PCI Express® Expansion User’s Manual ExpressBox1 & ExpressBox1 Pro Model: EB1H Model: EB1F
Copyright © 2007 Mission Technology Group, Inc. - DBA Magma This publication is protected by Federal Copyright Law, with all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, translated, transmitted or transcribed, in any form or by any means manual, electric, electronic, electro-magnetic, mechanical, optical or otherwise, in whole or in part without prior written consent from Magma.
M A G M A Table of Contents PREFACE ............................................................................................. III What’s in this Guide .............................................................................................. iii Advisories ............................................................................................................. iii Safety Instructions ................................................................................................
M A G M A Returning Merchandise to Magma ...................................................................... 30 APPENDIX A COMPLIANCE .......................................................... 31 FCC ..................................................................................................................... 31 Industry Canada .................................................................................................. 31 CE ................................................................
M A G M A Preface What’s in this Guide This manual is divided into the following parts: Chapter 1: Provides General Specifications and Parts List. Chapter 2: Briefly explains hardware installation. Chapter 3: Provides troubleshooting assistance. Chapter 4: Explains Magma Software Installation. Chapter 5: Explains where to get technical support. Appendix A: Provides information about Compliance.
M A G M A DANGER or STOP Used to indicate and prevent the following step from causing serious injury or significant data loss. Disclaimer: We have attempted to identify most situations that may pose a danger, warning, or caution condition in this manual. However, Magma does not claim to have covered all situations that might require the use of a Caution, Warning, or Danger indicator. Safety Instructions Always use caution when servicing any electrical component.
M A G M A When Working Inside a Computer Before taking covers off a computer, perform the following steps: 1. Turn off the computer and any peripherals 2. Disconnect the computer and peripherals from their power sources to prevent electric shock or system board damage. 3. Disconnect any telephone or telecommunications lines from the computer.
M A G M A Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Warning Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is the enemy of semiconductor devices. You should always take precautions to eliminate any electrostatic charge from your body and clothing before touching any semiconductor device or card by using an electrostatic wrist strap and/or conductive mat. Static electricity can harm system boards.
M A G M A Chapter 1 Introduction General Specifications Magma ExpressBox1 is an easy-to-use device for attaching a "desktoponly" PCI Express® card to a laptop or moving a hot or power-hungry PCI Express card outside of the host computer. Magma ExpressBox1 offers support for any single-width PCI Express 1 card with a power requirement of 55 watts or less. ExpressBox provides dedicated power and cooling to ensure the PCI Express card runs at maximum efficiency.
M A G M A 5% to 85% Relative Humidity, Non-condensing 25,000 hours Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS X MTBF: Supported Operating Systems: Regulatory Compliance Warranty: FCC Class B Verified, CE Certified, TUV NTRL Tested 30 Day Money Guarantee 1 Year Return to Factory Pre-Installation Information Before using the Magma product you should perform the following steps: • • • Inventory the shipping carton contents for all of the required parts Gather all of the necessary tools required for installation Rea
M A G M A Chapter 2 Hardware Installation The following steps will guide you in completing the hardware installation of your Magma ExpressBox1. Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Warning Computer add-in cards are susceptible to electrostatic discharge. When moving cards, it is best to carry the cards in anti-static packaging. If you need to set a card down, be sure to place it inside or on top of an anti-static surface. For more information, see “Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge” in the Preface.
M A G M A This chapter provides information only on how to install 3rd Party PCI 1 Express cards into your Magma ExpressBox . More details on the installation of individual cards are provided by the card’s manufacturer. For the purpose of installation, Magma ExpressBox1 functions exactly as a standard desktop computer chassis. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installing their card on a desktop computer.
M A G M A Install 3rd Party PCI Express Card Install PCI Express cards following PCI Express card manufacturer’s recommendations. Some PCI Express card manufacturers recommend that you install their software driver(s), if required, prior to installing the hardware. If this is the case, you should install their driver before you 1 connect and power up your Magma ExpressBox . Make sure that the PCI Express card is fully seated in the connectors.
M A G M A IMPORTANT The sheer number of PCI Express cards and device drivers available makes it impossible for Magma to fully test and certify all 1 available PCI Express cards for use in Magma ExpressBox . Our best advice to you in this regard is to insist on full PCI Express Specification compliance from your card and system vendors. Cards and systems should be at least PCI Express Specification Revision 1.1 compliant or better.
M A G M A Before inserting the Magma ExpressCard, power down your laptop computer. Use the procedures for shutting down your operating system and shutting off power to your system provided in your owner’s manual or system documentation. Insert the Magma ExpressCard/34 module with the logo side up, into the ExpressCard slot on your computer. Gently push the card until it is firmly seated. NOTE The Magma ExpressCard module can only be used in a computer system that contains an ExpressCard slot.
M A G M A STOP YOU MUST ONLY INSTALL THE MAGMA EEX1 INTO A PCI EXPRESS SLOT. Only use cards WITH brackets. This will ensure that your PCIe host card can only be inserted into a PCIe slot. Although PCI Express cards without brackets may fit into conventional PCI slots, you run the risk of damaging the PCI Express host card if you insert it into a PCI slot. Please ensure that your host computer has PCI Express slots and install the host card only into a PCI Express slot.
M A G M A Attach one end of the PCI Express cable to the Magma EEX1 card in the host computer and the other end to the connector on the back of the Magma unit. The cable connects to the using thumbscrews; therefore no tools are required for the cable connection. Although this x1 Host Card will work correctly in any x1, x4, x8, or x16 slot, using a higher rated slot will not increase the speed beyond the rated x1 speeds.
M A G M A CAUTION If you are using a power source other than 110V US Standard, you will need a different power cord to connect your source power to the power adapter, or a power cord adapter so you can plug the 110V US Standard power cord directly into your source power. Fortunately, the power supply is auto-switching, so the only thing you will need is the correct power cord connector. Applying Power Correctly You must apply power to Magma ExpressBox1 BEFORE you power up your computer.
M A G M A STOP 1 DO NOT TURN ON MAGMA EXPRESSBOX UNTIL YOU HAVE SHUT DOWN YOUR LAPTOP COMPLETELY! It can cause a system lockup and loss of any unsaved data. System Should Be Up and Running Apply power to Magma ExpressBox1 first, then power up the computer. Use the procedures detailed in Step belzow to confirm the card installation in the Windows Device Manager or Apple System Profiler.
M A G M A Select ‘Device Manager’ from the items in the left side of the Computer Management Window. Then click on the View Menu and select View Devices by Connection. To see if your installation is completed: Click on the ‘+’ sign to the left of the ACPI (BIOS) to open it. This is typically found at the top of the Device Manager Window. Click the ‘+’ sign to the left of the line containing the words “Express Root” or something similar.
M A G M A If the installation was unsuccessful you may see a small yellow (bang) in front of the PCI Express Root Port, or nothing may be visible at all. If any of these devices are not displayed as shown above, you should shut down your system (computer first, then ExpressBox) and reconnect the cables and the Magma ExpressCard to ensure that you have a solid 1 connection. Restart Magma ExpressBox ; then restart the computer. Next, try to verify the installation again, as shown above.
M A G M A You should choose a profile that matches the configuration of all the 1 cards installed in your Mac. Since the Magma ExpressBox functions at x1 PCI Express, any of the profiles will work; however, to maximize your performance with other PCI Express cards, Magma recommends that you install your Magma host card into a slot designated as a x1 slot (slot 2 or slot 3). In this example, we have installed an Apple Fibre Channel Card inside 1 Magma ExpressBox .
M A G M A System Profiler You can verify successful installation by viewing Apple System Profiler. Select “About This Mac” under the Apple Icon Then click the “More Info” button. Open the Hardware tab and choose PCI Cards from the drop down list. rd When installed correctly, you will see your 3 Party card under the PCI cards option.
M A G M A If your device is not displayed as shown above, you should shut down your system (computer first, then ExpressBox) and reconnect the cables to ensure that you have a solid connection. Restart Magma 1 ExpressBox , and then restart the computer. Next, try to verify the installation again, as shown above. If you are still having problems contact Magma Technical Support at (858) 530-2511.
M A G M A Chapter 3 Troubleshooting Locate the Problem If you are having trouble with Magma ExpressBox1, verify that the 3rd party PCI Express card is seated properly and all cables are connected properly. (Remember to power On and Off correctly.) Recheck the Windows Device Manager or the Apple System Profiler. If you continue to have problems, there is a quick-check you can perform to determine if the problem is actually with the 3rd Party card or a defect with the Magma hardware. 1 1.
M A G M A Windows 2000/XP 5. Next, open the Device Manager (View by Connection selection). If the is gone, the problem is with the 3rd Party card or the card drivers. You should go to the Windows Error Codes section of this chapter to learn how to troubleshoot using error codes. If the is still visible, the problem may be with the Magma ExpressBox1. Please contact Magma Technical Support for further guidance and/or a replacement product. MAC 5.
M A G M A The 3rd Party PCI Express Card is not found The 3rd Party PCI Express card will be visible in the Device Manager, or Apple Profiler, when everything is installed and connected correctly in 1 rd the Magma ExpressBox . If the 3 Party PCI Express card is not visible at all, you will need to turn off your computer (first) and then ExpressBox (second) and test all cords and cables to ensure you have everything connected correctly. See Chapter 2, Step for more details.
M A G M A If you are running Windows XP and have not yet installed the Magma ExpressCard drivers, you should download them from the website at www.magma.com/support/drivers/expressbox and install the driver using the instructions in Chapter 4 Software Installation. If you are still having problems, call Magma Technical Support. CAUTION Do NOT click on the Driver tab and attempt to reinstall the driver. This will not help resolve the issue and may even complicate the problem.
M A G M A b. If it boots up OK without any 3rd Party cards installed, try adding a simple card and see if it boots up. i. If it boots up OK with a simple card in it, shut it down (in the proper order, of course) and swap cards. If you find a bad card, call Technical Support. If you don’t – congratulations, you fixed it! ii. If it still hangs up, try a different card – this one is probably bad (or has driver problems). If the second cards works, troubleshoot the first card.
M A G M A Chapter 4 Software Installation Windows A driver is NOT required for Windows Vista, but may be required for a Windows XP installation. You should first install your 3rd Party card and 1 connect Magma ExpressBox following instructions as described in Chapter 2. Only if you are having problems with your Windows XP system should you install the Magma ExpressCard drivers. Before attempting to install anything on a Windows XP system, you should ensure that you have set a new Restore Point.
M A G M A Install Driver 1 Download driver from Magma website at www.magma.com/support/drivers/expressbox 2 Click on the Open button to create a C:\ExpressBox1 folder on your computer. 3 Click on the Winzip button to unpack the files into the C:\ExpressBox1 folder. 4 Click on the OK button to confirm the files are unpacked. 5 Click on the Close button to close WinZip. 6 Go to the C:\ExpressBox1 folder and double-click on the Setup.exe file to start the driver installation.
M A G M A Click Next to continue and review the licensing agreement. Review the licensing agreement. If you agree, click Yes to continue. If you do not agree, click No to exit.
M A G M A Rather than restarting your computer, it is recommended that you click “No, I will restart my computer later.”, and then click Finish. You will be instructed to SHUT DOWN your computer in the next step. MacOS X A Magma driver is NOT required for MacOS X installation. MacOS X should automatically recognize Magma ExpressBox1. Linux RedHat 9 It is presently undetermined if any special configuration is required for proper operation, or if it will work correctly “out of the box.
M A G M A Chapter 5 How to Get More Help Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) You can visit the Magma Technical Support FAQ pages on the Internet at: www.magma.com/support/ Contacting Technical Support Our support department can be reached by fax at (858) 530-2733 or by phone at (858) 530-2511. Support is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PT.
M A G M A Magma Debug Utility Occasionally, Technical Support may request Windows users to produce and email a Magma debug log file to help them resolve your problem. This file should be included as an attachment when submitting a Technical Support request at www.magma.com/support. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Locate a file called dbgview.exe on the Magma CDROM. Double-click on the file dbgview.exe While the dbgview screen is open, locate and double-click on a file called dump.exe on the Magma CDROM.
M A G M A PCIScope Software Utility PCIScope is a powerful tool for Windows users. It was designed by a Germany company called APSoft. This software utility is a valuable resource to explore, examine and debug the PCI subsystem of your computer. It was made to fit the requirements of the most demanding users, especially engineers, programmers, and system administrators, and to integrate all advanced functions and tools into one product. Please visit www.tssc.
M A G M A You should save this data as a file on your computer. Please include your name and date as part of the file name with an extension of “.bpd.” This file should be included as an attachment when submitting a Technical Support request at www.magma.com/support.
M A G M A Returning Merchandise to Magma If factory service is required, a Service Representative will give you a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number. Put this number and your return address on the shipping label when you return the item(s) for service. Magma will return any product that is not accompanied by an RMA number. Please note that Magma WILL NOT accept COD packages, so be sure to return the product freight and duties-paid.
M A G M A APPENDIX A Compliance FCC This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
M A G M A 32 Appendix A Compliance
M A G M A
M A G M A
M A G M A
Magma 9918 Via Pasar, San Diego, CA 92126, USA Phone (858) 530-2511 • Fax (858) 530-2733 www.magma.
