Fire GL2 User's Guide Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 2000 Fire GL Graphics; All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCING THE FIRE GL2.........................................................1 ABOUT YOUR FIRE GL2 ................................................................................ 1 Hardware Design................................................................................. 1 Operating Systems .............................................................................. 2 Typical Application Environments...................................................
FIRE GL2 SOFTWARE UTILITIES ...................................................... 23 CHANGING THE VIDEO SETTINGS ................................................................24 How to Switch to the Display Properties?....................................24 Setting Resolution, Refresh Rate and Color Depth..................................................................................25 Selecting your Monitor.......................................................................
INTRODUCING THE FIRE GL2 ♦ ABOUT YOUR FIRE GL2 ♦ HOW TO USE THIS USER'S GUIDE ♦ QUICK INSTALLATION ABOUT YOUR FIRE GL2 Hardware Design The Fire GL2 is an AGP/ATX card based upon the IBM RC 1000/ GT 1000 chipset. The RC1000 256 bit graphics rasterizer provides the functionality of a VGA controller, a 2D/3D raster engine with geometry pipeline setup processor, and a 300 MHz RAMDAC. It also supports video streaming by providing color space conversion and a bilinear scaling unit.
Operating Systems The Fire GL2 supports the following operating systems: ♦ Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6 (or higher) ♦ Microsoft Windows 2000 ♦ Linux - 2.2.x kernels, C Library 1.2 (LibC 6.2) How to obtain Linux drivers? ⇒ Download from www.ati.com/support Service Pack Information for Windows NT 4.0 You must be running Windows NT 4.0, updated with Service Pack 6 (or newer) prior to installing the Fire GL2 drivers. The Service Pack is available from Microsoft's web page, www.microsoft.com.
Typical Application Environments Fire GL2 offers outstanding 2D/3D performance in Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Linux. Fire GL2 is optimized and certified for professional 3D graphics in the following business environments.
Performance Overview Note: For more detailed information on features and performance please refer to the section Technical Details. Hardware Performance ♦ 32-bit RGBα TrueColor 2D and 3D acceleration ♦ Accelerated, double-buffered 32-bit TrueColor up to 1920 x 1200, at 75 Hz refresh rates ♦ 24-bit Z-buffer, 8-bit double-buffer, 8-bit single-buffer overlay ♦ Video engine supports YUV conversion, point and bilinear scaling Software Features ♦ Multiprocessor system support ♦ ThreadSafe OpenGL 1.
HOW TO USE THIS USER'S GUIDE For your convenience, this online User’s Guide has been formatted as an Adobe® Acrobat® PDF file. This format gives you great flexibility when using this documentation. Many hyperlinks provide easy access to any information you may want. To make it useful in a printed format, too, a - hyperlinked - table of contents and page numbers are provided. Because it was designed to be used online and printed, some of the images may not print clearly or appear very clearly on screen.
Viewing the User's Guide Online You can also read the User's Guide online—important hypertext links, such as Table of Contents entries, World Wide Web, and email addresses are active. Place your mouse cursor over Table of Contents entries or main headings. If the hand icon changes to a pointing index finger, simply click and you will move to that place in the document. Some email or World Wide Web addresses inside this manual may be active as well.
QUICK INSTALLATION ♦ Brief instructions on how to get to work with the Fire GL2 in the shortest possible time. ♦ Recommended for experienced users and system administrators only. ♦ For more detailed information on installation and operation of your graphics accelerator, please refer to the corresponding sections of the Fire GL2 User’s Guide. Installation Steps 1. De-install the drivers and software for your old graphics card. 2. Set the display driver to Standard VGA.
INSTALLING THE FIRE GL2 ♦ INSTALLING THE HARDWARE ♦ INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE INSTALLING THE HARDWARE The hardware installation includes the following steps: ♦ Preparing your Computer ♦ Installing the Card ♦ Connecting the Cables and Completing the Installation 8 Installing the Fire GL2
Preparing your Computer Information Before you Start What do you need to use your Fire GL2? System Requirements and Tools ♦ Motherboard with free AGP 1.X slot for the Fire GL2 card. ♦ System interrupt (IRQ) which is free. This may have to be reserved in the computer’s BIOS. For help with this theme, refer to the manual for your mainboard ♦ Pentium II CPU or better ♦ Supported operating system: ⇒ Windows NT 4.
Where are the drivers? ♦ ♦ Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 drivers are provided on the Fire GL CD. Linux drivers are available for downloading from www.ati.com/support. Are you installing your Fire GL2 in place of a card from another manufacturer? Before you shut down your computer and remove the installed graphics solution , we recommend that you un-install the old card first: ♦ Use the uninstall program for your existing card, if one is available.
Setting the Display Driver to Standard VGA To avoid possible driver conflicts between your old and new graphics card, install the standard VGA driver for your operating system. Install the standard VGA driver before you shut down your computer and remove the installed (AGP, PCI, or ISA) VGA card. Note: Installing the standard VGA driver is not required for Windows 2000.
Opening the Computer Cabinet Warning! Prevent static electric damage. Avoid touching any electronic components. Static discharge can cause severe damage to electronic equipment, but here are some easy ways to see that it doesn't happen: ⇒ Don't touch edge connectors or exposed circuitry. ⇒ If possible, ground your body. A metal power supply in your computer is generally considered the best place to ground yourself.
Installing the Card To install your Fire GL2 AGP card, follow these steps: 1. Locate the AGP slot. 2. Remove the metal slot cover. Save the screw to secure the graphics card later. 3. Hold the card by the edges and position it directly above the AGP slot. AGP cards are designed to fit one way only. Be sure your card is properly aligned. 4. Insert your Fire GL2 card firmly into the AGP slot. Take care to press it evenly and snugly into its slot. Do not force. 5.
Installation in an AGP expansion slot 1 Fire GL2 card 2 Card edge connector 3 Expansion slot You may prevent a possible overheating risk, if you - whenever possible - leave the PCI expansion slot immediately next to the AGP slot free. Reassembling your Computer 1. Secure ribbon cables and gently push them down and out of the way before you replace the system cover. 2. Replace the computer cover. 3. Reconnect any peripheral equipment cables you may have disconnected.
Connecting the Cables and Completing the Installation Connecting the Monitor Cable Note - You may connect only one monitor, either analog VGA or digital CRT / TFT-LCD, to the Fire GL2. The Fire GL2 does not support two monitors connected to one card. If you connect two monitors to the card, the analog monitor is automatically active and the digital monitor is automatically inactive. VGA Monitor Securely attach your monitor's data cable to the 15-pin VGA output connector (1) on the card.
Setting the Monitor Impedance If you can switch the impedance values on your monitor, use the following recommended settings: R, G, B video input: 75 Ohm Synch: 2.2 kOhm Try other 'Synch' settings if you cannot achieve a stable video image. If the impedance setting options are 'High' and 'Low' only, try the setting that provides the most satisfactory monitor display.
Start your System Switch on your monitor before you switch on your computer. Failing to do so could damage your monitor. If you have correctly installed the card, operating system messages will appear on your monitor when the boot procedure is finished. Note: Your monitor is running in standard VGA mode. Higher refresh rates etc. are not available at this stage of the installation.
INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE ♦ Before you Start: Information, Tips and Hints ♦ Software Installation for Windows NT 4.0 ♦ Software Installation for Windows 2000 You will need to install the Fire GL2 drivers and software in the following cases: ♦ After you have installed the card to your system. ♦ After you have re-installed or upgraded your operating system.
Before you Start: Information, Tips, and Hints Before you install the drivers for your Fire GL2 accelerator, make sure your monitor cable is properly attached to the VGA or DVI-D connector. Do you need a special driver installation? The software installation procedure later in this chapter describes how to install the drivers for your graphics card after you have installed the new card for the first time and have rebooted your computer.
♦ You must be running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0, updated with Service Pack 6 (or newer) before installing the Fire GL2 drivers. For most languages you can perform the Service Pack update from the Fire GL CD when you run the Quick Start utility. ReadMe file Select Readme from the Fire GL CD start menu to display a readme file. Refer to this file for additional and ‘last minute’ information. Information in this file may not appear in printed documentation or online help.
3. Click the button corresponding to the type of installation you want. If you select Custom, a list of software components will be displayed. Select the check boxes to specify the components you want to install. 4. Click Next to continue the installation. 5. When the DIAMOND Install dialog displays the components to be installed click on Next. (Depending on which components you chose different windows might appear. Click on the corresponding buttons to continue the installation.) 6.
4. Click the button corresponding to the type of installation you want. If you select Custom, a list of software components will be displayed. Select the check boxes to specify the components you want to install. 5. Click Next to continue the installation. 6. When the DIAMOND Install dialog displays the components to be installed click on Next. (Depending on which components you chose different windows might appear. Click on the corresponding buttons to continue the installation.) 7.
FIRE GL2 SOFTWARE UTILITIES ♦ CHANGING THE VIDEO SETTINGS ♦ MODIFYING APPLICATION PROFILES As part of its Windows NT/2000 drivers, Fire GL2 installs additional property pages to your Display Properties control panel. They are named as follows. Windows NT 4.0: Monitor, Adjustment, Configuration, and Information. Windows 2000: Adjustment, Configuration, and Information. Use the Configuration dialog to customize application profiles for individual application settings.
CHANGING THE VIDEO SETTINGS The dialogs in the Display Properties menu allow setting and adjusting the video settings to suit your requirements best. How to Switch to the Display Properties? 1. Start Windows. 2. After Windows has finished booting, click Start > Settings > Control Panel. 3. Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties window appears.
Setting Resolution, Refresh Rate and Color Depth Windows NT 4.0 1. Select the Settings dialog in the Display Properties window. 2. Set the resolution, color depth, and refresh rate that best suit your requirements and your monitors' performance. Windows 2000 1. Select the Settings dialog in the Display Properties window. 2. Set the resolution (Screen area) and color depth that best suit your requirements and your monitors' performance. 3.
Selecting your Monitor Windows NT 4.0 1. Select the Monitor dialog in the Display Properties window. You can customize the settings of the connected monitor. For more information on setting up the monitor refer to the context sensitive online help.
2. Set the desired operation mode for your monitor. Custom Modes Use resolution and refresh rates for this monitor as specified in the Settings dialog in Display Properties. This option allows you to take full advantage of the resolution/refresh rate capabilities of the video chip. Warning! Selecting a resolution or refresh rate that your monitor does not support can permanently damage the monitor. Check the monitor’s documentation and verify that it supports the selected resolution and refresh rate.
DDC Monitor Select this option and click the Apply or OK button if you want the driver to automatically decode the monitor's DDC (Display Data Channel) information on each reboot/NT 4.0 start. To detect a new DDC monitor immediately, click the Detect now button. An error message will be displayed if the connected monitor does not support DDC. 3. Click the Apply or OK button to enable your monitor settings. Windows 2000 1. Select the Monitor dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Monitor.
Adjusting the Monitor Display Using this dialog you can adjust the display of the connected monitor. For more information on adjusting the monitor's display refer to the context sensitive online help. 1. Windows NT 4.0: Select the Adjustment dialog in the Display Properties window. Windows 2000: Select the Adjustment dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Adjustment.
2. Monitor Tuning: With the buttons in the Move and Size sections you can tune the position and size of the monitor's display for the indicated resolution and refresh rate. Notes: (1) Use the hardware setting controls on your monitor, if available, to adjust your display size or position - instead of the software controls in 'Adjustment - Monitor Tuning.' Check the documentation of your monitor for information on your monitor's hardware controls.
3. Gamma Correction Adjustment: Adjust the monitor's gamma correction for optimal brightness with the red, green and blue slider bars. Note: You cannot adjust Gamma Correction for 256-color modes When these sliders are changed the gamma correction table modifies each pixel's color value. The brightness produced at the face of the display is proportional to the input voltage raised to the power gamma. This nonlinearity must be compensated to achieve correct reproduction of the image's brightness.
MODIFYING APPLICATION PROFILES Using the Configuration dialog you can individually configure each application’s settings. ♦ Windows NT 4.0: Select Display Properties > Configuration. Windows 2000: Select Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Configuration.
♦ Activating a configuration profile: For some of the most popular applications the optimal configuration profile is factory-set by default. Select the application from the list in the Configuration Profiles section. This will add necessary Windows registry settings. Click Apply and, if prompted, restart Windows. If you experience problems with your application, or if you want to try to optimize the performance of your system on specific applications, you may modify the configuration settings.
♦ Adding a new application profile: Click the Add button in the Configuration Profiles section and enter the new application for which you want to set the configuration parameters. ♦ Modifying the configuration parameters: To change the configuration settings of a specific application, for example, CATIA, select the application from the list in the Configuration Profiles section and click the Modify button. To remove the selected configuration profile completely, click Delete.
REMOVING THE FIRE GL2 DRIVERS This section describes how to properly remove your graphics card software from your system should you need to do so. Before removing the Fire GL2 video driver, please close all open application programs and disable any anti-virus software that is running on your computer until the driver is removed! To install or uninstall the Fire GL2 drivers, you need administrator rights or you must be logged on as a user with administrator rights under Windows NT and Windows 2000. 1.
TROUBLESHOOTING Your board is a complex electronic device and can only be repaired by authorized technical personnel with special equipment. Do not attempt to change or repair any parts of this product. Doing so will render your warranty invalid. COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS If you experience a problem using the Fire GL2, check the following sections for advice on how to solve your problem. FAQs Frequently Asked Questions and their answers may be found at the Web sites of ATI Inc. Go to www.ati.
Screen image defects appear Check if your monitor supports the resolution, horizontal (kHz) and vertical (Hz) refresh rates as required by the graphics card. Check for your current resolution, refresh rate, and color depth settings in the Settings and Monitor dialogs of the Display Properties. Warning! Be sure that both video card and monitor support resolution and refresh rates you select. Incompatible resolution/refresh rate selection may result in monitor damage.
Checking for address and interrupt conflicts ♦ It is necessary to ensure that the I/O and memory addresses reserved for the graphics board are not used by other hardware devices. ♦ The integrated on-board VGA controller of your Fire GL2 uses the following addresses (hex): I/O Address Standard VGA I/O: 3B0-3DF Memory Addresses: Video RAM: A000-BFFF Video ROM: C000-C7FF Note: You cannot change the addresses of your Fire GL2.
TECHNICAL DETAILS ♦ FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE ♦ PIN ASSIGNMENTS ♦ VIDEO MODES ♦ BLOCK DIAGRAM FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE Hardware Design ♦ Single 2/3 length AGP/ATX card ♦ AGP4x Version 2.0 compliant including side band signalling support Controller ♦ IBM Chipset: IBM RC 1000 256-bit graphics rasterizer and IBM GT 1000 hardware geometry engine with integrated features.
Memory and BIOS ♦ 64 MByte Double Data Rate (DDR) SGRAM for unified framebuffer, Z-buffer and texture storage ♦ 128 KByte BIOS FlashROM, 3.3V only, reprogrammable by software Connectors ♦ Standard blue 15-pin D-VGA video output connector ♦ 25-pin DVI-D output connector for digital flat-panel (DFP) displays and digital CRT displays ♦ Stereographic 3-pin Mini-DIN output connector for stereoviewing eyewear (supports StereoGraphics CrystalEyes shutter glasses).
Professional 3D Rendering ♦ Full OpenGL 1.1 ICD with 1.
Software ♦ OpenGL 1.1 ICD with 1.2 functional extensions ♦ OpenGL support for quad-buffer stereoviewing eyewear ♦ Supports Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 ♦ 2D and 3D Linux support ♦ Pentium III Streaming SIMD Extension (SSE) support for Windows NT4.0, Windows 2000, and Linux ♦ Athlon 3Dnow! support for NT4.
Stereo Sync Output Connector Pin Function 1 + 5 V DC (fused 750 mA) 2 ground 3 StereoSync DVI Output Connector DVI: Digital Visual Interface DDC: Display Data Channel T.M.D.S: Transition Minimized Differential Signal Pin Function 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 T.M.D.S. Data2T.M.D.S. Data2+ T.M.D.S. Data2/4 Shield T.M.D.S. Data4T.M.D.S. Data4+ DDC Clock DDC Data not connected T.M.D.S. Data1T.M.D.S. Data1+ T.M.D.S. Data1/3 Shield T.M.D.S. Data3T.M.D.S.
VIDEO MODES All video modes comply with VESA DMT (Discrete Monitor Timing) or VESA GTF (General Timing Format) standards. VGA Monitors Resolution Color Bits α Bits Line Frequency (kHz) 640 x 480 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1152 x 864 1280 x 960 1280 x 1024 24 24 24 24 24 24 8 8 8 8 8 8 1600 x 1024 1600 x 1200 1792 x 1344 1920 x 1200 24 24 24 24 8 8 8 8 31.5, 37.5, 43.3, 56.9 37.7, 46.9, 54.1, 63.9 48.4, 60.0, 68.7, 80.9 53,7, 67.7, 77.1, 93.1 60.0, 75.2, 85.9, 101.7 52.7, 63.8, 79.8, 91.1, 107.0 63.
BLOCK DIAGRAM AGP 2X/4X System Interface Graphics Rasterizer System Bus Interface Geometry Engine VGA Unit Raster/ Texture Engine Pixel Cache Utility Bus Interface Flash ROM 64KB DMA BLT Unit Video Engine Palette DAC Display Timing Generator Frame Buffer Interface RGB Out Sync Out DDC2B Ctl Digital Output Frame buffer Technical Details 45
TRADEMARKS AND REGULATORY TRADEMARKS Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated, which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. ATI is a registered trademark of ATI Technologies Inc. in Canada, the United States and/or other countries. Fire GL is a trademark of ATI Technologies Inc. in Canada, the United States, and/or other countries.
DISCLAIMER The manufacturer (MFR) reserves the right to make changes to this document and the products which it describes without notice. The MFR shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions made herein; not for incidental or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
EMI COMPLIANCE INFORMATION FCC Compliance Information FCC - DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY FOR A CLASS B DIGITAL DEVICE We, the Responsible Party ATI Research Inc.- Fire GL Graphics 4 Mount Royal Avenue, Marlborough, MA 01752-1978 USA; Phone: (508) 303-3900 declare that the product Fire GL2 AGP complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. The compliance with those standards is confirmed in an accreditation certificate.
CE Compliance Information EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and Amendments 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC, Class B Digital Device EN 55022/CISPR 22, Limits and Methods of Measurement of Radio Interference Characteristics Information Technology Equipment.
