Octagon XE-900 User manual

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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

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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

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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.

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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