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User’s Manual EPIA-PE Version 1.01 November 15, 2006...
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However, VIA Technologies assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of the information in this document and for any patent infringements that may arise from the use of this document.
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FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
Safety Instructions Always read the safety instructions carefully. Keep this User's Manual for future reference. Keep this equipment away from humidity. Lay this equipment on a reliable flat surface before setting it up. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equipment from overheating.
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ONTENTS One VIA Mini-ITX mainboard One Quick Installation Guide One ATA-133/100 IDE ribbon cable One driver and utilities CD One IO bracket...
ABLE OF ONTENTS Specifications ................1 Mainboard Specifications ............2 Mainboard Layout ..............4 Back Panel Layout ..............4 Installation ................. 5 CPU..................6 The VIA C3 E-Series Processor ..........6 Fans: CPUFAN, SYSFAN and PWRFAN ........7 Memory Module Installation............8 DDR SDRAM Module Installation Procedures ......
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Digital IO Connector: DIO ........... 25 Jumpers................26 Clear CMOS: CLEAR_CMOS ..........27 COM Voltage Select: J3, J4..........28 Slots..................29 Peripheral Component Interconnect: PCI ......29 PCI Interrupt Request Routing..........30 BIOS Setup ................32 Entering Setup ..............33 Control Keys................
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Virus Warning ..............41 CPU L2 Cache ECC Checking ..........41 Processor Number Feature ..........41 Quick Power On Self-Test............ 42 First/Second/Third Boot Device..........42 Boot Other Device .............. 43 Boot Up NumLock Status............. 43 Typematic Rate Setting............43 Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) ..........43 Typematic Delay (Msec)............
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Onboard Serial Port 1/2/3/4 ..........50 Onboard Parallel Port............50 Parallel Port Mode .............. 51 EPP Mode Select ..............51 ECP Mode Use DMA ............51 Onboard Fast IR..............51 Fast IR IRQ................ 51 Fast IR DMA ..............52 Power Management Setup............53 ACPI Suspend Type ............
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PNP/PCI Configurations............59 PNP OS Installed ..............59 Reset Configuration Data ............ 59 Resource Controlled By ............60 Assign IRQ For VGA/USB............. 60 IRQ Resources ..............61 PC Health Status..............62 Frequency / Voltage Control ........... 63 DRAM Clock ............... 63 DRAM Timing ..............
HAPTER Specifications The ultra-compact and highly integrated VIA EPIA-PE uses the Mini- ITX mainboard form-factor developed by VIA Technologies, Inc. as part of the company’s open industry-wide Total Connectivity initiative. The mainboard enables the creation of an exciting new generation of small, ergonomic, innovative and affordable embedded systems.
Chapter 1 AINBOARD PECIFICATIONS • VIA C3 EBGA Processor Chipset • VIA CLE266 North Bridge • VIA VT8235M South Bridge Graphics • Integrated VIA Unichrome AGP graphics with MPEG-2 Accelerator Audio • VIA VT1612A AC'97 Codec Memory • 1 x DDR266 DIMM slot (up to 1GB) Expansion Slot •...
Specifications Back Panel I/O Ports • 1 x PS/2 mouse port and 1 x PS/2 keyboard port • 2 x RJ-45 LAN port • 1 x Serial port • 1 x Parallel port • 4 x USB 2.0 ports • 1 x VGA port •...
HAPTER Installation This chapter provides you with information about hardware installation procedures. It is recommended to use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage some components.
Chapter 3 The VIA C3 E-Series Processor The VIA EPIA-PE Mini-ITX mainboard includes an embedded VIA C3 or Eden Processor. The VIA C3 Processor provides ultra-low power consumption and advanced thermal dissipation properties. The VIA C3 Processor requires heatsink and a CPU fan to provide sufficient cooling. Ensure that the CPU fan is correctly installed as shown.
BIOS Setup Fans: CPUFAN, SYSFAN and PWRFAN The CPUFAN (CPU fan), SYSFAN (system fan) and PWRFAN (power fan) run on +12V and maintain system cooling. When connecting the wire to the connectors, always be aware that the red wire is the Positive and should be connected to the +12V.
Chapter 3 EMORY ODULE NSTALLATION The VIA EPIA-PE Mini-ITX mainboard provides one 184-pin DIMM slot for DDR266 SDRAM memory modules and supports memory sizes up to 1GB per slot. DDR SDRAM Module Installation Procedures • Locate the DIMM socket in the motherboard.
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BIOS Setup • Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward. • Align a DIMM on the socket such that the notch on the DIMM matches the break on the socket. • Firmly insert the DIMM into the socket until the retaining clips snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated.
Chapter 3 Available DDR SDRAM Configurations Refer to the table below for available DDR SDRAM configurations on the mainboard. Slot Module Size Total DIMM 1 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB 64MB-1GB Maximum supported system memory...
ONNECTING THE OWER UPPLY The VIA EPIA-PE Mini-ITX mainboard supports a conventional ATX power supply for the power system. Before inserting the power supply connector, always make sure that all components are installed correctly to ensure that no damage will be caused.
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Chapter 3 ATX 20 Pin Power Connector Signal Signal +3.3V +3.3V +3.3V -12V Power Supply On Power Good +5V Standby +12V...
BIOS Setup ANEL ORTS The back panel has the following ports: Keyboard and Mouse The green 6-pin connector is for a PS/2 mouse. The purple connector is for a PS/2 keyboard. VGA Out The 15-pin female VGA connector can be used to connect to any analog VGA monitor.
Chapter 3 RJ45 10/100 LAN Connector The mainboard provides a standard RJ-45 port. This port allows connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub USB 2.0 Ports These four 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.
BIOS Setup ONNECTORS Hard Disk Connectors: IDE1 & IDE2 The two IDE connectors support Ultra DMA 66/100/133 modes. Both IDE connectors can connect a master and a slave drive. The IDE connectors can support up to four IDE devices. If two drives are connected to a single cable, the jumper on the second drive must be set to slave mode.
Chapter 3 Front Panel Connectors: F_PANEL The J3 pin header allows you to connect the power switch, reset switch, power LED, HDD LED and the case speaker. Signal Signal HDD LED+ Power LED+ HDD LED- Power Switch Power LED- Power Switch Reset Switch Reset Switch VT8235M...
BIOS Setup FIR Module Connector: FIR This pin header is used to connect to a Fast IrDA module. The BIOS settings must be configured to activate the IR function. Signal Description IRRX FIR/SIR Data Receive IRRX2 SIR Data Receive Ground IRTX FIR/SIR Data Transmit CLE266...
Chapter 3 KBMS/CIR Module Connector: KBMS This pin header is used to connect to a Consumer IrDA module. Signal Signal KB_CLK KB_DATA EKBCLK EKBDATA MS_CLK MS_DATA EMCLK EMDATA Keyboard and Mouse or CIR VT8235M CLE266 EBGA...
BIOS Setup USB Pin Connector: USB_5/6 The mainboard provides 1 front USB pin header connectors, allowing up to 2 additional USB 1.1 ports. Connect each 2-port USB cable into each pin headers. These ports can be used to connect USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, MP3 players, printers, modem, etc.
Chapter 3 Front Audio Connector: F_AUDIO This connector allows you to connect a front audio panel to the mainboard. Only the line-out and microphone functions are available for use on the front panel. To connect the front audio cable, first remove the two red plastic jumpers.
BIOS Setup LVDS Connector: LVDS (optional) This connector is for devices requiring access to the signals listed in the table below. The LVDS connector may not be available on your mainboard. This is an option that is added during the manufacturing process. If you would like a mainboard with the LVDS connector, please contact your vendor or sales contact for more information.
Chapter 3 Wake-on Modem: WOM The Wake-on Modem connector enables a modem with the Wake-on Modem feature to power up the system when a ring-in signal is received through the modem. Wake-on Modem VT8235M CLE266 EBGA...
BIOS Setup Wake-on LAN: WOL This connector allows you to connect a network card with the Wake-On LAN function. The connector will power up the system when a signal is received through the network card. Please note that the function of ACPI WOL may be disabled when users unplug the power cord or turn off the power button manually.
Chapter 3 COM Ports: COM2, COM3, COM4 This mainboard has three additional COM pinheaders for enabling additional serial devices to be attached directly to the mainboard or for adding additional serial ports. COM3 and COM4 pin headers have their own voltage select jumper that enables support between either 5V or 12V.
BIOS Setup Digital IO Connector: DIO This connector provides four GPI (General Purpose Input) and four GPO (General Purpose Output) pin headers for supporting both 5V and 12V Digital IO solutions. CLE266 VT8235M EBGA...
Chapter 3 UMPERS The mainboard provides jumpers for setting some mainboard functions. This section will explain how to change the settings of the mainboard functions using the jumpers. CLE266 VT8235M EBGA CLEAR_CMOS...
BIOS Setup Clear CMOS: CLEAR_CMOS This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) Keep RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, 1 2 3 time and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data.
Chapter 3 COM Voltage Select: J3, J4 This jumper changes the voltage for COM3 and COM4 respectively. Voltage options are 5V and 12V. Pins Voltage +12V...
BIOS Setup LOTS Peripheral Component Interconnect: PCI The PCI slot allows you to insert PCI expansion card. When adding or removing expansion card, first unplug the power supply. Read the documentation for the expansion card if any changes to the system are necessary.
Chapter 3 PCI Interrupt Request Routing The IRQ (interrupt request line) are hardware lines over which devices can send interrupt signals to the microprocessor. The “PCI & LAN” IRQ pins are typically connected to the PCI bus INT A# ~ INT D# pins as follows: Order 1 Order 2 Order 3...
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BIOS Setup This page is intentionally left blank.
BIOS Setup NTERING ETUP Power on the computer and press <Delete> during the beginning of the boot sequence to enter the BIOS setup menu. If you missed the BIOS setup entry point, you may restart the system and try again.
Chapter 3 ONTROL Keys Description Up Arrow Move to the previous item Down Arrow Move to the next item Left Arrow Move to the item in the left side Right Arrow Move to the item in the right side Enter Select the item Escape Jumps to the Exit menu or returns to the main menu...
BIOS Setup BIOS M AVIGATING THE ENUS The main menu displays all the BIOS setup categories. Use the control keys Up/Down arrow keys to select any item/sub-menu. Description of the selected/highlighted category is displayed at the bottom of the screen. An arrow symbol next to a field indicates that a sub-menu is available (see figure below).
Chapter 3 ETTING The BIOS setup program provides a “General Help” screen. You can display this screen from any menu/sub-menu by pressing <F1>. The help screen displays the keys for using and navigating the BIOS setup. Press <Esc> to exit the help screen.
BIOS Setup Standard CMOS Features Use this menu to set basic system configurations. Advanced BIOS Features Use this menu to set the advanced features available on your system. Advanced Chipset Features Use this menu to set chipset specific features and optimize system performance.
Chapter 3 PC Health Status This menu shows the PC health status. Frequency/Voltage Control Use this menu to set the system frequency and voltage control. Load Fail-Safe Defaults Use this menu option to load the BIOS default settings for minimal and stable system operations.
BIOS Setup CMOS F TANDARD EATURES Date The date format is [Day, Month Date Year] Time The time format is [Hour : Minute : Second] Halt On Sets the system’s response to specific boot errors. Below is a table that details the possible settings.
Chapter 3 IDE D RIVES The specifications of your drive must match with the drive table. The hard disk will not work properly if you enter incorrect information in this category. Select “Auto” whenever possible. If you select “Manual”, make sure the information is from your hard disk vendor or system manufacturer.
BIOS Setup BIOS F DVANCED EATURES Virus Warning Setting Description Enabled Turns on hard disk boot sector virus protection Disabled Turns off hard disk boot sector virus protection CPU L2 Cache ECC Checking Setting Description Enabled Enables ECC for L2 cache Disabled Disables ECC for L2 cache Processor Number Feature...
Chapter 3 Quick Power On Self-Test Shortens Power On Self-Test (POST) cycle to enable shorter boot up time. Setting Description Enabled Shorten Power On Self Test (POST) cycle and bootup time Disabled Standard Power On Self Test (POST) First/Second/Third Boot Device Set the boot device sequence as BIOS attempts to load the disk operating system.
BIOS Setup Boot Other Device Enables the system to boot from alternate devices if the system fails to boot from the “First/Second/Third Boot Device” list. Setting Description Enabled Enable alternate boot device Disabled No alternate boot device allowed Boot Up NumLock Status Set the NumLock status when the system is powered on.
Chapter 3 Security Option Selects whether the password is required every time the System boots, or only when you enter Setup. Setting Description Setup Password prompt appears only when end users try to run BIOS Setup System Password prompt appears every time when the computer is powered on and when end users try to run BIOS Setup Display Full Screen Logo Show full screen logo during BIOS boot up process.
BIOS Setup DVANCED HIPSET EATURES WARNING: The Advanced Chipset Features menu is used for optimizing the chipset functions. Do not change these settings unless you are familiar with the chipset. AGP Aperture Size This setting controls how much memory space can be allocated to AGP for video purposes.
Chapter 3 AGP Mode (External) This mainboard supports the AGP 4x interface. When the AGP 4x video card is used, it can transfer video data at 1066MB/s. AGP 4x is backward- compatible, leave the default 4x mode on if unsure. When set to 1x mode, the maximum transfer rate it at 266MB/s, and 2x mode transfers data at 533MB/s.
BIOS Setup CPU Direct Access FB Controls the CPU’s access to directly access the system memory reserved for graphics data. Settings: [Enabled, Disabled]...
Chapter 3 NTEGRATED ERIPHERALS Onboard IDE Channel 1/2 The integrated peripheral controller contains an IDE interface with support for two IDE channels. Choose Enabled to activate each channel separately. Settings: [Enabled, Disabled] IDE Prefetch Mode This allows your hard disk controller to use the fast block mode to transfer data to and from the hard disk drive.
BIOS Setup Frame Buffer Size This setting instructs the BIOS to reserve the specified amount of memory for the internal video controller. Settings: [16M, 32M, 64M] AC97 Audio Auto allows the mainboard to detect whether an audio device is used. If the device is detected, the onboard VIA AC'97 (Audio Codec'97) controller will be enabled;...
Chapter 3 IO D UPER EVICE Onboard Serial Port 1/2/3/4 Set the base I/O port address and IRQ for the onboard serial port A/serial port B. Selecting Auto allows BIOS to automatically determine the correct base I/O port address. Port Settings Disabled 3F8 IRQ4...
BIOS Setup Parallel Port Mode Set the parallel port mode. To operate the onboard parallel port as Standard Parallel Port, choose . To operate the onboard parallel port in the EPP mode, choose . By choosing , the onboard parallel port will operate in ECP mode.
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Chapter 3 Fast IR DMA Set this field to choose the DMA channel. This field is only available if Onboard Fast IR is enabled. Settings: [6, 5]...
BIOS Setup OWER ANAGEMENT ETUP ACPI Suspend Type Setting Description S1(POS) S1/Power On Suspend (POS) is a low power state. In this state, no system context (CPU or chipset) is lost and hardware maintains all system contexts. S3(STR) S3/Suspend To RAM (STR) is a power-down state. In this state, power is supplied only to essential components such as main memory and wakeup-capable devices.
Chapter 3 Power Management Timer Set the idle time before system enters power saving mode. ACPI OS such as Windows XP will override this option. Settings: [Disabled, 1/2/4/6/8/10/20/30/40 (minutes), 1 (hour)] Video Off Option Select whether or not to turn off the screen when system enters power saving mode, ACPI OS such as Windows XP will override this option.
BIOS Setup ERIPHERALS CTIVITIES VGA Event Enables the power management unit to monitor VGA activities. Settings: [Off, On] LPT & COM Event Decide whether or not the power management unit should monitor parallel port (LPT) and serial port (COM) activities. Settings: [None, LPT, COM, LPT / COM] HDD &...
Chapter 3 PS2KB Wakeup Select When select Password, please press Page Up or Page Down key to change Password, 8 characters maximum. Please note that PS2MS Wakeup from suspend and PS2KB Wakeup from suspend will be disabled while changing the passward. Settings: [Hot key, Password] PS2 Mouse Wakeup from S3/S4/S5 Enables any mouse activity to restore the system from the power saving...
BIOS Setup Wake On Lan/Ring Connector Decide whether or not any Ring-In signals from the modem can wake up the system or resume from suspend state. Settings: [Disabled, Enabled] RTC Alarm Resume Sets a scheduled time and/or date to automatically power on the system. Settings: [Disabled, Enabled] Date (of Month) The field specifies the date for “RTC Alarm Resume”.
Chapter 3 CTIVITIES Primary INTR Restores the system to an active state if IRQ activity is detected from any of the enabled channels Settings: [Off, On] IRQ3~IRQ15 Enables or disables the monitoring of the specified IRQ line. These fields are only available if “Primary INTR” is on. Settings: [Enabled, Disabled] NOTE: IRQ (Interrupt Request) lines are system resources allocated to I/O devices.
BIOS Setup PNP/PCI C ONFIGURATIONS NOTE: This section covers some very technical items and it is strongly recommended to leave the default settings as is unless you are an experienced user. PNP OS Installed Setting Description BIOS will only initialize the PnP cards used for booting (VGA, IDE, SCSI).
Chapter 3 Resource Controlled By Enables the BIOS to automatically configure all the Plug-and-Play compatible devices. Setting Description Auto(ESCD) BIOS will automatically assign IRQ, DMA and memory base address fields Manual Unlocks “IRQ Resources” for manual configuration Assign IRQ For VGA/USB Assign IRQ for VGA and USB devices.
BIOS Setup IRQ R ESOURCES NOTE: The items are adjustable only when “Resources Controlled By” is set to “Manual.” IRQ Resources list IRQ 3/4/5/7/9/10/11/12/14/15 for users to set each IRQ a type depending on the type of device using the IRQ. Setting Description PCI Device...
Chapter 3 PC H EALTH TATUS The PC Health Status displays the current status of all of the monitored hardware devices/components such as CPU voltages, temperatures and fan speeds.
BIOS Setup REQUENCY OLTAGE ONTROL DRAM Clock The chipset supports synchronous and asynchronous mode between host clock and DRAM clock frequency. Settings: 66 MHz, 100 MHz, 133 MHz, By SPD DRAM Timing The value in this field depends on the memory modules installed in your system.
Chapter 3 DRAM CAS Latency This item adjusts the speed it takes for the memory module to complete a command. Generally, a lower setting will improve the performance of your system. However, if your system becomes less stable, you should change it to a higher setting.
BIOS Setup DRAM Burst Len This field sets the length of time for one burst of data during a read/write transaction. Longer settings equals better memory performance. Settings: [4, 8] DRAM Voltage This field sets the voltage for the memory module. Settings: [2.7V, 2.6V, 2.5V, Default] CPU Ratio Settings: [Default, x3, x3.5, x4, x4.5, x5, x5.5, x6, x6.5, x7, x7.5, x8, x8.5,...
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Chapter 3 EFAULTS This option is for restoring all the default fail-safe BIOS settings. These values are set by the mainboard manufacturer to provide a stable system with basic performance. Entering “Y” loads the default fail-safe BIOS values.
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BIOS Setup PTIMIZED EFAULTS This option is for restoring all the default optimized BIOS settings. default optimized values are set by the mainboard manufacturer to provide a stable system with optimized performance. Entering “Y” loads the default optimized BIOS values.
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Chapter 3 UPERVISOR ASSWORD This option is for setting a password for entering BIOS Setup. When a password has been set, a password prompt will be displayed whenever BIOS Setup is run. This prevents an unauthorized person from changing any part of your system configuration.
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BIOS Setup Additionally, when a password is enabled, the BIOS can be set to request the password each time the system is booted. This would prevent unauthorized use of the system. See “Security Option” in the “Advanced BIOS Features” section for more details.
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Chapter 3 & E ETUP Entering “Y” saves any changes made and exits the program. Entering “N” will cancel the exit request.
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BIOS Setup ITHOUT AVING Entering “Y” discards any changes made and exits the program. Entering “N” will cancel the exit request.
HAPTER Driver Installation This chapter gives you brief descriptions of each mainboard driver and application. You must install the VIA chipset drivers first before installing other drivers such as audio or VGA drivers. applications will only function correctly if the necessary drivers are already installed.
Driver Installation RIVER TILITIES Getting Started The mainboard includes a Driver Utilities CD that contains the driver utilities and software for enhancing the performance of the mainboard. If the CD is missing from the retail box, please contact the local dealer for the CD. Note: The driver utilities and software are updated from time to time.
Chapter 4 Running the Driver Utilities CD To start using the CD, insert the CD into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. The CD should run automatically after closing the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. The driver utilities and software menu screen should then appear on the screen.
VIA Audio Driver: Enhances the onboard VIA audio chip. VIA USB 2.0 Driver: Enhances VIA USB 2.0 ports. VIA LAN Driver: Enhances the onboard VIA LAN chip. VIA FIR Driver: Support for FIR. Note: The EPIA-PE is packaged with the same driver installation CD as the EPIA-PD.
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