Mac mini Developer Note (Legacy)
Contents Introduction to Mac mini Developer Note 6 Organization of This Document 6 Overview to the Mac mini 7 Features 7 Enclosure 9 System Software 9 Computer Identification 9 NMI without Programmer’s Switch 10 Velocity Engine Acceleration 11 Architecture 12 Block Diagram and Buses 12 Block Diagram 13 Main ICs and Buses 13 Microprocessor and Cache 14 PowerPC G4 Microprocessor 14 Level 2 Cache 14 Memory and I/O Device Controller 14 System RAM 15 Video Display Subsystem 15 Boot ROM 16 Ethernet Controller
Contents USB Connectors 19 USB Features 20 FireWire 400 Port 21 FireWire Device Programming 21 FireWire 400 Connector 22 Target Disk Mode 23 Ethernet Port 24 Internal Modem 24 AirPort Extreme Card 25 Data Security 25 AirPort Extreme Hardware 26 AirPort Extreme Software 26 Bluetooth Technology 26 Hard Disk Drive 27 Combo Drive 27 SuperDrive 28 DVI Port 29 DVI to Video Adapter 30 Sound System 31 Sound Input 32 Sound Output 32 Audio CODEC 33 RAM Expansion 34 RAM Expansion 34 RAM Expansion Modules 34 Mechanic
Contents Ethernet 39 FireWire Interface 39 Digital Visual Interface 40 Wireless Networks 40 Bluetooth 40 Abbreviations 41 Index 46 Retired Document | 2005-04-05 | Copyright © 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Figures and Tables Overview to the Mac mini 7 Figure 1-1 Mac mini Enclosure 9 Architecture 12 Figure 2-1 Table 2-1 Block diagram 13 Bus speeds 15 Devices and Ports 19 Figure 3-1 Figure 3-2 Figure 3-3 Figure 3-4 Table 3-1 Table 3-2 Table 3-3 Table 3-4 Table 3-5 Table 3-6 Table 3-7 Table 3-8 USB Type A port and pins 19 FireWire 400 connector 22 DVI connector 29 S-video connector 30 Signals on the USB port 19 Signals on the FireWire 400 connector 22 Signals on the Ethernet connector 24 Types of media rea
Introduction to Mac mini Developer Note Important: This document may not represent best practices for current development. Links to downloads and other resources may no longer be valid. This developer note gives a technical description of the Mac mini. The note provides information about the computer’s internal design, input-output features, and expansion capabilities.
Overview to the Mac mini This chapter lists the features of the new Mac mini and provides information about a few software issues of interest to developers. The Mac mini does not ship with a monitor, keyboard, or mouse. Features ● Microprocessor: The Mac mini has a PowerPC G4 microprocessor running at a clock speed of 1.25 GHz or 1.42 GHz. For more information, see PowerPC G4 Microprocessor (page 14).
Overview to the Mac mini Features ● FireWire 400 ports: The Mac mini has one IEEE-1394a FireWire 400 port supporting transfer rates of 100, 200, and 400 Mbps. For more information, see FireWire 400 Port (page 21). ● Target Disk Mode: The computer can act like a FireWire storage device connected to another computer. See Target Disk Mode (page 23). ● Modem: The Mac mini has a built-in fax modem with a V.92 56 Kbps data rate; an optional to configure without a modem is available.
Overview to the Mac mini Enclosure Enclosure Figure 1-1 (page 9) shows the front and rear views of the Mac mini. Figure 1-1 Mac mini Enclosure Slot-loading optical drive Power indicator light Power button Security slot Power port Headphone port Ethernet port (10/100Base-T) Video out port Modem port (optional) FireWire port USB ports (2) System Software The Mac mini comes with Mac OS X version 10.3.7 or later installed as the default system. Mac OS 9 applications can be run in Classic mode.
Overview to the Mac mini System Software NMI without Programmer’s Switch Current Macintosh computers do not have a programmer’s switch, which allowed users to generate a non-maskable interrupt (NMI). The paragraphs below describe how to generate an NMI from a remote session for systems that do not have a physical programmer's switch. Starting with Mac OS X 10.1.2, the OS will promote and recognize the DB_NMI bit in the debug parameter of the “boot-args” property from Open Firmware.
Overview to the Mac mini System Software Note: The debug flags bit will be cleared if you use System Preferences to change the startup disk. It may also be cleared if you perform an installation that requires a restart. Velocity Engine Acceleration The Velocity Engine (an implementation of AltiVec) is the vector processing unit in the PowerPC G4 microprocessor. Some system software has been modified to take advantage of the accelerated processing that the Velocity Engine makes possible.
Architecture This chapter describes the architecture of the Mac mini. It includes information about the major components on the main logic board: the microprocessor, the other main ICs, and the buses that connect them to each other and to the I/O interfaces. Block Diagram and Buses This section is an overview of the major ICs and buses on the computer’s main logic board. Retired Document | 2005-04-05 | Copyright © 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Architecture Block Diagram and Buses Block Diagram Figure 2-1 (page 13) is a simplified block diagram of the main logic board. The diagram shows the main ICs and the buses that connect them together.
Architecture Microprocessor and Cache The MaxBus connects the PowerPC G4 microprocessor to the Intrepid ASIC. The MaxBus has 64 data lines, 32 address lines, and a bus clock speed of 167 MHz. The Intrepid ASIC has other buses that connect with the boot ROM, the hard disk drive, and the optical drive, the power controller IC, the sound IC, the internal modem module, and the optional wireless LAN module. The Intrepid I/O controller has a 32-bit PCI bus with a bus clock speed of 33 MHz.
Architecture Memory and I/O Device Controller In addition to the buses listed in Table 2-1 (page 15), the Intrepid ASIC also has separate interfaces to the physical layer (PHY) ICs for Ethernet and FireWire 400 and an I2C interface that is used for configuring the memory subsystem.
Architecture Memory and I/O Device Controller The interface between the graphics IC and the rest of the system is a 4x AGP (accelerated graphics port) bus on the Intrepid IC. To give the graphics IC fast access to system memory, the AGP bus has separate address and data lines and supports deeply pipelined read and write operations. The AGP bus has 32 data lines and a clock speed of 66 MHz.
Architecture Memory and I/O Device Controller Modem Support The internal modem is connected to an internal I2S interface. The modem provides digital call progress signals to the sound circuitry. The analog side of the connection gets power from the phone line; the digital side gets power from the Mac mini. The modem is optional on the education configuration. The modem is a separate module that contains the datapump and the interface to the telephone line (DAA).
Architecture Memory and I/O Device Controller AirPort Extreme Wireless Support Apple’s internal wireless LAN module, the 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme Card, is available as a build-to-order option or as an Apple Authorized Service Provider upgrade. The connector for the AirPort Extreme Card uses the PCI bus. When the AirPort Extreme option is installed, the AirPort antenna is built into the system. For information about operation, see and AirPort Extreme Card (page 25).
Devices and Ports This chapter describes both the built-in I/O devices and the ports for connecting external I/O devices. Each of the following sections describes an I/O port or device. USB Ports The Mac mini has two external Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports for connecting a keyboard, mouse, or additional I/O devices such as printers, scanners, and storage devices. The USB 2.0 ports are connected to a discrete USB 2.0 controller chip.
Devices and Ports USB Ports Pin Signal name Description 4 GND Ground The Mac mini provides 5 volt power to the USB ports. The maximum current available is 500 mA on each port. The external USB 2.0 ports support low-speed (1.5 Mbps), full-speed (12 Mbps), and high-speed (480 Mbps) data transfers. High-speed operation requires the use of shielded cables. The Macintosh system software supports all four data transfer types defined in the USB specification.
Devices and Ports FireWire 400 Port USB Controller The Mac mini uses Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI) controller for USB communication. Some early USB devices (most notably keyboards) can’t interoperate with an OHCI controller. Those devices are not supported by the Macintosh USB system software. The USB 2.0 controllers comply with the Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI) specification. FireWire 400 Port The Mac mini has one external FireWire 400 IEEE 1394a port.
Devices and Ports FireWire 400 Port ● Additional services for user-space and kernel access to all FireWire resources. For information on writing FireWire drivers or applications, download the latest FireWire SDK from http://developer.apple.com/sdk/ For additional references, refer to FireWire Interface (page 39). FireWire 400 Connector The FireWire 400 connector has six contacts, as shown in Figure 3-2 (page 22). The connector signals and pin assignments are shown in Table 3-2 (page 22).
Devices and Ports FireWire 400 Port When the computer is on, the power pin provides a maximum voltage of 18.5 V (no load) and up to 8 W total power. The FireWire PHY is powered as long as the computer is connected to AC power. Pin 2 of the 6-pin FireWire connector is ground for both power and inner cable shield. If a 4-pin connector is used on the other end of the FireWire cable, its shell should be connected to the wire from pin 2.
Devices and Ports Ethernet Port Ethernet Port The Mac mini has a built-in 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port. The user can connect it to either a 10Base-T or a 100Base-T hub; the port will automatically sense which type of hub is connected. The connector for the Ethernet port is a an RJ-45 connector located on the I/O panel. Table 3-3 (page 24) shows the signals and pin assignments on the connector.
Devices and Ports AirPort Extreme Card AirPort Extreme Card The Mac mini supports the AirPort Extreme Card, an internal wireless LAN module connected to the PCI bus. The AirPort Extreme Card is available as a build-to-order option or as an Apple Authorized Service Provider upgrade. By communicating wirelessly with a base station, the AirPort Extreme Card can be used for Internet access, email access, and file exchange.
Devices and Ports Bluetooth Technology As an additional data security measure, VPN can be used in conjunction with the AirPort Extreme data security. AirPort Extreme Hardware The AirPort Extreme Card is a wireless LAN module compliant with the IEEE specification of the 802.11g standard using both OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) and DSSS technologies. Using DSSS, AirPort Extreme is interoperable with PC-compatible wireless LANs that conform to the 802.11b standard at speeds of 11 Mbps, 5.
Devices and Ports Hard Disk Drive ● hardcopy cable replacement profiler (HCRP) — describes how to send rendered data over a Bluetooth link to a device, such as a printer. Although other profiles can be used for printing, the HCRP is specially designed to support hardcopy applications. ● headset profile (HSP) — enables the use of Bluetooth-enabled wireless headsets for applications such as iChat.
Devices and Ports SuperDrive Media type Reading speed Writing speed CD-ROM 24x (CAV) – Digital audio signals from the Combo drive can be played through the sound outputs under the control of System Preferences. The Combo drive is cable-select as device 1 on the ATA port. The device is capable of Multiword DMA Mode 2, which is a maximum of 16 megabytes per second. This interface is compatible with ANSI-NCITS industry standard ATA/ATAPI-6.
Devices and Ports DVI Port DVI Port The Mac mini has a DVI-I (DVI with analog) port. Figure 3-3 (page 29) shows the contact configuration for the DVI connector. Table 3-6 (page 29) lists the signals and pin assignments. Note: The Mac mini includes a DVI to VGA adapter.
Devices and Ports DVI to Video Adapter The graphics data sent to the digital monitor use transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS). TMDS uses an encoding algorithm to convert bytes of graphics data into characters that are transition-minimized to reduce EMI with copper cables and DC balanced for transmission over fiber optic cables. The TMDS algorithm also provides robust clock recovery for greater skew tolerance with longer cables or low-cost short cables.
Devices and Ports Sound System Pin number S-video output connector 2 Analog GND 3 Video Y (luminance) 4 Video C (chroma) 5 composite video 6 Unused 7 Unused The Mac mini provides video output at desktop sizes and frame rates compatible with the NTSC and PAL standards; the desktop sizes are listed in Table 3-8 (page 31). Those desktop sizes produce under-scanned displays on standard monitors.
Devices and Ports Sound System The sound system’s input, output, and CODEC are described in the following pages.
Devices and Ports Sound System Headphone and Line-out Jack The headphone/line-out jack is located on the I/O panel on the rear of the computer. The headphone/line-out jack has the following electrical characteristics: ● output level: 1.42Vrms / +5dbu ● frequency response: 20Hz to 20KHz, +/-0.5db ● S/N ratio: >90 db unweighted ● distortion: <0.
RAM Expansion This chapter describes the RAM expansion modules supported by Mac mini. RAM Expansion The Mac mini has one RAM expansion slot that accepts standard DDR333 PC2700, 184-pin DIMMs (dual inline memory modules) for use with SDRAM devices. The Mac mini supports DIMM sizes 256 MB, 512 MB, or 1 GB of memory for a total system maximum of up to 1 GB. Note: Additional memory can be installed only by Authorized Apple Service Providers.
RAM Expansion RAM Expansion Modules Electrical Design of RAM DIMMs The electrical characteristics of the RAM DIMM are given in section 4.5.6 of the JEDEC Standard 21-C. The specification is available from the Electronics Industry Association’s website. The specification defines several attributes of the DIMM, including storage capacity and configuration, connector pin assignments, and electrical loading. To obtain a copy, see the reference information at RAM Expansion Modules (page 38).
Supplemental Reference Documents For more information about the technologies mentioned in this developer note, consult the following references. For information about older models of Macintosh computers, refer to the developer notes archive at http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Hardware/hardware2.html Apple Technical Notes Apple Technical Notes answer many specific questions about the operation of Macintosh computers and the Mac OS.
Supplemental Reference Documents Velocity Engine (AltiVec) Velocity Engine (AltiVec) Velocity Engine is Apple’s name for the AltiVec vector processor in the PowerPC G4 microprocessor. Apple provides support for developers who use the Velocity Engine in their applications. Documentation, development tools, and sample code are available on the World Wide Web, at http://developer.apple.com/hardwaredrivers/ve/index.
Supplemental Reference Documents RAM Expansion Modules http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn1062.html TN1044: Open Firmware, Part III, available at http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn1044.html Other Technical Notes provide additional information about Open Firmware on the Macintosh. TN2000: PCI Expansion ROMs and You, at http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn2000.html TN2001: Running Files from a Hard Drive in Open Firmware, at http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn2001.
Supplemental Reference Documents USB Interface ATA Manager 4.0 supports driver software for internal IDE drives and includes DMA support. For the latest information about ATA Manager 4.0, see Technical Note TN1098, ATA Device Software Guide Additions and Corrections, available on the world wide web at http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn1098.html The web page for Technical Note TN1098 includes a link to a downloadable copy of ATA Device Software Guide .
Supplemental Reference Documents Digital Visual Interface The IEEE 1394 standard is available from the IEEE. Ordering information can be found on the World Wide Web at http://shop.ieee.org/store Additional useful information also available at the 1394 Trade Association’s website: http://www.1394ta.org/ Digital Visual Interface For information about transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) used with digital video monitors, see the specification, Digital Visual Interface DVI Revision 1.
Abbreviations Standard units of measure used in this developer note include: A amperes MB megabytes cm centimeters Mbps megabits per second dB decibels Mbit megabits GB gigabytes MHz megahertz Hz hertz mm millimeters KB kilobytes ns nanoseconds kg kilograms V volts kHz kilohertz VDC volts direct current mA milliamperes Other abbreviations used in this note include: $n hexadecimal value n 10Base-T an Ethernet standard for data transmission at 10 Mbits per second 100Base
Abbreviations CAS column address strobe CAV constant angular velocity CD compact disc CD-ROM compact disc read-only memory CLV constant linear velocity CPU central processing unit D/A digital to analog DAA data access adapter DB-DMA descriptor-based direct memory access DDR double data rate, a type of SDRAM DIMM Dual Inline Memory Module DMA direct memory access DRAM dynamic random-access memory EDO extended data out EEPROM electrically eraseable programmable ROM EIDE enhance
Abbreviations IEC International Electrotechnical Commission IIC (I2C) inter IC control bus IIS (I2S) inter IC sound bus I/O input and output Intrepid memory controller and I/O device and disk controller ISM industrial, scientific, and medicine IR infrared ISO International Organization for Standardization JEDEC Joint Electron Device Engineering Council L1 level 1 or first level L2 level 2 or second level LAN local area network LED light emitting diode MAC media access controller
Abbreviations ROM read-only memory SCSI Small Computer System Interface SDRAM synchronous dynamic RAM SGRAM synchronous graphics RAM SNR signal to noise ratio SPD Serial Presence Detect THD total harmonic distortion THD+N total harmonic distortion plus noise USB Universal Serial Bus VCC positive supply voltage (voltage for collectors) VPN virtual private network Wi-Fi wireless fidelity ZCLV zone constant linear velocity Retired Document | 2005-04-05 | Copyright © 2005 Apple Comput
Apple Inc. Copyright © 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Apple Inc.
Index Numerals Combo drive 27 composite connector 30 computer identification 9 connectors composite/S-video 30 Ethernet 24 FireWire 400 22 S-video/composite 30 USB 19 custom ICs Intrepid memory and I/O controller IC 14 3D graphics 36 A AGP bus 16 AirPort Admin Utility 26 AirPort Extreme 18, 25–26 AirPort Extreme Application 26 AirPort Extreme Base Station 25 AirPort Extreme Card 18, 25–26 hardware components 26 security features 25 software components 26 AirPort Extreme Setup Assistant 26 ATA device con
Index FireWire 400 ports 21–23 FireWire interface 39 FireWire port booting from 21 FireWire ports Target Disk mode 23 microprocessor clock speeds 14 modem 17, 24 N new features 7 NMI 10 non-maskable interrupt 10 G G4.
Index T Target Disk Mode 23 TV display adapter 30 U USB controller IC 18 USB features 20–21 USB interface 39 USB ports 19–21 booting from 20 connectors 19 controller type 21 data transfer speeds 20 suspend mode 20 wakeup from Sleep mode 20 USB suspend mode 18 V Velocity Engine 11 video display 29 controller IC 15 subsystem architecture 15 video port.
