Octagon XE-900 User manual

1
XE–900 Single Board Computer
Reference manual
Manual part #6587, rev. G12
CONTACT INFORMATION
Front Desk: 303–430–1500
Technical Support: 303–426–4521
[e-mail]
www.octagonsystems.com

2
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, 2006, 2007—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: [e-mail]
Applications Notes (via web): www.octagonsystems.com

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Revision History
Revision
Reason for Change
Date
A05
Initial Production Release
02 / 05
B05
Updated connection table, clarified PC/104-Plus table
06 / 05
C05
Added Integrated Conductive Cooling System, updated
SDRAM support to 512 MB, clarified IDE
11 / 05
D06
Corrected transposed COM5 and COM6 in Table A-3,
updated to remove reference to CD
07 / 06
E07
Added caution on -12V for PC/104-Plus
11 / 07
F11
Removed unsupported features
01/11
G12
Updated specifications for temperature de-rating of new
product
05/12

4
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.

5
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–900 SBC that has sufficient current capacity, line and load regulation,
hold up time, current limiting, and minimum ripple. The power supply for the
XE–900 must meet the startup risetime requirements specified in the ATX
Power Design Guide, version 1.1, section 3.3.5. 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.

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Table of Contents
Copyright ........................................................................................................................................................... 2
Disclaimer.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Technical Support ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Revision History ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Using CMOS circuitry in industrial control ........................................................................................................ 4
Avoiding damage to the heatsink or CPU............................................................................................................ 5
Excessive Thermal Stress ................................................................................................................................. 5
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 6
List of Figures...................................................................................................................................................... 10
List of Tables........................................................................................................................................................ 11
Overview: Section 1 –Installation ................................................................................................................. 12
Chapter 1: Overview.......................................................................................................................................... 13
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
XE–900 SBC major hardware features.............................................................................................................. 13
CPU.................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Cooling ............................................................................................................................................................. 13
SDRAM ............................................................................................................................................................ 13
On-board flash ................................................................................................................................................. 13
CompactFlash socket ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Hard disk and IDE port .................................................................................................................................. 14
USB ports ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
LPT and floppy ................................................................................................................................................ 14
Digital I/O ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
Ethernet........................................................................................................................................................... 14
Serial ports protected against ESD ................................................................................................................ 14
PC/104 and PC/104-Plus interface ................................................................................................................. 14
Video ................................................................................................................................................................ 15
Keyboard, mouse, and speaker ports.............................................................................................................. 15
Real time calendar/clock with battery backup............................................................................................... 15
Setup information stored in Flash for high reliability .................................................................................. 15
User-available EEPROM ................................................................................................................................ 15
Watchdog timer added for safety.................................................................................................................... 15
Hardware reset................................................................................................................................................ 16
5 Volt only operation lowers system cost ....................................................................................................... 16
Rugged environmental operation ................................................................................................................... 16
Size................................................................................................................................................................... 16
XE–900 SBC major software features................................................................................................................ 17
Diagnostic software verifies system integrity automatically ........................................................................ 17
General Software BIOS................................................................................................................................... 17
Octagon BIOS extensions................................................................................................................................ 17
Boot sequence .................................................................................................................................................. 17
Chapter 2: Quick start ...................................................................................................................................... 18
Component diagrams, connectors, switches and cables.................................................................................... 18
XE–900 SBC connectors and jumpers ............................................................................................................ 22
Custom cables.................................................................................................................................................. 23
Mounting the XE–900......................................................................................................................................... 24
Equipment required ........................................................................................................................................ 24
Hardware mounting ........................................................................................................................................ 25
XE–900 SBC power supply requirements ...................................................................................................... 26
Connecting a monitor and keyboard .................................................................................................................. 27
Monitor ............................................................................................................................................................ 27
Keyboard and mouse ....................................................................................................................................... 27
Installing an operating system........................................................................................................................... 28
OS on CD-ROM onto a hard drive or CompactFlash ........................................................................................ 28
Chapter 3: Setup programs.............................................................................................................................. 31
Setup.................................................................................................................................................................... 31

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System BIOS Utility menu ............................................................................................................................. 32
Information Browser menu............................................................................................................................. 32
Basic CMOS Configuration menu .................................................................................................................. 33
Features Configuration menu......................................................................................................................... 35
Custom Configuration menu........................................................................................................................... 36
Plug-n-Play Configuration menu.................................................................................................................... 37
Shadow/Cache Configuration menu ............................................................................................................... 37
Writing to CMOS and exiting ......................................................................................................................... 39
Overview: Section 2 –Hardware .................................................................................................................... 40
Chapter 4: Serial ports...................................................................................................................................... 41
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 41
Mating receptacles .......................................................................................................................................... 41
Serial port configurations................................................................................................................................... 41
Function and use of serial ports ......................................................................................................................... 45
COM1 as serial console device ........................................................................................................................ 45
COM2 through COM5 as RS–232 I/O ............................................................................................................ 45
COM5/6 as TTL interface................................................................................................................................ 45
COM5/6 as RS–422 and RS–485 networks .................................................................................................... 46
RS–422............................................................................................................................................................. 46
RS–485............................................................................................................................................................. 46
Chapter 5: Console devices .............................................................................................................................. 48
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 48
Selecting console devices .................................................................................................................................... 48
Monitor and keyboard console ........................................................................................................................ 48
Serial console................................................................................................................................................... 49
Hot key access to serial console ...................................................................................................................... 50
Chapter 6: CompactFlash, SDRAM, and battery backup ........................................................................... 52
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 52
CompactFlash ..................................................................................................................................................... 52
Setup configurations for CompactFlash ......................................................................................................... 52
Creating a bootable CompactFlash ................................................................................................................ 52
SDRAM................................................................................................................................................................ 53
Battery backup for real time calendar clock...................................................................................................... 54
Installing an AT battery ................................................................................................................................. 54
Chapter 7: External drives............................................................................................................................... 55
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 55
Setup configurations for hard drives ................................................................................................................. 55
Hard disk controller............................................................................................................................................ 55
Master/slave designation for IDE devices ...................................................................................................... 55
Installing a hard drive........................................................................................................................................ 57
Chapter 8: Bit-programmable digital I/O...................................................................................................... 58
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 58
Interfacing to switches and other devices.......................................................................................................... 61
Opto-module rack interface ............................................................................................................................ 61
Organization of banks......................................................................................................................................... 63
Port addressing................................................................................................................................................ 63
I/O lines pulled low.......................................................................................................................................... 63
Configuring and programming the I/O port ...................................................................................................... 64
Programming the I/O ...................................................................................................................................... 64
Configuring the I/O ......................................................................................................................................... 64
Writing and reading from I/O ......................................................................................................................... 65
I/O output program examples......................................................................................................................... 65
I/O input program examples ........................................................................................................................... 66
Enhanced INT 17h function definitions............................................................................................................. 66
Initialize I/O .................................................................................................................................................... 66
Write I/O .......................................................................................................................................................... 67
Read I/O ........................................................................................................................................................... 68
Chapter 9: CRTs and LVDS flat panels ......................................................................................................... 69
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 69

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Video features ..................................................................................................................................................... 69
Connecting a monitor.......................................................................................................................................... 69
Connecting an LVDS flat panel display............................................................................................................. 71
Connecting the LVDS flat panel to the XE–900 SBC.................................................................................... 71
Chapter 10: Ethernet......................................................................................................................................... 73
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 73
Chapter 11: PC/104 and PC/104-Plus expansion.......................................................................................... 74
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 74
–12V PC/104-Plus devices ............................................................................................................................... 74
Chapter 12: USB ................................................................................................................................................. 76
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 76
Overview: Section 3 –System management................................................................................................. 77
Chapter 13: Watchdog timer and hardware reset ...................................................................................... 78
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 78
Booting, power down, and strobing the watchdog timer ............................................................................... 78
Watchdog function definitions using enhanced INT 17h handler .................................................................... 79
Enable watchdog ............................................................................................................................................. 79
Strobe watchdog .............................................................................................................................................. 80
Disable watchdog............................................................................................................................................. 80
Hardware reset ................................................................................................................................................... 81
Chapter 14: Serial EEPROM............................................................................................................................ 82
Description .......................................................................................................................................................... 82
Enhanced INT 17h function definitions............................................................................................................. 82
Serial EEPROM .................................................................................................................................................. 82
Read a single word from the serial EEPROM................................................................................................ 82
Write a single word to the serial EEPROM ................................................................................................... 83
Read multiple words from the serial EEPROM............................................................................................. 83
Write multiple words to the serial EEPROM ................................................................................................ 84
Return serial EEPROM size ........................................................................................................................... 85
Chapter 15: System switches, user switches, BIOS update, system functions, CPU fan, Integrated
Conductive Cooling System (ICCS), temperature sensors, power management and LEDs .............. 86
System switches.................................................................................................................................................. 86
System switch.................................................................................................................................................. 86
Video switch..................................................................................................................................................... 86
User switches................................................................................................................................................... 87
INT17 calls to read user switches ...................................................................................................................... 87
BIOS programming using REFLASH.EXE ....................................................................................................... 87
INT17 calls to read BIOS version................................................................................................................... 88
System functions................................................................................................................................................. 88
Return CPU Type ............................................................................................................................................ 89
CPU fan ............................................................................................................................................................... 89
Integrated Conductive Cooling System (ICCS) ................................................................................................. 90
Temperature sensors .......................................................................................................................................... 92
Power management ............................................................................................................................................ 92
ACPI 2.0........................................................................................................................................................... 92
PCI power management.................................................................................................................................. 92
LEDs.................................................................................................................................................................... 92
Chapter 16: Troubleshooting........................................................................................................................... 93
No system LED activity...................................................................................................................................... 93
No CRT or flat panel video ................................................................................................................................. 93
Video is present but is distorted......................................................................................................................... 93
No serial console activity.................................................................................................................................... 94
Garbled serial console screen activity................................................................................................................ 94
System generates a BIOS message but locks up when booting........................................................................ 95
System will not boot from CompactFlash .......................................................................................................... 95
System locks up on power-up; may or may not respond to reset switch .......................................................... 95
System locks up after power-down/power-up .................................................................................................... 95
LED signaling of “beep” counts .......................................................................................................................... 95
Technical assistance ......................................................................................................................................... 100

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Overview: Section 4 –Appendices................................................................................................................ 101
Appendix A: XE–900 SBC technical data .................................................................................................... 102
Technical specifications .................................................................................................................................... 102
CPU................................................................................................................................................................ 102
Front Side Bus............................................................................................................................................... 102
PCI bus clock ................................................................................................................................................. 102
ISA bus clock ................................................................................................................................................. 102
BIOS............................................................................................................................................................... 102
SDRAM .......................................................................................................................................................... 102
On-board flash ............................................................................................................................................... 102
Hard drive...................................................................................................................................................... 102
CompactFlash socket .................................................................................................................................... 102
USB................................................................................................................................................................ 102
Serial I/O........................................................................................................................................................ 102
Digital I/O ...................................................................................................................................................... 102
Keyboard and mouse ports............................................................................................................................ 102
Ethernet......................................................................................................................................................... 102
Video .............................................................................................................................................................. 103
Watchdog timer ............................................................................................................................................. 103
Real time clock............................................................................................................................................... 103
Expansion ...................................................................................................................................................... 103
Operating systems......................................................................................................................................... 103
PCI bus mastering......................................................................................................................................... 103
Power requirements ...................................................................................................................................... 103
Environmental specifications ....................................................................................................................... 103
Size................................................................................................................................................................. 103
Weight............................................................................................................................................................ 103
Excessive Thermal Stress ............................................................................................................................. 103
Mating connectors............................................................................................................................................. 104
Maps .................................................................................................................................................................. 104
Switch settings.................................................................................................................................................. 107
Connector pin–outs ........................................................................................................................................... 109
Appendix B: Software utilities...................................................................................................................... 118
Introduction....................................................................................................................................................... 118
Support commands........................................................................................................................................ 118
XE900I17.EXE .................................................................................................................................................. 119
REFLASH.EXE................................................................................................................................................. 119
RESET.COM ..................................................................................................................................................... 119
Appendix C: Accessories.................................................................................................................................. 120
Warranty ............................................................................................................................................................. 121
Limitations on warranty................................................................................................................................... 121
Service policy..................................................................................................................................................... 121
Returning a product for repair ......................................................................................................................... 121
Returns.............................................................................................................................................................. 122
Governing law ................................................................................................................................................... 122

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List of Figures
Figure 2–1 XE–900 SBC component diagram (top) ..........................................................................19
Figure 2–2 XE–900 SBC component diagram (bottom) ....................................................................20
Figure 2–3 XE–900 SBC dimensions (without Integrated Conductive Cooling System) ................21
Figure 2–4Power connector, J8 .........................................................................................................25
Figure 2–5Connecting a monitor and keyboard ...............................................................................27
Figure 2–6 Installing an operating system........................................................................................30
Figure 4–1 COM ports ........................................................................................................................42
Figure 4–2 VTC-20F cable and null modem adapter ........................................................................42
Figure 4–3Typical RS–422 four-wire interface circuit .....................................................................46
Figure 4–4Typical RS–485 two–wire half duplex interface circuit .................................................47
Figure 5–1 Monitor and keyboard as console ....................................................................................49
Figure 5–2 The XE–900 SBC and a serial console ............................................................................51
Figure 7–1 XE–900 SBC with IDE device .........................................................................................56
Figure 8–1Typical digital I/O configuration .....................................................................................60
Figure 8–2Organization of banks......................................................................................................63
Figure 9–1The XE–900 SBC and a VGA monitor ............................................................................70
Figure 9–2 The XE–900 SBC and a flat panel display......................................................................72
Figure 11–1 Typical PC/104 module stack ..........................................................................................75
Figure 15–1Integrated Conductive Cooling System ..........................................................................90
Figure 15–2Dimensions for the Integrated Conductive Cooling System ..........................................91

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List of Tables
Table 2–1XE–900 SBC connector functions....................................................................................22
Table 2–2XE–900 SBC switch functions.........................................................................................22
Table 2–3Power connector: J8 .........................................................................................................26
Table 4–1 Serial port configurations................................................................................................43
Table 4–2 COM1 and COM2 connector pin-outs (J13 connector) ...................................................43
Table 4–3 COM3 and COM4 connector pin-outs (J15 connector) ...................................................44
Table 4–4 COM5 RS–232 connector pin-out (J16 connector)..........................................................44
Table 4–5 COM5 and COM6 RS–422/485 connector pin-outs and pin-out for 0.100-inch RS–422/485
cable 44
Table 4–6 COM5 and COM6 TTL connector pin-out (J12 connector).............................................45
Table 4–7 COM5/6 switches, Switch 4 .............................................................................................45
Table 6–1 Battery connector.............................................................................................................54
Table 8–1J6 arranged by function –digital I/O connector.............................................................58
Table 8–2J6 arranged by pins –digital I/O connector....................................................................59
Table 8–3Digital I/O opto-rack interface ........................................................................................62
Table 8–4I/O port byte .....................................................................................................................64
Table 9–1J1 –CRT connector..........................................................................................................70
Table 9–2LVDS flat panel switch, Switch 3 ...................................................................................71
Table 9–3LVDS flat panel connector: J2.........................................................................................72
Table 10–1 Ethernet LEDs .................................................................................................................73
Table 15 1 System configuration switches, Switch 2........................................................................86
Table 15–2 J9 –CPU fan connector ...................................................................................................90
Table 16–1 POST port 80 codes..........................................................................................................96
Table 16–2 BIOS beep counts.............................................................................................................99
Table A–1XE–900 SBC mating connectors ...................................................................................104
Table A–2XE–900 SBC DMA map.................................................................................................104
Table A–3XE–900 SBC I/O map ....................................................................................................105
Table A–4XE–900 SBC interrupt map ..........................................................................................106
Table A–5XE–900 SBC memory map ............................................................................................107
Table A 6 System configuration switches, Switch 2......................................................................107
Table A–7LVDS flat panel switch, Switch 3 .................................................................................108
Table A–8COM5/6 switches, Switch 4 ...........................................................................................108
Table A–9J1 –CRT connector........................................................................................................109
Table A–10 J2 –LVDS flat panel connector.....................................................................................109
Table A–11 J3 –PC/104-Plus connector ..........................................................................................110
Table A–12 J4 –EIDE.......................................................................................................................111
Table A–13 PC/104 connector ...........................................................................................................112
Table A–14 J6 –Digital I/O connector..............................................................................................113
Table A–15 J7 –Ethernet connector.................................................................................................113
Table A–16 J8 –Power connector .....................................................................................................113
Table A–17 J9 –CPU fan connector .................................................................................................114
Table A–18 J10 and J11 –COM5 and COM6 RS–422/485 connector.............................................114
Table A–19 J12 –COM5 and COM6 TTL connector........................................................................114
Table A–20 J13 –COM1 and COM2 connector................................................................................115
Table A–21 J14 –PS/2 keyboard mouse...........................................................................................115
Table A–22 J15 –COM3 and COM4 connector................................................................................115
Table A–23 J16 –COM5 RS–232 connector .....................................................................................116
Table A–24 J17 –Battery connector.................................................................................................116
Table A–25 J18 –Speaker connector................................................................................................116
Table A–26 J19 –USB connector......................................................................................................116
Table A–27 J500 –CompactFlash ....................................................................................................117
Table C–1 Cables and accessories...................................................................................................120
Table C–2 Digital I/O accessories ...................................................................................................120

12
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

13
Chapter 1: Overview
Description
The XE–900 is a Single Board Computer (SBC) in the EPIC™ form factor. It is
intended for higher-performance, low-power embedded control applications. The
XE–900 SBC integrates serial communications, Ethernet, IDE hard disk port,
CompactFlash socket, digital I/O, two USB ports, PS/2 keyboard and mouse port,
speaker port, and video. The XE–900 SBC can be used in a stand-alone mode or
expanded through a PC/104 or PC/104-Plus interface.
The XE–900 SBC comes with a BIOS loaded on a flash device for easy updates. It is
fully compatible with most popular operating systems.
XE–900 SBC major hardware features
CPU
The XE–900 SBC can be ordered in several configurations. The CPUs available are
high-performance, low-power VIA EDEN processors (Model 9) with a clock speed of
either 733 MHz or 1 GHz, or a 400 MHz Model 7 version.
The XE–900 uses the VIA VT8606 north bridge and the VIA VT82C686B south
bridge for some of the peripherals. The XE–900 SBC has a Front Side Bus speed of
133 MHz, an ISA bus speed of 8.33 MHz and a PCI bus speed of 33 MHz.
Cooling
The XE–900 733 MHz and 1 GHz versions come standard with either a forced air
fan or an Integrated Conductive Cooling System.
SDRAM
The XE–900 supports PC-100 or PC-133 SO–DIMM modules up to 256 MB. Some
low-power 512 MB SO–DIMM modules are also supported. Contact Octagon
Systems for compatibility before using 512 MB modules. Use of incorrect 512 MB
SO–DIMM modules may cause improper operation or damage to the XE–900.
On-board flash
On board is a socketed 512 KB 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.

14
Hard disk and IDE port
The XE–900 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.
USB ports
The XE–900 provides two USB 1.1 channels, accessed through a 10-pin header.
USB 1.1 provides speeds up to 12 Mbps. The Octagon two-port USB cable (part
#6288) provides a direct connection from the 10-pin connector to two USB devices.
USB is available when using an operating system that supports USB. DOS legacy
USB is supported.
Both channels are Universal HCI compliant.
Note that USB devices are hot-swappable when a device is plugged into a standard
USB connector; the pins on the connectors determine the order in which they make
contact. Devices are not hot-swappable when connected to a non-standard header.
You can hot swap a device through the USB connector on the two-port USB cable,
or through another USB connector wired to the 10-pin header, but you cannot hot
swap at the 10-pin header itself.
LPT and floppy
The XE–900 does not provide connectors for LPT parallel port or floppy disk drive.
These functions, if required, can be obtained through USB devices, or PC/104 or
PC/104-Plus devices.
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. The lines can be individually programmed as inputs
or outputs.
Ethernet
The XE–900 provides one 10/100BaseT Ethernet port and supports the IEEE 802.3
Ethernet standard.
Serial ports protected against ESD
The XE–900 SBC has six serial ports. These ports provide one 8-wire and four 4-
wire RS–232C ports, and two ports of RS–422, RS–485 or TTL. COM5 can be
configured as RS–232C, RS–422, RS–485 or TTL, while COM6 can be configured as
RS–422, RS–485 or TTL.
PC/104 and PC/104-Plus interface
The PC/104 interface accepts an 8- or 16-bit PC/104 expansion board. The PC/104-

15
Plus accepts industry-standard PC/104-Plus boards. PC/104 expansion boards are
available from several manufacturers. PC/104 or PC/104-Plus expansion boards
may be stacked on the XE–900 SBC to form a fully-integrated system.
If your PC/104-Plus board requires –12V, review the information on page 74 before
installing your card.
Video
The XE–900 SBC supports CRT monitors up to 1920 x 1440 x 24 bpp (bits per
pixel) resolution, and LVDS-compatible flat panel displays with up to 1600 x 1200 x
18 bpp resolution.
Keyboard, mouse, and speaker ports
The keyboard controller accepts an AT style keyboard and has a PS/2 connector.
The mouse port is combined with the keyboard port and is accessed with a “Y”
cable. Note that with some “Y” cables you may have to plug the mouse into the
keyboard icon, and the keyboard into the mouse icon; if the mouse and keyboard do
not function at power up, try switching them. A keyboard connects directly to the
XE–900 while a mouse requires the “Y” cable. Most operating systems do not
require a keyboard or a mouse; however, some operating systems do require both to
be connected for proper booting.
A separate connector provides for a PC-compatible speaker.
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–900 SBC stores the Setup information in Flash.
User-available EEPROM
An EEPROM has 1024 bytes available to the user. Software routines to use this
available memory come with the XE–900 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.

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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–900 SBC operation
+3.3V and +12V supplied to PC/104-Plus connector from the power connector;
not required for XE–900 SBC operation
Rugged environmental operation
Operating temperature –40° to +60°C @ 400 MHz
–40° to +60°C @ 733 MHz, with forced air flow
–40° to +60°C @ 1 GHz, with forced air flow
These operating specifications also apply to units with the Integrated
Conductive Cooling System.
Nonoperating temperature –55° to 85°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 (board)
171.45 mm x 184.15 mm x 38.96 mm (with Integrated Conductive Cooling System)

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XE–900 SBC major software features
Diagnostic software verifies system integrity automatically
The XE–900 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.
General Software BIOS
The XE–900 SBC has a General Software BIOS with Octagon BIOS extensions.
The BIOS extensions support the INT17 functions.
Octagon BIOS extensions
BIOS extensions provided by a DOS TSR allow easy access to watchdog timer
functions, serial EEPROM, digital I/O, etc.
Boot sequence
An XE–900 SBC can be configured to boot from CompactFlash, a hard disk, or a
CD–ROM. Refer to the appropriate chapters on these devices for specific
configuration requirements.

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Chapter 2: Quick start
This chapter covers the basics of setting up an XE–900 SBC system. The following
topics are discussed:
Component diagrams, connectors, switches and cables
Mounting the XE–900 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–900 SBC. Figure 2–3 shows the dimensions of the XE–900 SBC in inches and
millimeters (without the Integrated Conductive Cooling System). For dimensions
and mounting diagrams with the Integrated Conductive Cooling System see page
91. The sections immediately following those figures describe the connectors and
switches, and some cables that you might require.
WARNING!
The XE–900 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 or PC/104-
Plus expansion board.

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Figure 2–1 XE–900 SBC component diagram (top)

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Figure 2–2 XE–900 SBC component diagram (bottom)