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The documentation and the software included with this product are copyrighted 2014 by Advantech Co., Ltd. All rights are reserved. Advantech Co., Ltd. reserves the right to make improvements in the products described in this manual at any time without notice.
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Whether your new Advantech equipment is destined for the labo- ratory or the factory floor, you can be assured that your product will provide the reliability and ease of operation for which the name Advantech has come to be known.
Because of Advantech’s high quality-control standards and rigorous testing, most of our customers never need to use our repair service. If an Advantech product is defec- tive, it will be repaired or replaced at no charge during the warranty period. For out- of-warranty repairs, you will be billed according to the cost of replacement materials, service time and freight.
It should be free of marks and scratches and in perfect working order upon receipt. As you unpack the AIMB-281, check it for signs of ship- ping damage. (For example, damaged box, scratches, dents, etc.) If it is damaged or it fails to meet the specifications, notify our service department or your local sales representative immediately.
Board layout: Jumper and Connector Locations ........5 Figure 1.1 Jumper and Connector Location ........ 5 Figure 1.2 I/O Connectors ............5 AIMB-281 Board Diagram ................. 6 Figure 1.3 AIMB-281 Block Diagram ........... 6 Safety Precautions ..................7 Jumper Settings ..................7 1.8.1 How to Set Jumpers..............
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Introduction ..................... 62 Windows XP/Windows 7 Driver Setup ............ 63 Chapter VGA Setup ......... 65 Introduction ..................... 66 Windows 7/XP..................66 Chapter LAN Configuration ......67 Introduction ..................... 68 Installation....................68 Windows® 7/XP Driver Setup (Realtek RTL8111E-VL)......68 AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Appendix A Programming the Watchdog Timer..69 Programming the Watchdog Timer ............70 A.1.1 Watchdog Timer Overview............70 A.1.2 Programming the Watchdog Timer ..........70 Table A.1: Watchdog Timer Registers ........72 A.1.3 Example Program ............... 73 xiii AIMB-281 User Manual...
PS/2 keyboard and mouse. USB port: Supports up to 8 USB 2.0 ports with transmission rates up to 480 Mbps. GPIO: AIMB-281 supports 8-bit GPIO from super I/O for general purpose con- trol application. 1.3.4 Graphics ...
Jumpers and Connectors Connectors on the AIMB-281 motherboard link it to devices such as hard disk drives and a keyboard. In addition, the board has a number of jumpers used to configure your system for your application. The tables below list the function of each of the board jumpers and connectors. Later sections in this chapter give instructions on setting jumpers.
1, 2, and 3. In this case you connect either pins 1 and 2, or 2 and 3. A pair of needle-nose pliers may be useful when set- ting jumpers. AIMB-281 User Manual...
Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re- enter data. Note! Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC jumper default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot fail- ure! Normal (Default) Clear CMOS AIMB-281 User Manual...
For system failure due to overclocking, use the C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall) feature. Shut down and reboot the system so the BIOS can automatically reset parameter settings to default values. 1.8.3 LVDS Back Light Power Selection +3.3V AIMB-281 User Manual...
ATX MODE (Default) AT MODE System Memory AIMB-281 has two 204-pin memory sockets for 1066/1333/1600 MHz memory mod- ules with maximum capacity of 16GB (Maximum 8GB for each DIMM). AIMB-281 supports only non-ECC DDR3 memory modules. 1.10 Memory Installation Procedures To install DIMMs, first make sure the two handles of the DIMM socket are in the “open”...
1.11 Cache Memory The AIMB-281 supports a CPU with one of the following built-in full speed L3 caches: 8 MB for Intel Core i7-3770 6 MB for Intel Core i5-3550 3 MB for Intel Core i3-3220 8 MB for Intel Core i7-2600...
USB Ports The AIMB-281 provides up to 8 USB ports. The USB interface complies with USB Specification Rev 2.0 supporting transmission rates up to 480 Mbps. The USB inter- face can be disabled in the system BIOS setup.
USB+ VGA/DVI-D Connector AIMB-281 includes VGA and DVI interfaces that can drive conventional VGA and DVI displays. VGA is a standard 15-pin D-SUB connector commonly used for VGA. Pin assignments for VGA and DVI connectors are detailed in Appendix B.
DTR# Serial Ports (COM12 ~ COM56) AIMB-281 supports six serial ports. COM34. COM56 supports RS-232. COM12 sup- ports RS-232/422/485 (supports RS-485 auto flow control). JSETCOM3 & These ports can connect to serial devices, such as a mouse or a printer, or to a com- munications network.
One 6-pin mini-DIN connector on the motherboard provide connection to a PS/2 key- board or a PS/2 mouse, respectively. CPU Fan Connector (CPU_FAN1) If a fan is used, this connector supports cooling fans of 500 mA (6 W) or less. AIMB-281 User Manual...
Table 2.3: VGA/DVI-D Connector Pin Name +12V Tach System FAN Connector (SYS_FAN1) If a fan is used, this connector supports cooling fans of 500 mA (6 W) or less. Table 2.4: VGA/DVI-D Connector Pin Name SYSFAN1_VCC(PWM) SYSFAN1_IO AIMB-281 User Manual...
Hard Disk Drive Activity LED (Pin 1-3 HDLED) This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD Activity LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or flashes when data is read from or written to the HDD. AIMB-281 User Manual...
2.10 Serial ATA Interface (SATA1 ~ SATA3) AIMB-281 features a high performance Serial ATA interface (up to 300 MB/s) which eases hard drive cabling with thin, space-saving cables. AIMB-281 User Manual...
(PSU) that complies with ATX 12 V Specification 2.0 (or later version) and provides a minimum power of 180 W. Table 2.7: ATX Power Connector (EATXPWR1, ATX12V1) Signal Signal +3.3V +3.3V Ground Ground Ground PWRGD (Power Good) +5V (Standby) +12V +12V +3.3V +3.3V +12V AIMB-281 User Manual...
OC-192 (10 Gb/s) and beyond, enabling them to dramatically increase system performance. Table 2.8: ATX Power Connector (EATXPWR1, ATX12V1) Signal Signal SP1_CS# SPI_CLK SPI_MISO SPI_MOSI SPI_HOLD# AIMB-281 User Manual...
BIOS Setup The AIMB-281 Series system has AMI BIOS built in, with a CMOS SETUP utility that allows users to configure required settings or to activate certain system features. The CMOS SETUP saves the configuration in the CMOS RAM of the motherboard.
System Date using the <Arrow> keys. Enter new values through the keyboard. Press the <Tab> key or the <Arrow> keys to move between fields. The date must be entered in MM/DD/YY format. The time must be entered in HH:MM:SS format. AIMB-281 User Manual...
3.3.1 Advanced BIOS Features Select the Advanced tab from the AIMB-281 setup screen to enter the Advanced BIOS Setup screen. You can select any of the items in the left frame of the screen, such as CPU Configuration, to go to the sub menu for that item. You can display an Advanced BIOS Setup option by highlighting it using the <Arrow>...
3.3.2 PCI Express Settings Link Training Retry To adjust the retry times when PCIE Link failure Link Training Timeout To set up timeout for link training AIMB-281 User Manual...
This item allows users to enable or disable Hibernation. ACPI Sleep State This item allows users to set the ACPI sleep state Lock Legacy Resources This item allows users to lock legacy devices’ resources. S3 Video Repost Enable or disable video repost. AIMB-281 User Manual...
3.3.4 Trusted Computing Security Device Support Enable or disable BIOS support for security device. 3.3.5 S5 RTC wake Settings Wake system with fixed time Enable or disable system wake on alarm event. AIMB-281 User Manual...
3.3.6 SATA Configuration SATA Controllers To enable or disable SATA controller. SATA Mode Selection This can be configured as IDE or AHCI mode. 3.3.7 Intel Trusted Execution Technology Configuration AIMB-281 User Manual...
EHCI Hand-off This is just a workaround item under OS without EHCI hand-off support. USB hardware delays and time-outs To set up parameter for detect USB device. Mass Storage Devices Shows USB mass storage device information. AIMB-281 User Manual...
3.3.9 Super IO Configuration Serial Port 1 Configuration Serial Port To “enable” or “disable” Serial Port 1. Change Settings To select the IO address/IRQ setting for serial port 1. AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Serial Port 2 Configuration Serial Port To “enable” or “disable” Serial Port 2. Change Settings To select the IO address/IRQ setting for serial port 2. Parallel Port Configuration Parallel Port To enable or disable Parallel Port. AIMB-281 User Manual...
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To “enable” or “disable” Serial Port 3. Change Settings To select the IO address/IRQ setting for serial port 3. Auto flow control When the COM is to set as RS-485, it supports auto flow control function. AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Serial Port 4 Configuration Serial Port To “enable” or “disable” Serial Port 4. Change Settings To select the IO address/IRQ setting for serial port 4. AIMB-281 User Manual...
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To select the IO address/IRQ setting for serial port 5. Serial Port 6 Configuration Serial Port To “enable” or “disable” Serial Port 6. Change Settings To select the IO address/IRQ setting for serial port 6. AIMB-281 User Manual...
3.3.10 Smart Fan Configuration CPU Smart Fan To enable or disable CPU smart fan. System Smart Fan To enable or disable System Smart Fan. AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Use this to set the CPU warning temperature threshold. When the system CPU reaches the warning temperature, the buzzer will beep. ACPI Shutdown Temperature This screen allows users to set the CPU temperature at which the system will automatically shut down to prevent the CPU from overheating damage. AIMB-281 User Manual...
Users can display a Chipset Setup option by highlighting it using the <Arrow> keys. All Chipset Setup options are described in this section. The Chipset Setup screens are shown below. The sub menus are described on the following pages. AIMB-281 User Manual...
3.4.1 PCH-IO Configuration PCI Express Configuration Detail of PCI Express items. USB Configuration Details of USB items. PCH Azalia Configuration Details of PCH azalia items. AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Restore AC Power Loss This item allows users to select off, on and last state. 3.4.1.1 PCI Express Configuration PCI Express Clock Gating Enable or disable PCI express clock gating. Subtractive Decode Enable or disable Subtractive decode. AIMB-281 User Manual...
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3.4.1.2 PCI Express Root Port 1/2/3 AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Enable or disable Root PCI Express System Error on Correctable Error. PME SCI Enable or disable PCI Express PME SCI. Hot Plug Enable or disable PCI Express Hot Plug. PCIe Speed Select PCI Express port speed. Extra Bus Reserved AIMB-281 User Manual...
Reserved I/O (4K/8K/12K/16K/20K) Range for this Root Bridge 3.4.2 USB Configuration EHCI 1/2 Enables or disables the EHCI controller. USB Ports pre-port Disable Control This item allows users to enable or disable each USB port individually. AIMB-281 User Manual...
3.4.3 PCH Azalia Configuration Azalia This item allows user to enable or disable azalea device. 3.4.4 System agent Configuration AIMB-281 User Manual...
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This item allows users to select DVMT pre-allocated memory size. DVMT Total Gfx Mem This item allows users to select DVMT total memory size. LCD Control This item allows users to setup Display Control configuration. AIMB-281 User Manual...
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This items allow users to select the video device which will be activated during post. The available options are VBIOS Default, VGA, LVDS, DVI. SDVO-LFP Panel Type: 1024 x 768 18-bit 1024 x 768 24-bit 1280 x 1024 48-bit 1366 x 768 24-bit AIMB-281 User Manual...
PEG0 ASPM=> Enable/Disable PEG0 ASPM function. (ASPM: Active State Power Management) Enable PEG This item allows users to enable or disable PEG always. Detect Non-Compliance Device This item allows users to enable or disable Detect Non-Compliance Device function. AIMB-281 User Manual...
3.4.6 Memory Information Memory Frequency Limiter Select memory frequency limiter for auto, 1067, 1333, 1600. Boot Configuration AIMB-281 User Manual...
Set the system boot order. Security Setting Select Security Setup from the AIMB-281 Setup main BIOS setup menu. All Security Setup options, such as password protection and virus protection are described in this section. To access the sub menu for the following items, select the item and press<Enter>: Change Administrator / User Password.
Defaults if the user's computer is experiencing system configuration problems. Select Restore Defaults from the Exit menu and press <Enter>. Save as User Default Save the all current settings as a user default. Restore User Default AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Restore all settings to user default values. Boot Override Shows the boot device types on the system. AIMB-281 User Manual...
To facilitate the installation of the enhanced display drivers and utility software, read the instructions in this chapter carefully. The drivers for AIMB-281 are located on the software installation CD. The driver in the folder of the driver CD will guide and link you to the utilities and drivers under a Windows system.
Windows XP/Windows 7 Driver Setup Insert the driver CD into your system's CD-ROM drive. You can see the driver folder items. Navigate to the "Intel chip" folder and click "Setup.exe" to complete the installation of the driver. AIMB-281 User Manual...
See Chapter 5 for information on installing the CSI util- ity. Insert the driver CD into your system's CD-ROM drive. Navigate to the "Intel Graph- ics" folder and click "setup.exe" to complete the installation of the drivers for Win- dows 7 and Windows XP. AIMB-281 User Manual...
Introduction The AIMB-281 has dual Gigabit Ethernet LANs via dedicated PCI Express x1 lanes (Realtek RTL8111E-VL (LAN1) and Realtek RTL8111E-VL (LAN2)) that offer band- width of up to 500 MB/sec, eliminating the bottleneck of network data flow and incor- porating Gigabit Ethernet at 1000 Mbps.
Programming the Watchdog Timer AIMB-281's watchdog timer can be used to monitor system software operation and take corrective action if the software fails to function within the programmed period. This section describes the operation of the watchdog timer and how to program it.
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Unlock NCT6776F Select register of watchdog timer Enable the function of the watchdog timer Use the function of the watchdog timer Lock NCT6776F AIMB-281 User Manual...
Bit 5: Write 1 to generate a timeout signal immedi- ately and automatically return to 0. [default=0] Bit 4: Read status of watchdog timer, 1 means timer is “timeout”. Write this address to I/O port 2E (hex) to lock the AA (hex) ----- watchdog timer 2. AIMB-281 User Manual...
Inc dx Mov al,10 Out dx,al ;----------------------------------------------------------- Dec dx ; Lock NCT6776F Mov al,0aah Out dx,al Enable watchdog timer and set 5 minutes as timeout interval ;----------------------------------------------------------- Mov dx,2eh ; Unlock NCT6776F Mov al,87h Out dx,al Out dx,al AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Enable watchdog timer to be reset by mouse ;----------------------------------------------------------- Mov dx,2eh ; Unlock NCT6776F Mov al,87h Out dx,al Out dx,al ;----------------------------------------------------------- Mov al,07h ; Select registers of watchdog timer Out dx,al Inc dx Mov al,08h Out dx,al ;----------------------------------------------------------- AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Dec dx ; Enable the function of watchdog timer Mov al,30h Out dx,al Inc dx Mov al,01h Out dx,al ;----------------------------------------------------------- Dec dx ; Enable watchdog timer to be strobed reset by keyboard Mov al,0f7h Out dx,al Inc dx In al,dx Or al,40h Out dx,al AIMB-281 User Manual...
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Dec dx ; Generate a time-out signal Mov al,0f7h Out dx,al ;Write 1 to bit 5 of F7 register Inc dx In al,dx Or al,20h Out dx,al ;----------------------------------------------------------- Dec dx ; Lock NCT6776F Mov al,0aah Out dx,al AIMB-281 User Manual...