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<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 4.0">
<meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">
<title>TDG-3dfx-Mercury FAQ</title>
</head>
<body>
<p><font size="3" face="Comic Sans MS">The Mercury FAQ</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">This is a Mercury system FAQ page
containing general information from Quantum3D and "how to" information
for people looking to get a Mercury system
operational. Since most people only have purchased a "brick" as it is
fondly called several items are needed to get that brick up and rendering. </font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p><b><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Items needed-</font></b></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_top.jpg" width="600" height="257"></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Complete brick-</font></b><font size="2"> There are two different bricks out there, the early black PCB
bricks with 100 mhz ram and the later green PCB bricks with 125 mhz ram. The
brick must have all four connector cards and the AA module on top. There is
black and green AA modules, but I have seen black bricks with green AA modules
and there is two different known riser card part numbers. You cannot have a brick made up of mixed black and green
200SBi's or one made up of cards with different firmware revisions.</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Intel BX/GX motherboard with four PCI slots-</font></b><font size="2"> I'm told that the black bricks
*REQUIRE* an Intel GX+ server board part number 721242-007. I don't know if this
is true or not, that is the original part number used by Quantum3D for the Heavy
Metal systems and what we are told. On the other hand the later green
brick I own works just fine on a genuine Intel BX Seattle board with no problems
at all. So if you have a choice the green brick is the way to go, of course
sometimes we don't have a choice and the GX+ motherboards are fairly easy to
find on Ebay. </font></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Operating system-</font></b><font size="2"> NT4 with service pack 3 or better.
Windows 2000 works with a brick using the NT4 drivers but the control panel
applet is missing. I'm trying to get this rectified now.</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Floppy cable-</font></b><font size="2"> To connect AA module to external Medusa
PCB or other video adapter. Yes, it's just a
floppy cable with one warning or two.</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">External VGA connector-</font></b><font size="2"> Required as the video output connectors on the
cards are as dead as a doornail since all rendering output is directed through
the AA module up top. We show you how to make one or two =)</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Medusa cable-</font></b><font size="2">
Not required with one solution, required if you have original Medusa I/O PCB or
looking to make something original.</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Power Supply-</font></b><font size="2"> Quality 400+ watt unit. I have a quality 350 watt unit here
I'll be doing some testing with to see if it works. Merc's shipped from
Quantum3D with PC Power & Cooling 400 and 425 watt units.</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Proper ventilation-</font></b><font size="2"> Merc bricks make great space heaters, the original rack
mount units from Quantum3D have no less then 6 burly fans huffing and puffing
away on the cards. Don't let your cards overheat!</font></font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Drivers & Documentation -</font></b><font size="2"> Head over to
the <a href="downloads.htm">downloads page</a> to grab drivers and documents for
the GX+ motherboard and Hg brick NT4 drivers.</font></font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">Video output ribbon cable</font></b> <font size="2"> (floppy cable) that runs from AA module to
output PCB. </font></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_floppy.jpg" width="493" height="207"></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">You need a floppy able with just two plugs, no twisted wiring, no blocked pin
holes and they MUST be folded over at the plug connection. Some cables have the
cable passing clean through without a double-back over the plug, I don't think
this will do and rather not take the risk ;-) </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Shown above is a Quantum3d Mercury cable on the right and a regular old
floppy cable on the left. The only difference between the two is the Mercury
cable was 13" long, the floppy cable 21". You can try running it at
21" but I would shorten to prevent possible signal loss. When the cables
are lying on the table one connector should be facing up, the other facing down.</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p align="left"><b><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Video I/O Connector PCB
for Medusa cable (solution one)</font></b></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_vg_connector.jpg" width="550" height="297"></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Solution one is so simple
I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it before. The regular Quantum3D setup
uses a Medusa cable with a 26 pin connector on one end and and two VGA input and
output connectors on the other. The simple solution since Medusa cables &
connectors are in short supply is to take the floppy cable and solder the appropriate
wiring directly to a header backplate with regular VGA I/O sockets mounted and
then you can use a regular Voodoo I or II pass through cable! You loose the TV
out function (which seems disabled in the Mercury drivers anyway) or if your
feeling saucy you can drill a hole below the VGA connectors and mount a RCA or
S-video jack and hook the wiring up. </font></p>
<p align="center"><a href="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_pinout_lg.jpg" target="_blank"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="1" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_pinout_sm.jpg" width="463" height="607"></font></a></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">(Click for larger image in
new window)</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">I did not bother tracing
the wiring for the TV output since it is disabled but can tell you it would be
floppy pins 28, 30 & 32. Two of the pins would be for the S-video output and
the last would be for RCA out. Pin 17 of the floppy connector ends up on VGA pin
number 11 which is odd as pin 11 is not used for anything on the VGA connector,
I did not bother hooking it up for this reason.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_v2_connector.jpg" width="500" height="301"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Completed Version 2
connector with functional VGA 2D pass-through just like Voodoo Graphics or
Voodoo II.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_v1_connector.jpg" width="500" height="320"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Version 1 with just VGA
output (two monitors required, no pass-through) perfect for testing.</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p align="left"><b><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Video I/O Connector PCB
for Medusa cable (solution two)</font></b></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_rear_overview.jpg" width="600" height="242"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Highlighted area showing Medusa connection for video
input/output.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_pcb_rear.jpg" width="550" height="363"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Backside shot showing correct output PCB installed in case-
Forget asking for Quantum3D for a new one!</font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_medusa_floppy.jpg" width="550" height="321"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Close up of area and cable hanging over back of open case.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_medusa_pcb.jpg" width="600" height="218"></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Medusa video output from AA module- Pinout was obtained by
unplugging "floppy" cable from AA module and inserting a probe in each
pin of the "floppy" connecter and checking the Medusa socket end
mounted in the case to see where continuity was.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_aa_floppy_pcb.jpg" width="550" height="125"></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Pin one on the floppy connector is easy to find as it will have a small arrow
on the connector pointing at it and you can also look at the top of the AAlchemy
module where it's marked on the PCB.</font></p>
<div align="center">
<center>
<table border="1" width="400">
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Floppy pin number</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Medusa pin number</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Notes</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">1</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">2</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">6 & 14</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">3</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">26</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">4</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">4 & 15</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">5</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">6</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">21</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">7</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">8</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">20</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">9</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">10</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">3</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">11</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">12</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">2</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">13</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">14</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">1</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">15</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">16</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">25</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">17</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">26</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">18</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">24</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">19</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">20</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">7</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">21</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">22</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">8</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">23</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">24</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">9</font></td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">25</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">26</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">27</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">28</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">UPPER LEFT</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">S-VIDEO</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">29</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">30</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">UPPER RIGHT</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">S-VIDEO</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">31</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">32</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">RCA CENTER</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">COMPOSITE</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">33</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">34</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">MULTI*</font></td>
<td><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">CASE GROUND</font></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
</table>
</center>
</div>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Pins 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 22 & 23 *of the Medusa connector* all
run to case ground as does the RCA outer ring and the two lower pins of the
S-Video connector.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_medusa_bw.jpg" width="525" height="133"></font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">I plan on mounting a 26 pin socket (PAN PACIFIC DHS-26S-P PKGD
HiDen 26PIN/F D-SUB SOL) and RCA jack hijacked from a dead Rush board on an old
sound card backplate (the joystick port has the same pin to pin spacing as the
Medusa connector) and soldering the ribbon cable one wire at a time to where
they need to go on the socket. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">After that it's a simple matter to screw it in an unused card slot location
and hook the wiring up.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_open_top_front.jpg" width="600" height="215"></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Overhead shot showing cable running from AA module to I/O PCB
in case back on right.</font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p align="left"><b><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Questions-</font></b></p>
<p align="left"><b><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">1) How can I tell if it is working or not?</font></b></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">Answer- The lights dimming in the house were not your first
clue?? All kidding aside the easiest way to tell if the brick is working
correctly is to go into the graphics control panel, click on the Obsidian2 tab
and click on Glide test. You should see the screenshot below on your monitor
after a few seconds. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><b><font size="2">NOTE</font></b><font size="2">- If you don't
have a loop-back cable for the sync-lock connectors the Glide test will hang if
"sync to refresh" is checked off.</font></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_glide_test.jpg" width="500" height="361"></font></p>
<p align="left"><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">2) What games/programs run on Mercury?</font></b></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Answer- Well so far I have run GLQuake, Quake II, Quake3test,
Quake3-3dfx motion blur demo and Unreal. Pretty much any game that will run
under Glide or OpenGL under Windows NT4 will work just fine. The screenshot
below was taken at 1024 x 768 and downsized to 500 x375 to fit in the window
frame and keep the page load reasonable.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_q3_quad.jpg" width="500" height="375"></font></p>
<p align="left"><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">3) How fast is Mercury?</font></b></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Answer- I have not done any back to back benchmarks between
Mercury and say a Voodoo II SLI rig but will do so in the near future once I get
everything setup the way I want. The big attraction with Mercury isn't speed but
the fact it does 4 tap rotated grid anti-aliasing in hardware. Any program you
run automatically takes advantage of this feature! I'll try to get some
screenshots but it's very difficult as every program I have tried so far does
NOT capture the anti-aliasing in action. I suspect that the programs are pulling
the image out of only one of the cards frame buffers and you are not seeing the
whole picture.</font></p>
<p align="left"><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">4) How may different
Heavy Metal systems did Quantum3D make?</font></b></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Well the Mercury GX+ was top
of the line till Heavy Metal AALchemy (VSA-100 based) was released and you could
configure Mercury into a MAX system (four or more Mercurys in a swaplock ring)
as well! Some Heavy Metal systems were software solutions, others had single
200SBi boards. </font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_iron.jpg" width="413" height="200"></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Heavy Metal Iron was
software based (Information from Quantum3D press release) but supposedly Obsidian
cards were an option. Notice the Quantum3D FAQ below mentions the H.M.
Iron configuration, it states the Iron system *CAN* be configured with 200SBi's,
not *WAS* configured.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Heavy Metal Cobalt was
hardware assisted full scene edge anti-aliasing accomplished through technology
licensed exclusively by Quantum3D from Spatial Labs I assume the system had a
single 200SBi but could be wrong. (No other inforamtion)</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Heavy Metal Mercury was full
hardware based, 200SBi's or Mercury brick.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Heavy Metal BX and GX+ are
also listed in a later brochure, Quantum3d might have just been simplifying
options. The BX system was listed as being available with 1-2 Ventana boards
(Voodoo 3) *OR* 1-2 200SBi's. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">The GX+ was listed as being
available with 1-2 Ventana boards (Voodoo 3) *OR* 1-2 200SBi's. *OR* Mercury
*OR* AAlchemy 4xxx or 8xxx.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">I also suspect there was
other Heavy Metal systems before AAlchemy- Quantum3D seemed pretty flexible
about making anything the customer wanted to order. </font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_aacase.jpg" width="550" height="263"></font></p>
<hr size="6">
<p align="left"><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Quantum3D Compiled FAQ
(2-8-2000)</font></b></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: What models of Heavy Metal are
available? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: There are two models available. The
Heavy Metal Iron BX and Heavy Metal Mercury GX+ systems. The Heavy Metal
Iron BX is a Quantum3D PCIG (Personal Computer Image Generator) with a
motherboard based on the Intel BX Chipset. Its features include, SCSI, Single
PCI Bus, AGP and ISA Buses. The system can be configured with multiple Obsidian2
200SBi accelerators. The CPU's can be single or dual PII/PIII variations. The
Heavy Metal Mercury GX+ is a Quantum3D PCIG (Personal Computer Image
Generator) with a motherboard based on the Intel GX+ Chipset. It's features
include, SCSI, Dual PCI Buses, AGP and ISA Buses. The system can be configured
with either multiple Obsidian¨2 200SBi accelerators or the Obsidian¨2 Mercury
graphics sub-system. The CPU's can be single or dual PII/PIII variations. A
built in AGP ATI graphics chipset provides 2D/3D acceleration <b>(Incorrect- The
GX+ has Cirrus Logic on board with no 3D features at all)</b> directly from the
motherboard. SCSI and Ethernet are also provided directly on the motherboard.
The most significant difference between the BX and GX+ motherboards is the GX+
has the ability to utilize 2 PCI Buses. This means that the GX+ delivers the
best graphics performance for the Mercury graphics subsystem and for multiple
Obsidian¨2 200SBi accelerators.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><img border="0" src="q3d_mercury/q3d_merc_cluster.jpg" width="317" height="500"></font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: What is the Heavy Metal MAX
system? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The Heavy Metal MAX are multi-channel
Quantum3D system that consists of at least one Heavy Metal PCIG and a PC Host
computer. These systems are typically delivered in a 19" rack. They include
the PCIG Channels, Host Computer, 100Mbps Ethernet Hub, Keyboard, Mouse,
Monitor, Raritan Switch, and Power supply.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: How is the Heavy Metal MAX
system powered on? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The system can be powered on by
depressing the switch closest to the bottom of the chassis. It is located behind
the panel door.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: How is the Raritan switch used? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The computer switch enables control
between multiple computers from only one monitor, keyboard, and mouse. After
installing each of the systems to the computer switch, follow the common Hot key
commands below: [ESC] = Quit Hot Key Mode [SCROLL LOCK] = Activate Hot Key Mode
(Twice) [LEFT/RIGHT ARROWS] = Increment Channel Number</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: How can the Raritan switch be reset
to resolve problems with the lack of responsiveness or to terminate flashing
lights being displayed? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The power to the Raritan switch is
delivered through the keyboard connector. Removing the keyboard connector and
powering down the entire rack's main power will reset the Raritan switch.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: What is the latest BIOS and drivers
available for the Heavy Metal Iron BX system? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The latest BIOS is version 2.1 and is
available from the Super Micro BIOS web page.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: What is the red button located in
the front of the system used for? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The red button is not used and is just
an extra switch that is included with the chassis. The power button is the black
switch located closest to the bottom of the system.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: Why am I unable to power off the
system when I depress the power switch? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The power switch must be depressed for
(5) seconds to enable the motherboard power down feature.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: How many extra PCI and ISA slots
are available using a standard configuration? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: Every Iron BX system may be configured
differently. Typically there are (2) PCI and (1) ISA available for adapters..</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: Why is there an external cable with
both connectors attached to the system? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The external cable is used for
SwapLock. The top connector can be removed and attached to the top connector of
a second system. Then the bottom connector of the second system can be attached
to the top connector of the first system creating a SwapLock ring.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: What is Swaplock?</font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: The SwapLock feature synchronizes
the swapbuffer command across multichannel systems. This eliminates artifacts
associated with lack of hardware frame synchronization. SwapLock synchronizes
buffer swap and v-sync for every channel in a multichannel Heavy Metal PC Image
Generator (PCIG).</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: Can the Obsidian2 200SBi and
Mercury graphics sub system be used together in a Swaplock ring?</font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: Yes, However a Obsidian2 200SBi must
be the MASTER of the Swaplock ring. This means that the Obsidian 200SBi must
have the Master bubble checked in the Obsidian2 Display Propertied Tab.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: What should I do if the system fans
power on but I am unable to power on the Heavy Metal Mercury BX system? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: Remove the power cord to the system.
Remove the cover to the chassis. Then disconnect the main power supply cables
attached to the motherboard. Reconnect the power cord to the power supply. If
the fans begin to spin up then the power supply is defective. If the fans do not
spin up then there is an issue most likely with the motherboard or system. Power
down the system and remove the power connections to the floppy drive, CD-Rom and
any unnecessary peripherals. Power on the system to determine if this is a power
consumption issue.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: What is the cause of the error
"Boot Failure Insert boot diskette in A:" ? </font></b></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">A: This error is displayed due to the
lack of Operating System files. This is typically caused by the loss of the IDE
cable connection between the hard drive and the motherboard. Follow the steps
below to diagnose and verify the root cause of the problem: </font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">1. Confirm that the drive bay light on
the hard drive removable tray is on when the system is powered up. If the light
is not on and the number 0 is not being displayed then the tray may not be
seated properly or the key on the tray may not be turned all the way disabling
the drive. </font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">2. Remove the cover to the system and
physically verify the IDE cable connection between the motherboard and the hard
drive tray. The IDE cable should be connected to the port on the motherboard.
The other end of the cable is connected to the back end of the hard drive bay.
Remove and re-seat the cable ends to confirm proper connections between the
devices. Then power up the system to test if there is any occurrence of the
error. </font></p>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">3. If multiple systems are available then
remove the hard disk drive from the system giving the error and swap it with a
hard drive from a known working system. This will verify that the drive has
either failed or that the connection to the hard drive has failed.</font></p>
<p><b><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="2">Q: Where can I find product
information about the Super Micro P6DBS motherboard? </font></b></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">A: There is product literature available
from Super Micro. </font></p>
<p><font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS">(Written by Jim Rossi, 2000)</font></p>
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