Hardware Functional Overview 4-19
The pointing device subsystem consists of the built-in ALPS Touchpad pointing
device module on the system top cover assembly and a pre-programmed
Mitsubishi 38867M8 micro-controller which connects the mouse device to the
Motherboard. The touchpad module is connected to the audio board through a 6-
pin FPC cable. An external PS/2 port also supports the use of an external PS/2
compatible mouse which the system automatically detects upon system power
up. Both the internal and external mouse run simultaneously.
The ALPS Touchpad, a pointing device for personal computers, detects the
position of a finger over a touch-sensitive area. To move the cursor, the user
lightly slides a finger over the smooth sensor area. To 'click', the user gently taps
on the surface.
The ultra-thin module is the thinnest PCB based touchpad available today. It is a
capacitive sensor which detects the finger by measuring its effect on an array of
capacitive lines integrated into the PC board. The pad senses both the finger's
position and its contact area (X, Y, and Z). The area of contact is a measure of
applied pressure. One side of the module PC board is the sensor surface with
electronic components mounted on the other side. The sensitive area is protected
by a layer of smooth and durable mylar.
The ALPS touchpad communicates with the host via a standard PS/2 mouse or
trackball interface. It is fully compatible with the standard Microsoft mouse
driver. The module connector includes the PS/2 signal pins, power supply pins
and two connections for external button switches.
The ALPS Touchpad includes a special edge-motion feature that allows the user
to extend a drag operation when the finger reaches the edge of the sensor pad.
The cursor continues to coast in the indicated direction when the finger is held
against the edge.
Disk Drives Subsystem
The disk drives subsystem, implemented on the Motherboard, the associated
internal hard disk drive assembly and the device bay, provides disk storage for
all system software and user files.
The notebook is equipped with a high capacity hard disk drive ranging from
2.1GB to 4.1GB using the Enhanced IDE controller with LBA (Logical Block
Addressing) and Ultra DMA mode support.
The PIIX4 controller chip provides the Primary IDE controller for the internal
hard disk, and the Secondary Master for the CD-ROM.
The floppy disk drive supports standard 3.5-inch 720KB and 1.44MB mini-
diskettes while adding support for 1.2MB (Mode 3) mini-diskettes for the
Japanese market.
