ADLINK NuPRO-935A Industrial Single Board Computer: Complete Manual for On site Hardware Debugging and System Maintenance

In the fields of industrial automation, machine vision, and data acquisition, PICMG 1.0 specification single board computers (SBC) have always been the preferred core control platform due to their standardized interfaces and long lifecycle. ADLINK NuPRO-935A as an Intel based ®  Q35/ICH9 chipset, supporting LGA775 Core ™ The Full Size SBC with 2 Quad/Duo processors plays an indispensable role in many critical production lines with its dual gigabit Ethernet ports, SATA II, TPM security chip, and ISA bus expansion capabilities. However, vibrations, dust, temperature changes, and long-term uninterrupted operation in industrial sites can all cause hardware failures or system abnormalities. This article is based on the official user manual and combines practical experience to provide you with a system level NuPRO-935A debugging, configuration, and troubleshooting guide to ensure that your device is always in optimal working condition.

Chapter 1: Open box inspection and anti-static operation specifications

The first step in troubleshooting any hardware malfunction begins with proper installation and protection. As a precision electronic device, NuPRO-935A is extremely sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). The manual clearly states:

“The NuPRO-935A must be protected from static discharge and physical shock. Never remove any of the socketed parts except at a static-free workstation. Use the anti-static bag shipped with the product to handle the board. Wear a grounded wrist strap when installing and/or servicing.”

Operation points:

The board must be disassembled and assembled on the anti-static workbench, and a grounding wristband must be worn.

When taking the board, only touch the edges and avoid touching the gold fingers or component pins.

Check packaging contents: In addition to the card body, it should include SATA cables, USB/COM/parallel port expansion board, driver CD, and user manual. Attention: For versions with order numbers ending in "xx40", Mini DIN PS/2 keyboard and mouse cables and IDE/FDD cables are no longer included and need to be purchased separately.

Chapter 2: Core Component Installation - CPU, Heat Sink, and Memory

2.1 Key points for LGA775 CPU installation

NuPRO-935A supports Intel Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Duo, and Celeron processors, with a maximum front-end bus of 1333 MHz. When installing the CPU, be sure to follow the following steps:

Release the load rod, uncover the load plate, and remove the protective cover.

Align the golden triangle mark of the CPU with the bottom left corner of the Socket 775 base, place it vertically, and do not press hard to prevent the needle from bending.

Close the load plate and fasten the load rod.

Warning: Before installing the CPU, all power must be disconnected and avoid touching the socket contacts, otherwise it may cause the product warranty to expire.

2.2 "Hard indicators" for radiator selection and installation

The manual emphasizes that the NuPRO-935A must operate under conditions where the internal ambient temperature of the chassis does not exceed 60 ° C, and must be equipped with an active heat sink specifically designed for LGA775. The official recommends three cooling solutions (part numbers 32-20065/66/58, etc.), which feature copper or aluminum extrusion technology and are equipped with high-speed fans (up to 6800 RPM).

Key installation precautions:

Captive screws heat sinks must be used, and push pin heat sinks are strictly prohibited as excessive tension may cause PCB bending and circuit breakage.

Before installing the radiator, if the pre coated thermal grease is insufficient, a thin layer should be evenly applied.

When tightening screws, gradually tighten the corners to prevent uneven force on the CPU.

The fan power cord must be connected to the onboard FAN2 (CPU fan) interface to support speed monitoring and temperature control speed regulation.

Important reminder: After installing the radiator, when taking out the board, it is necessary to support the edge with both hands to fully support the weight of the radiator and avoid deformation caused by the board hanging in the air.

2.3 DDR2 Memory Installation and Dual Channel Configuration

NuPRO-935A provides two 240 pin DIMM slots, supporting DDR2 667/800 MHz with a maximum capacity of 4GB. To achieve dual channel mode, DIMM1 (Channel A) and DIMM2 (Channel B) must be equipped with memory modules of the same capacity. It is recommended to use modules of the same brand, model, and CL latency.

When installing the memory, first open the white buckles at both ends of the slot outward, align the memory gap (foolproof design), and insert vertically with force until the buckles automatically lock. If encountering resistance, do not force it, aim again and try again.

Chapter 3: Jumper Configuration and Serial Port Mode Switching

The COM1 port of NuPRO-935A supports multiple modes such as RS-232/422/485/485, and can be flexibly configured through four onboard jump caps (JP1~JP4). This is a common requirement for industrial sites to interface with different serial devices such as PLCs, smart meters, and frequency converters.

According to the manual definition, the short-circuit combination is as follows:

RS-232 (default): JP1 (1-3, 2-4), JP2 (1-3, 2-4), JP3 (1-2), JP4 (1-3, 2-4)

RS-422：JP1(3-5,4-6), JP2(3-5,4-6), JP3(3-4), JP4(1-3,2-4)

RS-485 (two-wire half duplex): JP1 (3-5, 4-6), JP2 (3-5, 4-6), JP3 (5-6), JP4 (3-5, 4-6)

RS-485+(with automatic direction control): Similar to RS-485, but with a different JP4 connection, please refer to the manual table for details.

In addition, JP5 is used to clear CMOS - when BIOS settings are incorrect and cannot start, move the jump cap from 1-2 (Normal) to 2-3 (Clear CMOS), power on for a few seconds, and then move it back to restore factory settings.

Chapter 4: Power Connection and System Panel Wiring

NuPRO-935A requires a stable+12V power supply. In addition to the standard ATX 20/24 pin main power supply, it must be connected to CN7 (ATX 12V 4-pin power interface), otherwise the CPU will not be able to obtain sufficient current, resulting in the system being unable to start or restarting frequently.

The system panel connector (CN1) integrates power indicator light, hard disk indicator light, reset button, power switch, and buzzer signal. Special attention:

Short circuit control of ATX PSON (pin 8) and GND (pin 6) for soft on/off.

Connect the power button (pins 19-20) to the computer case's power button.

If using ATX power supply, it is necessary to ensure that the ATX power pack (pins 6-10) in CN1 is connected correctly, otherwise pressing the switch will not power on.

Chapter 5: BIOS Deep Configuration - From Startup Optimization to Remote Management

NuPRO-935A uses AMI BIOS (version 8), press the "Del" key to enter the settings interface when booting up. The following are several key configuration items that directly affect system stability and functionality.

5.1 IDE/SATA working mode

In "Advanced" → "IDE Configuration", SATA Configuration can be selected as "Disabled", "Compatible", or "Enhanced".

Compatible mode: maps SATA to a traditional IDE channel, suitable for installing older operating systems (such as Windows XP) without the need for AHCI drivers.

Enhanced mode: Fully utilize SATA II (3Gbps) performance, recommended for Windows 7 and above systems.

If the system mounts multiple IDE devices, the PIO/UDMA mode can be manually set in "Primary/Secondary IDE Master/Slave".

5.2 Remote Access and Serial Port redirection

For unmanned or remote debugging scenarios, BIOS provides "Remote Access Configuration":

Enable 'Remote Access' and select COM1 or COM2 as the redirect port.

Set baud rate (optional 115200, 57600, etc.), flow control (Non/Hardware/Software), and terminal type (ANSI/VT100).

The redirection after BIOS POST can be set to "Always" to capture POST error messages throughout the process and send them to the remote terminal through the serial port.

Note: If the serial port address is changed in Super IO Configuration, the Remote Access option will only be updated after saving and restarting.

5.3 Power Management and ACPI Settings

In "Chipset" → "Advanced Chipset Settings":

Restore on AC Power Loss: Set the behavior after mains power is restored - "Power On" automatically turns on, "Last State" restores the state before power failure, and "Power Off" remains turned off.

Power Button Mode: can be set to "On/Off" (immediately shut down) or "Suspend" (short press to suspend, long press for 4 seconds to shut down).

5.4 Onboard Gigabit Ethernet card PXE boot

If network startup is required, set GbE LAN Boot to "Enabled" in the "South Bridge Configuration" and prioritize "LAN" in the Boot Device Priority.

Chapter 6: Driver Installation Sequence and Special Precautions

The driver for NuPRO-935A is located in the accompanying ADLINK All in One DVD, and the installation sequence strictly follows: chipset driver → display driver → network card driver → ISA driver (if using an ISA card) → TPM driver → audio driver.

ISA driver (ITE8888 bridge): As Windows does not automatically recognize this PCI to ISA bridge device, the driver needs to be manually updated

Open Device Manager and find 'Other PCI Bridge Devices'.

Right click and select 'Update Driver', manually specify the path to the NuPRO NuPRO-935A ISA folder on the DVD.

After installation, the ISA bus device can only work normally (note: this bridge does not support DMA, only PIO).

TPM driver: Only NuPRO-935A/DV models are equipped with Infineon SLB 9635 TPM 1.2 chip. After enabling "Trusted Computing" in BIOS, install the corresponding driver to achieve hardware encryption.

Audio driver: DB-Audio2 daughter card can be optionally selected. The "HDA Controller" (South Bridge Configuration) needs to be enabled in the BIOS before installing the audio driver.

Chapter 7: Watchdog Timer - The Key to System Self healing

The NuPRO-935A is equipped with a programmable watchdog based on the IT8718 Super I/O chip, which supports timeout of 1-255 seconds or 1-255 minutes, and will generate a system reset after timeout. The appendix of the manual provides complete C language example code, and the core process is as follows:

Enter configuration mode: Write 0x87 twice to port 0x2E (or 0x4E) and enter the IT8718 logical device configuration space.

Select logical device: Write to the 0x07 register to select the device number (usually 0x08).

Enable watchdog: Set the timer unit (seconds/minute) and count value.

Refresh (feed dog): Periodically write new values to the count register to prevent timeout.

Exit configuration mode: Write 0xAA to exit.

Practical suggestion: Create an independent dog feeding thread in the application to ensure timely system reset when the main loop freezes. To disable the watchdog, simply write the count value of 0.

Chapter 8: System Resource Troubleshooting - Interrupt Conflict and Memory Mapping

When peripherals such as ISA cards and serial port cards fail to function properly, it often involves IRQ or I/O address conflicts. Appendix B of the manual provides a detailed list of:

System memory mapping: including 640KB regular memory, 128KB video buffer, and high-end areas for BIOS/PCI expansion ROM (such as C0000-C7FFF for onboard VGA BIOS, CB800-C7FFF for Intel network card PXE ROM).

DMA channel: Traditional ISA devices may occupy DMA, but the IT8888 bridge does not support DMA. Therefore, if using an older ISA card, it is necessary to ensure that it does not require DMA.

IRQ allocation: In PIC mode, IRQ3~7、 Both 10-12 and 14-15 can be shared by PCI/ISA devices, but they need to be reserved in the BIOS for ISA devices. In APIC mode, there are more interrupt vectors (16~23) available for PCIe devices to use.

When encountering resource conflicts, the allocation strategy of IRQ/DMA can be manually adjusted in the BIOS "Advanced PCI/PnP Settings".

Chapter 9: Hardware Health Monitoring and Overheating Protection

Enter the BIOS' Hardware Health Configuration 'to view in real-time:

CPU/system temperature

CPU/system fan speed

Various voltages (Vcore,+3.3V,+5V,+12V, -12V, etc.)

If the temperature rises abnormally, check the radiator dust, fan operation status, and chassis air duct. BIOS also supports "CPU Warning Temperature" and "Shutdown Temperature" settings, which automatically shut down when the temperature exceeds a threshold to avoid permanent damage to components.

Chapter 10: Quick Troubleshooting Table for Common Malfunctions

Troubleshooting steps for possible causes of fault phenomena

There is no response when powered on, the fan does not turn, ATX 12V is not connected or CN1 wiring is incorrect. Check if CN7 is plugged in tightly and short-circuit the PSON and GND of CN1 to test if the power supply is started

There is power but no display. The CPU is not installed properly and the memory contact is poor. Reinstall the CPU and memory, clear the CMOS, and check the VGA cable

The system repeatedly restarts due to poor heat dissipation and insufficient power supply. Monitor BIOS temperature and replace high-power power supply

The operating system cannot find the hard disk SATA mode setting error. Change it to Compatible or Enhanced and check the SATA cable

Serial communication garbled jumper mode does not match the device. Reconfigure JP1-JP4 based on device type

The network port cannot recognize that LAN is disabled or PXE is not turned on in BIOS, and GbE LAN and GbE LAN Boot cannot be started

ISA card not working, driver not installed or IRQ conflicting. Install ISA driver and reserve IRQ for ISA in BIOS