AR-B1474 User¡¦s Guide

1. OVERVIEW

This chapter provides an overview of your system features and capabilities. The following topics are covered:

•Introduction

•Packing List

•Features

1.1INTRODUCTION

The AR-B1474 is a half size industrial grade CPU card that has been designed to withstand continuous operation in harsh environments. The total on-board memory for the AR-B1474 can be configured from 1MB to 32MB by using all 72-pin type DRAM devices.

The 8 layers PCB CPU card is equipped with a IDE HDD interface, a floppy disk drive adapter, 1 parallel port, 2 serial ports, a watchdog timer and a solid state disk. Its dimensions are as compact as 122mm x 185mm. It’ s highly condensed features make it an ideal cost/performance solution for high-end commercial and industrial applications where CPU speed and mean time between failure is critical.

The AR-B1474 provides 2 bus interfaces, ISA bus and PC/104 compatible expansion bus. Based on the PC/104 expansion bus, you could easy install thousands of PC/104 module from hundreds venders around the world. You could also directly connect the power supply to the AR-B1474 on-board power connector in stand alone applications.

A watchdog timer, which has a software programmable time-out interval, is also provided on this CPU card. It ensures that the system will not hang-up if a program can not execute normally.

For diskless application, the AR-B1474 provides up to 3MB of bootable ROM, FLASH, or SRAM disk space by using 64K x 8 to 1M x 8 memory chips.

The AR-B1474 is implemented with M1429 and M1431 chipset incorporate a memory controller, parity generation and checking, two 8237 DMA controllers, two 8259 interrupt controllers, one 8254 timer/counter, an address buffer and a data buffer.

A super I/O chip (SMC37C669) is embedded in the AR-B1474 card. It combines functions of a floppy disk drive adapter, a hard disk drive (IDE) adapter, two serial (with 16C550 UART) adapters and 1 parallel adapter.

The I/O port configurations can be done by setting the BIOS setup program.

As an UART, the chip supports serial to parallel conversion on data characters received from a peripheral device or a MODEM , and parallel to serial conversion on data character received from the CPU. The UART includes a programmable baud rate generator, complete MODEM control capability and a processor interrupt system. As a parallel port, the SMC37C669 provides the user with a fully bi-directional parallel centronics-type printer interface.

This manual has been written to assist you in installing, configuring and running the AR-B1474 CPU card. Each section is intended to guide you through it’ s procedures clearly and concisely, allowing you to continue to the next chapters without any difficulty.

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Sony 486DX, DX4, AR-B1474 manual Overview, Introduction
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DX4, AR-B1474, 486DX specifications

The Sony 486DX, AR-B1474, and DX4 are notable examples of advanced computing technologies from the early to mid-1990s, a time when personal computers were rapidly evolving to meet increasing user demands. These systems played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of modern computing.

The Sony 486DX is built around the popular Intel 80486 microprocessor, which was a significant step up from its predecessor, the 386. The 486DX featured a 32-bit architecture and introduced integrated cache memory, which greatly enhanced data processing speeds and overall system performance. Operating at clock speeds typically ranging from 25 to 100 MHz, the 486DX models provided a solid foundation for running more sophisticated software applications and advanced games of the era.

Accompanying the 486DX was the AR-B1474 motherboard, designed to maximize the potential of the 486 architecture. This motherboard featured support for up to 512 KB of level 2 cache memory, further boosting performance for data-heavy tasks. The AR-B1474 also included extensive connectivity options, with ISA slots for legacy devices, as well as support for EISA, making it compatible with a wide range of hardware peripherals. This versatility made the AR-B1474 a popular choice among builders of custom desktop PCs during its time.

The DX4, another significant milestone, built upon the 486 architecture by introducing a clock-doubling technique. By effectively allowing the processor to perform operations at up to three times its base clock speed (typically 75 or 100 MHz), the DX4 could handle even more demanding applications, thereby providing users with significant performance improvements without requiring a complete overhaul of their systems.

Both the 486DX and DX4 processors facilitated advancements in multimedia capabilities, with improved graphics rendering and audio performance that supported CD-ROMs and early gaming technologies. This made them particularly appealing to consumers looking for a versatile machine for both work and entertainment.

Overall, the combination of the Sony 486DX, AR-B1474 motherboard, and DX4 processor exemplifies a significant chapter in computing history, showcasing how hardware advancements seamlessly integrated with user needs for performance and flexibility. As these technologies laid the groundwork for future innovations, they remain noteworthy for their contributions to the evolution of personal computing.
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