1. When
do I use the PHD as opposed to the QuickTech software?
The PHD's primary purpose is to test the motherboard. The card
is designed with on-board circuitry that enables it to test
all functions of the motherboard components. Therefore, the
card can test systems that boot completely, partly boot or seem
totally dead. The card has onboard memory, graphics port, processor
emulation and firmware that enables it to test systems to the
highest level possible.
Although the card's main purpose is to test the motherboard,
it will also test the power supply and system peripherals. A
more detailed description of these two tests can be found in
other parts of this section.
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2.
My systems boots into Windows and ignores the card?
First you
need to make sure that the switch settings are correct. If the
settings are correct and the system ignores the card then try
the following:
I
) First, you need to make sure that you do not have any installed
devices that are conflicting with the PHD card. This is a
very rare occurrence, but it still needs to be addressed.
The devices that would most create this type of problem would
be a SCSI card, Network adapter, or other peripherals that
require BIOS memory space. To resolve this type of a conflict,
simply remove these cards and power up the system. If these
devices are built onto the motherboard, you must disable them
in the system BIOS.
II ) Second, make a simple switch setting change. On SW1,
turn on switch number 7 and 8. This is done in addition to
the other switches that must be set ON. Keep in mind that
ON is moving the switch in the up position.
III
) Boot the system and enter the BIOS setup area. Here we are
going to make two changes. First, find the area of the BIOS
that sets the primary boot device. Since BIOS's change a lot,
you will need to select one of the following:
- First boot
device, Network card.
- Or, search
for other boot devices,
- Or, boot
from SCSI card, · Or, boot from PHD card. Some BIOS's
will identify PHD as a boot device.
The
reason we are going through this process is because your current
BIOS is not searching the bus for a boot device. By selecting
one of the above settings, we are allowing the BIOS to search
the bus and give control to the PHD card. If the problem persists,
please contact Ultra-X's tech support team.
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3. How do I use your card to test the Motherboard?
This is
the primary testing feature of the card. In the user's guide
it is called the diagnostic mode. This is the mode that will
run specific routines for testing the motherboard to component
level. The switch settings should be as follows:
SW1:
Switches 4, 5 and 6 should be ON or in the up position.
SW2: All switches should be OFF or in the down position.
The
card will test most chipsets on the market. This includes Intel,
SIS, VIA, AMD and OPTI. If you are not sure if your chipset
is supported, please contact Ultra-X's tech support team.
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4.
How do I use your card to test the peripherals?
This is
the second testing mode of the card. It is referred to in the
manual as the extended mode. In this mode, the PHD will test
most items that you will install on your motherboard. This will
include the memory, graphics card, serial and parallel ports,
hard and floppy drives, CD ROMs and other ATAPI devices, keyboard,
monitor, and processor. We are always adding new testing features
to the card. This is also the mode in which the PHD will display
detail system properties and specific information about installed
devices. The switch settings should be as follows:
SW1:
Switches 4, 5, 6 and 10 should be ON or in the up position.
SW2: All switches should be off or in the down position.
In the
extended mode, PHD requires that you have a keyboard installed.
You will use the keyboard to select the tests you should to
run.
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5.
How do I use your card to check the POST codes?
Although
PHD is not a POST card, it is designed to display POST Codes.
POST codes are automatically displayed when the PHD is in either
the diagnostic mode or the extended mode. However, you can also
instruct the PHD to solely perform a POST test. The switch settings
should be as follows:
SW1:
Switches 4, 5, 6 and 9 should be ON or in the up position.
SW2: All switches should be OFF or in the down position.
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6.
How do I use the on-board Video?
The on-board
video should only be used in the Forced Boot Mode. When using
on-board video, you need to remove the standard video card.
The PHD will serve as the only video card in the system. If
the video is built onto the motherboard, you will need to disable
it in the BIOS. The switch settings should be as follows:
SW1:
Switches 4, 5, and 6 should be ON or in the up position.
SW2: Switches 8 and 10 should also be ON or in the up position.
In the
manual, it states to turn switch number 2 on SW1 ON, however
I recommend that you leave the VGA switch ON.
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7.
How do I use your card to test the power supply?
The PHD
tests the power supply automatically and continuously. If you
are looking at the PHD PCI, the results are on the 10 position
LED display. The display is located to the right of the switch
box. The first four leds are for the power supply.
If you are looking at the PHD Plus, the display is located to
the left of the switch box. The first four leds are for the
power supply.
When using the PHD PCI, you may notice that the 3.3 volts LED
does not power up. This indicates that the motherboard does
not support 3.3 volts at the PCI slot.
The PHD will test the power supply voltage to 5%. If the voltage
is fluctuating or spiking, the LED will begin to blink. If the
fluctuation or the spike is 5% or more, then the LED will shut
off. This indicates a defective power supply and you will need
to replace it.
If you are using an Athlon processor, we recommend that you
use a 300 watt power supply.
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8.
How do I upgrade the card?
The card
can be simply upgraded by flashing the on-board firmware. The
file is downloaded to you with a special set of instructions
for the upgrade process. You will need to install the PHD in
a working system. The process will take a total of three minutes.
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9.
What is force start mode?
The force
start mode is the process which enables the PHD card to work
with its BIOS. This is used when the system's own BIOS (for
example AWARD, AMI or Phoenix) fails to boot the system. This
process requires that you remove the standard BIOS and install
the PHD BIOS. In the force start mode, you can only test the
motherboard (diagnostic mode) and you must use the on-board
video.The switch settings should be as follows:
SW1:
Switches 4, 5, and 6 should be ON or in the up position.
SW2: Switches 8 and 10 should be ON or in the up position.
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10.
When do I replace the system BIOS?
You will
need to replace the BIOS if the system's own BIOS fails to completely
boot the system. This process requires that you swap the system
BIOS with the Ultra-X BIOS (PHD PCI Board
Rev 3.28 and All PHD Plus Cards Only), and then
follow the switch settings that are detailed in the force start
mode.
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11.
What can the PHD card test that the software can't?
Since the
PHD is a hardware tool, it is designed to run certain tests
that the software can't perform. These tests include testing
the motherboard to component level and power supply testing.
The reason is because the PHD is design with specific circuitries
that support the firmware in detecting low-level motherboard
and power supply problems.
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12.
How do I use the loop back plugs?
The loop
back plugs allow the PHD card to perform external port testing.
This means that we are able to send data through the port and
using the loop back plugs to send data back to the card to see
if the process completed the loop.
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13.
How do I know if I have the latest version of the hardware?
When running
the PHD, the revision of the firmware is shown on the screen.
You can check this against these numbers:
PHD
Diagnostic Mode 5.03 Rev. k
PHD Extended Mode Rev. 4.27
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14.
Does the PHD test a USB port?
The PHD
does have the ability to test a USB port. The firmware has a
complete set of diagnostic to run through the proper operation
of a USB port. However, it does require the QuickTech USB device.
You will need to install the USB device on the port and then
initialize the PHD testing routine.
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15.
What is the Hummer I.P.?
The Hummer
I.P. is an ISA based test board that works alongside the PHD
PCI. The Hummer I.P. enables the PHD PCI to test all ISA functions,
all IRQ lines, perform DMA transfers and test the PCI to ISA
bus. The PHD is designed to automatically recognize the Hummer
card and adjust the diagnostics accordingly.
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16.
Does the PHD test a CPU?
The PHD
does do a little bit of CPU testing. However, we do require
that the processor is completely bootable. The testing is limited
to external Cache and a limited number of registers. If you
require thorough CPU testing, we recommended that you look into
a processor tester. These are very expensive devices and are
usually targeted towards CPU manufacturers.
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17.
What type of systems will the PHD test?
The PHD
Plus will test most systems that use a 386 and better processor.
The card will function on the Intel, AMD, IBM and Cyrix processors.
The PHD PCI will test most systems that have a PCI slot. This
will include most 486's and almost all Pentium and better systems.
The card will function on Intel, AMD, IBM and Cyrix processors.
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18.
What does it mean when the PHD finds a failure?
PHD runs
tests that are specific to motherboard and peripheral diagnostics.
When a failure is detected, it usually means that one the following
four things occurred:
- The component
being tested is defective.
- The component
being tested is not meeting industry standards.
- The component
being tested is not compatible with the other motherboard
components.
- The card may
be detecting a timing conflict within the component.
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19.
Does the PHD provide test reports?
The PHD
provides two types of reports. The first report is displayed
graphically on the screen. The second type of report is a hard
copy that is printed.
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20.
How do I set the PHD to print reports?
To print
a report in the diagnostic mode, you will need to turn on the
following switches:
SW1:
Switch 4, 5, and 6 ON.
SW2: Switch 5, 6 and 7 ON.
If the
switches are set correctly, the PHD will display the message
"PRINT screen" across the bottom of the diagnostic screen.
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21.
I am getting Interrupt controller (master and Slave errors)
failures, what should I do?
From time
to time, you may get an interrupt failure. This usually does
not indicate a system board failure. This is normally caused
by the BIOS. You will need to see which Interrupt line is failing
and then go into the BIOS and free up that line. If there is
a device plugged into the system that is using the Interrupt
line, remove that device and let the PHD re-run the test. If
the test passes, then you may change things back and ignore
the failure. If you cannot make the failure go away and you
are not able to run any devices on that Interrupt line, then
you have a failure. This failure can't be fixed, and you will
have two options. First, you may omit from using this interrupt
line or replacing the motherboard.
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22.
My timer channel number one is failing, what does it mean?
On some
systems you will notice that timer channel one count down fails.
This is normally caused by a faulty system BIOS. Most of the
time, a simple BIOS upgrade or re-flash, should fix the problem.
If you are unable to flash the BIOS and the failure persists,
the system may be able to tolerate if the failure occurs less
than 35% of the time. If the failure is more than 35% of the
time, then you will encounter memory problems.
The timer channel one controls the refresh cycle for memory.
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23.
I put the PHD in the system but it still doesn't boot?
If you
have installed the PHD and the system does not boot, try the
instructions described in the force start mode. If the system
doesn't boot in force start mode, then PHD is detecting a problem
in the CPU or the main data bus. The CPU can be tested by installing
it in a good motherboard to see if it will boot. The main data
bus can only be tested using an oscilloscope (test the first
16 data lines).
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24.
Why am I getting Parallel port failures?
Some systems
will fail the parallel port because it can't run the mode being
tested. Here we recommend that you go into BIOS setup and play
with the different LPT port setting (EPP, ECP, BPP or standard).
When you have found one that passes all of the tests, you have
also resolved the parallel port failure.
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25.
How long is the warranty on the card?
The PHD
is warranted for one year from the original date of purchase.
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26.
How do I get the card repaired?
Most of
the time, performing a simple firmware flash can repair the
card. If the problem persists, please call our tech support
department to arrange for the return of the card.
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27.
Where is the repair work done?
Most of
the repair work is done at our Santa Clara, California headquarters.
If you purchased the card from a distributor outside the United
States, contact them and they will make the proper arrangements.
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28.
Can I buy an extended warranty for the card?
At the
present time, Ultra-X does not offer extended warranty plans.
The normal cost of repair, outside the warranty period, is $60.00
per hour including parts.
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29.
Is the card static sensitive?
The PHD
card is fairly static sensitive, however it is always recommended
that you follow industry standard static discharge procedure
when handling any computer parts. A simple grounded wrist strap
will do the job.
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30.
Why can't I screw the PHD card down in my system?
The PHD
is specially designed with the bracket off center. The bracket
is there for support only. We don't want you to screw the card
in the case because you might forget the card in the system.
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31.
The card does not fit into my system?
Some systems
may have a CPU fan that may get in the way of the PHD. If this
is the case and you do not have any other slots to use, then
you may remove the fan from the CPU and install the PHD. However,
you must make sure that the CPU is properly venting and that
it does not overheat.
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32.
Do I get free upgrades?
No, we
do not offer free upgrades. The normal cost of an upgrade is
between $99.00 and $149.00.
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33.
How do I stop the PHD diagnostics?
When you
are running the PHD card, simply power down the system when
you are finished troubleshooting. This will not damage the card.
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34.
What brand computer does the PHD Support?
PHD will
work in most systems that utilize an Intel or compatible processor.
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35.
Will a virus attack my card?
We have
never come across a case of a virus attacking the card. It is
always good to make sure that the flash switch is in the OFF
position. This is switch number 9 on SW2.
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36.
Why am I getting an SM Bus Failure?
The System
Management Bus is a bios option. The PHD checks to see
if it is enabled within the machine's bios and if it is implemented
correctly.
If it is not set up correctly the PHD cannot access it, and
it will return a fail for the test.
37.
What are some recommended switch settings for PHD PCI?
The following
are the switch settings for PHD PCI's most frequently
used diagnostic testing mode:
SW1:
4,5,6= Up
SW2: All Down
The
following is the switch settings for running Extended Diagnostics
Mode:
SW1: 4,5,6,10= Up
SW2: All Down
The
following is the switch settings for using ONLY POST Mode:
SW1: 9= Up
SW2: All Down
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