems Corporation®, and the
Octagon logo are registered trademarks of Octagon Systems Corporation. ROM–
DOS™ is a trademark of Datalight. QNX® is a registered trademark of QNX
Software Systems Ltd. Windows 2000®, Windows NT®, Windows XP® and
Windows CE.net® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
HyperTerminal ™ is a copyright of Hilgraeve, Inc. CompactFlash™ is a trademark
of San Disk Corporation. Ethernet® is a registered trademark of Xerox
Corporation.
Disclaimer
Copyright 2005—Octagon Systems Corporation. All rights reserved. However, any
part of this document may be reproduced, provided that Octagon Systems
Corporation is cited as the source. The contents of this manual and the
specifications herein may change without notice.
The information contained in this manual is believed to be correct. However,
Octagon assumes no responsibility for any of the circuits described herein, conveys
no license under any patent or other right, and makes no representations that the
circuits are free from patent infringement. Octagon makes no representation or
warranty that such applications will be suitable for the use specified without
further testing or modification.
Octagon Systems Corporation general policy does not recommend the use of its
products in life support applications where the failure or malfunction of a
component may directly threaten life or injury. It is a Condition of Sale that the
user of Octagon products in life support applications assumes all the risk of such
use and indemnifies Octagon against all damage.
Technical Support
Carefully recheck your system before calling Technical Support. Run as many tests
as possible; the more information you can provide, the easier it will be for Technical
Support staff to help you solve the problem. For additional technical assistance, try
the following:
Technical Support telephone: [phone]
E-mail Technical Support: [email protected]
Applications Notes (via web): www.octagonsystems.com
Revision History
Revision Reason for Change Date
A05 Production release 05 / 05
2

IMPORTANT!
Please read the following section before installing your product:
Octagon’s products are designed to be high in performance while consuming very
little power. In order to maintain this advantage, CMOS circuitry is used.
CMOS chips have specific needs and some special requirements that the user must
be aware of. Read the following to help avoid damage to your card from the use of
CMOS chips.
Using CMOS circuitry in industrial control
Industrial computers originally used LSTTL circuits. Because many PC
components are used in laptop computers, IC manufacturers are exclusively using
CMOS technology. Both TTL and CMOS have failure mechanisms, but they are
different. Described below are some of the failures that are common to all
manufacturers of CMOS equipment.
The most common failures on CPU control cards are over voltage of the power
supply, static discharge, and damage to the serial and parallel ports. On expansion
cards, the most common failures are static discharge, over voltage of inputs, over
current of outputs, and misuse of the CMOS circuitry with regards to power supply
sequencing. In the case of the video cards, the most common failure is to miswire
the card to the flat panel display. Miswiring can damage both the card and an
expensive display.
Multiple component failures: The chance of a random component failure is
very rare since the average MTBF of an Octagon card is greater than 11 years.
In a 7 year study, Octagon has never found a single case where multiple IC
failures were not caused by misuse or accident. It is very probable that multiple
component failures indicate that they were user-induced.
Testing “dead” cards: For a card that is “completely nonfunctional”, there is
a simple test to determine accidental over voltage, reverse voltage or other
“forced” current situations. Unplug the card from the bus and remove all
cables. Using an ordinary digital ohmmeter on the 2,000 ohm scale, measure
the resistance between power and ground. Record this number. Reverse the
ohmmeter leads and measure the resistance again. If the ratio of the
resistances is 2:1 or greater, fault conditions most likely have occurred. A
common cause is miswiring the power supply.
Improper power causes catastrophic failure: If a card has had reverse
polarity or high voltage applied, replacing a failed component is not an
adequate fix. Other components probably have been partially damaged or a
failure mechanism has been induced. Therefore, a failure will probably occur in
the future. For such cards, Octagon highly recommends that these cards be
replaced.
Other over-voltage symptoms: In over-voltage situations, the
programmable logic devices, EPROMs and CPU chips, usually fail in this order.
3

The failed device may be hot to the touch. It is usually the case that only one IC
will be overheated at a time.
Power sequencing: The major failure of I/O chips is caused by the external
application of input voltage while the power is off. If you apply 5V to the input
of a TTL chip with the power off, nothing will happen. Applying a 5V input to a
CMOS card will cause the current to flow through the input and out the 5V
power pin. This current attempts to power up the card. Most inputs are rated
at 25 mA maximum. When this is exceeded, the chip may be damaged.
Failure on power-up: Even when there is not enough current to destroy an
input described above, the chip may be destroyed when the power to the card is
applied. This is due to the fact that the input current biases the IC so that it
acts as a forward biased diode on power-up. This type of failure is typical on
serial interface chips but can apply to any IC on the card.
Under-rated power supply: The board may fail to boot due to an under-
rated power supply. It is important that a quality power supply be used with
the XE–700 SBC that has sufficient current capacity, line and load regulation,
hold up time, current limiting, and minimum ripple. It is extremely important
to select a supply that ramps up in 10ms or less. This assures that all the
circuitry on the CPU control card sequences properly and avoids system lockup.
Excessive signal lead lengths: Another source of failure that was identified
years ago at Octagon was excessive lead lengths on digital inputs. Long leads
act as an antenna to pick up noise. They can also act as unterminated
transmission lines. When 5V is switched onto a line, it creates a transient
waveform. Octagon has seen sub-microsecond pulses of 8V or more. The
solution is to place a capacitor, for example 0.1 µF, across the switch contact.
This will also eliminate radio frequency and other high frequency pickup.
Avoiding damage to the heatsink or CPU
WARNING!
When handling any Octagon Single Board Computer, extreme care
must be taken not to strike the heatsink (if installed) against another
object, such as a table edge. Also, be careful not to drop the Single
Board Computer, since this may cause damage to the heatsink or
CPU as well.
Note Any physical damage to the single board computer card is not covered under
warranty.
Excessive thermal stress
This card is guaranteed to operate over the published temperature ranges and
relevant conditions. However, sustained operation near the maximum temperature
specification is not recommended by Octagon or the CPU chip manufacturer due to
well known, thermal related, failure mechanisms. These failure mechanisms,
common to all silicon devices, can reduce the MTBF of the cards. Extended
operation at the lower limits of the temperature ranges has no limitations.
4

Table of Contents
Copyright ........................................................................................................................................................... 2
Disclaimer.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Technical Support ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Revision History ................................................................................................................................................ 2
Using CMOS circuitry in industrial control ........................................................................................................ 3
Avoiding damage to the heatsink or CPU............................................................................................................ 4
Excessive thermal stress................................................................................................................................... 4
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 5
List of Figures........................................................................................................................................................ 9
List of Tables........................................................................................................................................................ 10
Overview: Section 1 – Installation ................................................................................................................. 11
Chapter 1: Overview.......................................................................................................................................... 12
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 12
XE–700 SBC major hardware features.............................................................................................................. 12
CPU.................................................................................................................................................................. 12
SDRAM ............................................................................................................................................................ 12
On-board flash ................................................................................................................................................. 12
CompactFlash socket ...................................................................................................................................... 12
Hard disk and floppy ports ............................................................................................................................. 12
USB ports ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Multifunctional printer port ........................................................................................................................... 13
Digital I/O ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Ethernet........................................................................................................................................................... 13
Serial ports ...................................................................................................................................................... 13
PC/104 interface .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Video ................................................................................................................................................................ 13
Keyboard and mouse port ............................................................................................................................... 14
Real time calendar/clock with battery backup............................................................................................... 14
Setup information stored in Flash for high reliability .................................................................................. 14
User-available EEPROM ................................................................................................................................14
Watchdog timer added for safety.................................................................................................................... 14
Hardware reset................................................................................................................................................ 14
5 Volt only operation lowers system cost ....................................................................................................... 14
Rugged environmental operation ................................................................................................................... 15
Size................................................................................................................................................................... 15
XE–700 SBC major software features................................................................................................................ 16
Diagnostic software verifies system integrity automatically ........................................................................ 16
Phoenix software BIOS ................................................................................................................................... 16
Octagon BIOS extensions................................................................................................................................16
Boot sequence .................................................................................................................................................. 16
Chapter 2: Quick start ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Component diagrams, connectors, switches and cables.................................................................................... 17
XE–700 SBC connectors and switches ........................................................................................................... 21
Cables............................................................................................................................................................... 22
Mounting the XE–700......................................................................................................................................... 23
Equipment required ........................................................................................................................................ 23
Hardware mounting ........................................................................................................................................ 24
XE–700 SBC power supply requirements ...................................................................................................... 25
Connecting a monitor and keyboard .................................................................................................................. 26
Monitor ............................................................................................................................................................ 26
Keyboard and mouse ....................................................................................................................................... 27
Installing an operating system........................................................................................................................... 27
OS on CD-ROM onto a hard drive or CompactFlash ........................................................................................ 27
Chapter 3: Setup programs.............................................................................................................................. 30
Operating systems other than DOS ................................................................................................................... 30
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Setup.................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Main menu....................................................................................................................................................... 31
Hard drive submenus...................................................................................................................................... 32
Advanced menu ............................................................................................................................................... 33
I/O Device Configuration submenu ................................................................................................................ 34
Chipset Configuration submenu..................................................................................................................... 35
Boot menu........................................................................................................................................................ 36
Expanded Boot screen ..................................................................................................................................... 36
Exit menu ........................................................................................................................................................ 37
Overview: Section 2 – Hardware .................................................................................................................... 38
Chapter 4: Serial ports...................................................................................................................................... 39
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 39
Mating receptacles .......................................................................................................................................... 39
Serial port configurations................................................................................................................................... 41
Setup menu for COM ports............................................................................................................................. 41
Function and use of serial ports......................................................................................................................... 44
COM1 as serial console device........................................................................................................................ 44
COM1 through COM4 as RS–232 I/O ............................................................................................................ 44
COM3/4 as RS–422 and RS–485 networks .................................................................................................... 44
RS–422 ............................................................................................................................................................. 44
RS–485 ............................................................................................................................................................. 45
Chapter 5: LPT1 parallel port, LCD and keypad ........................................................................................ 47
LPT1 parallel port............................................................................................................................................... 47
Installing a printer ............................................................................................................................................. 47
Display................................................................................................................................................................. 48
Installing a display.......................................................................................................................................... 48
Keypad................................................................................................................................................................. 49
Installing a keypad.......................................................................................................................................... 49
Chapter 6: Console devices.............................................................................................................................. 50
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 50
Selecting console devices .................................................................................................................................... 50
Monitor and keyboard console ........................................................................................................................ 50
Serial console................................................................................................................................................... 51
Chapter 7: CompactFlash, SDRAM, and battery backup........................................................................... 54
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 54
CompactFlash ..................................................................................................................................................... 54
Creating a bootable CompactFlash ................................................................................................................ 54
SDRAM................................................................................................................................................................ 55
Battery backup for real time calendar clock...................................................................................................... 55
Installing an AT battery ................................................................................................................................. 55
Chapter 8: External drives............................................................................................................................... 56
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 56
Hard disk controller............................................................................................................................................ 56
Master/slave designation for IDE devices ...................................................................................................... 56
Installing a hard drive........................................................................................................................................ 58
Floppy disk controller ......................................................................................................................................... 58
Power requirements ........................................................................................................................................ 58
Installing a floppy disk drive .......................................................................................................................... 58
Chapter 9: Bit-programmable digital I/O...................................................................................................... 59
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 59
Interfacing to switches and other devices.......................................................................................................... 62
Opto-module rack interface ............................................................................................................................ 62
Organization of banks......................................................................................................................................... 64
Port addressing................................................................................................................................................ 64
I/O lines pulled low.......................................................................................................................................... 64
Configuring and programming the I/O port ...................................................................................................... 65
Programming the I/O ...................................................................................................................................... 65
Configuring the I/O ......................................................................................................................................... 65
Writing and reading from I/O ......................................................................................................................... 66
6

I/O output program examples......................................................................................................................... 66
I/O input program examples ........................................................................................................................... 67
Enhanced INT 17h function definitions............................................................................................................. 67
Initialize I/O .................................................................................................................................................... 67
Write I/O .......................................................................................................................................................... 68
Read I/O ........................................................................................................................................................... 69
Chapter 10: CRTs and TFT flat panels .......................................................................................................... 70
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 70
Video features ..................................................................................................................................................... 70
Simultaneous mode operation ........................................................................................................................ 70
Connecting a monitor.......................................................................................................................................... 70
Connecting a flat panel display.......................................................................................................................... 72
Flat panels requiring bias voltage .................................................................................................................. 73
Connecting the flat panel to the XE–700 SBC............................................................................................... 73
Programming the video BIOS ............................................................................................................................ 75
Additional notes on video BIOS...................................................................................................................... 75
Chapter 11: Ethernet......................................................................................................................................... 76
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 76
Chapter 12: PC/104 expansion......................................................................................................................... 77
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 77
Chapter 13: USB ................................................................................................................................................. 78
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 78
Overview: Section 3 – System management................................................................................................. 79
Chapter 14: Watchdog timer and hardware reset ...................................................................................... 80
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 80
Booting, power down, and strobing the watchdog timer ............................................................................... 80
Watchdog function definitions using enhanced INT 17h handler .................................................................... 81
Enable watchdog ............................................................................................................................................. 81
Strobe watchdog .............................................................................................................................................. 82
Disable watchdog............................................................................................................................................. 82
Hardware reset ................................................................................................................................................... 83
Chapter 15: Serial EEPROM............................................................................................................................ 84
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 84
Enhanced INT 17h function definitions............................................................................................................. 84
Serial EEPROM .................................................................................................................................................. 84
Read a single word from the serial EEPROM................................................................................................ 84
Write a single word to the serial EEPROM ................................................................................................... 85
Read multiple words from the serial EEPROM............................................................................................. 85
Write multiple words to the serial EEPROM ................................................................................................ 86
Return serial EEPROM size ........................................................................................................................... 87
Chapter 16: System switches, user switch, BIOS update, system functions, CPU speed, CPU fan
and LEDs............................................................................................................................................................... 88
System switches .................................................................................................................................................. 88
System switch.................................................................................................................................................. 88
Extended BIOS switch .................................................................................................................................... 89
Video switch..................................................................................................................................................... 89
User switch ...................................................................................................................................................... 89
BIOS recovery switch...................................................................................................................................... 89
BIOS programming using PHLASH.EXE...................................................................................................... 89
INT17 calls to read user switch ...................................................................................................................... 90
INT17 calls to read BIOS version................................................................................................................... 90
System functions................................................................................................................................................. 91
Return CPU Type ............................................................................................................................................ 91
CPU speed ........................................................................................................................................................... 93
CPU fan ............................................................................................................................................................... 93
LEDs.................................................................................................................................................................... 93
Chapter 17: Troubleshooting........................................................................................................................... 94
Boot Block Recovery............................................................................................................................................ 94
Memory conflicts using operating system other than DOS .............................................................................. 94
7

No system LED activity...................................................................................................................................... 94
No CRT or flat panel video ................................................................................................................................. 94
Video is present but is distorted ..................................................................................................................... 95
No serial console activity.................................................................................................................................... 96
Garbled serial console screen activity................................................................................................................ 96
System generates a BIOS message but locks up when booting........................................................................ 96
System will not boot from CompactFlash .......................................................................................................... 96
System locks up on power-up; may or may not respond to reset switch .......................................................... 97
System locks up after power-down/power-up .................................................................................................... 97
LED signaling of “beep” codes ............................................................................................................................ 97
Technical assistance ......................................................................................................................................... 101
Overview: Section 4 – Appendices................................................................................................................ 102
Appendix A: XE–700 SBC technical data .................................................................................................... 103
Technical specifications .................................................................................................................................... 103
CPU................................................................................................................................................................ 103
PCI bus clock ................................................................................................................................................. 103
ISA bus clock ................................................................................................................................................. 103
BIOS............................................................................................................................................................... 103
SDRAM .......................................................................................................................................................... 103
On-board flash ............................................................................................................................................... 103
Hard drive...................................................................................................................................................... 103
Floppy drive................................................................................................................................................... 103
CompactFlash socket .................................................................................................................................... 103
Parallel port................................................................................................................................................... 103
USB ................................................................................................................................................................ 103
Serial I/O........................................................................................................................................................ 103
Digital I/O ...................................................................................................................................................... 103
Keyboard and mouse ports............................................................................................................................ 103
Ethernet......................................................................................................................................................... 104
Video .............................................................................................................................................................. 104
Watchdog timer ............................................................................................................................................. 104
Real time clock............................................................................................................................................... 104
Expansion ...................................................................................................................................................... 104
Operating systems......................................................................................................................................... 104
PCI bus mastering......................................................................................................................................... 104
Power requirements ...................................................................................................................................... 104
Environmental specifications ....................................................................................................................... 104
Size................................................................................................................................................................. 104
Weight............................................................................................................................................................ 104
Excessive thermal stress............................................................................................................................... 104
Mating connectors............................................................................................................................................. 105
Maps .................................................................................................................................................................. 106
Switch settings.................................................................................................................................................. 108
Connector pin–outs ........................................................................................................................................... 110
Appendix B: Software utilities...................................................................................................................... 118
Introduction....................................................................................................................................................... 118
Support commands........................................................................................................................................ 118
I17HNDLR.EXE................................................................................................................................................ 119
PHLASH.EXE ................................................................................................................................................... 119
RESET.COM ..................................................................................................................................................... 120
VGA700.EXE..................................................................................................................................................... 120
Appendix C: Accessories.................................................................................................................................. 121
Warranty ............................................................................................................................................................. 122
Limitations on warranty................................................................................................................................... 122
Service policy..................................................................................................................................................... 122
Returning a product for repair ......................................................................................................................... 122
Returns.............................................................................................................................................................. 123
Governing law ................................................................................................................................................... 123
8

List of Figures
Figure 2–1 XE–700 SBC component diagram (top) ..........................................................................18
Figure 2–2 XE–700 SBC component diagram (bottom) ....................................................................19
Figure 2–3 XE–700 SBC dimensions .................................................................................................20
Figure 2–4 Power connector, J13 .......................................................................................................24
Figure 2–5 Connecting a monitor and keyboard ...............................................................................26
Figure 2–6 Installing an operating system........................................................................................29
Figure 4–1 COM ports ........................................................................................................................40
Figure 4–2 VTC-20F cable and null modem adapter ........................................................................40
Figure 4–3 Typical RS–422 four-wire interface circuit.....................................................................45
Figure 4–4 Typical RS–485 two–wire half duplex interface circuit .................................................46
Figure 5–1 LPT1 as a printer port .....................................................................................................48
Figure 5–2 LPT1 as a display or keypad port....................................................................................49
Figure 6–1 Monitor and keyboard as console ....................................................................................51
Figure 6–2 The XE–700 SBC and a serial console ............................................................................53
Figure 8–1 XE–700 SBC with external drives ..................................................................................57
Figure 9–1 Typical digital I/O configurations ...................................................................................61
Figure 9–2 Organization of banks......................................................................................................64
Figure 10–1 The XE–700 SBC and a VGA monitor ............................................................................72
Figure 10–2 The XE–700 SBC and a flat panel display......................................................................74
Figure 12–1 Typical PC/104 module stack ..........................................................................................77
9

List of Tables
Table 2–1 XE–700 SBC connector functions....................................................................................21
Table 2–2 XE–700 SBC switch functions.........................................................................................21
Table 2–3 Power connector: J13 .......................................................................................................25
Table 4–1 Serial port configurations................................................................................................42
Table 4–2 COM1 and COM2 connector pin-outs (J12 connector) ...................................................42
Table 4–3 COM3 and COM4 connector pin-outs (J17 connector) ...................................................43
Table 4–4 COM3 and COM4 RS–422/485 connector pin-outs ........................................................43
Table 4–5 COM3/4 switches, Switch 2 .............................................................................................43
Table 5–1 LPT1 connector: J19 ........................................................................................................47
Table 7–1 J6 – Battery connector.....................................................................................................55
Table 9–1 J9 arranged by function – digital I/O connector .............................................................59
Table 9–2 J9 arranged by pins – digital I/O connector....................................................................60
Table 9–3 Digital I/O opto-rack interface ........................................................................................63
Table 9–4 I/O port byte .....................................................................................................................65
Table 10–1 J3 – CRT connector..........................................................................................................71
Table 10–2 Flat panel connector: J5 ..................................................................................................74
Table 11–1 Ethernet LEDs .................................................................................................................76
Table 16−1System configuration switches, Switch 4........................................................................88
Table 16−2CPU clock speed switch, Switch 3...................................................................................93
Table 16–3 J10 – CPU fan connector .................................................................................................93
Table 17–1 BIOS beep codes...............................................................................................................98
Table A–1 Table 2–1 XE–700 SBC connector functions ................................................................105
Table A–2 XE–700 SBC DMA map.................................................................................................106
Table A–3 XE–700 SBC I/O map ....................................................................................................106
Table A–4 XE–700 SBC interrupt map ..........................................................................................107
Table A–5 XE–700 SBC memory map ............................................................................................108
Table A−6COM3/4 switches, Switch 2 ...........................................................................................108
Table A–7 CPU clock speed switch, Switch 3.................................................................................108
Table A–8 System configuration switches, Switch 4......................................................................109
Table A–9 J3 – CRT connector........................................................................................................110
Table A–10 J4 – EIDE.......................................................................................................................110
Table A–11 J5 – Flat panel connector ..............................................................................................111
Table A–12 J6 – Battery connector...................................................................................................111
Table A–13 J7 – Ethernet connector.................................................................................................112
Table A–14 J8 – USB connector........................................................................................................112
Table A–15 J9 – Digital I/O connector..............................................................................................112
Table A–16 J10 – CPU fan connector ...............................................................................................113
Table A–17 J11 – PC/104 connector..................................................................................................113
Table A–18 J12 – COM1 and COM2.................................................................................................114
Table A–19 J13 – Power connector ...................................................................................................114
Table A–20 J14 and J15 – COM3 and COM4 RS–422/485 connectors ...........................................114
Table A–21 J16 – PS/2 keyboard mouse ...........................................................................................115
Table A–22 J17 – COM3 and COM4 connector................................................................................115
Table A–23 J18 – Floppy drive..........................................................................................................116
Table A–24 J19 – LPT1 .....................................................................................................................116
Table A–25 J500 – CompactFlash ....................................................................................................117
Table C–1 Cables and accessories...................................................................................................121
Table C–2 Digital I/O accessories ...................................................................................................121
10

Overview: Section 1 – Installation
Section 1 provides installation and programming instructions, startup options, and
system configuration program examples. The following chapters are included:
Chapter 1: Overview
Chapter 2: Quick start
Chapter 3: Setup programs
11

Chapter 1: Overview
Description
The XE–700 is a Single Board Computer (SBC) in the EPIC™ form factor. It is
intended for higher-performance, low-power embedded control applications. The
XE–700 SBC integrates serial communications, Ethernet, IDE hard disk port,
CompactFlash socket, floppy port, LPT parallel port, digital I/O, two USB ports,
PS/2 keyboard and mouse port, and video. The XE–700 SBC can be used in a stand-
alone mode or expanded through a PC/104 interface.
The XE–700 SBC comes with a BIOS loaded on a flash device for easy updates. It is
fully compatible with many popular operating systems.
XE–700 SBC major hardware features
CPU
The CPU is a high-performance, low-power STPC Atlas processor with a switch-
selectable clock speed of either 66 or 133 MHz. It uses the 83977 Super I/O for
some of the peripherals. The XE–700 SBC has an ISA bus speed of 8.33 MHz and a
PCI bus speed of 33 MHz.
SDRAM
The XE–700 comes with 64 MB surface-mount SDRAM.
On-board flash
On board is a 512 KB surface-mount boot flash that contains the BIOS.
CompactFlash socket
The CompactFlash socket accepts a Type I or Type II 3V CompactFlash card. The
CompactFlash appears as an IDE device to the system. It is implemented with an
ATA-4 compliant IDE controller, and appears in Setup as the Primary IDE device.
Hard disk and floppy ports
The XE–700 has two ATA-4 compliant IDE controllers. The primary channel is
dedicated to the CompactFlash. The secondary channel supports two additional
IDE devices through a 2 mm, 44-pin connector. This connector supplies power to
the devices. Octagon Systems has a 44-pin to 40-pin Hard Drive Adapter cable
(part #4080 or #6246) to connect IDE devices with a 40-pin interface.
The floppy port is terminated with a standard 34-pin connector and supports one
floppy drive.
12

USB ports
The XE–700 provides two USB 1.1 channels, accessed through a 10-pin header.
USB 1.1 provides speeds up to 12 Mbps. The Octagon Systems two-port USB cable
provides a direct connection from the 10-pin connector to two USB devices. USB is
available when using an operating system that supports USB. There is no support
from Octagon Systems for DOS legacy USB.
Both channels are Open HCI compliant.
Multifunctional printer port
The XE–700 incorporates the latest enhanced parallel port and includes
unidirectional, bidirectional, ECP and EPP modes.
The following represent applications for the multifunctional parallel port:
LPT1 for PC compatible printers
17 general purpose digital I/O lines
Up to a 4 x 4 matrix keypad
4-line alphanumeric display
Digital I/O
The 24 digital I/O lines will interface with logic devices, switch inputs, LEDs and
industry standard opto module racks. The I/O lines are 0–5V logic compatible. Each
line can sink or source 15mA. They can be individually programmed as inputs or
outputs.
Ethernet
The XE–700 provides one 10/100BaseT Ethernet port and supports the IEEE 802.3
Ethernet standard.
Serial ports
The XE–700 SBC has four serial ports, which provide one 8-wire and three 4-wire
RS–232C ports. COM3 and COM4 can also be configured as RS–422 or RS–485.
PC/104 interface
The PC/104 interface accepts an 8- or 16-bit PC/104 expansion board. Numerous
PC/104 expansion boards are available from Octagon Systems. PC/104 expansion
boards may be stacked on the XE–700 SBC to form a fully-integrated system.
Video
The XE–700 SBC supports CRT monitors up to 1280 x 1024 x 24 bpp (bits per
pixel) resolution, and TFT-compatible flat panel displays with up to 1024 x 1024 x
18 bpp resolution. Simultaneous mode is supported for viewing CRT and flat panel
at the same time.
13

Keyboard and mouse port
The keyboard controller accepts an AT style keyboard. The mouse port is combined
with the keyboard port. The PS/2 Keyboard Mouse Cable, 8-Pin Header has a PS/2
connector for keyboard support. A “Y” cable, available at any computer store,
attaches to the Keyboard Mouse Cable and provides mouse support.
Real time calendar/clock with battery backup
The real time clock is fully AT compatible. An optional off-card battery powers the
real time clock when the 5 volt supply is removed.
Setup information stored in Flash for high reliability
Loss of Setup data is serious in industrial applications. Most PCs store Setup
information in battery-backed CMOS RAM. If the battery fails or is replaced
during routine maintenance, this information is lost. Without a keyboard and
monitor in embedded applications, time consuming re-initialization is required.
The XE–700 SBC stores the Setup information in serial EEPROM.
User-available EEPROM
An EEPROM has 1024 words available to the user. Software routines to use this
available memory come with the XE–700 SBC.
Watchdog timer added for safety
The watchdog timer resets the system if the program stops unexpectedly. The
watchdog is enabled, disabled and strobed under software control; it can also be
enabled or disabled in Setup. The time-out period is programmable for 1, 10 or 60
seconds.
Hardware reset
A hardware reset ensures complete reset of the system and all attached
peripherals. A hardware reset can be done by any of the following methods:
An expired watchdog timer cycle
Depressing the reset switch
Cycling power
Power supervisor reset
5 Volt only operation lowers system cost
5V ±5%
±12V supplied to PC/104 connector from the power connector; not required for
XE–700 SBC operation
14

Rugged environmental operation
Operating temperature –40° to +85°C; Octagon recommends the
conductive cooling kit for prolonged operation
neartheupperlimit.
Nonoperating temperature –55° to 95°C, nonoperating
Relative humidity 5% to 95% noncondensing
Shock 40g, 3 axis
Vibration 5g, 3 axis
Size
115 mm x 165 mm x 29.5 mm, EPIC™ form factor
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XE–700 SBC major software features
Diagnostic software verifies system integrity automatically
The XE–700 SBC has built-in diagnostic software that can be used to verify on-card
I/O and memory functions. On power-up, a series of tests is performed. If a problem
occurs, the failed test can be identified by a flashing LED or a beep code. The test is
performed automatically every time the system is reset or powered up. Memory
verification does not require software, test equipment, monitor, keyboard, disks, or
test fixtures. See the “Troubleshooting” chapter for a listing of tests and failures
and their descriptions.
Phoenix software BIOS
The XE–700 SBC has a Phoenix Software BIOS with Octagon BIOS extensions.
The BIOS extensions support the INT17 functions.
Octagon BIOS extensions
On-board BIOS extensions allow easy access to watchdog timer functions, serial
EEPROM, digital I/O, etc.
Boot sequence
An XE–700 SBC can be configured to boot from CompactFlash, a hard disk, a
floppy, or a CD–ROM.
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Chapter 2: Quick start
This chapter covers the basics of setting up an XE–700 SBC system. The following
topics are discussed:
Component diagrams, connectors, switches and cables
Mounting the XE–700 SBC
Connecting a monitor and keyboard
Installing an operating system
Component diagrams, connectors, switches and cables
Figures 2–1 and 2–2 show the connectors and switches and their locations on the
XE–700 SBC. Figure 2–3 shows the dimensions of the XE–700 SBC in inches and
millimeters. The sections immediately following those figures describe the
connectors and switches, and some cables that you might require.
WARNING!
The XE–700 SBC contains static-sensitive CMOS components. To
avoid damaging your card and its components:
Ground yourself before handling the card
Disconnect power before removing or inserting a PC/104 expansion
board.
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Figure 2–1 XE–700 SBC component diagram (top)
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Figure 2–2 XE–700 SBC component diagram (bottom)
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Figure 2–3 XE–700 SBC dimensions
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