Octek Panther II User manual

P A N T H E R - I I

The material in this manual is for information only and is subject to change without notice.
REVISION : 1.0
IBM, IBM PC/XT/AT, PC-DOS, MS-DOS, OS/2, UNIX, XENIX, MR BIOS, AMI BIOS,
INTEL, 386SX, 386 and 286 ARE THE TRADEMARKS OR REGISTERED
TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENT
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not
installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the
manufacturer's instructions, may cause interference with radio and
television reception.
If this equipment does cause interference to radio or TV reception, which
can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures :
*Reorient the receiving antenna.
*Relocate the computer away from the receiver.
*Move the computer away from the receiver.
*Plug the power cord of computer into a different outlet so that computer
and receiver are on different branch circuits.
*Ensure that card slot covers are in place when no card is installed.
*Ensure that card mounting screws, attachment connector screws, and
ground wires are tightly secured.
*If peripherals are used with this system, it is suggested to use shielded,
grounded cables, with in-line filters if necessary.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer service representative for
additional suggestions.
The manufacturer is not responsible for any radio or TV interferences
caused by unauthorized modifications to this equipment. It is the
responsibility of the user to correct such interferences.

Note
1. Be certain that the BIOS Setup is properly initialized before actual
operation, otherwise performance degrade and/or reliability
problem may result.
a)For optimum performance, select "0 W/S" for DRAM Read &
Write Wait State under the "Advanced Chipset Setup" of the
BIOS Setup Utility.
b)Never allow the "I/O-Bus Speed" to exceed 8.33MHz in the
"Advanced Chipset Setup" unless you are so sure that the
I/O cards installed are capable of running at such high
speed. (Refer to A-16 for details)
2. Electronic components are sensitive to dust and dirt. Do inspect
and clean the computer system regularly.
3. Turn off the power whenever you install or remove any connector,
memory module and add-on card. Before turning on the
power, make sure that all the connectors, memory modules and
add-on cards are well secured.
4. The SIMM sockets are fragile device. Do not force the SIMM
modules into the sockets. It may break the locking latches.

Preface
This manual covers the necessary information to operate the
Panther-II system board. In-depth explanations of the functions of the
motherboard are provided. The table of contents gives detailed
information about the arrangement of this manual. The system BIOS
setup is further discussed in the appendix.
The content in this manual is only for reference and is intended
to provide basic information for the general users. Basic technical
informations however, are also provided for hardware and software
engineers.
The manual compose of 4 chapters, Chapter 1 contains a brief
introduction of Panther-II motherboard. In Chapter 2, specifications and
functions of Panther-II are discussed. It also outlines many advanced
features of the CPU and the system architecture. Chapter 3 deals with
the installation of coprocessor, DRAM modules, jumpers and the
memory configurations. Technical information is provided in Chapter 4.
System BIOS and the system setup are further discussed in the
appendix A. Detailed setup procedures are explained.
Note :
Panther-II is available in three operating speeds, 16Mhz, 20Mhz and 25Mhz. Features and
functions described in the manual is identical for both versions except for their
operating frequencies.

CONTENT
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1-1
Chapter 2 GENERAL FEATURES 2-1
Specification 2-1
Processor 2-3
Math Coprocessor 2-6
Memory System 2-8
I/O Subsystem 2-11
System Functions 2-12
Chapter 3 INSTALLING COMPONENTS 3-1
Installing 80387SX Math Coprocessor 3-1
System Memory Configuration 3-3
Control of System Speed 3-8
System Board Jumper Setting 3-10
System Board Connectors 3-11

Chapter 4 TECHNICAL INFORMATION 4-1
Memory Mapping 4-1
I/O Address Map 4-2
System Timers 4-4
System Interrupts 4-6
Direct Memory Access (DMA) 4-7
Real Time Clock and CMOS RAM 4-9
CMOS RAM Address Map 4-10
Real Time Clock Information 4-11
System Expansion Bus 4-12
APPENDIX A SYSTEM BIOS A-1
Self-Test A-1
System Setup A-4
APPENDIX B OPERATION & MAINTENANCE B-1
Keeping the System Cool B-2
Cleaning the "Golden Finger" B-2
Cleaning the Motherboard B-3
APPENDIX C SYSTEM BOARD LAYOUT C-1

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Chapter 1
Introduction
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The Panther-II system board is a high performance system board
that represents a significant technological advance over the conventional
386SX designs. It offers an increased power and flexibility architecture
by supporting 80386SX processor speeds up to 25 Mhz (See NOTE on
preface). The design utilizes advanced main frame techniques such as
two or four way interleaving along with high speed page mode capability.
The Panther-II offers an inexpensive entrance to 386-specific
applications. It combines the abilities of the 80386 and the 80286
machines. Like an 80386 machine, it processes instructions internally in
32-bit chunks. Like an 80286 machine, it operates with a 16-bit data bus
and a 24-bit address bus. This constructions allows the Panther-II
system to run 386 software in essentially a 286 hardware environment.
For the memory system, It supports up to 16 MByte of DRAMs
on the system board. System and Video shadowing features are
supported on all 16K boundaries between 640K and 1M. It is also
optimized to allow mixing of DRAM types to give end user the
maximum flexibility in choosing the correct memory capacity for their
applications. This flexibility in configuration allows you to select an
ideal cost/performance combination.

INTRODUCTION
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The Panther-II is a fully PC/AT compatible system board
implemented with a highly integrated chip sets to provide high
performance, reliability and compatibility. It is based on the 386SX
CPU which can access the world's largest existing microcomputer
software base, including the growing 32-bit software.
To speed up the switching of CPU between protected and real
mode, a special feature known as 'OS/2 Optimization' is also
incorporated. This provides an unique method to handle the mode
switching which will improve the performance for advanced operating
system and expanded memory manager applications.
Regarding to the issue of compatibility, Panther-II system is
fully hardware and software compatible with associated PC-AT products.
This means that virtually all the hardware and software that is available
for the PC/AT can also be run on a system you build around the
Panther-II system. It supports MS-DOS, Xenix, Unix and all PC/AT
application programs. Users can run applications designed for the
PC/AT on Panther-II without any modification. Multi-tasking and
multi-user capabilities are fully functional on this system board.
In addition, the Panther-II provides standard ISA expansion bus
connectors so that add-on cards developed for the PC/AT will be fully
functional. On-board power good generator is also implemented to
ensure the reliability of the system and is capable of working with any
power supplies.
Panther-II is a perfect choice for CAD/CAM workstation, file
server and end user applications. It is designed for the most advanced
computer-based applications for today and in the future.