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EnigmA AMIGA RUN 04 (1996)(G.R. Edizioni)(IT)[!][issue 1996-02][Skylink CD III].iso
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stolen html from http://www.be.com and mutilated into text on 22-Oct-95
BeBox Hardware Specifications
Contents
BeBox Processor Boards
Processor Bus
Processors
Memory Controller and PCI Bridge
PCI Bus
ISA Bus
I/O Devices
Support Functions
Clock Generation
BeBox Processor Boards
The BeBox includes two printed circuit assemblies:
A main processor Board for the two PowerPC 603 CPUs, DRAM,
and expansion slots
An I/O board that contains most of the I/O connectors
BeBox Main Processor Board
The processor board is a 6-layer printed circuit board (PCB) with
components mounted only on the top surface. Integrated circuits and
passives are surface-mounted, connectors are through-hole. The processors
are soldered directly to the processor board.
Qty Component Connector
2 PowerPC 603 RISC processors at 66 Mhz
8 72-bit DRAM SIMM Sockets 72-pin
1 8-bit flash ROM
3 32-bit PCI slots at 33 MHz 32-bit PCI
5 16-bit ISA slots 16-bit ISA
1 Real-time clock with battery-backed-up NVRAM
1 Internal SCSI port 50-pin ribbon
1 External SCSI port 50-pin SCSI II
1 Parallel port 25-pin D-shell
1 Internal ATA (IDE) port 40-pin ribbon
1 Keyboard port, PC/AT-type 5-pin DIN
1 Internal floppy port 34-pin ribbon
1 Speaker port 2-pin
1 Front panel connector 26-pin ribbon
1 Power LED
1 Disk-activity LED
1 Interrupt switch
1 Reset switch
1 Bar-graph LED driver
BeBox I/O Board
The I/O board is a 4-layer PCB, approximately 4.25 x 7 inches. Components
are mounted on both sides of the board I/O connectors are mounted
perpendicular to the plane of the board. The I/O board connects to the
main processor board through a single, gold-edge finger connector.
Qty. Component Connector
1 "GeekPort" 37-pin D-shell
4 Advanced serial ports 9-pin D-shell
1 Mouse port, PS/2-type 6-pin mini DIN
2 Joystick ports 15-pin D-shell
2 MIDI out ports 5-pin DIN
2 MIDI in ports 5-pin DIN
3 Infrared (IR) I/O ports 6-pin mini DIN
1 Internal CD audio line-level input 5-pin strip
1 Internal microphone audio input 4-pin strip
1 Internal headphone audio output 4-pin strip
2 Line-level input (L/R) RCA jacks
2 Line-level output (L/R) RCA jacks
1 Microphone input stereo phono jack 3.5 mm
1 Headphone output stereo phono jack 3.5 mm
1 16-bit stereo sound system @ 48 and 44.1 KHz
Processor Bus
The processors, PCI bridge/memory controller, interrupt controllers, and
logic analyzer probe connector are all on the processor bus. The bus runs
at 33 MHz, and includes a 64-bit data path with optional parity, a 32-bit
address bus, and control signals. The processors and 105 are programmed to
operate in "big-endian" mode.
Processors
There are two PowerPC 603 processors on the BeBox main processor board.
The processors are soldered directly to the logic board there is no
provision for processor sockets. The processors run internaly at 66 Mhz.
Memory Controller and PCI Bridge
The MPC105 chip performs the following functions:
DRAM
The memory controller supports up to 8 banks of RAM in 4 socket pairs. RAM
SIMMs must be added in pairs to make up the 64-bit data path. Parity is
not checked in the initial release of the BeBox software, but parity
checking will be an option in future releases. Parity SIMMs (36-bit) or
nonparity SIMMs (32-bit) may be used. The RAM SIMMs should be 60 nS or
faster, fast page mode. SIMMs of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 128 MB size are
supported.
FLASH ROM
The memory controller assembles bytes from the flash ROM into 32-bit words
for the processor. A single flash ROM of 128 K bytes is provided. The
first sector of the ROM is write-protected and contains code for updating
or repair of the rest of the ROM from a floppy disk.
PCI Bridge
The PCI bridge performs processor-to-PCI and PCI-to-memory system
transactions. Access to the memory system from PCI are snooped by the
processors to maintain cache coherency. Endian conversion is performed for
transactions between PCI and the processor bus.
Processor Bus Arbitration
The 105 provides arbitration for the processor bus. Each processor and PCI
may arbitrate for the bus.
PCI Bus
The PCI bus is provided for high-performace or high-bandwidth I/O devices,
such as SCSI and graphics adapters.
The PCI bus is shared by the MPC105, the SCSI controller, 3 32-bit 5-volt
slots, and the PCI-to-ISA bridge. All 3 PCI slots support bus masters.
The bus is clocked at the PCI-specified maximum speed of 33 MHz. All 3
slots support full-length cards. While the slots are 5-volt slots, 3.3 V
is also supplied per the PCI specification.
ISA Bus
The ISA bus is provided for low-bandwith I/O devices and for backwards
compatability with such devices as network adaptors and modems. Cards
added to the ISA bus must have drivers compatable with the Be operating
system.
ISA bus timing is generated by the Intel 82378 PCI-to-ISA bridge. The
82378 performs the following functions:
ISA Bus Bridge
The 82378 converts PCI accesses to ISA accesses. Memory and I/O
transactions are supported. The BeBox does not use any ISA memory
locations ISA I/O addresses have been allocated to the extra I/O features
of the BeBox. A complete list of the usage of the I/O space is available
in the I/O address map (forthcoming).
The BeBox register addresses have been chosen to avoid standard ISA cards
such as modems and COM3 or COM4, LPT2 and 3, and FDD2.
ISA Interrupts
All standard ISA interrupts are routed to the 8259 controllers, which are
intergrated into the 82378. PCI and SCSI interrupts may be routed to
standard ISA interrupts. The 8259s may be bypassed by using the Be
interrupt controller.
ISA DMA
The 82378 provides 7 scatter gather ISA DMA channels. The channels are
allocated as shown:
Channel 0 unused in BeBox
Channel 1 unused In BeBox
Channel 2 Floppy Disk Drive
Channel 3 Parallel Port
Channel 5 IDE
Channel 6 Audio Codec Capture
Channel 7 Audio Codec Playback
(Channel 4 is not available, it is used internaly to cascade channels.)
NOTE: Development of hardware that makes use of the ISA DMA features for
the BeBox is discouraged. Developers should look to PCI bus master cards
for functions that would normaly required DMA.
PCI Bus Arbitration
The 82378 provides a mastership arbitration controller for the PCI Bus.
I/O Decoding
The 82378 provides signals used to create I/O address decodes for the
keyboard/mouse controller, real-time clock, IDE, and the front-panel LED
bargraph option.
I/O Devices
The following I/O devices are implemented in the BeBox:
SCSI
SCSI is provided by an NCR 53C810 SCSI controller on the PCI bus. The
53C810 controller provides fast/narrow SCSI II functionality. It is a bus
mastering controller, which can execute command scripts for scatter gather
opperation.
The SCSI bus is connected to both a 50-pin internal connector and an
external 50 Pin SCSI-2 Connector. Switchable SCSI terminators are provided
at the external connector. The Terminators will be disabled when a SCSI
cable is connected to the system. Additional information on SCSI hardware
configuration may be found in the [Be SCSI HW Guide].
Keyboard and Mouse Controller
Connections to the keyboard and mouse are through a PC-standard 8042
controller with standard PC BIOS. Connection to a keyboard is through a
standard 5-pin 180-degree female shielded DIN connector. Connection to a
PS/2-style mouse is through a 6-pin female mini DIN connector, which is
located on the I/O Card.
The BeBox does not come with a keyboard or mouse, allowing customers to
purchase the industry-standard models they prefer.
Floppy Disk Drive
Industry standard 3-1/2" MFM floppy drives are supported, at 720 K and
1.44 M. The floppy interface is through a 34-pin ribbon connector.
Power for the floppy drive is through a separate power harness to the power
supply.
Serial Ports
Four industry-standard, 9-pin, AT-style serial ports ports are provided.
The serial UARTs are compatible with the 16550 (16-byte FIFO) serial
controller.
Two of the ports (Serial 1 and 2) are ISA/PREP-compliant, located in the
address space for COM1 and COM2. The other two ports (Serial 3 and 4) are
clocked by a nonstandard frequency compatable with MIDI. (Normal baud
rates will continue to be supported on these ports.)
Parallel Port
The parallel port is bidirectional and implements standard parallel
protocols. The external connector is an AT-standard 25-pin female D-shell
connector. Connection to the DMA channel and interrupts can be configured
through the device providing the parallel port function.
MIDI Ports
2 MIDI ports are supported. Each MIDI channel has its own FIFO UART.
5-pin DIN MIDI connectors are provided for in and out on each channel.
Standard MIDI drive is provided on the out connectors, and a standard
opto-isolator is provided for the input. No adaptors are required to
connect the BeBox to MIDI devices.
Joystick Ports
Two joystick game ports are provided, compatible with PC-standard game
controllers. The x-y data is sampled by an A/D converter to provide
superior resolution over standard joystick ports.
The connectors are standard 15-pin female D-shell type. No adaptors are
required to connect industry-standard joysticks to the BeBox. Each of the
connectors samples all 4 analog and 4 switch connections, allowing the use
of 4 simple joysticks with the addition of a splitter cable.
Real-Time Clock
A PC-compatible Real-Time Clock is provided.
Parameter RAM
144 bytes of nonvolatile RAM is provided. This RAM is located in the
real-time clock, and is dedicated to use by the Be operating system.
Battery
A replaceable 3 V coin battery (type CR2025) is provided for the real-time
clock.
Sound System
A 16-bit stereo CODEC is provided to sample and play sounds. Sample Rates
of 44.1 and 48 KHz and divisors are supported.
Line Input
Compatible with the 2 V P-P levels standardized by CD audio players. Input
Z 4.7 KOhms. The connectors are two (L/R) RCA-type jacks. Ground loop
subtraction is implemented.
Microphone Input
Compatible with low-level dynamic microphones. The connector is a 3.5 mm
minijack.
CD Audio Input
Compatible with the 2 V P-P levels from CD-ROM units. Connector is a 5-pin
header with retainer, compatable with the MV ProAudioSpectrum / Studio 16.
Ground loop subtraction is implemented.
CD audio cables compatable with all major brands of CD drives are readily
available.
Headphone Output
Compatible with standard 30 Ohm "walkman"-type headphones. The connector
is a 3.5 mm minijack.
Speaker Amplifier
A medium-power amplifier drives the internal computer speaker. A separate
gain control is provided to adjust the volume of the speaker.
Line Output
Compatible with the 2 V P-P levels standardized by CD audio players.
The connectors are RCA jacks. Ground loop subtraction is implemented.
Infrared Ports
3 infrared (IR) ports are provided. Each port may be connected to an IR
reciever and an IR transducer. The ports may be programmed to perform the
functions of a learning remote control, or may be used to detect commands
for the control of the BeBox.
GeekPort
The "GeekPort" is a new feature connector unique to the BeBox. It provides
digital and analog I/O and D.C. power through a 37-pin connector at the
back of the chassis. This port is aimed at experimenters and small
entrepreneurs so that they may bring unique functions to the BeBox. The
GeekPort is located on the ISA bus and can be accessed by the CPU, a PCI
busmaster card, or an ISA busmaster card.
The GeekPort has the following features:
2 Bidirectional Data Ports
Each 8-bit port may be independantly configured as input only, or output
with readback. This allows the user to configure the GeekPort as 16
inputs, 8 inputs and 8 outputs, or 16 outputs. The data ports are
protected against shorts to power or ground.
4 A/D Pins
Each of the 4 pins can be routed to a high-quality 12-bit A/D converter.
An analog signal ground reference pin is provided. The data A/D pins are
protected against shorts to power or ground.
4 D/A Pins
Each D/A pin is connected to an independant 8-bit D/A converter. An analog
signal ground reference pin is provided. The data D/A pins are protected
against shorts to power or ground.
11 Power and Grounds
2 pins at +5 V, and 1 pin each of +12 V and -12 V are provided. The power
pins are protected by fuses on the main processor board. 7 ground pins are
provided. The shell of the connector is connected to chassis ground for
shielding.
GeekPort Connector
A 37-pin female D-shell connector was selected to best meet the
requirements of experimenters, due to the following features:
High Pin Count
37 Pins allows for plenty of signal pins and adequate power and grounds.
Readily Available
The connector is listed in most electronics catalogs, and is available in
most shops that cater to the experimenter.
Mechanicaly Robust
The shell of the connector is rugged, and the pin spacing is large enough
for inexperienced assemblers to solder connections to the pins. The large
size of the connector will allow many types of devices to be built onto the
connector itself or onto a small PCB directly connected to the connector,
or within a standard backshell.
Not Standard on PCs
This connector is not commonly used on PCs so the risk of plugging an
incompatable device into the connector is greatly reduced. Even if a user
accidently attempts to connect a smaller connetor, the large size of the
GeekPort connector prevents more than a few pins near the end from making
contact. The power connections have specificaly been grouped to the center
of the connector to help prevent the accidental shorting between the power
pins of the GeekPort to external cables and devices.
Support Functions
3.3 V Voltage Regulation
3.3 V is regulated down from the 5 V supply.
Reset and Interrupts
Reset and interrupts are supported via two FPGAs. These chips perform the
following functions:
Reset Counter
Provides reset pulse to the processors.
Bus interface
Connects CPU bus to interrupt registers, supports split transaction bus.
Interrupts - Inter-processor
Provides communication between processors
Interrupts - I/O
Each processor has a interrupt mask register to permit each of the
interrupts to be individualy masked to each processor.
Reset and interrupt are available as front panel switches. The left and
right switches work in combination to provide the following functions:
Left Right Function
N N Normal opperating condition
Y N Interrupt pressed, system interrupts to debugger
N Y Reset pressed, no effect (safe to press either button)
Y Y System hard reset. Contents of RAM will be lost.
Clock Generation
A PLL is used to generate all system clocks from a 14.31818 MHz crystal.
A second 32 KHz crystal is provided for the real-time clock.