Giga Designs Dip Switch Voltage Settings

Hi,

Thank you for posting this at XYMer's BDAqua. Sarah's answer to the post shows possible reconfigurations, but she is unable to state what the voltage settings for those reconfigurations are, and this is what I'm looking for.

Thank you,

medinaray

Hey Japamac,

Good to hear from you and thanks for the link. But, this is the macguru 5 switch guide I referred to in my first post of this thread. It is not a 6 switch guide, which is what I'm looking for.

Thanks again,

medinaray

Hi,

Japamac, the link you refer to is for clocking. The Giga Designs CPU has two sets of switches, one is a 5 switch set for clocking, and the other is a 6 switch set for voltage setting. See the photo [here|http://www.macgurus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23141&highlight=voltage] from MacGuru. Voltage setting(6 switch) is on the left, and clock setting(5 switch) is on the right.

I have the clock setting chart.

Just for curiosities sake: are the clock settings for powerlogix and Giga Designs relative?

Geez, what are those voltage settings?

Thanks,

medinaray

Hi,

.....Well now, this is very interesting and now a bit confusing. I did a quick online search for a Giga Designs installation guide and could not find one. But I do have the hard copy installation guide that came with the processor.

The link you provide clearly shows the 6 switches and a six switch guide. My hard copy chart shows a five switch guide for setting processor speed(it says processor speed), making our guides different. I also have a copy of the installation guide on the CD that came with the processor and it is the same as the hard copy version. My guide also warns to not adjust the voltage jumpers labeled J6 thru J10; that would be five switches. I checked my processor and neither set of the jumper switches are labeled J6 thru J10. I see a J22, but that is it. The model number in your link is 7A-1800UPG, and mine is P7AD-1800U. Are the 5 dip switches on the right side in the photograph the voltage switches(J6 thru J10)? Well, I adjusted those 5 dip switches on the right side of the processor because my installation guide shows settings for 5 switches. Naturally, I assumed the six dip switches on the left side of the processor were the voltage switches that the installation guide warns to not adjust. Can you see why the confusion?

Finally, I compared the 6 dip switch setting on my processor to the 6 switch guide in your link for 1.8 Ghz at 100 Mhz system Bus and they are identical. So, I feel a little relieved, though concerned that the voltage setting on my processor is now maladjusted.

Which is which, what is what? Are the 6 switches on the left for processor speed? Or, are the 5 switches on the right for processor speed? What is the difference between model 7A-1800UPG and P7AD-1800U?
Why would Giga supply a 5 switch guide for processor speed? Did Giga make a mistake in the installation guide they sent me?

medinaray

Hi,

Alright, so I've performed a few tests on my Giga processor and here is what I've discovered.

I changed the 6 switches on the left of the processor to reflect a 1.7Ghz setting per the link Japamac supplied [here|http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~mitake/mac/mac4_01.html]. This changed the CPU speed reflected in System Profiler. I changed the 5 switches on the right, first to 1.5v, per [this|http://www.macgurus.com/forums/showpost.php?p=117337&postcount=14] voltage guide from Mac Guru...and my machine wouldn't boot. So I tried the 1.55v setting and the machine booted fine. System Profiler reflected no change in CPU speed when I changed the 5 switches on the left. Given the outcome of the tests I'm concluding the 6 switches on the left are for CPU speed, and the 5 on the right are for voltage.

Giga did make a processor with 5 switches for configuring CPU speed prior to the model I have. They must have sent me the installation guide for that model.

If anyone can provide some enlightening information about this topic please do. Also, I can provide a screen shot of the installation manual I have showing the 5 dip switch configurations for CPU speed if someone can instruct me in the process.

So far my machine is running fine with the changes I have made to the CPU.

thanks,

medinaray

Hi,

Testing several configurations verifies that the six switches on the left of my Giga processor are for setting CPU speed. The five switches on the right are for setting voltage.

I've been running my machine all day and the 1.55v setting and it seems stable. I'm wondering if I should set it a little higher, or leave it be?

I consider myself lucky that I didn't burn up my CPU, or a brand new PSU, or a new motherboard. Curiosity didn't kill the cat here. And in spite Giga's lapse in documentation, I must say that they made some outstanding processors back in the near recent day. Their processor's didn't just merely keep a machine alive, or make it a little better; but they upgraded a machine to eons better. And Giga CPUs are long lived work horses.

I'll monitor the current situation and report any significant changes, or crashes.

Thanks,

medinaray

Hi,

Here's an update on a couple more tests that I have conducted on my Giga 1.8 CPU.

I configured the voltage switches to 1.6v and my machine would not boot. Then I set the switches to the 1.65v configuration and my machine booted; but with kernel panic warnings on the screen. I reset the voltage switches to 1.55v; my machine booted, and is stable.

I'm not versed in voltage, or computer hardware science so I don't understand why these things happened. What I can report is that my Sawtooth, for whatever reason, boots stable with the CPU configured for 1.8Ghz at 1.55v. If anyone can offer up some simple explanations, then please do.

Thanks,


medinaray