Sota 386si Assembly instructions

SOTA Technology, In c.
559 Weddell Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone] •
~
I
1
I
SOTA 38 6si
Installation Guide
And User' s Ma nual
SOTA Technolo gy Inc.

• •
•
• •
•
SOTA386si
HighPe rf ormance
Accelerator
Revision dale : 1/31 /90
SOTA Technology Incorporated
559 W eddell Drive
Sunnyvale, CA94089
IStateOf The ArtTechnology I
Tel : [phone]
FAX: [phone]
FAX :408·745-0537 (International)
BBS: 408-745-0326
TLX: 798674 SOTA USA

SOTA386si
FOREWARD
Limitation of Liability
SOTATechnology Inc. warrantees the SOTA386si against
defects of materials and workmanship, and will repair or
replace defectiveparts within the five yea rwarranty period.
Under no circumstances shall SOTA Technology Inc. be
liable in any way to the user for damages, including any
lost profits, lost savingsorother incidentalorconsequential
damages arising out of the use of, or inability to use the
SOTA 386si. Information in this document is subject to
change without notice.
Copyright 1987, 1988, 1989 SOTA Technology Inc. No
portion of this manual may be reprinted in whole or in part
without written permission from SOTA Technology, Incor-
porated.
FCC Compliance Statement
This equipment has been certified to corrply with the limits
for a Class B corrputing device, pursuant to Subpart J of
Part 15 of FCC Rules. Only peripheralscertified to
COrT1'ly
with the Class B limits may be operating with this equip-
ment. Using non-certified equipment will likely resuh
in
interference to radio and TV reception. If tnis equipment
does cause interference to radio orTV reception, the user
is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one
or
more of the following measures:
Re-orient the receiving antenna
Relocate the computerwith respect tothe receiver
Move the computer into a different outlet so that
the computerand receiver are
on different branch
circuits
FOREWARD
•
•
•
SOTA386si
If necessary, the user should consuh the dealer or an
experienced
radionv technician for additional sugges-
tions. The usermay find the following booklet prepared by
the Federal CommunicationsCommission helpful:"How
to
Identify and Resolve Radio- TV Interference ProblemS'.
This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Print-
ing Office, Washington
DC 20402. Stock No. 004-000-
00345-4.
SOTA Technology Software License Agreement
SOTA Technology, Inc. (SOTA) grants you, the "licenseeM,
permission to use the SOTA386si software (SOFTWARE)
subject
to the following terms and conditions:
Ownership and COpyright of the Software
Ahhough the diskette containing the software is yours, the
software is merely licensed to you and remains the copy-
righted propertyof
SOTA This License grants you permis-
sion to use the software only as long as you adhere to the
conditions of this License.
Using, COpying, and Altering the Software
You may only use the SOFTWARE on a computerthat has
the SOTA 386si installed. Any copies of the SOFTWARE
are subject to the same conditions as theoriginal provided
to you by SOTA. The software
may only be used as
provided and may not
be altered in any way.
Disclaimer of Software warranty
The SOFTWARE is provided "as IsM without warranty of
any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not
limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the
quality and performance of the SOFTWARE is with you.
Some states do not allow the exclusion of implied warran-
ties,so the aboveexclusion may not apply to you.
You may
FOREWARD ii

SOTA386s1
have other legal rights which may vary from state to state.
In no ev ent shall SOTA be held responsible for incidental,
speci
al or consequenti al damages. SOTA is also not re-
sponsible for lost data or profits to you or to any other
pe r so n or entity at may be incurred through the use of this
software, even
if we have been advised of the possibility
of such damage.
Notes
ill
IMPORTANT
README.DOC FILE
At pr esslime th ismanual supplied all the featuresavailable
for the SOTA 3865i. As lhe product developes and new
f ea tures are added it will be necessary 'or you to read the
README.
DOC files located on the distribution diskeUes
supplied with the 386si.These readme liles will supply
you
with current updates on all the latest features of the 386s i.
IBM®, IBM pc®, IBM PC /XT®, IBM PC / AT ®, IBM PSI2®
a
nd I BM PC DO S® are registered trademarks 01
International Bu siness Machines Corporation.
TURBO SIDEKICK® is a registered trademark
of
BORLAND International.
Zenit
t"@ is a trademark of Zenith Business Machines, Inc.
Co mpa ~ Portable and DeskPro are trademarksof Com-
p aq Corporation.
Professional ORACLE®
is a trademark of Oracle Cor-
poration.
All other product na
me s are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their
re specti ve manufacturers or
publisher s.
FOREWARD
•
•
•
•Table
of Contents
FOREWARD
limi tat io n of liability
FCC Compliance Stateme nt
SOTA Tec hnology So ftware License Agr ee me nt
ONnership and Cop yright 01 th e So ftw are
Using. Co
py i ng .and Altering the So ftw are
Di sclaimer of So ftware Warran ty
Not es :
INTRODUCTION
• PR ODUCT O VER VIEW
PR OD UCT DESCRIPTION
•
WHAT YO UG ET ( PA CK AGE CONTENTS)
SYSTEM
RE OUIREME NT S
Hardw ar e
Po w er Consumption .
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
COV ER REMOVAL
IB M PC\XT an d Close Co mpatibles
A
UT 6300 and Olivetti PC
AMST
RAD PC
COMPAO PO R TAB LE
PS/2 Model
25 and Modo! 30
Table of Contents
SOTA386si
. . . . . i
.i
.i
.1
. 2
. 3
· 3
.
... . . . . .... 3
.4
. 5
· 5
.. 6
· 7
... 7
· 7

::;U I A ~ H ~ S I
RELOCATE 808818086 FROM MOTHERBOARD
TO SOTA386si
AT& T6300 and Olivetti chip location
Zenilh PC chip location
Chip ExtractiOfl . . .. . .... .. .... •• . • •• .
REMOve 8087
INS TALL TH E RIBBON C ABLE
AT&.T6300 and Olivcui PC'
.. 7
· . .. 8
.
.. 8
. .
.... 8
10
.0
· ... 11
ZENml PC .. .. , .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ,
.. ... . 12
1' S/2 MoJd 2S .nd Mock! 30 .
INSTALL 80387SX ON THE SOTA 3865;
, . 12
.13
.13
AM S1 'RAD PC
In se rt The SOTA386si
.. .. . , .. . . ....... , . .. .. . •. . . . . J3
. 15
Attach Ribbon Cable to SOTA 386si
AM S TRAD PC
.16 .-
.. ..
AT&T 6300 and OIivelti PC
REPLA CECOVER
GENERAL OPERATION
BOOTING UP .
· . . 16
..... 16
17
. 17
HARDWARE THE ORY OF OPERATION
. ... . . . . . • • • .• .... 18
MICROPR OCESSO RS : 8088/8086I-VS- 80386SX .. ... . .
.. . . . 18
.. ... 19
MF .. \o10RY CAC HIN G
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION 21
SOTA 386si Driver .
21
SOT A386si Driller Options
...... . . ... 22
,c AC ll IiOFF . ...... , ........ . .22
Table 01 Contents
•
•
•
•
SOTA386s i
ICAC lIEIiD . ... .. . •• ... .. . • • • .• .. •.•.• • . · .23
/KEY=nn ... .. . • • •• .. .. • ... . . .
/N OVlDEO . . . ..... .
/NOBIOS
/PRINT
/N0TfST . .
/NOOMA
.
.. .... .23
.
23
.... 23
· .
24
. 24
· .24
/NUEMS
.. .
...... . ...... .24
rroP=n1Wl •
THE CONFIGURATION PROGRAM · 3865LCOM
CONF I GURATION PROGRAM OPTIONS
,.cACHEOFF
,.cACIIEON
...
,.cAClIEIID .
mOVID EO
NIDEO ...
mO HO
... . ... . .24
25
.... .25
· .. 25
· .25
·
.. 25
. 26
..... 26
· .. 26
mOB IOS ... . . . • ... . . ... • •. . ..... • • • • .• • . • .
/BIOS ... .. . .•• •• .. • •• . • • .. • • •• . . ••• • .
· . 26
. 26
. 27
/REVEC ....... .
.. . ••••• .. . .. . .. .21
RAM DISK D RI VER · SOTADISK.SYS 27
RAM DISK DRIVER OPTIONS :
... ... ... .• ... •• . . .. .. 28
/EMS~ . . .
J[X)S=nnn • . .. . .. . .. • . • .. . . ..... .
DISKCACHE PROGRAM SOTACACH.COM
DISK CACHE OPTIONS :
/HARD= n n n n ON
/HARI>= n n n n OFF .
!FLUSH ::: nnnn . . . .. .
.. ... 28
.... . . 29
29
..... . ..... .. 30
.30
· .30
!FLOPPY ,. nnnnON . . . . • . . •• . • • •. . •• • .
· . .30
· .3 1
Table 01 Contents

SOTA386s1
/FLO PPY " n n n n OFF
JEMS =mnn
fllMEOUT: mn
PRINT SPOOLER· SOTASPL.COM
PRINT SPOOLER OPTIONS:
SOFTWARE THEORY OF OPERATION
. 1I
· .... 31
. . . . . . . ) 1
· .... 31
.32
· ... 34
. 34
RAM DISK
DISK CACHE
........... . .......... 35
... 3S
PRINT SPOOLER
....... 36
CONCLUSION . . . . .... . ........... 37
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A· TROUBLE SHOOTING
APPENDIX B • JUMPER
SETIINGS
38
.38
.41
STAND AR D CONFIGURATIONS (CPU) .................. 42
STANDARD
CO NFIGURATIONS (80387SX) .... • •• • ••• • .... 43
STANDARD CONFIGURATIONS (cache
size)
APPENDIX C • TECHNICAL SUPPORT
APPENDIX D .
SO TA BULLETIN BOARD
Downloading Procedure
APPENDIX E . SOTA PRODUCTS
· ... 45
.46
.47
.. 47
.49
SOTA FLOPPY IiO PLUS ...................... .... 49
SOTAVGAl16 . •
... . .... 49
SOTA Memory/16i .50
SOTA 340; .......... ... .. ... ......... . ...... 50
SOTAPOP .
APPENDIX F • FOREIGN INSTALLATION
APPENDIX G . BIOS COMPATIBILI
TY ..
Table 01 Contents
. ...... 51
.52
. 53
•
1> . •
• •
SOTA 386s1
INTRODUCTION
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Congratulations for purchasing the SO TA 386si! Through
a sho rt installat ion process, you can nowconvert your8088
or 8086 based computer to an 386 class computer. In
addition to instantty improving yoursystem's pertormance,
you have the flexibility to expand in the future,
Yo ur new SOTA386si represents the state of the art in PC
enhancements. Not just another accelerator card, the
SOTA 386si is the foundation for a complete integrated
solution. Available soon (see APPENDIX E) for the SOTA
386si, is the Memory/16i oplion which allows you to run
programs that use extended memory such as IBM OS/2,
VDISK.SYS, Professional ORACLE DBMS, Micro Focus
Cobol COlTl'iler and others.
The SOTA 386si does not replace your hard disk with the
laster AT style disks.
It does, however, include software
wh ich brings yourdisk pertormance to speeds rivaling that
of an
AT. Other included software lets you set up RAM
disks, a print spooler and other utilities.
We hope you find the SOTA 386si the best enhancement
you have
ever pur chased. In u si ng the SOTA 386si, you
can feel oomfortable that you have saved your previous
hardware and software investments and your system will
remain col1l>atible withfuture stale of the art hardware and
software.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The SOTA386si is an add-oncard that plugs into your IBM
PC or oompatible and boosts its pertormance we
ll beyond
thatof an IBM PC/
AT .The primary design goalof the SOTA
386si is to
pr ovide you wilh the fastest accelerator board
available
at a reasonable cost.
INTRODUCTION 1

SOTA 386si
Installation is fairly easy and involves rerooving your
808818086 from your PC motherboard and plugging
it
into
the socket provided
on
the
SOlA
386si. A
cable
is
then
inserted into the empty
8088/
8086
socket on the
motherboard and connected to its proper location on the
SOTA386si.
When running in the 386 mode all
va
is
done
by
using the
existing
1/0
chips
on
the motherboard. This is accom-
plished
by
a proprietary VL
SI
bus
conve
rt
er
that oonverts
the 16 bit data bus
01
the
B0386SX chip into the 8
or
16
bit
data bus
on
the motherboard. The bus
co
nverter
also synchronizes lhe fast 386 with the slow 808818086
1/
0.
WHAT YOU GET(PACKAGE CONTENTS)
2
SOTA386si
Ribbon cable
Installation Guide and User's Manual
Warranty registration form
Chip extraction tool
B0387SX Math Coprocessor (optional)
SOTA utility diskeUe with:
SOTA 386si driver
RAM disk
Disk cache
Print spooler
INTRODUCTION
• •
••
• •
SOTA386si
SYSTEM REQUiREMENTS
Ha
rdware
IBM PS/2 Model 25, Model 30, PC,
XT,
Co~q
Portable
or
DeskPro, AT&T 6300
pc,
Olivetti
pc
, Amslrad PC,
Leading Edge
pc,
Zenith
PC
or most
808818086
based
co~lib
l
es
,
with
64
Kb
memory (minilTlJm)
and
a5 1/4 or
31/2
inch floppy disk drive.
Power COnsumption
Be
su
re thai your system provides an adequate power
supply for the cards you have installed. The SOTA 386si
requires the following current from the +5V supply:
1.00
Amps
with
no
60387SX
1.25 Amps with 80387SX
The 386si is a very power efficient add-on and requires
approximately 5 Watts.
INTRODUCTION 3

SOTA
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
4
IMPORTANT: Prior to beginning installation, you should
configure the SOTA 386si
for the machine in wh ich it is to
be installed. In many cases,
if the machine wa s specified
althe lime of ordering, the SO TA386si will be configured
at the factory for thaI
COlT'pUler . Default setting is for a
standard IBM PC,
XT, and most 6088 co~libres . If you
are installing in adiffer en t machine, then you may h ave to
alterthe jumper selection althe board. Refer to Appendix
Band Cforthe co rrect jUrf1Jer placement. It is agood idea
10 check your configuration with the appendix regardle ss
01 the machine.
It is agood idea to check the readm e.doc lileonyourSOTA
utility diskette lor any current updates, this m ay be done
u si ng the TYPE command (Ie. TYPE README.DOC). II
you have never installed option cards in your computer,
refer to your corrpute
r' s GUIDE TO OPERATIONSas you
use this manual.Belore you start you will need a medium-
sized Iial headed screw driver and the chip
exlradion tool
which is included in the SOTA 386si carton. Carefully
performthe following steps in the orderthey are
pr esented.
The AT&T 6300,
Olivetti PC, IBM PS/2 Model 25 and
Model 30, Compaq Deskpro and Amstrad PC all use
8066 microprocessors.
II you are installing the 386si into
one
of thesecomputer s. you should refer to Appendix B for
the correct configuration 01the
SOT A 386si. If you are not
certain which microprocessor your system uses, consult
with your local dealer.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
•
••
•
SOTA386si
COVER REMOVAL
IBM Pc\xT and Close Compat ibles
The lollowing instructions assume that you have an IBM
PC,
XT, or close compatible. If not, your computer may
require a di
ff erent procedure for the cover rerroval. Since
it isn't possible to document every machine here, we have
given special instructions
lor only a select few. In most
cases,
your computer's Guide To Operationswill explain
the
cover removal.
Turn off thepowerto your computer and all periph-
erals.
Unplug all power cords from the wall socket.
Disconnect all cables from the rear of the
com -
puter.
Mark thecables il you are not sure you will remem-
ber where to reallach th em later.
Remove the
liv e screws on the back of the com-
put
er
chassis. See Figure 1.
Slide the cover towards you until it
ca n go no
further then
tiH the cover upward and away from
the frame.
see F igure 2.
Figure I
HARDWAREINSTALLATION 5

SOTA386s i
Figure 2
AT&T 6300 and Olivetti PC
6
To remove an AT& T6300 and O/lveHiPC cover, do the
following :
Remove all cables from the rear 01 the com-
puter.
Turn the cOrT'p.Jte r so its ba ck is facing yo u.
Remove the screws from the upper left and
right hand corners. You can now removethe
top cover.
Remove the screws from the bottom left and
right hand corners. You can now IIff the unit
away from the bottom plate.
Turn the unit on its right side (the floppy
elf/ve(s) will be at the bottom facing you).
Turn the unit so the internals are facing you
and locate the screws on the
upper lett and
right hand corners.
These screwssecure the
sIde panel and must be removed.
The final two screws are located at thebottom
of the side plate (In between the side plate
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
• •
••
•
SOTA386si
AMSTRADPC
and the vIdeo bosrd ). Remove these
screws and I/If the sldll plate off .
You are now ready for the installation of the
SOTA386si.
With the machine facing you, put pressure on the comers
of
th e cove r closest to you and slide it away from the
machine.
COMPAQ PORTABLE
Re fer to Amstrad for cover removal. Yo u will also have to
remove t he top sheet metal plate covering the expansion
cavity in
order to gain access to the expansion slots.
PS /2 Model 25 and Model 30
There are four sc rews on eith er side of the machine,
remove
th ese and the cover will lift off.
Ca refully slide (horizontally) the cover off the chassis.
RELOCATE 8088/8086 FROM MOTHERBOARD
TO SOTA
386s1
In order to remove the 8088/8086 chip you might need to
pull an expansion board or two in order to get to the chip
location. You
can identify the 8088/8086 chip by the im-
printingon the back of the chip, it is
one of the larger chips
on the board and most manufacturers
put the 808818086
socket and 8087 sockets side by side.
Please note that their are several vers i ons of the 8088
Chip (Ie. 808&-1, 808&-2 and the compatible NEC V-20)
they are all compatible with the SOTA 386s f. The same
Is lrue forthe 8086Chip (8086-1, 8086-2 and NEC V-3O) .
You
must note the k>caUon of the 808818086 socket as
It looks Identical to the 8087 socket and It may be
HARDWARE INSTALLATION 7

SOTA 38Ss1
dlftleult to distinguish the two. Before removing the
8086/8088, you must identify Pin 1 and mark Its posi-
tion on the printed clrcuh board. Pin 1 on the chip Is
Identified on the chip asbeingat theend withthe notch
or a small dot at the left-hand upper corner. It Is
Imponant
to note where the notch or dot on the
8088/8086 was when you removed the chip, so that you
can orient pin 1 correctly. The manufacturer's printed
clrcuh marking Is not always sufUclent, as some PC's
CPU boards may be marked Incorrectly.
The 8088/8086 processor chip k>caUon Is fairly obvl·
ous on most computers, but owners of AT&T 63005,
Olivetti PCs, or Zenith PCs might become confused.
Read the following If you own one ofthesecomputers.
AT&T 6300 and Olivetti chip location
The Motherboard is positioned on the bonom of the AT&T
6300 and Olivetti PC's. If
you read the previous section on
cover removal then all that is needed to locate the
8086
processor is to turn the co"l>Uter around so the internals
are facing away from you. The 8086 chip is located in the
center of the motherboard.
look for the socket kxatlon
labeled 3J .
Zenhh PC chip location
The Zenith PC's (back plane system) 8088 processor is
located on a removable board.
The board can be identified
by locating where the keyboard plugs into the back of the
system. The board which
it plugs into holds the 8088
pr ocessor. You can then locate the 8088 at the bottom of
this board about half way from the back 01 the computer.
Chip Extraction
8
Using the Ch ip extraction tOOl , gently pry up both ends 01
the 808818086 Chip. Then grasp the 808818086 micropro-
cessor firmly with your fingers (using equal force on both
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
• •
••
•
SOTA 38Ssi
ends of the chip) and remove it from its socket. Try HOI to
touch the pins
01 the Chip -only the ~sticJceramic pack-
age.
Be careful not to insert the chip puller between the socket
and the motherboard, this may damage your computer.
The chip puller
rrust be inserted between the 808818086
CPU and the socket itself. " for any reason (as in some
imported PC Iook-alikes) the 808818086 chip is soldered
into the
board of your PC, have your personal computer
dealer/serviceman remove the original
CPU and install the
SOTA386si, as this removal must
be done carefully.
Makesurethat you do not bend
any pinson the 808818086
chip. If you do, then gently straighten
them out. You can
use yourfingers, but a pair of needle nose pliers will work
much better.
Take the chip you just removed
and plug it into the
808818086 socket on the
SOTA386si (the e~ty socket is
on the
top right of the card, beneath the ribbon cable
connector). Thenotchonthe 8088/8086mustface the right
side of
the card, which is the end with the bracket and
toggle switch.
Do notorient the 8088 's pin 1 by the notation
on your PC's printed circuit board, as some models have
been known to have incorrect printing on the CPU board.
Use extra caution when lining the pins
up with the socket
before you press down on the Chip.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION 9
_______________ .... t ___ ____

SOTA386si
REMOVEB087
If you have an 8087 math coprocessor, yo ushould remove
it the same way you removed the 808818086 (see above).
Remove the small styrofoam guard attached to the end of
the ribbon cable
and , lor storage, inser1lhe the 8087 into
the piece
01 styrofoam. You can then store th e 8087 chip
for future use.
Make sure the second position on the first a-position dip
switch in an IBM PC (or the only DIP switch in an I BM Xl)
corresponds with the absence of the 80B7 math
coprocessor. It should be ON if the 8087 is absent.
The 8087 switch settings (position 2) may co nflict with
those shown in some versions of IBM's Guide To Opera-
tions. The settings sta t ed above are correct.Early versions
of
IBM manuals we reprinted w ith th ese settings reversed.
If you wish to Install the 386sl In an AT&T 6300, then
DIP
switch 0, position 5. should be on . This will ensure
the appropriate sefflngs
for the USB of the 386sl with
or without the 80387SX Installed.
INSTAll THE RIBBON CABLE
10
IMPORTANT : Read this section throughly before pn>
ceedlng with the Installation of the ribbon cable.
Please note that since the SOTA 386si supports many
different machines, the installation of the ribbon cable is
slightly different
for each machine.
Insert the ribbon cable into the empty socket where you
just removed the 806818086 chipon the motherboard. The
red stripe on
the ribbon cable (the red color on the ribbon
indicates the Pin 1 position
of the ribbon) must align with
Pin 1 of the 808818086 socket.
Some
corrputers other than the IBM PC/ XT may have the
808818086 socketfacing a different directionolhe rt han the
rear
01 the cof1l)Uter. You must identify Pin 1 and align it
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
•
•••
•
SOTA386si
with the red stripe on the cable . Pin 1 on the chip was at
the
end with the notch at the end or a small dot at the
left-hand
upper comer . It is ill1X'rtant to mark where the
notch
or dot on the 8088/8086 was when you removed the
chip so that you
can orient pin 1 correctly. The printed
circuit marking is
not always sufficient, as some models of
personal cof1l)Uters have
CPU boards which are marked
incorrectly.
Red Stripe
8088/8086
Socket
IMPORTANT : 00 NOT INSERT n-lE RIBBON CABLE BACKWARDSI
THIS
Will MOST LIKELY BURN THE CABLE AND POSSIBLY
CAUSE OTHER DAMAGE
TO THE SOTA 386a1 OR YOUR SYSTEMI
AT&T 6300 and Olivetti PC
If you are installing the SOTA 386si in an AT&T 6300 or
Oliveni PC it is necessary to use a 24 inch cable and not
lhe 14 Inch cable slandard with th e SOTA386si. Ifyou do
not have this cable, consult your local SOTA authorized
dealer. Also,
th is cable is in an wL" shape oriented toward
the rear of
th e machine.
With the left side plate removed, install the cable in the
8086 socket, and insert the cable through the opening
between
your chassis and the video adapter. Aunthe cable
HARDWARE INSTALLATION 11

SOTA386s1
12
next to the video adapter over the top 01 yo ur machine and
pl ace it inside the center of your machine.
RedStripc
ZENITH
PC
The Ze n ith PC,as mentioned earlier, is a b ack plane sys-
lemwhere theprocessor is located on aremovableboard.
This board w as removed earfier to access the 8088 pro-
cessor chip. Plug the cable into the 8088 socket and fold
the cable underneath the board so when the board is
replaced in the computer the length of the cable is on the
opposite side 01 the 8088 socket.
Red 5uipc
Red Stripe
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
•
._.
•
~o IA aHosl
PS/2 Model 25 and Model 30
Plug the cable onto the motherboard so the red ribbon side
is towards the power supply. Aun the ca ble underneaththe
crossbar and insert
the other end onto the 386si. The 3865i
will probably need to be in the first (upper) slot.
Red Stripe
INSTALL 80387SX ON THE SOTA 386s1
II you do not ha ve the e0387SX option then skip this step.
Otherwise, inse
rt the 80387SX math coprocessor chip in
its empty socket on the SOTA 386si (the 80387SX socket
is located near the bottom left corner of the SOTA386si)
AMSTRAD PC
In installing the 386si in the Amstrad 1640PC, the cab le
must be placed with pin 1(red stripe) at pin 1ofthe socket
on your motherboard.
The 386sl must be InstalledIn the
slot which Is the third slot trom the back at the 1640,
and the twist In the cable must be as close as possible
to the 386sl header.
Use extra care when lining the pins up with the socket
be fore you press down on the DIP plug which is the head
of the ribbon cable.lmproper pin alignment
is one of the
most common installation problems.Note the figure below
lor the location 01 the B0387SX socket.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
13

SOTA386s1
14
IMPORTANT: Note the small dol (dirTl>le) onthe 60387SX
Chip . Insert the chip in the indicated socket with the dot
pointing to the right. If you look at the 80387SX socket you
will note the number 2 printed on the bonom right comer
01 the socket wall. The dot on the B0387 SX chip should
coincide with this comer.
NOTE: Do nol change the DIP switch setting on your
motherboardlor the 8087,the 80387SX on the SOTA386si
will
be automatically recognized by 386sLSVS driver.
803875
Socket
Posit
ro
e==30~
X DoD I
c=J1
~
E:3 E:3
01 I [
D
~ D DDD
I I
I I
1
II
70
I I 1 0
. / th
I on dOl. on chip at IS come r
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
•
. _.
•
SOTA386si
Insert The SOTA 386s1
Select an unused expansion slot for the SOTA 386si. Do
NOT put the SOTA 38651 next to your video display
board or network. board, due to excesstve noise gen-
eration by
video boards. Avoid putting the vkleo display
card or other high frequency (noisy) adapter between the
SOTA 386si and the 8068J8086 socket. It may cause
cross-talk probl ems with the ribbon cable of the SOTA
386si and create unpredictabledifficunies. We recommend
that you install the SOTA 386si as close to the 8088/8086
socket on your motherboard as possible. When you have
se lected the slot. rem::lve the metal slot cover in the rear
of the chassis by unscrewing the retaining screw. Save this
screw to secure the SOTA 386si in the following step.
Using both hands, gra sp each end 01 the SOTA 386si and,
using even pressure, push the card's gold finger connec-
tors straight down i nto the expansion slot. Be sure that you
have inserted the card col"1l'letely and securely into the
slot. Replace the screw that secu r es the metal bracket to
the chassis.
HARDWARE INSTALLATION 15

SOTA386sl
Attach Ribbon Cable to SOTA 386sl
Connect the unanached end of the ribbon cable to the
proper place
on the SOTA 386Si. The red stripe on the
ribOOn cable must align with the bracket side of the board
containing the toggle switch. Make sure all the pins are
property connected.
Anach
here
Red Stripe
AMSTRAD PC
If you are installing the SOTA 386si in an Amslrad 1640 PC
then you nlJst attach the cable with the red stripe near the
metal bracket. This will require a twist 0' the cable but it
should not damage the cable.
Reinstall any expansion boards that you took out to get at
the 808818086 and a087 chips.
AT&T 6300 and Olivetti PC
You should put the side plate on first then the bottom plate
and finally the cover.
Reattach all the cables to their appropriate connectors. The
hardw are installation is now 'inished.
REPLACE COVER
16
Slide the cover back on your corJlXI1:er , and reverse the
cover removal procedure for your
cor11JUter .
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
••
SOTA 386s;
GENERAL OPERATION
BOOTING UP
Hardware installation is now complete and you are ready
to tum on your computer. Please note that there are two
modes that the comp uter can operate in, native
(8088/8086). and 80386SX mode. Selection 01 t hese
modes is determined by a toggle switch which protrudes
through the metal edge connector of the
SOTA 366si. In
the up position, native mode is selected and in the down
position80386SX
mode is used.The SOTA 386si does not
support native mode in every machine (Compaq DeskPro
computers rarely boot In native (8086) mode). This is
due, in part, to the strength and
age of your 8088/8086
chip,
and the fad that the 366si is compatible with a wide
rangeo! machines.Theobject iSIO support80386SX mode
on every machine and a software method of speed selec-
tion which will
be discussed later. Native mode will be
supported on mo st machines; however, its presence or
absence should not
be of concern as virtually all software
will run
at the faster speed.Additionally,if atiming problem
does occurthen
you maykeyboard select the slowerspeed
(see software section).
First. toggle the switch
on the SOTA 386si to the down
position and tum
on your system. Your system should
automatically reset
and reboot in 80386SX mode. Even
though it will be in 80386SX mode, itwill still operate slowly
due to t
he absence of memory caching. Proceed to Ihe
next section to enable high speed operation
of the SOTA
386si.
GOING FROM SLOW MODE TO FAST AND BACK AGAIN
By following the above section, you can toggle between
808818086 and 80386SX mode using a hardware toggle
switch. This switch, located
at the back of the card, both
selects the indicated processor and reboots your com-
GENERAL OPERATION
17

SOTA386s1
puler . If you move the switch to the up position, you will be
in native (8088/8086) rrode; and with the switch down,
80386SXmode.Evenwhen
you run inthe80386SX mode,
the SOTA386si does notoperate at maxirrum throughput.
This is because
the' 6 KB memory caching feature avail-
able on the board is turned off. Therefore, ahhough the
80386SX runs al a highclock speed , it still depends on the
slow 8088J8086 bus
10 supply its data.
To fully utilize the high speed of the SOTA386si , you must
enable the memory caching with either the SOTA 3865i
software driver (),
or the special hardware method dis -
cussed in Appendix B - JUl11'6r Settings. In
99% of all
cases, the softwaredriveristhe method of choice.The only
time
you shou ld use the hardware method is if you are
running an operating system (not MS or PC-~OS) which
does not suppo rt loadable device drivers. For instructions
on installation
of the software driver, see the section on
Software Installation. After booting
up with the driver in-
stalled, you shouk:l experience a dramalic speed improve-
ment.
Now theSOTA386sinot only runs your softwarewith
a fast 80386SX microprocessor, but also runs with 0 wait
states on most memory accesses. You can type <AIt-CtI
-Num5>
to switch between fast and slow mode.
HARDWARE THEORY OF OPERATION
18
MICROPROCESSORS : B088I8086/.Vs. 80386SX
The single most iO'l>Qrtant chip in a personal colll>Uter is
the microprocessor
(or CPU). The 8088/8086 and the
80386SX are all microprocessors from INTEl. The 8088
Chip is the microprocessor in
the PC /XT class machines,
the8086
CPU is used in the PS/2Model 30 and AT&T6300
while the
80386SX is the microprocessor in the PC/AT
class machines.
The 8088 Chi p has an 8 bit data bus while the 8086 and
80386SX have 16 bit busses. This means that every time
the
8086 or 80386SX microprocessors read from or write
GENERAL OPERATION
•
•••
•
SOTA386si
to memory they do so with 2 bytes instead of one. This
makes them more efficient than the 8088. Additionally, the
80386SX has a laster clock speed and a shorterbus cycle
than eitherthe 8088
or 8086. As a result, the 80386SXcan
process
up to 10 times faster than the 8088/8086.
Essentia
Uy the 80386SX is a superset of the 8088/8086
processors. It
can operate in 2 different rrodes, lhe real
address
lTK>de and the protected mode. The real address
mode operates almost exactly like
an 808818086 except
that
it is up to len times faster, based on internal improve-
ments and maximum obtainable clock frequency.
In real address mode, the 80386SX is objectcode compat-
ible with existing
8068 /8086 software. Essentially, this
means that an 80386SX COlll'Uter like the IBM PC/AT can
run software wrinen for an 8088/8086 based computer
such
as the IBM PC. Until now , most IBM PC/AT's were
being u sed in real address lTK>de because there was
limited software available that supported an 80386SX run-
ning in protected roode, With
the recent release of OS / 2,
a new operating system that uses protected lTK>de, this is
no
longer the case . More and more, software developers
are
now writing programs that take advantage 01 the ad -
vanced features
of the 80386SX . With the Memory/16i
installed, the SOTA
386si supports these features.
MEMORY CACHING
In order to maximize processor operating speed while
using relatively slow
memory chips, hardware designers
have developed a system
of ~caching " RAM or ROM
memory accesses so that aprocessorcan actually operate
faster than the
memory it uses . The SOT A 386si includes
a hardware
memory cache which can actually let the
386si's processor run at full speed most of the time
even
while using a PC, XT or other computer 's slow 8 or 16 bit
memory!
This cache system, built into the proprietary VLSI
of the
SOTA
386si . works under two basic assurll'tions . First,
GENERAL OPERATION 19

~v I "'" ")00;:"
20
that most memory reads will take place on memorywhich
haseitherrecently been read orwritten.Second, that when
a memory write occurs, the processor
does not need to
wait for the information to actually get stored in the slow
RAM chips before it does something else. Since these
assu~tions are generally true, most memory reads can
be cached and almost all memory writes can occur at 0
wait state speed.
To understand why memory reads typically take place on
recently accessed memory, it is helpfulto realize that most
programs contain small "loops" which executethe majority
of the lime the program is running. In addition, data vari-
ables contained within programs are almost always ac-
cessed
fair1y often during the exerution of the program.
Other helpful factors include the constant locationof BIOS
and DOS routines which are also sped significantly by
memory caching. These factors corroine
to let caching
significantly speed memory reads by the
CPU . Of course,
when the CPU must read memory which is not cached, it
slows down to accomodate the
sk>w memory, but the next
time it reads memory from the same address, the read will
most likely take place at full speed from the cache.
Perhaps an even more interesting feature of the cache is
the way that it caches memory writes
or "write buffers"
RAM memory. Basically when the 80386SX CPU writes to
a memory location, the cache hardware signals to the
80386SX processor that the write has col11'leted even
before the information reaches the slower RAM. While this
mayseem strange,remerTtler that the cache handles both
writes and reads. Therefore,
tf the CPU tries to read
information which has not yet reached the slower memory
chips, it will read the information from the high speed
hardwarecache,again reaping benefit and operating at full
speed.
Since the cache contains a limited amount of high-speed
memory, when data is cached, it must replace previous
datawhich was
in the cache. Therefore, the benefit of the
GENERAL OPERATION
•
•
•
SOTA386si
cache levels out after a short time to provide an average
percentage of cached memory access versus access of
slow memory not in the cache. This percentage is com-
monly referred to as the cache "hit rate". The advanced
cache ofthe SOTA386siprovides an amazing 95% hit rate
with average system use.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
SOTA 38651 Driver
The SOTA 386si includes a software driver labeled
386si.sys. This DOS device driver automatically enables
the high speed caching features of the SOTA 386si and
enables keyboard speed switching between fast and slow
operating modes and ensures compatibility with EEMS
or
EMS 4.0.
In addition to providing overall speed enhancement, this
driver also allows you to selectively speed
up portions of
your system operation for maximum speed and compati-
bility. With simple parameters, you can control whether
or
not the system BIOS, hard disk BIOS, or video BIOS is
cached by the 0 wait state memory cache. All of these
features and others can be changed "on the
fly~ by the
program 386si.COM which is documented below.
Normally, you can sirJl)ly install the driver in your CON-
FIG.SVSfile andlet
it speed up your systemautomatically.
At times, however, you may decide to slow down your
systemto run games orcertaintiming-dependent software.
To do this, sirJl)ly type AII -Ctl-S (NumS is the key on the
I"M.Jmerical key pad) which will bring the speed to about the
same as before the SOTA 386si was installed.
You can
return to high speed operation
si~ly by pressing AII -CII-
Sagain. Afterinstalling the driverforthe lirsttime, you may
want to try switching back and forth to get a feel for how it
operates.
SOFlWARE INSTALLATION
21

SOTA386si
Since 386sLSYS is a device driver, you must reference it
in your CONFIG.SYS file before it will have any effect. II is
usually a good idea to install it as the first device in your
CONFIG. SYS file. To install 386sLSYS do the following:
Copy 386si.SYS to the directory of your choice.
If you do not have aCONFIG. SYS lile,create one with the
following commands:
COPY CON CONFIG.SYS
FILES = 30
BUFFERS = 20
DEVICE = (pa1hj\386sl.SYS
PRESS F6
Function key
PRESS cEnter>
If you do have a CONFIG. SYS file. add the following line
to it as the lirst statement:
DEVICE = [pathj1386sI.SYS
Reboot your computer to enable the new configura·
lion.That's alilhere is to it! You can now usethe keystroke
combination described above to switch between fast and
slow operation.
SOTA 38651 Driver Options
22
Usually, the defaun configuration of the driver will work
best. We have added some options which you may want
to use.
To enable any of these options, just addthem to the
line in yourCONFIG.SYSfile which references 386si.SYS.
There must be at least one space before each slash
rr) .
The available options are as follows:
ICACHEOFF
386si.SYS normally turns the high speed cache on at the
time it is installed. This parameter turns the cache off to
provideco"""atibilitywith a small numberof speed-depen-
dent device drivers.
SOFlWARE INSTALLATION
•
•
SOTA386si
I CACHEHD
Usually, caching the hard disk BIOS can cause problems
because of timing sensitive loops which may fail when run
at a faster speed. For this reason, 386si.SYS defaults to
not caching the hard disk BIOS. " you are sure that your
hard disk BIOS will work
at a high speed and you want to
overridethis setting,usethe CACHEHDparameterand the
hard disk BIOS will
be cached.
I KEY=""
If you want to change the speed switching toggle key, you
can set
it to another key by using the scan code nn in this
parameter.
You rrust use the scan code value which is
generated by the hardware in order for this to work prop-
erly. Refer to your computer's manual for the scan code
or
run the SCANCODE program providedon the SOTA 386si
Utilities software diskette.
I NOVIDEO
386si.SYS normally enables high speed caching on video
RAM which
can dramatically speed the screen display.
Withalmost all MDA,CGA, EGA,
or VGAcards this should
never cause a problem.
If , however, you happen to expe-
rience garbled graphics screens, you may needto disable
this feature. The NOVIDEO parameter simply prevents
386si.SYS from caching video memory.
I NOBIOS
ThiS parameter completely disables the caching of the
system BIOS.Normally,386si.SYSenablescachingon the
system BIOS which speeds many operations.
It also auto-
matically
disables the caching whenever a program
accesses the floppy disk. Because of this smart approach
to caching, you probablydo not needto usethis parameter.
If however, you run intoproblemswhen cachingthe system
BIOS, you can use this parameterto disable it altogether.
SOFlWAREINSTALLATION 23

SOTA 38651
24
IPRINT
This parameter is provided forthose systems that experi-
ence problems with parallel
printing. If yo ur printer does
not re spond or only prints portions of the data sent then
add IPRINT=ON
to the Device = 386s1 .SYS line In your
config.sys file.
INOTEST
ThiS parameter prevents 386si.SYS fromlesting the cache
RAM. This is only necessary on very lew compatibles,
notably the Zenith series of XT compatibles. tf this param-
eter is necessary and is not us ed, the computer may h ang
immediately after386si.SYS displaysits sign-on message.
INODMA
This parameter causes
the 386sLSVS driver to disable
caching of Direct Memory Accesses. Th is parameter
should
be used with Zenith personal computers.
INOEMS
This option sets the driver to work with t he add-on ooard
made by PMI called the ~PM I Aboveboard . ~ This option is
available on 386si.SYS versions 1. 14 and later.
/TOP="""
This option sets the top of DOS memory. It will allow for
base memory increases of 704K,720K, or 736K bytes.
If a
software application such
as DESOview or OfTVliv}ew ex·
pandsthe DOS address space above
640K usingavailable
EMS then the TOP option should be used. The reason
be hind this is du e to thefact that the 386si.SVS driverdoes
not automatically cache this memory above 640K, which
may result
in noticeable speed degradation. The TOP
option will restore the high speed performance. This ~
tion Is available on 386sl.SYS versions 1.21 and later.
EXAMPLE:
DEVICE = ISOTA1386sI.SYS ICACHEHD IKEY=53
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
•
1
J
1
J
•
The above line will Install the cache control software
and cache all of the standard memory ragJons 8S well
as the hard disk BIOS. ~ also chango the spMd sw~ch
Ing kay to CtI·A~· 1 (Forward Slash) .
THE CONFIGURATION PROGRAM· 386sl.COM
The SOTA 386si configuration program lets you change all
of the 386sLSYS device driverparamete rs after you have
booted
you rsystem and loadedthedevicedriveritself.This
means
you can enableordisable the cache ,change speed
switching hot keys, or
se led.ively enable and disable cer·
tain caching features.
To use 386sL COM, simply make sure that it is in your
curr
ent path and th at you have loaded 386si.SYS as
described in t he previous pages. Then you can enter the
followi
ng corrvnand.
386sl [options)
CONFIGURATION PROGRAM OPTIONS
ICACHEOFF
This parameter disabl es the system cache if it is currently
on
and has no eHect if it is cu rr ently disabled.
ICACHEON
This parameter enables the system cache. Neither
ICACHEON norICACHEOFF affectthe state
of whatother
parts of the system are actually cached.
For exall1'le, if
video cad1ing is enabled,
you can enable and disable the
cache
as many times as you like, but when the cache is
enabled, video caching will remain active.
ICACHEHD
Usually, caching the hard disk BIOS can cause problems
because of timing sensitive loops which
may fail when run
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
25

SOTA386sl
26
at a faster speed. For this reason , 386si.SYS defauhs to
not caching the hard disk BIOS. If you are sure that your
hard disk BIOS will
work at a high speed and you want to
enable hard disk caching, you can do so by running
386si.COM with the ICACHEHD parameter.
/NOVIDEO
386sLSVS normally enables high speed caching on video
RAM ,this speeds up the screen display. If you experience
garbled graphics screens in certain applications,
38 6si.COM allows you to disable the video caching with
this parameter.
You can then re -enable it with the NIDEO
parameter after you have left the offending application.
NIDEO
If you have initialized 386sL SVS with the INOVIDEO pa -
rameterortelllX>rarily disabled video caching, this param-
eter allows
you to to reenable it at any time.
I NOHD
This parameter lets you disable caching of the hard disk if
you have enabled it. Remerrber that if you disable hard
disk caching with this parameter, aICACHEHD parameter
in yourCONFIG.SYS fil eafter386si. SYS will still re-enable
hard disk caching after
you reboot.
I NOBIOS
This parameter completely disables the caching of the
system BIOS.
You can always re-enable it by running
386s
i.COM with the IBIOS option described below.
I BIOS
This parameter re -enables system BIOS caching after it
has been disabled.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
•
SOTA386si
/KEY=nn
If
you want to change the speed switching toggle key, you
can set it to another key at any time by usingthe scan code
nn in this parameter. You rrust use the scan code value
which isgeneratedby the hardware
in orderfor this to work
properly. Refer to your computer's manual for the
scan
code or run the SCANCODE program provided on the
SOTA 386si Utilities software diskette.
I REVEC
If you use an international keyboard driver which loads
after DOS boots up,
you will lose the capability to switch
back and forth between fast
and slow mode with th e
keyboard.
To remedythis, we have provided the "/REVEC"
switch.
Si"llly run 386Si . COM immediately after you load
the international keyboard driver and use the "/ REVEC "
option.
You will then regain all of the standard keyboard
features
of the 386si driversoftware. Lastly, make surethat
if you are using SideKick, not to use the "/ REVEC " option
after SideKick
is resident.
RAM DISK DRIVER -SOTADISK.SYS
The RAM disk driver included with your SOTA 386si pro-
vides the ability to set
aside a portion of RAM and treat it
as if it were disk space. This can help in speeding up
programs which use overlays from disk, or use the disk
often.
When you install the SOTA RAM disk driver, DOS will
recognize anew drive letterjust after the
last dri ve you had
before installation. For example, if you had drives A,B, and
C, when you install the RAM disk driver, it will actually
create a new drive D. The new drive will actually
be RAM
and will operate much fa ster than any of the mechanical
drives. However, when
you tum off or reboot your com-
puter, the information stored
on the RAM disk dr iv e will
disappear.Therefore, you should not store important data
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION 27

SOTA386sl
on RAM disks. Instead, you shoukj u se them lor storing
informationthat may beaccessed quite often, but probably
won' change.Formore information on RAM disks, see the
SOFTWARE THEORY OF OPERATION section.
The RAM disk driver,SOTAOISK.SYS, supports both oon -
ventional
and expanded memory. To u se expanded mem-
ory , you must either have an expanded memory board or
the SOTA Memory/ 16i option and its software driver. To
install SOTADISK, do the following:
M ake sure that an EMSdriver is installed if you plan to use
EMS.
Copy SOTAD ISK.SYS to the directory of yo ur choice.
Add Ihe following line 10 your CONFIG.SYS file, don't
forget to specify the path name:
DEVICE:[pa/ h]I SOTADISK.SYS [/ DOS:"""]
[!EMS:""n]
If you want to u se EMS memory for the RAM DI SK, make
sure lhallhe above line is after the line containing the EMS
driver inthe CONF IG.SVS file.The (J indicateoptions (you
can u se either OOS or EMS memory orboth).
Reboot the computer to activate the new configuration.
SOT Aol SK will create a new RAM disk.
RAM DISK DRIVER OPTIONS:
28
To altertheconfiguration olthe SOTADISK,you mayselect
the parameters it uses by adding the following options to
the line oontaining the SOTADISK.SYS driver in the CON·
FIG.SYS tile:
{EMS=nnnn
Set the aroount of LIM Expanded Memory to use, nnn
specifies the nurrt>er of KB
to use.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
•
SOTA386s1
I DOS:n""
Set the amountof DOS memory to use,the parameter nnn
specifies the nurrt>er of KB to u
se .
nnn specifies the amount of memory
in kilobytes and will
be rounded uptothe nea re st 16KBblock. If the options are
used, the total of all
nutOOers determines the RAM disk
size.
EXAMPLE :
DEVICE:C :ISOTADISK.SYS 1 005:16
The above line will install SOTAolSK with 16 KB of DOS
meroory.
DlSKCACHE PROGRAM SOTACACH.COM
Similarto th e RAM diskdriver, the disk caching utility helps
to speed
up programs which use the disk onen. Unlike the
RAM disk,
it is completelytransparent to the u se r,anddoes
not lose data when the computer is turned off, rebooted or
you suffer a powerfailure.
In tact, the on ty disadvantage it
has compared to the RAM disk driver
is that it uses the
mechanical disk when
it needs to.
You can run the disk caching program,SOTACACH.COM,
from eit h er the DOS co mmand lin e or yo ur AU-
TOEXEC.BAT file.
00 not put it in yo ur CONFIG.SYS file
since it is not a DOS device driver.
SOTACACH supports both conventional and expanded
memory.
To use expanded memory, you must either have
an expanded memory board or the SOTA Memory/16i
option and its software driver in sta lled. To install
SOTACACH, do the/ollowing:
If you want to use EMS memory, make sure that an EMS
driver is installed
in your CO NFIG.SYS file.
Copy SOTACACH.COM
to the directory of yourchoice.
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
29