Super I/O Controller; Serial Ports; Parallel Port; Floppy Controller - Intel VS440FX Technical Specification

1.8 Super I/O Controller

The PC87308/87307 Super I/O Controller from National Semiconductor is a fully Plug and Play
compatible device which provides:
Serial ports: two NS16C550-compatible UARTs with send/receive 16-byte FIFO
Multimode bidirectional parallel port
Standard mode, IBM
Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) mode with BIOS and driver support
High-speed Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) mode
Industry standard floppy controller with 16-byte FIFO and 2.88 MB floppy drive support
8042-compatible keyboard controller
Real-time clock accurate within ±13 minutes a year at 25 ºC and 5 V
Support for an IrDA-compliant infrared interface
By default, the I/O controller interfaces are automatically configured during boot up. The I/O
controller can also be manually configured in the Setup program.

1.8.1 Serial Ports

The motherboard has two 9-pin D-Sub serial port connectors located on the back panel. The
NS16C550-compatible UARTs support data transfers at speeds up to 921.6 kBaud (standard) or
1.5 MBaud.

1.8.2 Parallel Port

The connector for the multimode bidirectional parallel port is a 25-pin D-Sub connector located on
the back panel of the motherboard. In the Setup program, there are four options for parallel port
operation:
Compatible (standard mode).
Bidirectional (PS/2
Bidirectional EPP. A driver from the peripheral manufacturer is required for operation.
Bidirectional high-speed ECP.

1.8.3 Floppy Controller

The I/O controller is software compatible with the DP8473 and 82077 floppy drive controllers. In
the Setup program, the floppy interface can be configured for the following floppy drive capacities
and sizes:
360 KB, 5.25-inch
1.2 MB, 5.25-inch
720 KB, 3.5-inch
1.2 MB, 3.5-inch (driver required)
1.25/1.44 MB, 3.5-inch
2.88 MB, 3.5-inch
† †
and Centronics compatible
†
compatible).
Motherboard Description
15