Dell Inspiron 3500 Service Manual

							System Overview 1-1
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The Dell® Inspiron™ 3500 is an expandable, multimedia portable computer 
that uses the Intel® Pentium® II Mobile microprocessors with MMX™ technol-
ogy. This chapter provides an overview of the components and subsystems of 
this computer. 
Model names for the Inspiron 3500 computer indicate the operating frequency 
of the microprocessor (233 for 233 MHz, 266 for 266 MHz or 300 for 300 
MHz), the size (X for 13.3-inch LCD or G for 14.1-inch LCD) of the display, and 
the type (T for TFT) of display.
‡The Inspiron 3500 D233XT contains a 233-MHz Pentium II Mobile micro-
processor with MMX technology and a 13.3-inch XGA active-matrix TFT 
LCD.
‡The Inspiron 3500 D266XT contains a 266-MHz Pentium II Mobile micro-
processor with MMX technology and a 13.3-inch XGA active-matrix TFT 
LCD.
‡The Inspiron 3500 D266GT contains a 266-MHz Pentium II Mobile micro-
processor with MMX technology and a 14.1-inch XGA active-matrix TFT 
LCD.
‡The Inspiron 3500 D300GT contains a 300-MHz Pentium II Mobile micro-
processor with MMX technology and a 14.1-inch XGA active-matrix TFT 
LCD.
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The following features of the Inspiron 3500 computer contribute to its high 
performance:
‡Intel Pentium II Mobile Module microprocessor running at 233, 266, or 
300 MHz with MMX technology with 32 KB of internal cache. 
‡512 KB of pipelined-burst SRAM external cache. 
‡Hardware-accelerated PCI and AGP bus architecture that increases system 
performance, particularly video and hard-disk drive performance. 
‡A minimum of 32 MB of SDRAM system memory, with support for a max-
imum of 128 MB.
‡Ultra DMA/33 data transfer protocol for ATA/IDE hard-disk drive interface. 
Ultra DMA/33 allows data transfer rates of up to 33 MB/sec.  
						

							1-2Dell Inspiron 3500 Portable Computer Service Manual
The following features contribute to the computers multimedia capability:
‡A standard CD-ROM or optional DVD-ROM drive and a diskette drive 
‡Integrated stereo speakers and microphone
‡Jacks for connecting external speakers, headphones, or an external micro-
phone to the computer
‡A 256-bit NeoMagic MagicMedia 256 AV graphics controller with an AGP, 
2.5 MB of video memory, and simultaneous display
The following features contribute to the computers efficient use of battery 
power:
‡A lithium ion main battery and an optional second battery to double battery 
life
‡Two power management modes—standby mode and save-to-disk suspend 
mode—that help conserve battery power
Other features include:
‡A 13.3- or 14.1-inch active-matrix XGA color display.
‡Automatic thermal management that slows the microprocessor or starts a 
small fan when necessary to reduce processor heat and prolong the dura-
bility and reliability of the computer.
‡An integrated keyboard that includes two special keys that support the 
Microsoft® Windows® 98 operating system.
‡A PS/2-compatible touch pad that provides the computer with full mouse 
functionality.
‡USB capability, which simplifies connecting peripheral devices such as 
mice, printers, and computer speakers. The USB connector on your com-
puters side panel provides a single connection point for multiple USB-
compliant devices. USB-compliant devices can also be connected and dis-
connected while the system is running.
‡An options bay in which you can use a variety of modules, including a 
CD-ROM drive, a diskette drive, an optional DVD-ROM drive, or an optional 
Iomega Zip drive. In addition, you can use the options bay for a second 
battery.
‡An infrared port that permits file transfers without using cable connections.
‡PC Card slots with connectors for two 3.3- or 5-V cards. Both PC Card slots 
support CardBus technology. In addition, a ZV Port is available from the 
lower slot (slot 0).
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Figures 1-1 and 1-2 illustrate front and back views of the Inspiron 3500 
computer. 
						

							System Overview 1-3
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display
speaker touch pad 
buttons (2)status lights (3) 
(on keyboard)LCD latch
keyboard
touch padpower button
options bay
battery bay display close/
suspend button
microphone
PC Card connectors (2)
audio jacks (3)
AC adapter connector
battery release latch
status lights (next 
to LCD latch)
connector cover
USB connector parallel connector
monitor connector infrared port
docking connectorPS/2 connector optional internal 
modem
lock connectorspeaker
fan exhaust
air intake
serial connectorpower shut-
off button 
						

							1-4Dell Inspiron 3500 Portable Computer Service Manual
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Three status lights are located on the connector cover directly above the key-
board (see Figure 1-3):
‡Caps Lock: Solid green light when Caps Lock is on. Press  to 
turn this feature on or off.
‡Scroll Lock: Solid green light when Scroll Lock is on. Press  to 
turn this feature on or off.
‡Num Lock: Solid green light when Num Lock is on. Press  to 
turn this feature on or off. 
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Three additional status lights are located on the front of the unit, to the right of 
the LCD latch (see Figure 1-4):
‡System power: 
— No light when the system is off or in suspend-to-disk mode 
(hibernating).
— Green light when the system is on.
— Amber light when the system is in standby or suspend-to-RAM mode.
‡Hard-disk drive activity: Blinking light as the hard-disk drive or a PC Card is 
being accessed.
‡Battery Status:
— Blinking green light when the AC adapter is attached and the battery is 
charging.
— Green light when the AC adapter is attached and the battery is fully 
charged. The light is also green when the AC adapter is attached and 
there is a battery problem (such as a bad cell, overheating, or over-
charging). Use the battery charge gauge to further determine the 
battery status.
Caps Lock status lightScroll Lock status lightNum Lock status light 
						

							System Overview 1-5
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Some devices located in the options bay (diskette drive, CD-ROM drive, 
DVD-ROM drive, or Zip drive) also have an activity light indicating when the 
device is being accessed.
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The battery charge gauge (see Figure 1-5) on the bottom of the battery has five 
status lights that indicate how much battery charge remains. Each light indi-
cates approximately 20 percent battery charge. Press the battery tester (a 
textured square on the back of the battery) to check the total battery charge. 
  
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system power status lighthard-disk drive activity status lightbattery status light
 status lights (5)
battery tester 
						

							1-6Dell Inspiron 3500 Portable Computer Service Manual
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The power button controls power to the system. The computer receives power 
from either the AC adapter connected to an electrical outlet or from up to two 
batteries. If you use the AC adapter, constant power is available to the com-
puter. If you use one or two batteries, the system has integrated power 
management features that extend battery life by removing power from parts of 
the computer that are not being used.
Attach the AC power adapter to the computer, whenever possible, to conserve 
battery power. When the AC adapter is attached, the battery is charged while 
the computer uses AC power. 
The Power Menu of the Setup program has power conservation features. To 
open the Main Menu of the Setup program, press  during the boot pro-
cess. When activated, each power conservation feature turns off or slows 
down one or more functions while the computer is idle. 
NOTE: The power management settings of the Windows 98 operating system 
take precedence over the settings described here. For more information see 
“Using the Microsoft Windows 98 Operating System to Conserve Battery 
Power,” in the System User’s Guide.
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The power management mode has four settings:
‡Select Customized (the default) to control the power-saving time-outs 
individually.
‡Select Disabled to turn off power management. 
‡Select Max. Performance to conserve power but allow greatest system 
performance. When this setting is selected, the Standby
 Time-Out option 
is set automatically to 4 minutes, and the
 Suspend Time-Out option is dis-
abled. The CPU Throttling Mode option is set automatically to Off.
‡Select Max. Power Savings to conserve the greatest amount of system 
power. When this setting is selected, the Standby
 Time-Out option is set 
automatically to 1 minute, and the
 Suspend Time-Out option is set auto-
matically to 5 minutes. The CPU Throttling Mode option is set 
automatically to On.
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CPU Throttling Mode allows the computer to slow down the microprocessor 
automatically if it is not being used. The settings for this option are as follows:
‡On — Allows the computer to slow down the microprocessor when it is 
inactive
‡Off (the default) — Keeps the microprocessor running at its normal operat-
ing speed regardless of microprocessor inactivity
To increase battery operating time, set the CPU Throttling Mode option to 
On. 
						

							System Overview 1-7
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Standby Time-Out conserves battery power by turning off various devices in 
the system, including the display, but leaves the computer ready to resume 
operations immediately. Use Standby Time-Out when you leave the com-
puter unattended for less than a few minutes. 
Standby Time-Out lets you determine how long the computer remains idle 
(no I/O activity) before activating standby mode to conserve battery power. 
Settings for this option are Disabled, 1 min., 2 min., 4 min., 6 min., 8 min., 
12 min., and
 16 min.
To increase battery operating time, set this option to a lower number of min-
utes. Press any key on the integrated keyboard to resume normal computer 
operation.
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Suspend Time-Out lets you determine how long the computer remains idle 
(no I/O activity) before activating suspend mode. Settings for this option are 
Disabled, 5 min., 10  m i n ., 15 min., 20 min., 30 min., 40 min., and 60 min.
To increase battery operating time, set this option to a lower number of 
minutes.
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The Suspend Mode category has two options—Save to RAM and Save to 
Disk.
Save to RAM (the default) suspend mode conserves battery power by stop-
ping almost all computer activity, but leaves the computer ready to resume 
operations in seconds. Select the Save to RAM option whenever you leave 
the computer unattended for more than a few minutes. Resume normal com-
puter activity by pressing the power button (the computer may take several 
seconds to return to normal operation).
The Save-to-Disk option under Suspend Mode copies all system data to a 
reserved area on the hard-disk drive and then turns off all power to the com-
puter. When you resume normal operation, the same programs will be running 
and the same files will be open that were loaded before you activated this 
mode. Use Save-to-Disk suspend mode to conserve battery power or to pre-
serve system data by quickly saving it to the hard-disk drive if you are about to 
run out of battery power. Resume normal computer activity by pressing the 
power button. 
						

							1-8Dell Inspiron 3500 Portable Computer Service Manual
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Table 1-1 lists the default interrupt assignments.
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IRQ0 Generated by the system timer
IRQ1 Generated by the keyboard controller to signal that the keyboard 
output buffer is full
IRQ2 Programmable interrupt controller
IRQ3 Used by the communications port or modem
IRQ4 Used by the communications port (COM1)
IRQ5 Used by the audio controller
IRQ6 Generated by the diskette drive controller to indicate that the 
diskette drive requires the attention of the microprocessor
IRQ7 Used by the parallel port
IRQ8 Generated by the system real-time clock (RTC)
IRQ9 Free
IRQ10 Shared by the USB and by the IRQ holder for PCI steering
IRQ11 Shared by the CardBus controller, the IRQ holder for PCI steer-
ing, and audio controller
IRQ12 Generated by the keyboard controller to indicate that the output 
buffer of the integrated touch pad or external PS/2 mouse is full
IRQ13 Used by the math coprocessor on the microprocessor
IRQ14 Generated by the hard-disk drive to indicate that the drive 
requires the attention of the microprocessor
IRQ15 Generated by the secondary IDE controller (CD-ROM drive or 
DVD-ROM drive) to indicate that the drive requires attention of 
the microprocessor 
						

							System Overview 1-9
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Table 1-2 lists the technical specifications for the Inspiron 3500 computer.
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Microprocessor type  . . . . . .  Intel Pentium II Mobile microprocessor with 
MMX technology
Microprocessor speed . . . . .  233, 266, or 300 MHz 
Internal cache  . . . . . . . . . . .  32 KB (Pentium II microprocessor with MMX 
technology) 
External cache . . . . . . . . . . .  512-KB pipelined-burst SRAM
Math coprocessor  . . . . . . . .  internal to the microprocessor
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System chip set . . . . . . . . . .  Intel Mobile 440BX AGP
Data bus width  . . . . . . . . . .  64 bits
DRAM bus width . . . . . . . . .  64 bits
Address bus width . . . . . . . .  32 bits
Flash EPROM  . . . . . . . . . . .  4 Mbits
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PCI controller . . . . . . . . . . . .  Texas Instruments PCI1220 CardBus controller
PC Card connectors . . . . . . .  two (supports a single type III card or two type 
I or II cards)
Cards supported  . . . . . . . . .  3.3- and 5-V cards
PC Card connector size . . . .  68 pins
Data width (maximum)  . . . .  32 bits
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Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . .  SDRAM 
Memory module 
capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  32-, and 64-MB memory module 
Standard RAM
(13.3-inch display). . . . . . . . .  32 MB (one 32-MB SODIMM that is installed in 
one of the two memory expansion connectors)
Standard RAM
(14.1-inch display) . . . . . . . . .  64 MB (one 64-MB SODIMM that is installed in 
one of the two memory expansion connectors)
Maximum RAM . . . . . . . . . .  128 MB 
						

							1-10Dell Inspiron 3500 Portable Computer Service Manual
Memory access time/
clock frequency . . . . . . . . . . . 66 MHz
BIOS address. . . . . . . . . . . . . F000:0000
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Serial  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one 9-pin connector; 16550-compatible, 16-
byte buffer
Parallel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one 25-hole connector; normal (unidirectional), 
bidirectional, EPP 1.9, or ECP
Monitor  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one 15-hole connector
PS/2 keyboard/mouse  . . . . . . one 6-hole mini-DIN connector
Infrared  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one infrared port
Docking connector . . . . . . . . . 240 pins
Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . microphone, headphones/speakers, line-out
USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one 4-pin connector
RJ11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one RJ11 modem port (optional, not available in 
all regions)
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Audio type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sound Blaster Pro-compatible voice and music 
functions, software wavetable
Audio controller . . . . . . . . . . . NeoMagic NM3298
Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 bit (stereo analog-to-digital and digital-to-
analog)
FM music synthesizer . . . . . . 20-voice, 72-operator
Interfaces:
Internal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ISA bus, microphone, dual stereo speakers
External  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . microphone, headphones, and line-in jacks
Internal speaker 
amplifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 W total, 0.75 W for each speaker
External microphone 
input voltage range  . . . . . . . . 280 mV peak to peak
Line/audio input voltage 
range  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 V peak to peak
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . volume can be controlled through key combina-
tions and application program menus
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Video type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256-bit hardware-accelerated 
Video controller  . . . . . . . . . . . NeoMagic MagicMedia 256AV (NM2200B)
Video memory . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 MB integrated VRAM  7DEOH  7HFKQLFDO 6SHFLILFDWLRQV
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