Acer Aspire 8940 Service Guide

							Chapter 11
System Specifications
Features
Below is a brief summary of the computer’s many features:
NOTE: Items marked with * denote only selected models.
Operating System
• Genuine Windows 7®
Platform
• Intel® Core™ i7 processor technology, featuring:
• Mobile Intel® PM55 Express Chipset
System Memory
• Dual-Channel SDRAM support
• Up to 4 GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, upgradeable to 8 GB using two soDIMM modules
Display
• 18.4” TFT LCD
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Full HD
• 16:9 aspect ratio
Graphics
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GTS 250M*
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 240M*
Storage subsystem
• 2.5 hard disk drive
• Optical drive options:
• Blu-ray Disc™ Writer/DVD-Super Multi doublelayer drive
• Blu-ray Disc™ /DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive*
• DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive*
• 5-in-1 card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro/XD)
Audio
• Dolby®-optimized surround sound system with five built-in stereo speakers and one subwoofer 
supporting low frequency effects
• True5.1-channel surround sound output
Chapter 1 
						

							2Chapter 1
• High-definition audio support
• S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakers
• MS-Sound compatible
• Acer Purezone technology with two built-in stereo microphone
Dimensions and Weight
• 440 (W) x 295 (D) x 31/43.8 (H) mm (17.34 x 11.62 x 1.22/1.73 inches)
• 4.6 kg (10.1 lbs.) with 8-cell battery
Communication
• Acer Video Conference, featuring:
• Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam*
• Acer PureZone technology*
• WLAN: Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 5100/5300*
• WPAN: Bluetooth® 2.0+Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)*
• LAN: Gigabit Ethernet; Wake-on-LAN ready
Privacy control 
• Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint solution*
• BIOS user, supervisor, and HDD password control
• Kensington Lock (7.5mm)
Power subsystem
•ACPI 3.0
• 71 W 4800 mAh battery
• 3-pin 120 W AC adapter
• ENERGY STAR®*
Special keys and controls
• 103-/104-/107-key keyboard
• Touchpad pointing device
I/O interface
• ExpressCard®/54 slot
• Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint reader*
• 5-in-1 card reader(SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro/XD) 
• USB 2.0 jacks
• IEEE 1394 port
• HDMI™ port with HDCP support
• DISPLAY port
• eSATA port
• External display (VGA 15-pins) port 
						

							Chapter 13
• Consumer infrared (CIR) port
• RF-in jack*
• Headphones/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
• Microphone-in jack
• Line-in jack
• Ethernet (RJ-45) port
• DC-in jack for AC adapter
Environment
• Temperature:
• Operating: 5 °C to 35 °C
• Non-operating: -20 °C to 65 °C
• Humidity (non-condensing):
• Operating: 20% to 80%
• Non-operating: 20% to 80%
NOTE: Items marked with * denote only selected models. 
						

							4Chapter 1
System Block Diagram
Azalia
ODD (SATA)
P29
XTAL
32.768KHz
P28
SATA1
XTAL
14.318MHz
CIR
XTAL 32.768KHz
P22PCI-Express
X4 DMI interface
Fan Driver
P22
USB Port x 4
P30EC (WPC775C)
LPC
USB 2.0
P3 SELGO: SLG8SP585V
HDD (SATA) *2
SPI ROM
Touch Pad
P29
USB 9CCDGiga-LAN
P20
Broadcom
XTAL
25MHz
P30P20
Transformer
USB 0,6, 11, 12
SATA0
K/B COON.
CLOCK GENERATOR
SATA3
PCIE-3
P30 P29
P29(BCM5784)
RJ45P20MMBP27
P24
800/ 1066 MHz
DDR IIIDual Channel DDR3
P18, P24 P23,P24
P24Speaker
Rear Audio Amp
& Head phone
Line in
P23Audio CODEC
 (ALC889X)
Int. D-MIC P14, 15
Mini Card
P21
USB12 & 13
P25New Card
USB7
PCIE-4&6 PCIE-2
P24MIC JackP24 S/PDIFP24SUBWOOFER
MXM 3.0P17
PCIE
LVDS
CRT
SATA2USB 10P28eSATA Conn.(TI SN75LVCP412)eSATA BufferP28
CHARGERP31ISL88731
3/5V SYS PWRP32ISL6237
CPU CORE PWRISL62882
+1.05VUP61111AQDD
P33
P34
DDR PWR TPS5116
P35
THERMAL
PROTECTION
P37
1.8VPW
R
DISCHARGER
P42
POWER TREEP39SO-DIMM 0
SO-DIMM 1(PW
M Type)
USB 12 & 13 USB 7WLAN / TV
P29
USB 2FingerPrint
USB 4P29Bluetooth
P18
P18
P24 Sub-Amplifier
(MAX9737)P23 Center Mono Amp
(G1442/ 2W)
P24Center Speaker P24 Front Stereo Amp
(G1453L/ 2W+2W)P24Front Speaker
P26IEEE1394a
connector
P26
IEEE1394 &
Media Cardreader
Card Reader
Connector
HDMIP19
DISPLAY PORTP19
AN12947A
PCIE-1
LVDS & CRT
Switch
P18
CRT
LVDS
DISPLAY PORTHDMI
JMB380-QGAZ0B
P26
Graphics Interfaces
PCI-E
X16DDR SYST
EM MEMOR
YFDI
PCI-E
X1 SATA
IHDARTC
P9 USBDMI
NVRAM FDI
SPI ROMP9 SPIDMI
P36
VAXGISL62881
+VTTUP61111AQDD
P38
intelAuburndale (UMA+VGA)
Clarksfield (VGA)
rPGA 989P4.5.6.7
intel
Ibex Peak_M
PCH
P8.9.10.11.12.13 
						

							Chapter 15
Your Acer Notebook tour
After knowing your computer features, let us show you around your new computer.
Front View
IconItemDescription
1 Acer Crystal Eye 
webcamWeb camera for video communication.
2  Microphone  Internal microphone for sound recording. 
3  Display screen  Also called Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD), displays 
computer output (Configuration may vary by models). 
4  Power button  Turns the computer on and off. 
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							6Chapter 1
5  Backup key  Launches Acer Backup Management for three-step 
data backup. 
Bluetooth 
communication 
button/indicator Enables/disables the Bluetooth function. Indicates the 
status of Bluetooth communication (only for certain 
models) 
Wireless LAN 
communication 
button/indicator Enables/disables the wireless LAN function. Indicates 
the status of wireless LAN communication. 
6  Keyboard  For entering data into your computer. 
7  Touchpad  Touch-sensitive pointing device which functions like a 
computer mouse. 
8  HDD  Indicates when the hard disk drive is active. 
Num Lock  Lights up when Num Lock is activated. 
Caps Lock  Lights up when Caps Lock is activated. 
Power
*Indicates the computers power status. 
Battery
†Indicates the computers battery status. 
• Charging: The light shows amber when the 
battery is charging. 
• Fully charged: The light shows blue when in 
AC mode. 
9 Click buttons (left, 
center* and right) The left and right buttons function like the left and right 
mouse buttons. *The center button serves as Acer 
Bio-Protection fingerprint reader supporting Acer 
FingerNav 4-way control function (only for certain 
models). 
10  Palmrest  Comfortable support area for your hands when you 
use the computer. 
11  Touchpad toggle  Turns the internal touchpad on and off. 
12 Acer MediaTouch Touch sensitive controls for Acer Arcade, volume (up/
down) and media (play/pause, stop, previous, next); 
with mute and hold keys. 
13 Acer PowerSmart key Puts your computer into power-saving mode.
14 Speakers Left and right speakers deliver stereo audio output.
15 Screen blank Turns the display screen backlight off to save power. 
Press any key to return. 
*The front panel indicators are visible even when the computer cover is closed up.
†The front panel indicators are visible even when the computer cover is closed up.
IconItemDescription 
						

							Chapter 17
Closed Front View
Rear View
# Icon Item Description 
1 Multi-in-1 card 
reader Accepts Secure Digital (SD),  MultiMediaCard 
(MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick 
PRO (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card (xD). 
Note: Push to remove/install the card. Only 
one card can operate at any given time. 
2  CIR receiver  Receives signals from a remote control.  
3 Speakers Dolby 5.1 speakers deliver stereo audio output.
ItemDescription
1 Tuba The dedicated Tuba CineBass subwoofer pumps out 
earthshaking movie-house audio.
2 Ventilation slots Enable the computer to stay cool, even after prolonged use.
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							8Chapter 1
Left View
#IconItemDescription
1 DC-in jack Connects to an AC adapter.
2 Ethernet (RJ-45) 
portConnects to an Ethernet 10/100/1000-based network.
3 External display 
(VGA) portConnects to a display device (e.g., external monitor, 
LCD projector).
4 DISPLAY DISPLAY port Supports high definition digital video connections.
5 HDMI HDMI port Supports high definition digital video connections.
6 eSATA e SATA port Connects to eSATA devices (only for certain models).
7 USB 2.0 port Connects to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB mouse, USB 
camera).
8 4-pin IEEE 1394 
portConnects to IEEE 1394 devices.
9 Line-in jack Accepts audio line-in devices (e.g., audio CD player, 
stereo walkman, mp3 player)
Microphone-in jack  Accepts inputs from external microphones.
Headphones/
speaker/line-out 
jack with S/PDIF 
supportConnects to audio line-out devices (e.g., speakers, 
headphones).
10
Expresscard / 54ExpressCard/54 
slotAccepts one ExpressCard/54 module.
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							Chapter 19
Right View
IconItemDescription
1 USB 2.0 port Connects to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB mouse, 
USB camera).
2 Optical drive Internal optical drive; accepts CDs or DVDs.
3 Optical disk access 
indicatorLights up when the optical drive is active.
4 Optical drive eject 
buttonEjects the optical disk from the drive.
5 Emergency eject hole Ejects the optical drive tray when the computer is 
turned off.
Note: Insert a paper clip to the emergency eject hole 
to eject the optical drive tray when the computer is 
off.
6 USB 2.0 port Connects to USB 2.0 devices (e.g., USB mouse, 
USB camera).
7 RF-in port Accepts input signals from digital TV tuner devices.
(only for certain models)
8 Kensington lock slot Connects to a Kensington-compatible computer 
security lock.
Note: Wrap the computer security lock cable around 
an immovable object such as a table or handle of a 
locked drawer. Insert the lock into the notch and turn 
the key to secure the lock. Some keyless models are 
also available.
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							10Chapter 1
Bottom View
IconItemDescription
1 Battery bay Houses the computers battery pack.
2 Battery release latch Releases the battery for removal.
3 Battery lock Locks the battery in position.
4 Hard drive bay-
SecondaryHouses the computer’s hard disk (secured with screws) 
(for certain models only).
5 Hard disk bay-Main Houses the computers hard disk (secured
with screws).
6 Memory compartment Houses the computer’s main memory
7 Ventilation slots and 
cooling fanEnable the computer to stay cool, even after prolonged 
use.
Note: Do not cover or obstruct the opening of the fan.
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