Explorer User Guide Motherboard A7N8X-LA
Hardware information
Exxxx A7N8X-LA/Explorer specifications summary CPU Socket A for AMD Duron™/Athlon™/Barton 2800+ 266/333 MHz FSB Support Chipset Northbridge: NVIDIA® nForce2 IGP Southbridge: NVIDIA® MCP2-T Front Side Bus (FSB) 333/266Mhz Memory 2 x 184-pin DDR DIMM Sockets Max. 2 GB unbuffered PC2700/2100 non-ECC DDR RAM memory. Expansion slots 3 x PCI 1 x AGP 4X/8X (1.
A7N8X-LA/Explorer specifications summary BIOS features 4Mb Flash ROM, Award BIOS, TCAV, PnP, DMI2.0, DMI, Green Industry standard PCI 2.2, USB 1.1/2.0. Manageability DMI 2.0, WOL, WOR, Chassis Intrusion, SM Bus Form Factor Micro-ATX form factor: 9.6 in x 9.6 in * Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Motherboard layout 24.5cm (9.64in) PS/2 T: Mouse B: Keyboard Socket 462 CPU_FAN1 Top: USB1 RJ-45 USB2 Top:Line In Center:Line Out Below:Mic In nVidia TV_OUT nForce2 IGP Chipset 4 5 FLOPPY1 0 1 IDE2 IDE1 Bottom: ATX Power Connector USB1 1394 USB2 24.5cm (9.
System memory The motherboard has two Double Data Rate (DDR) DIMM sockets that supports up to 2GB non-ECC PC2700/2100 DDR.. 104 Pins A7N8X-LA 80 Pins A7N8X-LA 184-Pin DDR DIMM Sockets 1. Make sure the memory frequency and bus frequency setting in the BIOS are the same or set to [Auto] ensure system stability. 2. A DDR DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it fits in only one direction. DO NOT force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM. Installing a DIMM 1.
Standard Interrupt Assignments IRQ 0 1 2 3* 4* 5* 6 7* 8 9* 10* 11* 12* 13 14* 15* * Priority 1 2 N/A 11 12 13 14 15 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Standard Function System Timer Keyboard Controller Programmable Interrupt Communications Port (COM2) Communications Port (COM1) Sound Card (sometimes LPT2) Floppy Disk Controller Printer Port (LPT1) System CMOS/Real Time Clock ACPI Mode when used IRQ Holder for PCI Steering IRQ Holder for PCI Steering PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port Numeric Data Processor Primary IDE Channel Se
PCI slots There are three 32-bit PCI slots on this motherboard. The slots support PCI cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI specifications. The following figure shows a LAN card installed on a PCI slot. AGP slot This motherboard has an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot that supports +1.5V AGP cards. When you buy an AGP card, make sure that you ask for one with +1.5V specification.
Jumpers 1. Clear RTC RAM ( 2-pin CLRTC1) This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The RAM data in CMOS, that include system setup information such as system passwords, is powered by the onboard button cell battery. To erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Short the two pads to clear CMOS. 3. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer.
2. Clear Password ( 2-pin J11) This jumper allows you to clear the password in CMOS. Set to pins (2-3) to clear the password and set to pins (1-2) for default normal setting.
Connectors This section describes and illustrates the internal connectors on the motherboard. Always connect ribbon cables with the red stripe to Pin 1 on the connectors. Pin 1 is usually on the side closest to the power connector on hard drives and CD-ROM drives, but may be on the opposite side on floppy disk drives. 1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY1) This connector supports the provided floppy drive ribbon cable.
2. IDE connectors (40-1 pin IDE1, IDE2) This connector supports the provided UltraDMA/133/100/66 IDE hard disk ribbon cable. Connect the cable’s blue connector to the primary (recommended) or secondary IDE connector, then connect the gray connector to the UltraDMA/133/100/66 slave device (hard disk drive) and the black connector to the UltraDMA/100/66 master device. It is recommended that you connect non-UltraDMA/133/100/66 devices to the secondary IDE connector.
3. ATX power connectors (20-pin ATXPWR1) These connectors connect to an ATX 12V power supply. The plugs from the power supply are designed to fit these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the connectors completely fit. Make sure that your ATX 12V power supply can provide 8A on the +12V lead and at least 1A on the +5-volt standby lead (+5VSB). The minimum recommended wattage is 230W, or 300W for a fully configured system.
4. CPU and Chassis Fan Connectors (3-pin CPU_FAN1, CHA_FAN1) The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA~740mA (8.88W max.) or a total of 1A~2.22A (26.64W max.) at +12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Lack of sufficient air flow within the system may damage the motherboard components.
6. USB header (10-1 pin USB56) If the USB ports on the rear panel are inadequate, a USB header is available for additional USB ports. The USB header complies with USB 2.0 specification that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed. This speed advantage over the conventional 12 Mbps on USB 1.1 allows faster Internet connection, interactive gaming, and simultaneous running of high-speed peripherals. If your package came with a USB 2.0/GAME module, connect the USB cable to this header.
7. IEEE 1394 connectors (10-1 pin IEEE1394_1) This connector is for a 10-to-6-pin 1394 serial connector cable that connect to a 1394 module. Attach the 10-1 pin cable plug to this connector, and the 6-pin cable plug to the 1394 module. You may also connect a 1394-compliant internal hard disk to this connector. A7N8X-LA 1 A7N8X-LA IEEE-1394 Connectors TPA0+ GND TPB0+ +12V TPA0GND TPB0+12V GND IEEE1394_1 NEVER connect a USB cable to any of the IEEE 1394 connectors.
9. HP Speaker connector (3-pin HPSPK1) The HPSPK1 connector allows the onboard audio to interface with a voice modem card with a similar connector. It also allows the sharing of mono_in (such as a phone) and a mono_out (such as a speaker) between the audio and a voice modem card. A7N8X-LA HP Speaker Connector HPSPK1 HPO_L AGND_A SPO_R A7N8X-LA 10. Front Microphone connector (3-pin FP_MIC1) The front panel microphone connector supports the case-mounted front panel microphone jack.
11. TV-out connector (6-1 pin TV_OUT) This connector is for an optional TV-out module that allows you to connect output to a television set.
12. System panel connector (8-pin HPANEL) This connector accommodates several system front panel functions. ATX Power Switch* PLED+ PLEDPWR GND Power LED A7N8X-LA HDLED+ HDLEDGround Reset HPANEL HDLED Reset SW A7N8X-LA Front Panel Audio Connector • System Power LED Lead (3-1 pin PLED) This 3-1 pin connector connects to the system power LED. The LED lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode.
