[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Switch Settings for an IBM board?

danny@garnet.berkeley.edu (Danny Lee) (10/18/90)

Hi there!

	I've just acquired a true blue IBM-AT with a board in it that
has no documentation.  It *seems* to be able to handle 3 megs of memory
using SIMMS and has 1 parallel and 1 serial port.  Does anyone have
any info on this beast?  If so, could someone please email me the switch
settings for the different memory configurations?  Presently its got
1.5 megs of SIMMS on the board.

	System configuration:
		512K System memory
		1 - 1.2 and 360K 5.25" drive
		CGA card and moniter
		1 SEAGATE ST4096 (80 meg drive partitioned w/Speedstor) using
			a standard IBM floppy/hard drive controller.
		Enhanced keyboard

Thanks in advance.

Danny Lee
danny@garnet.berkeley.edu
(415) 486-1768

medici@dorm.rutgers.edu (Mark Medici) (10/19/90)

danny@garnet.berkeley.edu (Danny Lee) writes:


|Hi there!

|	I've just acquired a true blue IBM-AT with a board in it that
|has no documentation.  It *seems* to be able to handle 3 megs of memory
|using SIMMS and has 1 parallel and 1 serial port.  Does anyone have
|any info on this beast?  If so, could someone please email me the switch
|settings for the different memory configurations?  Presently its got
|1.5 megs of SIMMS on the board.

1.  A "true-blue" IBM PC/AT motherboard only accomodates a maximum of
    512kB RAM on the motherboard.  It does NOT support SIMMS on the
    motherboard.  Depending on the motherboard revision, either 64kB
    DIPS, 128kb DIP modules, or 256kB DIPs can be installed.  There is
    a jumper located on the front right corner of an IBM PC/AT mother-
    board to specify whether 256kB or 512kB of RAM is installed on the
    motherboard.  This jumper changes the way the RAM on the
    motherboard is addressed.

    Other than changing the motherboard RAM addressing mode (via the
    above mentioned jumper), all other memory settings are maintained
    in battery-backed CMOS RAM.  The IBM Personal Computer AT Diagnos-
    tics and Setup Diskette allows you to change these settings.

2.  An IBM PC/AT motherboard does not have any serial or parallel
    ports built in to the motherboard.  These are supplied on an
    expansion adapter available standard on the IBM 5170-339 (8MHz
    system with 30MB fixed drive), and optional for all other models.

3.  A "true-blue" IBM PC/AT motherboard has but a single switch - the
    one that is used to select the primary display adapter.  Setting
    this switch ON (toward the front of the system unit) selects a
    Color Graphics or compatible adapter as the primary display
    adapter, while OFF selects a Monochrome Display and Printer
    Adapter as the primary adapter.  The primary adapter is the one
    that will, by default, be active when the system is powered-on
    or rebooted.  If there is only one display adapter installed, this
    switch should be set to reflect the capabilities of that adapter.

-- 
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Mark Medici/SysProg3 * Rutgers University/CCIS * medici@elbereth.rutgers.edu
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