Octagon PC-510 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
PC-510 User’s Manual
5171 (0505)

DiskOnChip®is a registered trademark of M-Systems. Micro PC™, PC SmartLink™,
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 registered trademark of QNX Software Systems Ltd.
ROM-DOS™ is a trademark of Datalight. Windows™ and Windows NT™ are trade-
marks of Microsoft Corporation. PICO FA™ is a trademark of Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
Copyright 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005—Octagon Systems Corporation. All rights reserved.
However, any part of this document may be reproduced, provided that Octagon Sys-
tems Corporation is cited as the source. The contents of this manual and the specifi-
cations 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
R

PC-510 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-510 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.

PC-510 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 physical 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-510 user’s manual

iii
PC-510 user’s manual Contents
Contents
Abbreviations and terms used in this manual........................................... xiii
Conventions used in this manual ................................................................... xv
About this manual
Overview: Section 1 – Installation
Chapter 1: Overview ......................................................................................... 1-1
Description .................................................................................................... 1-1
PC-510 major hardware features................................................................. 1-1
CPU....................................................................................................... 1-1
Up to 48 MB DRAM ............................................................................. 1-1
Solid-state disks ................................................................................... 1-2
SSD0 ............................................................................................ 1-2
SSD1 ............................................................................................ 1-2
Serial ports protected against ESD..................................................... 1-3
Local bus SVGA, flat panel interface, and GUI accelerator .............. 1-3
Adjustable display bias supply............................................................ 1-3
Industrial I/O using EZ I/O ................................................................. 1-4
Speaker, keyboard, and mouse ports................................................... 1-4
PC/104 16-bit interface........................................................................ 1-4
PC-510 major software features .................................................................. 1-4
Advanced power management and system management input ....... 1-4
Diagnostic software verifies system integrity automatically ............ 1-5
SETUP information stored in EEPROM for high reliability............. 1-5
Phoenix BIOS....................................................................................... 1-5
“Instant DOS” operating system......................................................... 1-5
Programmable video BIOS.................................................................. 1-5
On-board flash file system................................................................... 1-6
Octagon BIOS extensions .................................................................... 1-6
Interrupt routing: In system and programmable.............................. 1-6
Floppy and hard disk ports.................................................................. 1-6
Boot sequence ....................................................................................... 1-6
Multifunctional printer port ................................................................ 1-6
Watchdog timer added for safety......................................................... 1-7
Real time calendar/clock with battery-backup................................... 1-7
I/O connectors....................................................................................... 1-7
Keypad and LCD display support for low-cost operator interface .... 1-7
Hardware reset..................................................................................... 1-7
5 Volt operation lowers system cost .................................................... 1-7
Rugged environmental operation........................................................ 1-8
Size........................................................................................................ 1-8
Chapter 2: Quick start ..................................................................................... 2-1
Installing the PC-510 ................................................................................... 2-1
Reference designators................................................................................... 2-6
PC-510 power supply requirements............................................................. 2-8
Running a demo program............................................................................. 2-9
Logon message ..................................................................................... 2-9
What’s next.................................................................................................. 2-11

iv
Contents PC-510 user’s manual
Chapter 3: SETUP programs .......................................................................... 3-1
Introduction................................................................................................... 3-1
SETUP........................................................................................................... 3-1
Running SETUP over the console port ............................................... 3-4
SETUP example ................................................................................... 3-8
SETSSD......................................................................................................... 3-9
PMISETUP.................................................................................................... 3-9
SETIRQ.EXE................................................................................................. 3-9
Chapter 4: Save and run programs............................................................... 4-1
Save and run your programs on the PC-510............................................... 4-1
Saving programs and support files .............................................................. 4-1
Adding your application....................................................................... 4-2
Autoexecuting your application........................................................... 4-2
Overriding the autoexecution of your application.............................. 4-3
Overview: Section 2 – Hardware
Chapter 5: Serial ports..................................................................................... 5-1
Description .................................................................................................... 5-1
Serial port options......................................................................................... 5-1
Description of serial ports............................................................................. 5-2
Conflicting COM port addresses ......................................................... 5-2
COM1.................................................................................................... 5-2
COM2.................................................................................................... 5-3
COM3 through COM6 interrupt/status port ...................................... 5-3
COM3.................................................................................................... 5-5
COM4.................................................................................................... 5-5
COM5.................................................................................................... 5-5
COM6.................................................................................................... 5-6
Null modem cable ......................................................................................... 5-6
Building your own cable ...................................................................... 5-7
Function and use of serial ports................................................................... 5-9
COM1 as serial console device............................................................. 5-9
COM1 through COM6 as RS-232 I/O ................................................. 5-9
COM5 as GPS I/O ................................................................................ 5-9
COM6 RS-485 transmitter control.................................................... 5-10
RS-485 network........................................................................................... 5-11
Chapter 6: LPT1 parallel port ........................................................................ 6-1
LPT1 parallel port ........................................................................................ 6-1
Printer ........................................................................................................... 6-1
Installing a printer............................................................................... 6-1
Display........................................................................................................... 6-2
Installing a display .............................................................................. 6-2
Keypad........................................................................................................... 6-2
Installing a keypad .............................................................................. 6-2
Opto rack ....................................................................................................... 6-3
Chapter 7: Console devices ............................................................................. 7-1
Description .................................................................................................... 7-1
Selecting console devices .............................................................................. 7-1
Local bus SVGA ................................................................................... 7-1
Serial console........................................................................................ 7-1

v
PC-510 user’s manual Contents
Keyboard .............................................................................................. 7-3
Speaker ................................................................................................. 7-3
Mouse.................................................................................................... 7-3
Enabling/disabling the video BIOS.............................................................. 7-3
Re-establishing communications when the console is not working .. 7-5
Chapter 8: SSDs, DRAM, and battery backup ............................................ 8-1
Description .................................................................................................... 8-1
SSD0 (optional) ............................................................................................. 8-1
Selecting SSD0 device type ................................................................. 8-1
SSD0 replaced with an SRAM device .......................................................... 8-1
SSD0 replaced with a flash device............................................................... 8-2
Selecting an SSD BIOS ................................................................................ 8-2
SSD0 replaced with an EPROM/OTPROM ........................................ 8-3
SSD1 .............................................................................................................. 8-3
DRAM ............................................................................................................ 8-3
Battery backup for SSD0 SRAM and real time calendar clock.................. 8-4
Installing an AT battery ...................................................................... 8-4
Chapter 9: External drives.............................................................................. 9-1
Description .................................................................................................... 9-1
Floppy disk controller ................................................................................... 9-1
Power requirements ............................................................................. 9-1
Installing a floppy disk drive............................................................... 9-1
Hard disk controller ...................................................................................... 9-2
Installing a hard drive......................................................................... 9-2
Booting with ROM-DOS ............................................................................... 9-2
Chapter 10: IRQ routing and opto IRQs .................................................... 10-1
Interrupt routing......................................................................................... 10-1
Opto IRQs.................................................................................................... 10-3
Interrupt routing matrix defaults.............................................................. 10-3
Programming .............................................................................................. 10-3
Master disable............................................................................................. 10-4
Chapter 11: EZ I/O ........................................................................................... 11-1
Description .................................................................................................. 11-1
EZ I/O options ............................................................................................. 11-2
Pulling the I/O lines high or low ................................................................ 11-2
Organization of ports .................................................................................. 11-3
Port addressing .................................................................................. 11-4
Base I/O address ................................................................................ 11-4
Configuring and programming the EZ I/O ports ...................................... 11-4
Programming the EZ I/O ................................................................... 11-5
Configuring the EZ I/O ...................................................................... 11-5
Writing and reading from EZ I/O...................................................... 11-6
EZ I/O output program examples ..................................................... 11-6
EZ I/O input program examples........................................................ 11-6
Enhanced INT 17h function definitions .................................................... 11-7
Initialize EZ I/O 1 .............................................................................. 11-7
Write EZ I/O 1 .................................................................................... 11-8
Read EZ I/O 1..................................................................................... 11-8
Initialize EZ I/O 2 .............................................................................. 11-9
Write EZ I/O 2 .................................................................................. 11-10