Octagon 6000 Series User manual

NOTICE
The drivers and utilities for Octagon products, previously provided
on a CD, are now in a self-extracting zip file located at the Octagon
Systems web site on the product-specific page. Download this file to a
separate directory on your hard drive, then double click on it to extract
the files. All references in this manual to files and directories on the CD
now refer to files in the Utilities zip file.

O C T A G O N S Y S T E M S
Embedded PCs For Extreme Environments
6000 Series User’s Manual
4738 (0906)

Micro PC™, PC SmartLink™, CAMBASIC®, Octagon Systems Corporation®, the
Octagon logo and the Micro PC logo are trademarks of Octagon Systems Corporation.
QuickBASIC® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. QNX® is a regis-
tered trademark of QNX Software Systems Ltd. ROM-DOS™ is a trademark of
Datalight. Windows™ and Windows NT™ are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
PICO FA™ is a trademark of Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
Copyright 1997, 1998, 2006—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: 303-426-4521
Telephone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
Web site:
www.octagonsystems.com

6000 Series user’s manual Notice to user
IMPORTANT!
Please read the following section before installing your product:
Octagon’sproductsaredesignedtobehighinperformancewhileconsuming
very little power. In order to maintain this advantage, CMOS circuitry is
used.
CMOSchipshavespecificneedsandsomespecialrequirementsthattheuser
mustbeawareof. Readthefollowingtohelpavoiddamagetoyourcardfrom
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 exclu-
sively using CMOS technology. Both TTL and CMOS have failure
mechanisms, but they are different. Described below are some of the
failures which are common to all manufacturers of CMOS equipment.
However, much of the information has been put in the context of the
Micro PC.
Octagon has developed a reliable database of customer-induced, field
failures. The average MTBF of Micro PC cards exceeds 11 years, yet
there are failures. Most failures have been identified as customer-
induced, but there is a small percentage that cannot be identified. As
expected, virtually all the failures occur when bringing up the first
system. On subsequent systems, the failure rate drops dramatically.
nApproximately 20% of the returned cards are problem-free. These
cards, typically, have the wrong jumper settings or the customer has
problems with the software. This causes frustration for the cus-
tomer and incurs a testing charge from Octagon.
nOf the remaining 80% of the cards, 90% of these cards fail due to
customer misuse and accident. Customers often cannot pinpoint the
cause of the misuse.
nTherefore, 72% of the returned cards are damaged through some
type of misuse. Of the remaining 8%, Octagon is unable to deter-
mine the cause of the failure and repairs these cards at no charge if
they are under warranty.

Notice to user PC-500 user’s manual
The most common failures on CPU 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.
nMultiple component failures - The chance of a random compo-
nent 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.
nTesting “dead” cards - For a card that is “completely nonfunc-
tional”, 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 resis-
tances is 2:1 or greater, fault conditions most likely have occurred.
A common cause is miswiring the power supply.
nImproper power causes catastrophic failure - If a card has had
reverse polarity or high voltage applied, replacing a failed compo-
nent is not an adequate fix. Other components probably have been
partially damaged or a failure mechanism has been induced. There-
fore, a failure will probably occur in the future. For such cards,
Octagon highly recommends that these cards be replaced.
nOther over-voltage symptoms - In over-voltage situations, the
programmable logic devices, EPROMs and CPU chips, usually fail in
this order. The failed device may be hot to the touch. It is usually
the case that only one IC will be overheated at a time.
nPower sequencing - The major failure of I/O chips is caused by the
external application of input voltage while the Micro PC power is off.
If you apply 5V to the input of a TTL chip with the power off, noth-
ing 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.
nFailure on powerup - 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 powerup. This type of failure is typical on serial interface chips.

6000 Series user’s manual Notice to user
nHot insertion - Plugging cards into the card cage with the power on
will usually not cause a problem. (Octagon urges that you do not
do this!) However, the card may be damaged if the right sequence
of pins contacts as the card is pushed into the socket. This usually
damages bus driver chips and they may become hot when the power
is applied. This is one of the most common failures of expansion
cards.
nTerminated backplanes - Some customers try to use Micro PC
cards in backplanes that have resistor/capacitor termination net-
works. CMOS cards cannot be used with termination networks.
Generally, the cards will function erratically or the bus drivers may
fail due to excessive output currents.
nExcessive 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 switch
onto a line, it creates a transient waveform. Octagon has seen
submicrosecond 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/CPU
WARNING!
When handling any Octagon CPU card, extreme care must be
taken not to strike the heatsink against another object, such
as a table edge. Also, be careful not to drop the CPU card,
since this may cause damage to the heatsink/CPU as well.
Epoxy adhesive bonds the heatsink to the CPU chip. When
the heatsink is struck, the epoxy adhesive does not allow the
heatsink to separate from the chip. The force of the blow to
the heatsink then causes the legs of the CPU chip to separate
from the PCB. This force damages both the CPU chip and
the PCB.
Note Any physical damage to the CPU control card is not covered under
warranty.

Notice to user PC-500 user’s manual

6000 Series user’s manual About this manual
About this manual
The 6000 Series user’s manual provides information about installing
and configuring your model in the 6000 Series of PC Microcontrollers.
This manual is divided into four sections:
nSection 1 – Installation
Chapter 1: Overview
Chapter 2: Quick start
Chapter 3: Setup programs
Chapter 4: Save and run programs
nSection 2 – Hardware
Chapter 5: Serial ports
Chapter 6: EZ I/O
Chapter 7: AUX I/O
Chapter 8: Analog I/O
Chapter 9: SSDs, DRAM, and battery backup
Chapter 10: External drives
Chapter 11: Video
Chapter 12: IRQ routing and opto IRQs
Chapter 13: LED signaling and “beep” codes
Chapter 14: PC/104 expansion
Chapter 15: Counter timer controller
nSection 3 – System management
Chapter 16: Watchdog timer, reset, and remote reset
Chapter 17: Serial EEPROM
Chapter 18: CPU power management
Chapter 19: Using PICO FA
Chapter 20: CAMBASIC
Chapter 21: Software utilities
Chapter 22: Troubleshooting
nSection 4 – Appendices
Appendix A: 6010 technical data
Appendix B: 6020 technical data
Appendix C: 6030 technical data
Appendix D: 6040 technical data
Appendix E: 6050 technical data
Appendix F: Miscellaneous
Appendix G: Accessories

About this manual 6000 Series user’s manual

1-1
6000 Series user’s manual Overview
Chapter 1: Overview
≡Introduction
The Octagon 6000 Series PC Microcontroller™ cards are intended for
easy usage and high performance in embedded control applications.
The PC Microcontroller cards combine the best features of the PC archi-
tecture and microcontroller I/O. Bringing PC software to the
microcontroller world eliminates the need to maintain development
systems for the different microcontroller chips. The Octagon PC
Microcontrollers operate in severe environments, providing an extra
margin of reliability in any application. Although ROM-DOS™ 6.22 is
included, you can download other operation systems into the flash drive.
If you prefer operating in a high-level language, CAMBASIC has been
built-in as a fast, easy-to-use, industrial control language.
Common features across the PC Microcontroller product line include:
nSuite of embedded software
— Datalight ROM-DOS™ 6.22 in ROM
— Phoenix PICO FA™ flash file system
— CAMBASIC™ multitasking language
— RS-422/485 networking software–up to 32 nodes
— Phoenix BIOS™ with industrial BIOS extensions
— Driver library
— Diagnostic software
n40 MHz 386SX processor
n2/4 MB of on-card DRAM
nTwo solid-state disks
— 1 MB flash SSD with an integral programmer
— 128 KB SRAM SSD with battery backup
nTwo serial ports with 8 KV ESD protection
nMultifunctional parallel port
nKeyboard and speaker ports
nWatchdog timer
nReal time calendar/clock (see note on page 1-7)
nTwo opto-isolated interrupt inputs
nSystem status LEDs
nStand alone or ISA bus expansion
n-40° to 85°C when operating at 25 MHz
0° to 60° C when operating at 40 MHz
n10g shock, 2g vibration

1-2
Overview 6000 Series user’s manual
n5V operation
nLow power mode
nOver voltage/reverse voltage protection
Unique features of each PC Microcontroller are listed in the following
table.
Table 1-1 Features of the PC Microcontrollers
Features 6010 6020 6030 6040 6050
COM ports 2 2 4 2 2
COM3 and COM4 — — RS-232
industrial ——
RS-232 to RS-422/485
option NO YES YES YES YES
EZ I/O digital lines — 48 — 24 24
LPT port 1 1 1 1 1
Total digital lines—
includes parallel port 17 65 17 41 41
High current drivers — — — — 8
Analoginputs ——— 8 —
Analog outputs — — — 2 —
PC/104 interface YES NO NO NO NO
EIDEport YESNONO NONO
Floppy port YES NO NO NO NO
Counter timer
controller NO YES NO NO NO
≡Major features
Suite of embedded software included in SSD0 flash drive
nPhoenix BIOS and Octagon industrial extensions. The BIOS is
shadowed for fast operation.
n“Instant DOS” system. Datalight ROM-DOS 6.22 loads to high
memory on powerup allowing more lower memory for data storage
and applications programs.

1-3
6000 Series user’s manual Overview
nPICO FA flash file system makes flash memory appear as a hard
disk to the PC Microcontroller.
nCAMBASIC, industrial control language includes drivers for all
on-card hardware.
nThe network kernel allows up to 32 systems to be linked into an
RS-422/485 network.
nThe utility library includes application examples in C and
CAMBASIC.
nDiagnostic software is included to test the system on powerup.
CAMBASIC
CAMBASIC supports all on-card I/O including digital, analog, timing,
interrupts, communications, and other functions. Thus, CAMBASIC
eliminates the need to write hardware drivers. You spend your time
writing the applications software rather than writing and debugging
drivers.
Diagnostic software verifies system integrity automatically
The PC Microcontroller has built-in diagnostic software that can be used
to verify on-card I/O and memory functions. On powerup, a series of
tests is performed. If a problem occurs, the failed test can be identified
by the color sequence on a bicolored LED. The test is performed auto-
matically every time the system is reset or powered up. No monitor,
keyboard, disks, test fixtures, test equipment, or software is required.
See the LED signaling and “beep” codes chapter for a complete listing of
system tests.
DRAM memory is fast and rugged
The PC Microcontroller has surface-mounted, fast page mode DRAM
installed. The surface mounting is far more rugged than plug-in
memory.
Solid-state disks withstand shock and vibration
SSD0 is a 1 MB flash memory disk containing the software suite in less
than 512 KB, leaving more than 512 KB available for user programs.
The flash memory is seen by software as a hard disk. The use of the
flash allows easy installation of software updates.
SSD2 is an SRAM with 128 KB capacity for data storage. SSD2 is
battery-backed with an on-board battery.

1-4
Overview 6000 Series user’s manual
Boot sequence
A PC Microcontroller can be configured to boot from the on-card solid-
state disk, an external floppy disk, or hard disk.
Serial ports protected against ESD
The COM1 and COM2 serial ports are 16C550 compatible. The 16 byte
FIFO buffers minimize processor overhead in high speed serial commu-
nications. Baud rates are programmable from 150 to 115 KB baud.
Both ports have an RS-232 interface with the RS-232 voltages gener-
ated on-card. The serial ports meet the new IEC1000, level 3, ESD
protection specification with ±8 KV of ESD protection. Backdrive pro-
tection is also included.
CAMBASIC supports the serial ports with interrupt driven, 2 KB input
and output buffers which operate in the background. This ensures that
data is not lost while critical control loops are being executed.
Note The network interface module is not compatible with the 6010 model.
Convenient I/O termination with the breakout board (BOB)
Except for the serial and industrial I/O lines, all other I/O is terminated
with a 34-pin IDC connector, also called the AUX I/O. The AUX I/O
port eliminates cable clutter and the possibility of cables being plugged
into the wrong sockets during maintenance. The breakout board termi-
nates each function at the appropriate connector. These functions
include the keyboard, speaker, printer, floppy drive, battery, and opto-
isolated interrupts.
Speaker and keyboard
The PC Microcontroller accepts a PS-2 style AT keyboard and provides
speaker output through the breakout board (BOB).
Parallel port is multifunctional
The multifunctional parallel port can be used as a printer port or gen-
eral purpose I/O. The parallel port can also interface with a floppy disk
drive, drive alphanumeric displays and matrix keypads, or drive high
current AC and DC loads using an opto rack and opto modules.
The multifunctional parallel port applications include:
nLPT1 for PC compatible printers
n17 general purpose digital I/O lines
n4 x 4 matrix keypad
n4 line alphanumeric display

1-5
6000 Series user’s manual Overview
nMPB-16PC, 16 position opto-module rack
nFloppy disk drive
The printer port is IEEE 1284A compliant, unidirectional and bidirec-
tional, EPP (enhanced parallel port) mode, and ECP (extended capabili-
ties port) mode compatible. The printer port features backdrive protec-
tion and allows for much higher speed transfers than Octagon’s previous
standard printer interface. The data lines can sink up to 24 mA. The
printer port signals are routed through the PC Microcontroller’s
AUX I/O port when using the breakout board.
Keypad and LCD/VF display support for low cost operator
interface
For embedded applications, a keypad and display (KAD) board and
software are available to interface with an alphanumeric display and
matrix keypad. The parallel port on the KAD can interface with a
16-key matrix keypad and a 2 or 4 line LCD or vacuum florescent
display in applications where an inexpensive operator interface is
needed. The microcontroller cards are supplied with the software which
provides keypad scanning and display operation. The keypad and
display board has sockets for the display and keypad. DISPLAY and
KEYPAD commands in CAMBASIC and drivers in C support these
devices.
Industrial I/O is EZ I/O
Several PC Microcontrollers feature the Octagon EZ I/O digital I/O chip.
EZ I/O supplies 24 I/O lines which can be individually programmed as
5V input or 5V output. Each line can sink or source 15 mA. The 24 I/O
lines are divided into three groups of 8 with 10 K resistors that can be
connected to ground or +5V. The EZ I/O port can drive the MPB series
opto-isolation module racks directly, controlling input and loads to 240V
and 3A. CAMBASIC has several commands to support the EZ I/O port
when working on bit, BCD, byte, or word bases.
High current outputs
Model 6050 dedicates 8 lines as high current outputs, capable of driving
100 mA loads rated up to 50V.
External interrupt and reset are optically isolated for safety
One opto-isolated input causes a master reset; and the other causes the
system to generate an IRQ9. Both inputs accept voltages from 4.5 to 6
VDC. This could be used for an emergency stop, power failure, system
synchronization, or a similar function. Drivers are provided in CAM-
BASIC and C.

1-6
Overview 6000 Series user’s manual
Interrupts used to the maximum
Real time operation often requires many interrupts for high speed
response to events. Five of the AT interrupts are connected to the ISA
bus in addition to the four interrupts used on the card This provides the
best use of the interrupts for demanding applications.
System expansion is flexible
The PC Microcontroller can expand via an 8-bit ISA unterminated
backplane with the Octagon 5000 Series expansion cards.
Mounting
There are several ways to mount a PC Microcontroller:
nPlug it directly into an Octagon Micro PC card cage. Power is sup-
plied through the backplane.
nUse the optional PC mounting bracket and plug it into any passive
ISA backplane. Power is supplied through the backplane.
nPanel mount it using the four mounting holes for stand alone opera-
tion. A two position terminal connector is used to supply the 5V
power.
nStack it with other Micro PC cards. An Octagon two card stacking
kit or a flexible backplane using 3M connectors and ribbon cable can
be used to stack several cards together.
Hardware reset
A hardware reset can be done by any of the following means:
nIssuing the RESET software command, using the watchdog function
nDepressing the reset switch
nCycling power
nInput from an optically-isolated reset.
A hardware reset ensures complete reset of the system and all attached
peripherals. An expired watchdog timer cycle also causes a hardware
reset to occur.
Watchdog timer for added safety
The watchdog timer resets the system if the program stops unexpect-
edly. The watchdog is enabled, disabled, and strobed under software
control. The time-out is 1.6 seconds (typical).

1-7
6000 Series user’s manual Overview
SETUP information stored in EEPROM for high reliability
The loss of SETUP data is serious in industrial applications. In the
PC Microcontroller, SETUP data is stored in nonvolatile serial
EEPROM eliminating the problem with battery or power failure
(with the exception of time and date). 512 bytes of the serial
EEPROM are reserved by the BIOS. An additional 1536 bytes are
available to the user. A software driver is supplied for accessing the
EEPROM.
Real time calendar/clock with battery backup
The PC Microcontroller has a built-in AT style, real time clock. The
real time clock is powered by an external AT style battery. For
additional backup, an on-card battery powers the calendar/clock when
the external battery is being replaced. The clock may be read either
through DOS or CAMBASIC. The calendar/clock also provides the
user with 128 bytes of user-defined CMOS-RAM.
Note: The date and time occasionally resets to default. If your applica-
tion requires date/time stamping you should consider another Octa-
gon Systems CPU card.
Power management reduces power by more than 70%
Power management can be used to reduce power consumption or to
freeze the state of the program on the occurrence of a power manage-
ment interrupt. Power consumption can be reduced by more than 70%,
reducing the heat load and extending battery life in mobile applications.
Rugged environmental operation
The CPU case temperature may range from -40° to 85°C during opera-
tion at 25 MHz, or 0° to 60° C during operation at 40 MHz. The PC
Microcontroller is designed to withstand 10g shock and 2g vibration.
5 volt only operation lowers system cost
The PC Microcontroller operates from a single 5V ± 4% supply. Lo-
cated across the power supply, the 6.2V, 5W diode protects against
reverse voltage and limits over voltage. Power is supplied to the card
either through the ISA bus connector or the terminal block.

1-8
Overview 6000 Series user’s manual
≡Reference designators
Before you continue with the installation of your PC Microcontroller,
review the following tables for a list of connectors and jumper blocks for
the functions on your particular model in the 6000 Series of PC
Microcontrollers.
Table 1-2 6000 Series connectors
Reference
designator 6010 6020 6030 6040 6050
COM1 J3 J3 J3 J3 J3
COM2 J4 J4 J4 J4 J4
COM3 ——J1— —
COM4 ——J7— —
AUX I/O J2 J2 J2 J2 J2
Power J5 J5 J5 J5 J5
Battery J6 J6 J6 J6 J6
Analog I/O ———J7 —
USESETUP W1 W1 W1 W1 W1
EZ I/O 1 — J1/W3 — J1/W2/W4 J1/W2
EZ I/O 2 —J7/W3—— —
D/A ———W3 —
I/O range select A/
BIOS device W2 W2 W2 W2 W2
PC/104 J1 — — — —
Floppy J8 — — — —
Hard drive J7 — — — —

2-1
6000 Series user’s manual Quick start
Chapter 2: Quick start
This chapter covers the basics of setting up a PC Microcontroller sys-
tem. The following topics are discussed:
nPanel mounting, stacking, or installing the PC Microcontroller into
an Octagon card cage
nSetting up a serial communications console I/O link between the PC
Microcontroller and your desktop PC
nDownloading files to the PC Microcontroller and running a program
from the virtual drive.
WARNING!
The PC Microcontroller may not be installed in a PC. These
cards are designed to be independent CPU cards only, not
accelerators or coprocessors.
≡Hardware installation
WARNING!
The PC Microcontroller card contains static-sensitive CMOS
components. The card is most susceptible to damage when it
is plugged into a card cage. The PC Microcontroller becomes
charged by the user, and the static discharges to the back-
plane from the pin closest to the card connector. If that pin
happens to be an input pin, even TTL inputs may be dam-
aged. To avoid damaging your card and its components:
nGround yourself before handling the card
nDisconnect power before removing or inserting the card.
WARNING!
Take care to correctly position the PC Microcontroller in the
card cage. The VCC and ground signals must match those on
the backplane. Figure 2-1 shows the relative positions of the
PC Microcontroller as it is installed in the card cage.
Your PC Microcontroller can be installed in one of several ways:
nPlugging it directly into an 8-bit Micro PC card cage
nUsing the optional PC mounting bracket and plugging it into any
8-bit passive ISA backplane
nPanel mounting it using the four mounting holes
nStacking it with other Micro PC cards.

2-2
Quick start 6000 Series user’s manual
Note The product-specific appendices provide component diagrams for the PC
Microcontrollers in the 6000 Series. Refer to them as needed.
Using a Micro PC card cage
To install the PC Microcontroller in a Micro PC card cage, you will need
the following equipment (or equivalent):
nPCMicrocontroller
nMicro PC card cage (5xxx Card Cage)
nPower module (510x or 71xx Power Module)
nVTC-9F Cable
nNull modem adapter
nPC Microcontroller ROM-DOS and utility disk
nPC SmartLINK with manual
nYour PC
Refer to the Miscellaneous appendix if you are making your own serial
cable or using other non-Octagon components.
To install the PC Microcontroller:
1. Refer to the component diagram in the appropriate product-specific
appendix for the location of various connectors before installing the PC
Microcontroller.
Figure 2-1 Edge connector orientation
A31 B31 Card Edge Pins
A31 & B31
Card Edge Pins
A1 & B1
Micro-PC
Passive
Backplane
A1 B1
PC Microcontroller
2. Attach the Octagon power module to the card cage following the instruc-
tions supplied with the power module.
3. Make sure power to the card cage is OFF.

2-3
6000 Series user’s manual Quick start
4. Slide the PC Microcontroller into the card cage. The ROM-BIOS label
on the card should face away from the power supply. See Figure 2-2 for
an illustration of a PC Microcontroller in a Micro PC card cage.
Figure 2-2 Populated Micro PC card cage
WARNING!
Plugging in the card incorrectly will destroy the card!
5. Connect one end of a VTC-9F cable to the null modem adapter. Connect
the other end to COM1 on the PC Microcontroller.
Note You must use COM1 on the PC Microcontroller in order to establish a
serial communications console I/O link with your PC.
6. If your PC has a 9-pin serial connector, connect the null modem adapter
to any serial port (COM1 through COM4) on your PC. If your PC has a
25-pin serial connector, attach a 9-25 pin adapter to your null modem
adapter, then insert the matching end of the 9-25 pin adapter into the
serial port. See Figure 2-3.