ADLINK cPCI-6760D/P7/P8 Module Installation and Hot Plug Guide

ADLINK cPCI-6760D/P7/P8 Module Installation and Hot Plug Configuration Guide

In the fields of communication, telecommunications, and industrial automation, the CompactPCI platform has become the preferred architecture for critical task systems due to its high reliability, modularity, and hot swappability. The cPCI-6760D series 6U single slot CPU module launched by ADLINK is based on the Intel BGA2 Mobile/Low Voltage Pentium III processor, combined with the 440BX AGPset chipset, providing a powerful hardware foundation for high-density computing and real-time control. As the original factory gradually stops production, many active systems still rely on this module to maintain operation. Mastering its hardware deployment, post I/O expansion, hot plugging operations, and driver installation skills is of great practical value for on-site maintenance engineers. This article is based on the official technical manual, and systematically outlines the key operational points of the entire lifecycle of this module, from model selection, hardware assembly, jumper setting, hot plug process to software drivers.

Product Model and Selection Comparison

The cPCI-6760D series front-end motherboard (CPU module) offers two standard models:

CPCI-6760D/P7: Equipped with Intel BGA2 low voltage Pentium III 700MHz, 100MHz FSB, 256KB L2 cache.

CPCI-6760D/P8: Equipped with Intel BGA2 mobile Pentium III 850MHz, 100MHz FSB, 256KB L2 cache.

Both use Intel 440BX AGPset chipset, supporting two 144 pin SO-DIMM slots, with a maximum PC-100 SDRAM of 512MB (optional ECC). Onboard SMI SM721 AGP 2x VGA controller (with built-in 4MB VRAM), supports up to 1280 × 1024 resolution (24 bit true color), and can support 1600 × 1200 through special BIOS (Windows NT only). Provides dual Intel 82559 10/100Mbps Ethernet ports, dual USB (one front/one back), COM1 (front board DB-9) and COM2 (through the back board), one PMC expansion slot, and IDE interface for 2.5 "HDD or CompactFlash (through DB-6760CF daughter board).

There are two types of Rear I/O Transition Modules (RTM):

CPCI-R6760D (Standard RTM): Provides rear VGA (DB-15), parallel port (DB-25), COM2 (DB-9, optional RS-232/422/485), dual LAN (RJ-45), keyboard/mouse (PS/2), USB, two 40 pin IDEs, and one 34 pin FDD interface. Corresponding drivers need to be installed (but RTM itself does not have additional drivers, only CPU board drivers are required).

CPCI-R6760S (Super RTM): Adding two additional Ethernet ports (out of a total of four) and an external Ultra-160 SCSI interface (HD-68, based on LSI 53C1000R controller) to the R6760D, and changing VGA, parallel ports, and COM1 to onboard pin sockets (for customized connections), while COM2 still provides DB-9. Key limitation: When using R6760S, 14 slot backboards (such as cBP-6515R or cBP-6014R) are not supported because R6760S uses the PCI bus on J4/J5, which conflicts with the expansion bus of the 14 slot backboard and may cause onboard SCSI or network card failure, or even damage to other devices.

Careful selection should be made based on the required number of rear I/O ports and the number of backplane slots.

Key points for hardware installation

1. CPU and Memory

The CPU has been pre soldered onto the PCB, and the heat sink has also been pre installed. It is strictly prohibited to disassemble or replace it by oneself, otherwise irreversible damage will occur and the warranty will be lost. The memory uses 3.3V PC-100 144 pin SO-DIMM, with optional capacities of 32/64/128/256MB, and a total capacity of no more than 512MB. During installation, ensure that the memory module is fully inserted and the height does not exceed the limit to avoid damaging components when inserting into the chassis.

2. Installation of CompactFlash (CF) card

The CF card is connected to the onboard 44 pin IDE (CN2, also known as the Secondary IDE) through the detachable daughter board DB-6760CF. DB-6760CF supports Type I/II CF cards or IBM MicroDrive. By default, DB-6760CF is pre installed at the factory (if HDD is not selected). Installation steps:

Align pin 1 of DB-6760CF with pin 1 of CN2 and insert it, then fix it with three hexagonal copper pillars.

Set the CF card as master (2-3 short circuit) or slave (jumper open circuit) through JP1, default to master.

Insert the CF card, ensure it is in place, and finally tighten the upper screw to prevent vibration and detachment.

Note: The CF card uses the Secondary IDE channel, which is also connected to the back panel through J5. If the back panel is also connected to IDE devices, attention should be paid to master-slave conflicts. For example, if the CF on the front panel is set to Master, the back panel can only be connected to Slave devices.

Installation of 2.5 "HDD/FFD

If you need to install a 2.5 "ATA hard drive or Flash2000 solid-state drive (thickness ≤ 9.5mm), you need to first remove the DB-6760CF (if present). The installation package includes a 44 pin cable and screw kit. Secure the hard drive onto four copper pillars, connect the ribbon cable (note pin 1 alignment), and check the master-slave jumper (hard drive body jumper). Similarly, the hard drive also occupies the Secondary IDE channel, and the master-slave settings need to be coordinated with the backend devices.

4. Operating system installation and connection

It is recommended to use ATAPI CD-ROM to install the OS. If using ADLINK backboards such as cBP-6108/6105/6515/6402 (supporting J3/P3, J5/P5 direct IDE connection), the CD-ROM can be connected to the backboard's Primary IDE port. If other backboards are used, they need to be connected through the Primary IDE interface of the cPCI-R6760D/R6760S backboard. Note: The HDD/CF on the front board usually occupies the Secondary IDE, so the CD-ROM should be connected to the Primary IDE to avoid master-slave conflicts.

Key jumper settings and selection of front and rear I/O

1. CMOS Clear (JP1)

JP1's 1-2 short circuit is used to clear CMOS content, and 2-3 is used for normal operation (default). When the BIOS settings are incorrect and cannot start, it can be cleared by short circuiting 1-2.

2. LAN front and rear I/O selection (S1~S4 micro switches)

The dual Ethernet controller of cPCI-6760D supports both front board RJ-45 and rear board RJ-45, but the same controller can only select one output and cannot be connected simultaneously, otherwise it will cause network instability, shortened distance, or even damage. Select through the four micro switches at the bottom of the motherboard (S1 and S2 for LAN1, S3 and S4 for LAN2):

LAN1 selection: S1 all positions ON, S2 all positions OFF → front panel; S1 all positions OFF, S2 all positions ON → rear panel.

LAN2 selection: Similar rules, see Table 3-2/3-3 for details.

It is strictly prohibited to set S1 and S2 to ON simultaneously, or S3 and S4 to ON simultaneously.

3. COM2 mode selection (rear panel only)

The COM2 (DB-9) of cPCI-R6760D and R6760S supports RS-232 (default), RS-422, RS-485, and RS-485+(hardware automatic direction switching) modes, which can be set through jumper JP2~JP5 (R6760D) or JP4~JP7 (R6760S) combinations. The specific combinations are shown in Tables 2-24 and 2-41, for example, JP5 is not used for RS-232, and JP4's 5-6 is short circuited. RS-485+mode enables hardware automatic transmission and reception switching, avoiding software control direction.

4. Safety warning for shared front and rear I/O

For ports that support both front and rear connections, such as keyboard, mouse, VGA, LAN1/LAN2, and IDE2, only one end of the wiring can be selected. It is strictly prohibited to connect the same function both front and rear, otherwise it may cause damage to the device or motherboard, and the warranty will be invalidated.

Detailed explanation of hot plug function

CPCI-6760D supports two types of hot swappable: PICMG 2.1 standard hot swappable (used for peripheral boards, system slots themselves cannot be hot swappable) and self hot swappable (allowing CPU modules to be inserted or removed from live systems).

1. PICMG 2.1 hot swappable (supported by peripheral cards)

The system slot senses the insertion/removal of the outer panel through the ENOM # signal (routed to IRQ9 or IRQ3) and triggers an interrupt to perform driver loading or unloading. The hardware configuration defaults to ENUM # connected to IRQ9 (via 0 Ω resistors R283/R284), or can be changed to IRQ3 (remove R283/R284 and install R281/R282). The ENOM # function needs to be enabled in BIOS (disabled by default), but if ENOM # is enabled, the ACPI function must be turned off due to IRQ conflicts. For polling based hot swappable drivers that do not use ENOM #, it is possible to keep ACPCI enabled and disable ENOM #.

The insertion process includes: contacting the long pin of the board (to obtain early power) → the blue LED lights up → contacting the medium long pin (clock) → contacting the short BD-SEL # pin (fully inserted). The process of unplugging is similar, BD_SEL # is disconnected first, the blue LED lights up, and then the power is gradually cut off. The blue LED indicates the "safe removal" status.

2. Self hot plugging (module self powered plugging)

This feature allows the cPCI-6760D to be unplugged or inserted from a live backplane, making it suitable for high-density environments such as blade servers. Operation depends on API and BIOS settings:

In BIOS: Power Management Setup, set the iPadOS Function to Enable.

Operating system (supported by Windows 2000/98 and other ACPIs): In the advanced power options page, set "Press power button" to "Shut down".

Insertion process: Push the module along the guide rail, make contact with the long pin → the blue LED is always on → push until it is fully inserted and close the handle → short BD-SEL # contact → power on the system, the blue LED flashes to indicate success; If it still stays on, it means the insertion has failed and needs to be unplugged to retry.

Pull out process: Trigger the handle (gently open and then close) or keep pulling the handle open for more than 4 seconds - the operating system will perform a soft shutdown after receiving the power button signal. After successful shutdown, the blue LED stays on, and the module can be safely unplugged. If forcibly unplugged or unplugged without saving data, it may result in data loss.

Important conflict: Self hot plugging requires ACPI to be enabled, while ENUM # for PICMG 2.1 peripheral hot plugging requires IRQ9, which conflicts with ACPI (as ACPI typically occupies IRQ9). Both cannot be activated simultaneously. If only self hot plugging is required, ENOM # should be disabled and ACPI should be enabled; If hot plugging of the outer panel is required, enable ENOM # and disable ACPI.

Driver Installation Guide

1. VGA driver (SM721)

CD path:  HIPDRV  VGA  SM721.

Windows 2000: Update the display adapter driver through Device Manager, specify the path WIN2K, select smisetup. info, and manually select "Silicon Motion Lynx 3DM".

Windows 98: Similar steps, path WIN9XME, select smi-INF.

Windows NT 4.0: Service Pack 4 or higher (to support AGP) must be installed before installing from the WINNT40 directory.

Note: If VGA does not work after installation, it is usually because NT SP was not installed first.

2. LAN driver (Intel 82559)

Path:  HIPDRV  LAN  100PDISK.

Win2000/Win98: Update the network adapter driver, select oemsetup.inf (Win2000) or net82557.inf (Win98).

Windows NT: Add an adapter through the control panel network icon, specify oemsetup.nf, and may require inserting NT original drive to copy files.

This driver supports PXE boot and Adapter Teaming (fault tolerance, load balancing, link aggregation).

3. SCSI driver (LSI 53C1000R, R6760S only)

Path:  HIPDRV  SCS  53C10xx.

Win2000: Device Manager updates SCSI controller driver, select WIN2000  winnt  miniport  oemsetup.nf, model "Symbios Ultra3 PCI SCSI Adapter".

Win98: Path win95,98, select sym-u3.inf.

Windows NT: During installation, press F6 to load additional drivers, or update drivers through a SCSI adapter after system installation.

Note: The latest drivers can be downloaded from the LSI Logic official website.

Watchdog and hardware monitoring

Watchdog Timer (WDT): Based on Winbond Super I/O logic device 8, configured through I/O port 0x3F0 (W83977EF) or 0x2E (W83627HF), it can be set to 1-255 seconds or minutes. Provide a call library for DOS/Windows (path  HIPDRV  WDT). Test command: Execute test<n>under DOS/Win98, run the installation program under NT first, and then execute test977<n>. When WDT is enabled, the amber LED on the front panel flashes. If it exceeds the time limit, the system will reset.

Hardware Doctor: Based on Winbond W83782D hardware monitoring, it monitors CPU/system temperature, various voltages (+5V,+3.3V,+12V, etc.), and fan speed, and issues warnings when exceeding limits. The tool is available on CD  Utility  HWDoctor  W8378X and supports Win98 and NT.

Precautions for heat dissipation and mechanical environment

The 850MHz mobile Pentium III requires a system forced air cooling of 10 CFM, while the 700MHz low-voltage version requires 6 CFM. The actual working temperature ranges from 0 to 60 ℃, but if an HDD is used, it is limited by the HDD specifications (the HDD is placed outside the temperature chamber during manual testing).

It is recommended to use Flash2000 solid-state drives or CF cards instead of 2.5 "HDDs in high vibration environments, as mechanical hard drives have weaker anti vibration capabilities (when working at 0.5Grms).

Module size: 6U 233.35mm × 160mm, single slot width 20.32mm, including HDD casing.

Key points for troubleshooting common faults

Possible causes and solutions for the phenomenon

Check if the memory is securely plugged in and compatible when there is no display after plugging in; Attempt to clear CMOS (JP1); Confirm VGA front and rear selection (if using the back panel, R6760D needs to be connected)

Check if the S switch of LAN1/2 is set to front and back simultaneously due to network failure; Confirm that the driver installation is correct; Check the RJ-45 connection on the back panel or front panel

Hot plug failure (blue light constantly on) module not fully inserted or handle not closed; Attempt to reinsert; If self hot plugging, check the settings of the ACPI and power button

The SCSI device does not recognize the R6760S and the SCSI driver is installed; Check SCSI terminator and device ID; backplane 14 slot conflict (switch to non 14 slot backplane)

System unexpected reset check to see if WDT has timed out (programmable value too small); Check if the Hardware Doctor temperature is too high

Confirm if the correct backplate is being used (R6760D vs R6760S) as there are no signals from certain interfaces on the backplate; Check if the corresponding jumper is enabled (such as JP2/JP3 of LAN3/4)